I rested my head on Mom’s shoulder as I followed her lead to my room, and just like she said, it was clean and in place. She helped me to the bed and helped me sit.

I bent to remove my shoes, but she beat my hands away. “Don’t worry, I got it.” She whispered as she turned and pulled my shoes. “Go on then, lie down.”

I did as I was told and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “I am really sorry, Mom,” I whispered as fresh tears slipped down my eyes.

Mom sighed, sat on the bed, and held my hand. “Everything is going to be just fine, don’t you worry. However, you do realize that your dad won’t stop until he knows who’s responsible for this.”

“Yeah,” I answered. “I know.”

“So, are you going to spill it or have him find out himself?”

I closed my eyes as the tears continued to spill. “I just don’t want him to find me again.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” I replied, shaking my head.

“Then what?”

“It’s so complicated, Mom.”

“Your father won’t care about that, and you know it.”

“What if I run away from here and go somewhere he can’t find me?”

“And when are you going to stop running, huh? After you have given birth or what?”

“I don’t know, Mom. I wish this wasn’t happening.”

“Well, honey, it is happening, and what we need to do now is find a way to make peace with it without causing more problems.”

“I don’t want to go back to his family.”

“If he didn’t hurt you, why are you running away from him then?”

I covered my face with my hands and began to cry profusely. Soon I felt Mom’s weight on the bed as she lay beside me, held me by the shoulders, and hugged me tight while I continued to cry.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. Everything is going to be all right.”

“I am so confused, Mom,” I whispered as I intensified my cry.

“Just let it out, honey,” Mom whispered as she massaged my back, “just let it out. Mama is here right beside you.” She continued.

I hugged her tight. My eyes clenched shut, afraid if I opened them, I would see my dad’s anger or the frustrated look on Mason’s face the last day I had seen him. A few minutes later, I cried myself into a deep sleep.

*********

In the morning, I sat close to Mom on the couch, resting my head on her shoulder while we watched the news on the television.

Joe was sitting on the other side of the room, playing on his phone, and eating from a plate filled with popcorn.

Dad came into the room, and my body tensed so much that my mom reached out her hand and began to massage my arm.

“Nice to see you have woken up. For a moment, I thought you would never get up.” Dad scoffed and sat heavily on the seat.

“Good morning, Dad.”

“Morning to you too, so tell me, are you ready to tell us who the person responsible is?”