"Thank you for coming, ma'am. I hope you did not have any problems getting here." Denise said to the woman seated before her.
"I thought my son was with you. Anyway, I am glad you called me. How is my son?" Mrs. Sandy, Harold's mother said.
"He is well. He was devastated the last time both of you met at the supermarket. I don't want to intrude in your private life, but, can I know what happened between the two of you? Harold doesn't seem to have a happy memory of you and his father. I want to help you get together with your son. So, please, tell me what happened between you." Denise said.
Mrs. Sandy sighed. She looked down on her hands on the table. "It was not my intention to leave my son in the hands of his father. I really wanted to come for him when I left. But, his father threatened to kill me if I came anywhere near him. I was scared so I stayed away."
"But, why did you leave him alone with his father? He told me his father was abusive. You should have taken him with you."
"I wanted to. My husband, his father, was very abusive towards me not just Harold. He always beat me for no reason and would always come home drunk. He stopped taking care of us. He did not even care if we ate or not. When I complained, he will beat me and lock me up in our bedroom for days."
Denise felt sorry for the woman. She had gone through a lot. At first, she was angry at the woman because of what she did to Harold. But listening to her now, she just could not hate her anymore. She wanted to know more about the woman. She listened to her carefully, as she narrated her story.
"I could not take it anymore. So, I decided to leave with my son. That day I packed all my clothes and wrapped my son on my back. When I stepped out of the house, my husband was standing outside, waiting for me with a knife in his hand. He threatened me and said that if I must go, then I should go alone. I pleaded with him to let me go with my son. He took Harold from me and sent me out without my baby boy. I was so devastated. I tried so many times to get my son but I could not do it because I was scared my husband will hurt my boy. Denise, please, help me talk to Harold. Please help me apologize to him. Please," Mrs. Sandy began to cry.
"Please don't cry, ma'am. I will do my best to get Harold to speak with you. But, I can't promise you anything. All I can say is, give me some time and everything will fall into place." Denise tried to comfort her.
Mrs. Sandy nodded. "Thank you, Miss Denise. I will forever remain indebted to you if you are able to help me with this." she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Denise just gave her a small smile and continued chatting with her. When Denise returned home, it was 5 pm. She met her mother, who was about to go out. She approached her mother and greeted her.
"You did not tell me you will be going out today. Where are you rushing off to?" she asked her mother.
"I have a meeting with the women of the electoral area. I could not tell you because you were already rushing out. Anyway, don't wait up for me. I might be home late. Take care, child," Mrs. Wilson kissed her daughter goodbye.
She sat in her car with one of the bodyguards at the passenger seat. Then, the driver drove them away. Denise was about to go into the house when Harold called her name. He was coming back from the direction of the garden.
"I thought you would be back early. What kept you out for so long? I almost came after you," he asked worriedly when he got closer to her.
Denise thought she had gotten over whatever she felt whenever Harold was this close to her. She realized it had just been dormant all along. Her heart began to pound at his worried face and she tried to calm her breathing.
"I-I told you I was going out with Elena, right? Well, I guess we had too much fun because I was not really looking at the time." she smiled sheepishly.
Harold looked at her like her he did not believe her, yet, he did not say anything. He stepped back a little, allowing Denise to breathe normally again. He smiled at her.
"I called Elena earlier and she told me you were not with her. So, tell me, where did you really go?"
Denise suddenly looked like a fool. Why would Elena tell him that? She had to think of something to say fast before Harold forces the truth out of her. An idea popped up in her head.
"I went to see Mr. Shaw concerning the goods he wanted us to export for him. I wanted some clarifications on a few things."
"Are you sure that is where you were?"
"Yes. Come on, why are you interrogating me like this? Don't I have the right to go out anymore?" Denise feigned annoyance.
"I did not say that. And I am sorry you feel interrogated. I am just trying to protect you." Harold said, his eyes seemed to be pleading with her.
Denise felt bad, but she had to hold her ground. She did not like lying to Harold, but she could not tell him the truth either. So, she just had to pretend to be annoyed by his questions. Harold just wanted to protect Denise from any harm. He did not want Denise to end up kidnapped again like what they tried to do last time or worst, kill her. He could not understand why Denise could not see that.
"I am sorry." That's all Harold said and left her alone.