Smith had thought it through. His ruling was to throw her out of his dwelling before she insulted him further. His wife had no voice in that. As soon as she saw his resentment manifest she knew nobody could shift what he was going to say or do. She pursued him upstairs.
Chloe was in the dark. They should have told her what was arising. She wanted to attend but was forced to wait downstairs.
Teresa heard the bang. She could smell the threat. She was scared.
"Come in", she responded.
Her father stormed in. He was too irritated to talk. She could see his hands shaking. When he spoke his whole body was tightening making her spine grow fragile.
"Is it true?", he roared. His wife opened the door from behind him. Teresa's mouth was withered, not a word to let out but to face the floor.
××××××××
"They never cared to ask how it happened when it happened and what the responsible guy thought of it. They were cold.
" They are your kin, child", she told her offspring. It was as if she was giving attention to the detail. It made her want to say extra.
××××××××
Mr Smith was trying not to strike her and her mother too- who was tensed.
As he glanced at both he could not have despised them more. His daughter for being humiliated and the wife for letting it happen. He was not to blame for anything, he did his part just fine – according to himself.
Teresa was afraid and so was her mother. As he shouted at her the two felt like it was the end of their world.
At one point her mother tried to defend her . His wife said that they should have known, they were to blame for letting it happen in the house.
That triggered Mr Smith
Another word bought his wife a slap . Teresa screamed and the poor girl got her share . He hit her so hard that she collapsed on the floor. He threw his wife as he was making his way out ,she landed on the floor. As he was pushing the door open it hit her thigh then he banged it.
Teresa's mother was hurting. Teresa raised herself from the floor and went to her. It all happened too fast.
"Don't act as if you care about what I feel now, if you did it never would have happened. Get what you can carry and be gone before I wake up tomorrow. May God help you through ", her mother concluded. There was no string of love in her cold eyes as she vomited the words ,then she left.
×××××××××
Teresa packed her bags that same night. She threw them by the window before running out . Ever since she had never seen or heard from her family until today. She saw them in church looking like a great family, maybe they were.
There was just a lot that happened that night. She promised Catherine that she would tell it all before the day was over . Now that they were on her bed she had to finish it .
Every time she talked about it she would remind Catherine that she stayed . Even though they were not together like now she was in there, maybe they shared the pain.
Before she left it started raining. She didn't feel like nature was on her side anymore. If it was she would have had better times to leave. The rain help her escape unnoticed.
If they heard her escape that night she had no clue.
××××××××××
New in her town, Teresa had to learn to be smart. For the first day, she found a small mediocre hotel open. They didn't technically have rooms to rent, she scored a store, she paid for it though.
If Teresa went further inside maybe she would have found decent place to stay. Why would she do that when her family hoped she be there alone without money?
That night she stayed up talking to her unborn child, they had an agreement that no matter what they would stay together, fight until the last breathe . The store was smaller than her room and a hundred times worse . She never knew how she would survive the night, but she did .
Teresa slept late but woke up early. Hotel owners opened the door about 4:15 AM- they had locked her in from outside. From then she had to fly away early enough and look for a place to settle before the streets get crowded.
That morning she was weary. She hadn't had anything, she had to . If not for her then for the embryo inside her .
Oatmeal was available. She had it with coffee before wishing them the best and finding the next step of her journey. They didn't seem very concerned about her wellbeing but at least they shaded her for the night. It was more than her family did.
××××××××
Teresa found an apartment by ten that morning. She bought some furniture and paid rent for ten months upfront. Whatever she had left was not enough for two month's expenses but at least she had room to stay, food would come her way through work, she planned to get a job in town.
She was hired as a waitress at the restaurant, just across the street. There she worked until things got worse . They had to let her go .
×××××××
Teresa was hired for her beauty and promise to work hard, which she did. She was fired for being pregnant and being of less use around. Before that she was transferred from waitressing to kitchen, doing inferior work.
But, she had saved enough to cater for hospital bills if need be. She ate at work and brought back leftovers for dinner, that was the reason for savings accumulating. Only thing she spent on was larger clothes for two.
×××××××
When time was right she took herself to the hospital and back again three weeks later. By then she was transformed into a young woman. She didn't give birth naturally, so there was something else slowing her progression.
From the time she held her young one she knew she was worth it and much more. She always thought of having a daughter first but now she doesn't think of having another baby ever. She smiled at Catherine before sleep swept her away leaving her awake. The little angel didn't cry but rather stayed until sleep caught up with her . Maybe she grew weary from the long talks she was receiving from her mother.
×××××××
The next morning the two had great time together. They bonded like twins, not as mother and daughter. They had been doing that since Catherine was born, because Teresa quit her job. It only ended three months ago, but, it was on again, she would not be going back to work ever again. She wanted to look for a more paying job. They stayed at home cleaning, watching TV and walking outside.
Teresa told more about her life. About when she; was stalked, cried all night, craved limestone, cut her hair, wore trousers for the first time, slept on the bathroom floor and much more.
By the time she was four years old, Teresa had repeated her accounts fifty times. Little Catherine had heard more than her age combined. She loved her mother and her reports too. She was old enough for school.
Teresa had spent all her moments. She heard her say the first word 'ma', take her very first steps, run around the house, make a mess, laugh about it,play with dolls, cry for icecream and sentences.
To top that was her sense of humor, although young it made her mother laugh like crazy
She had the most beautiful smile Teresa had seen in her life.
××××××××
With that, her stay done, she had to play. Her second life was waiting for her at kindergarten, she had to leave her bubble. The transition was hard, more so because they had been together. They couldn't live apart.