Since Kat was two, Teresa quit her job to spend quality time with her daughter. Hard to do but a must. Since then they had been spending days together and doing all kind of stuff. Two years passed like nothing.
After she stopped working, she relied on the little savings she had been piling up and the leftovers of what her one night stand gave for abortion.
Two months ago, they relocated to a new neighborhood, they live in the city now. Nobody there knows about them, they can rewrite their story, and be whoever they want.
Kat liked the move, she will get to see more of everything as opposed to their little town. There, they were talked about, ridiculed, pointed at for long.
The best part of it was that she managed to keep Kat away from her family. If they cared about where Teresa was and her state nobody knows. But, rumors about her giving birth to a baby girl reached them.
Teresa never thinks of them anymore, nor him, he's out there perhaps knocking other girls out and lending cash for abortion. Who knows how many innocent girls' future he has wrecked?
She should have reported him, again, he didn't do anything wrong. How could she blame him for her fault, she let her guards down.
She had a dream of them meeting, in the dream he strangled Kat. Of course she fought for her daughter, she put a knife into bastard's heart. She had killed him before, multiple times in her dream, he never goes away.
It was one of her worst nightmares.
Others involve her family.
Teresa is tough, toughness that is manifested in Kat. But she knew that there were things beyond her level, those she wanted to keep away from mentioning while talking.
Like, her sire, he was uncharted territory to Kat.
Maybe she hadn't discovered that kids have dad's, Teresa hid her from the world like a pro.
She knew just how much trouble she would be in when Kat asks the hardest of them all. How would she reply to it? When Kat asks if she has a father? Will she lie about his intentions with her? That he saw her as bad seed to be terminated?
She prayed for it not to happen, maybe not until Kat is old enough to grasp what a shitty world she was born in. Then, she would know exactly what her father was, just an insecure little brat with zero concerns of his actions.
He should have used a condom, he knew how wrong it was risking it all. Teresa blamed her innocence for that, she believed when he said it.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle, Uh? You can't get pregnant on your first day, just don't toy with it too much when I'm gone",he said before deflowering her.
He was her first, until now, her last too. But, they didn't do it once- thrice perhaps? Who was keeping score?- not her apparently.
She's guilty for enjoying it, would bad experience kindle contradictory outcome?
As expected, he was cold as they can get. But, she never wished for it to have happened any other way, because that would mean that there would not be Kat.
A life without her daughter would be an empty one. She would still be believing in her family and friends, worse men. She now is repellent.
She was not in her small town anymore they were living in the city. They never had to go to that church anymore, her family can stay there for all she cared.
She actually never returned there- not after realizing that the church had moved on without her. That she wasn't as important as she was told, guess everybody's replaceable.
Before leaving though, she went to see the priest about her journey. He never wanted her to leave from what he said but his eyes betrayed him. They were screaming for her to run, maybe he despised her family like she did- only needed their funds.
He wanted to baptize Kat, Teresa declined the offer. Maybe she should grow up and choose for herself what to believe in, that was her choice to make.
After a prayer, he promised to not talk to her family about it, she still wonders if he mumbled anything. If he did, who cares? They must be happy that she was not in the town to crash their reputation.
Her father must have been happiest of them all.
××××××××
Kat was prepared for the school a week early, they didn't want her first day of school to be less than perfect. From her little uniform, bag, shoes and all the essentials. Her body was the last thing left to make it perfect.
Teresa wasn't prepared for what was to come, she never knew a life without Katherine anymore. They had been so close that letting go was almost impossible, but a must.
Mother's don't cry, at least not in front of their young ones, she bottled her anxiety, worries, loneliness and concerns as she talked with the principal of Kat's to-be kindergarten.
Kat was there. Teresa held her hand. Little genius could sense her mother's fears and tension, it was flooding her body like blood. She had her own to fight too, it was not that fun to her either.
She heard about safety assurances, overrated experiences and exceptional environment. The last bit was kinda true, they all saw it during their orientation.
She would have taught her at home for the initial phases, she was more capable than most teachers, because she would be concentrating on one kid only. But then, Kat would miss out on making friends, other connections and playing.
She never wanted to raise her as a weirdo because of being selfish, she had to let go. Then maybe she would concentrate on finding new job, sitting home all day would be depressing.
More so, Kat herself was aware of what was happening, she was old enough for school and had to leave her mother, that's simple.
She could notice her mother's discontent, she also wasn't happy, why couldn't they stay together at home? They are great together.
Before leaving, she gave the little one huge motherly hug and promised to be waiting for her back home with her favorite dish. Sounded like a deal.
When it got real, Kat felt tears fall from her little face, she didn't cry but wished that she should have fought the change. If her mother could let go then it must be safe and necessary for her, she knew that . Her mother loved her the most.
×××××××××
Back home, Teresa's discomfort was immerse. Cleaning up, unsuccessful naps and TV wasn't helping. There is no limit on what a mother can do for her child, she called the school.
She was informed that Kat was bonding with others just fine. It would have been sad if she wasn't informed of her discomfort for the few morning hours.
If allowed, she would go to see her. Worrying heart was hard to tote all day long.
All she had to do is find work before school time was done.
××××××××
"You barely talked about school, mommie wants to know all of it, Uh! Like I had been sharing, were other kids nice to you?", Teresa interrupted little one's dinner time. They had talked in lengths of her day, still it wasn't enough for her.
"Of course Mommy, I made a friend ", Kat replied with her cute little smile shining the room.
She was shocked, her daughter was doing it better than she ever did, she got smacked by a bully. Teresa saw Kat's joy , she was already playing.
"What's her name?", Teresa asked while passing her some milk she had been cooling, "your new friend"
"Her? He's a boy mommy, Nate", it came as a shock, maybe she had issues with that. But, she had to hide it from her daughter.
Why did she think that way, did she prefer her making friends with girls only? Was Teresa misandrist?
"Oh, I see. Is Nate good to you? What is he like?"
"He sits next to me in class, he's heavy ",she said reaching for her milk. Teresa was dying to know it all.
Was she concerned that Kat made friends with a boy? Should she limit her friends based on gender? Maybe that would be unfair for the little one, too much for being a mother.
She was new to all that, maybe she will learn to trust in others as she once did. There is a boy they studied with who genuinely appreciated her and seemed to care. He ran away after she got pregnant, afraid to be dubbed 'the father '
Maybe not, she had no idea. A girl would be much appreciated though.
But why not? She made ' friends' with one , a wildly flirtatious newcomer. Before that, she used to be hard on boys, he left her pregnant and sent cash to abort her (Kat). She didn't think there was boys different from him, the small ones grow up to d!cks as well.
The heartbreaker was cute innocent brat one day too, maybe sweetest of them all. He still was – at least before deflowering her- then the devil in him manifested.
She was shielding her from worst of the world, but, too shy to discourage the little one. Maybe later in life she would prohibit it.
Teresa still believed that there was genuinely good ones, not like her partner , she hoped that was the case with Nate boy. She never wanted her daughter to be bruised, not that young, not ever.
Right now it's nothing but innocence in the boy's mind, at least that's what she thought. She had to.