The banging on her bedroom door made her jump.
“No!” she screamed back, “I don’t want to anymore.”
She broke into a sob.
“Shannon…honey…I love you…don’t do this…please!”
The woman on the other side of the door couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice.
“You did this; this is all your fault. I hate you!”
Shannon’s accusation burned her through the
closed door.
“Honey, I’m sorry so, so sorry.”
The truth, it was so clear it almost sobered her up. It almost changed her mind and then the image flashed in her mind, taunting her.
“Honey, I’m sorry so, so sorry.”
The truth, it was so clear it almost sobered her up. It almost changed her mind and then the image flashed in her mind, taunting her.
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut ho
ping to shut out the image. The bright sun, the innocent laughter, the torn dress, that sick smile, if only she had said no. If only…
“Baby please let me in.”
The raw plea broke the flashback.
A single silent tear slipped out of the corner of one eye. The cold comfort brushed her temple in invitation. How many times had she tried to let her in? How many times did she deny it? Shannon wondered at the hand fate dealt her as she looked down the nozzle of her salvation.
“Shannon, I should have believed you. I’m sorry. I’m sor…” the ragged woman on the other side of the door broke into a sob. Her resting head on the door swayed from side to side as her knuckles grew white from squeezing the door handle. Her sob broke into a guttural cry. She crumbled to the floor and back to the door cradled herself and cried.
Shannon hauled herself over to the door, backed it and cradled herself. As she silently offered up a prayer she asked her mother, “Why didn’t you believe me?”
The woman on the other side of the door froze. Was that a click she heard? Wild fear flashed in her eyes to be replaced with uncertainty as the silence on the other side weighed in.
“He said that he didn’t…didn’t do it…and…and I believed…I believed him.”
In a small town in the middle of nowhere a little girl found her innocence once again. The gift was given to her by indifferent steel as her mother slouched in regret. Shannon smiled as her life blood flowed warmly down caressing her cheek while her mother blankly stared at her feet, rocking back and forth lost in the horrors of her refutation.
ping to shut out the image. The bright sun, the innocent laughter, the torn dress, that sick smile, if only she had said no. If only…“Baby please let me in.”
The raw plea broke the flashback.
A single silent tear slipped out of the corner of one eye. The cold comfort brushed her temple in invitation. How many times had she tried to let her in? How many times did she deny it? Shannon wondered at the hand fate dealt her as she looked down the nozzle of her salvation.
“Shannon, I should have believed you. I’m sorry. I’m sor…” the ragged woman on the other side of the door broke into a sob. Her resting head on the door swayed from side to side as her knuckles grew white from squeezing the door handle. Her sob broke into a guttural cry. She crumbled to the floor and back to the door cradled herself and cried.
Shannon hauled herself over to the door, backed it and cradled herself. As she silently offered up a prayer she asked her mother, “Why didn’t you believe me?”
The woman on the other side of the door froze. Was that a click she heard? Wild fear flashed in her eyes to be replaced with uncertainty as the silence on the other side weighed in.
“He said that he didn’t…didn’t do it…and…and I believed…I believed him.”
In a small town in the middle of nowhere a little girl found her innocence once again. The gift was given to her by indifferent steel as her mother slouched in regret. Shannon smiled as her life blood flowed warmly down caressing her cheek while her mother blankly stared at her feet, rocking back and forth lost in the horrors of her refutation.
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