The tang of blood stained the insides of my cheeks. I lay there, still, motionless... inert, that was defiantly one of the longest times Drew had ever beaten me. I don't even remember what I did that got him so mad; maybe the living room wasn't clean enough. Or the soup, he hates when it when I cook to spicy food. My left eye was swollen shut and my top lip busted, I knew I would have to call in 'sick' tomorrow for work. My so called friends there couldn't find out about what I have been putting up with for 3 years of my life any one couldn't for that matter. Because then he would be in trouble, then, so would I. They'd all tell me to "leave him", give me all this bull about how he doesn't care about me or love me, but when it comes down to it, none of them would dare offer me a place in there home to sleep at night, I continued to think in my head. Scared they might get involved or hurt, so why take their advice if I have no one to help me put it into motion.
"Get your ass up off the floor!" Drew's angered voice cut into my thoughts. I moved my leg to let him know I heard his demand.
"All I know is this house better be clean when I get off work, and no soup tonight, now get the hell up! Do you hear me Patricia?" he waited awhile to hear a responding moan, and with that stormed out.
So it was the soup. I heard him leave out, had I really been passed out here in the bathroom all night? Left laying here? I bet he wouldn't have cared if I bled to death, I bet he would have laughed and even watched if this were true. My scenarios playing over and over, I struggled to pull myself up my limbs still weak and numb from lying in the same position all night. I need to call into the office, I can't go in like this, and please let my boss cut me some slack. I found the upstairs phone as I plopped down onto the bed and dialed, my throat became hoarse and dry.
"Mr. Carrington?" I said softly as I heard the other end come in.
"Yes Patricia? What excuse do you have for today? This is the 3 time this week you have called in not to come to work. Now what is it this time?" His Voice was full of frustration with me; it was only a matter of time before I got fired. Then he wouldn't have to worry about me calling in with excuses at all.
"Ms. Vanity? Are you still there?"
"Yes," I responded back quickly "I'm sick sir, been down in the dumps ever since last night I tried to convince my boyfriend to let me go in but he won't let me ... To worried." I stumbled out at the last second.
"Hm. Tell you what, you've used up all of your vacation days so either you come in or you're fired."And with that he hung up the phone. My heart sank; I climbed on the middle of the bed and sat looking at the crimson and golden sunrise coming up over the emerald and yellow hilltops from my second story window. I didn't even notice that I was crying until I felt the teardrop hit and disturb the stillness of my shirt. My faint sobs filling the quite room, it was only 9:30 and I didn't have much cleaning to do maybe I could clean up and go out searching for a new job knowing in my mind that I had basically lost the on I just had, I know the coffee house downtown always has a pin board full of offers, and Drew would never even know the difference, not like he would visit me anyhow. I have shades, and if anyone asks about my lip I can say I busted it when I opened my car door
"Clumsy me," I said aloud. It was mid afternoon when I had finally found a place that was hiring, A man named Markus Jed, he was looking for someone to keep his house clean and explained on the flier that he was always too busy to do so himself. I sighed, all id ever be good for was cleaning a man's house. God has made in incapable of anything else, I pulled off one of the number tabs storming away mad at my own low self thoughts and out of the coffee shop.
He lived in the old Williams house, which was said to have weird activity there every other night. I drove by everyday on my way to work, never even knowing what the house looked like, it was deep into in the forest, the vibrant vegetation its armored shield. The drive way was elongated, with curves here and there shaded well by the tall slumping tree's resembling an army of slender men dressed in dark brown clothing. I shivered when the thought entered my head as if they were watching me closely as I drove down the dirt road, whispering game plans of my demise while creating an arch like mask of protection over the drive way.
The shade giving a dark like feel to the whole place, the dogwood petals from the tree's not looking as graceful falling on the dirt road. I ignored the feeling of getting into something I wasn't supposed to be and continued on until I came to a huge clearing, an old house sat in the far center. Not counting the attic, the 2 story brick house was adorned with a white balcony and Greek like poll statues on the long open porch sitting there proud looking as if it were a time capsule. The front yard big in length and width, the grass rich and well cut. I bet you could run twice around its perimeter and it'd be a mile.
Id finally reached the house; the tall tree's still cutting it off from ever source of human life. But the sun still shined through enough to add a glowing affect to it all.
"You'd be dead before hand if you were to get chased out here" I said out to myself. I walked up the steps and knocked lightly at the door admiring the big open porch as I waited,
"Looks well kept to me I don't see why-"The door flew open.
"You Patricia?" A black man in an apron stood in the door way, his had resting on his left hip and the other holding at the door. I knew right off that he was gay, his flamboyant introduction giving it away.
