It had been very cold inside the shack that he called home, almost frozen, but she was not chilled. Reality had just begun to set in; she was pregnant and Joe wanted to have nothing of it. He had even threatened to deny her publicly.
When she had broken the news to him, he had laughed out rightly. “Are you serious?” he had managed to say amidst harsh and chocking laughter. She had stayed still and silent, and when he had realized she was serious, his whole demeanor changed. He looked at her now with a mixture of anger and contempt.
‘Why?’ ‘Are you crazy?’ still she had kept quiet, not sure of what to say.
She had come to tell him, directly from the doctor's, excited and expectant, happy images of his reaction dancing through her head.
Now, looking at his face red and angry and exerted, shouting himself hoarse, blaming her for het stupidity, her carelessness, she only hugged her arms tighter and willed her baby to be born.
She had looked forward to this moment in her life, having grown up so close to her mother, and seeing the joy motherhood had created in others. She had expected it to be with someone special, someone who would treasure her child more than anything. Not surprisingly, Joe was quick to promise to take her, note; no need for an appointment, to the doctor, for the now essential termination.
'How caring,' she thought sarcastically and sadly.
She suddenly realized that this couldn't be his first time, that he had done this countless times before. Maybe his other girls had been either too enamored or too scared of him to care. Well, he didn't know her well if he thought she'd give in so easily. The fight in her was just awakening.
Right now though, she was too fatigued to argue with him . She made as if to leave, wryly amused by his panicky self.835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBKs0FWU2Q
'Where do you think you are going?' He'd tried to hold her back when she made to leave. 'We have to sort this NOW '
Her 'NO' was soft but firm.
'There's nothing to sort out. I'm having this child. But I'm tired. We can talk about this another time,' She bit out the last sentence syllable by syllable, exhaustion showing in her every word.
As she drove home, glad that despite his reluctance, he'd let her go, she couldn't help but go over their first meeting.
She'd been fresh out of school, excited, still not sure of what she wanted to do. One thing she was sure of though was that she wouldn't be joining her dad's business, at least not for a while, despite his repeated pleas. Her friend Carol had enticed her into acting, and though she had been made to take lessons while in school, she'd never thought of doing it as a career. But it was rather worth giving a try, so she went for auditions, still pushed on by Carol.
This had been her second audition, and not being known for being patient, was to be her last. Not that Carol needed to know that.
He had watched her throughout, intense but betraying no emotion. She felt his eyes following her wherever she went but he never said a thing. When it became too creepy, she had confronted him.
He was lean and tall, his features striking in an interesting way. He was not handsome. His face was too busy for that. The eyes were large and intense, the nose large too. This chin jutted out at a defiant angle and it was hard to tell whether she could like him or not, just from his features. He was an experienced actor and the star of the shoot and though remorseful for staring so much, he had not hidden his interest in her. She intrigued him, he had confessed, and they'd stuck up a smooth conversation.
When she had failed the audition, she had still stayed behind, enjoying his easy company. He didn't talk much but he was a good listener.
He invited her to go dancing the next day. He took her out of town, to a quiet but warm club, with friendly staff who knew him by name, and brought his order before he could even call out. She was intrigued, more so by the small dance floor at the edge surrounded with mirrors, so out of place with the homely decor. Curiosity had drawn her to it, but the music had kept her there.
She danced slowly, feeling the music seep into her bones. It was the kind of music that transported you back to classical days of balls and gowns and scented candles. It was pure magic. But it was less the music and more her partner. He finally joined her on the dancefloor, smooth and agile, making dancing feel almost like heaven.
It was then that she had started to feel the attraction. In the plain light (no neon, please) of an average club, looking up into his not so handsome face, she had felt what she had never allowed herself to feel before. The feeling of entering into someone's hidden world and sharing little bits of their world. She had felt strangely brave but calm, almost natural.
They called her Ella, and behind her back, the Princess. She was not what you could call spoiled; she was far too subtle for that, but she knew how to get what she wanted, and she always succeeded. She was well meaning and friendly, and it helped that she was beautiful. A striking, almost shocking beauty, that hit you in the face first and left you gasping for breath. She knew the effect she had on people but never let on, choosing instead to ease them into friendly conversation. Many loved her, how could they not, and of course, many women secretly envied her. It was something she had gotten used to, like the beauty spot on her chin.
She was what many called a good soul, always wanting the best, always getting the best, but modest enough not to rub it in other people's faces. 835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpOZV34eAI
835Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSFMIidOTD
