<b>Chapter 386 </b>
“If you dare treat me like that, I’m not going to y nice like Ca did. I’ll make your life a living hell.”
As people drifted away in small groups–someughing, some shaking their heads in pity–not a single person stepped up to intervene.
The crowd dispersed. Outside, the sun dipped behind the hills, and the once–bright living room slowly faded into shadow.
“Enough with the act. Get up and make dinner already. I’m starving!” The man shot an impatient nce at the mother and daughter sitting together, but couldn’t quite meet their eyes. He went straight to the fridge, grabbed a fresh bottle of beer, took a long swig, and slumped on
the couch in front of the TV.
The flickering light from the screen revealed his face in harsh relief. Vera stared at him, seeing not a father, but something monstrous.
“What are you looking at? You want to rebel too, huh?” Sensing her gaze, he grabbed the ss ashtray from the table and hurled it at her.
Vera flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for pain that never came. Instead, she heard a heavy thud–a muffled gasp.
Ca had stepped between them and caught the blow.
“Mom!” Vera’s pupils shrank in shock. “Are you okay? Does it hurt? Let me take <i>you </i>to the clinic.”
“No, no, it’s just a scrape. I’ll clean it up with some antiseptic in a bit. You go do your homework. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready. Your dad’s in a bad moodtely, don’t argue with him.”
Ca waved her off and forced a smile. The blood on her forehead had dried into a dark, jagged line, making her look almost frightening as she stood up.
Vera’s eyes filled with tears, but she knew her mother well enough not to push. Gently, she tried to wipe away the blood with her fingers, but it was
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already crusted over.
“Why don’t you lie down for a while? I’ll handle dinner. Later, I’ll see if Peggie next door has some liniment for your bruises. Your back is probably all ck and blue.” Vera’s voice cracked.
“Don’t start crying again. Always crying, day in and day out. No wonder I’ve got such rotten luck with you two! Now get in the kitchen!” the man bellowed, making both of them jump.
Ca patted Vera’s back, trying tofort her, though she was trembling herself.
Vera sniffled and helped her mother into her room, set down her schoolbag, then headed for the kitchen to start dinner.
She’d hoped tonight was just a bad fluke, but as time went on, the man only grew meaner. He’dsh out at the slightest thing, always taking his frustrations out on them. At least he hadn’t started hitting Vera yet, but Ca was another story. It seemed every few days she’d show up with fresh bruises, and even the neighbors kept their distance, whispering and pointing behind her back.
Their gossip was always the same: a woman shouldn’t be too capable. Now her husband’s lost his job, and she’s still got hers–who knows what she’s doing to keep it? Maybe something indecent with the boss.
It didn’t matter that the real faulty with the man. In the end, it was always the woman’s reputation that suffered. She had iting, they said, as if she deserved every blow.
Ca kept her head down and her mouth shut. She knew better than anyone that if she stopped working, they’d have nothing left to eat.
The man either drank of gambled away what little money they had. If he won, he’d buy more booze; if he lost, he’d take it out on her, then send her out to buy more beer. It didn’t take long for the family savings to disappear.
Everything cost money–food, clothes, bills, and Vera’s school fees. The one thing Ca was grateful for was losing the second pregnancy; at
<b>2/3 </b>
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least she hadn’t brought another child into this misery.
And that loss was his fault, too.
She’d caught him cheating with another woman at the factory, and the shock had sent her into earlybor. The baby hadn’t made it.
The man had seemed guilty for a while after that. He never mentioned wanting another child, but it left a knot in Ca’s heart that never went away. Still, she said nothing to anyone. Looking at her innocent daughter, she knew all she could do was endure.