Days, weeks, months, and years came and then they disappeared as though they never existed. One day Helen realized that she was forty years old. She was still a very attractive woman; she had gained a little weight which was not bad at all since in her thirties she
had been much too thin. The maturity brought up all her beauty, in and out, to the surface. Even Steve would sometimes tell her:
"You turn heads. You get so damn prettier everyday. I've been hooked on to you for this one reason all these years!"
Steve still would not let her to work. This was a puzzling thing for her. The only thing she could think of was that perhaps Steve thought the man who fathered her first born, was someone from work! She knew as time passed, finding a job as a teacher, which she loved, would become harder for her, someone who had taught only three semesters in her twenties; yet she knew that there was always other positions which she could get hired for. She always looked at Sunday Papers for jobs; even though she knew as long as she was married to Steve, it would never happen!!
Elizabeth now was a spoiled thirteen years old teenager, who looked much older than her age. She was totally daddy's girl now. Steve let her do what she wanted. Helen did not approve of the way she dressed, short skirt, open neck, ... She wore make up, like a woman. Mother and daughter fought all the time. Helen had transferred all her fights and agers with Steve to fights with Elizabeth. Steve always defended Elizabeth even though deep inside she knew that Helen was right!
Christopher was ten years old. He was hers, always hers! He was her life. Nonetheless, she had no idea few years into the future, the influence of some bad friends, and knowing how miserable her mother was, would change her Chris, that he would drop off from school, that he would make a mess out of his life!
Steve still had the same schedule; three or four days work, and the rest of the week off. On his days off, he still went to bars and got drunk. During the last ten years, Helen was certain, that he always had had a girlfriend, a one night stand, a mistress, short affairs, or long affairs! But she did not care! She did not care for anything but her son, Chris, and her son with Jacob, whom she did not know anything about his whereabouts, or his adoptive parents. He was fourteen now. Oh, how much Helen wanted to know him, to see him, to touch him! But she knew what she wanted and wished for was impossible!
All these years, she had not figured out the combination of the safe that Steve kept all the legal adoption document there. Not once he made the mistake that Roger had made!
The old headaches were back with vengeance. The doctor told her that his best guess was stress and migraine. She never told the doctor how Steve had made her life miserable because of the birth of her first son. She never told him that she wished he divorced her and left her to find peace at last!!
To Be Continued
No comments:
Post a Comment