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“You see, Greg’s father shot and killed his mother right in front of him. Then he shot Greg and blasted a hole through his own head. The man had a history of beating both his wife and his only child prior to that final act of violence. Your dad survived the shooting, but he never really recovered from the trauma of his beginnings. He was ten years old at the time that horror took place. Can you imagine what that did to his mind and to his spirit? The bullet missed your father’s heart by a few millimeters. A neighbor heard the shots and called the police.”
“Oh my God,” Theresa cried.
“The sins of the father …” Vanessa sighed. “Greg bounced through several foster homes in Spokane and the surrounding towns for years between the time that happened and when we met. He never got help dealing with what had happened to him and his mother in all that time. He’d been labelled as incorrigible because of his uncontrollable outbursts and rage. That boy carried a truckload of hurt and anger inside him,” Vanessa murmured.
“By the time we met, he was getting close to aging out of the system, and he was already training to become an auto mechanic. On the bright side, Greg was an honest man, a hard-working man, and by some miracle, he never turned to crime.”
Vanessa swiped an errant tear from her cheek. “Things seemed to be…. Greg’s attitude improved once we were together. He wanted a fresh start in a new place, somewhere no one knew his history. He told me he loved me and that he couldn’t live without my settling influence. When he got that first job at a car dealership in Portland, Oregon, he asked me to move there with him. He said he’d always take care of me, and I’d never have to work. We’d have a family and live a good life together.
“Naïve little fool that I was, I went with him.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I was only eighteen when I had Andrew, twenty when I had your brother Jacob, and twenty-three when you were born. It didn’t take long before your father’s unresolved issues resurfaced, and he became extremely controlling and paranoid. He’d also started drinking heavily by the time you came along, which made everything worse. He wanted to get married. I told him I wouldn’t marry him unless he got some help for his anger issues and stopped drinking. I urged him to deal with his past once and for all.”
She huffed out a breath. “My suggestions didn’t go over well, and that’s when the physical abuse began. If I brought it up, he’d respond with violence, so I pretty much shut up at that point and did whatever I could to survive. I had no education and no marketable skills. I did what was necessary to protect you three, and that meant keeping things at home on an even keel. I also took a little bit of cash out to stash away each time I went grocery shopping in case of an emergency.”
Theresa nodded. “I know what it’s like to keep things on an even keel just to keep the peace. So, you never had a job, did you? I don’t remember you ever going off to work.”
“No. Greg wouldn’t allow me to work outside the home. Having my own money would’ve threatened his control over me.” Vanessa’s mouth tightened. “By that last year, I knew I had to get out, or I’d suffer the same fate as his mother. I wanted to go back to school so I could support myself and you three on my own. I’d always done well in school growing up, and I needed to do something with my life other than cower in fear all the time. I couldn’t tell your dad. That would’ve sent him over the edge.”
Caleb admired the woman for her determination and bravery. He was every bit as riveted to her story as Theresa was.
Vanessa leveled an intense look Theresa’s way. “I signed up for a class at a nearby junior college, and I did it on the sly. I had the money I’d hidden away, and I also paid the bills. So, unless he suddenly decided to audit our account, he wouldn’t know.”
Vanessa tilted her head and looked as if she was considering something. “Theresa, do you remember our neighbor, Beverly Foster?”
Theresa nodded. “I used to hide out at her house. She taught me how to play the piano, and she was the one person in the world who cared about me after you left. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t had her to turn to.”
“Hmm, me either. She loved you as much as she loved her own grandchildren.” Vanessa smiled and nodded. “Though she tried to refuse, I paid Beverly for your piano lessons. Not a lot because for years I didn’t have much, but paying for your lessons was a way I could be a part of your life without your dad knowing.”
Gasping, Theresa reached for his hand. Caleb twined her fingers with his and remained silent. He was here to offer support, not commentary. His heart ached for Theresa and for her mother. Instead of voicing the questions chasing around in his head, he savored the feel of Theresa’s hand in his.
His chest swelled with protectiveness and love for her. He’d been the one she’d turned to when she needed support, and dammit, that had to mean something beyond the bounds of simple friendship. She just didn’t realize it yet.
* * *
Theresa’s mind reeled, and she tightened her grip on Caleb’s hand. “You … you paid Mrs. Foster for my music lessons? I don’t understand.”
“Patience, my girl. Let me tell you the rest. I know you believe I abandoned you without a backward glance, but that’s not true.” Vanessa bit her lip again.
“Beverly was the only person who encouraged and supported me through everything, and I mean everything. She and I formed a close friendship soon after your dad and I moved next door. From the start, Bev suspected all was not well, and I finally told her what was going on. Anyway, I got an A in that first class, and it meant so much to me. My confidence grew, and I signed up for another class, and I got an A in that one too. Beverly celebrated my accomplishments with me. She cheered me on.”
“Mrs. Foster did the same for me when I got good grades in school. I was heartbroken when she died,” Theresa said. “I was seventeen at the time. Dad refused to let me to go to her funeral.”
Vanessa reached out and placed her hand on Theresa’s forearm. “He probably figured I’d be there, and he didn’t want you to have any contact with me.”
“Were you there?” Theresa asked, her eyes filling yet again.
“Yes. How could I not attend my best friend’s funeral? I needed to pay my respects to the woman who’d helped me so much. Bev had told her sons about me, and she made sure they’d contact me if anything happened to her. She kept watch over you and your brothers for me after I left, and we were in constant contact. That brings me to the next part of the story.” Vanessa removed her hand from Theresa’s arm and sat back.
“I didn’t leave you and your brothers by choice. Greg must’ve suspected something was up with me. Maybe he sensed my growing confidence. I’ll never know for certain what tipped him off. He went through my dresser and found the folder where I kept my semester grades and the class catalog. After using me for a punching bag for a while, he threw me out the front door, along with my purse and a garbage bag full of my clothes.”
“How did I not know?” Theresa frowned. “I was old enough to remember.”
“Oh, he waited until the middle of the night when you three were sound asleep.”
Vanessa grabbed a napkin, wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
“Theresa, your father threatened to kill me if I tried to take you three from him, or even if I attempted to see or contact you in any way without his permission. Given his history, I knew he’d make good on his threats.”
Theresa’s tears ran down her cheeks, and she too grabbed a napkin. The sheer cruelty of that man’s actions, his brutality was beyond her comprehension. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
