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“No, no, no, no!” I put my hands to my ears as a rushing sound like that of a tornado started whirling in my ears, and the things around me started to dim and fade away. Again my body was on fire, and I screamed in pain.
Beyond the noise, I could hear my father’s voice, “Best wishes for a good life, Son.”
I watched as that son of a bitch disappeared just as quickly as he appeared, leaving me heavy with the weight of his sin, not knowing what happened to the girl, not knowing what happened to whatever seed he was talking about, sitting here in the middle of a park, alone.
I closed up the tent and made sure everything was in place and ran the few blocks back to the church.
I was in time to see the youth group teens filing out of the church, each getting into minivans and sedans to head home for the morning.
That is when I see her...Tamryn! But she was in the back of a car that was pulling out of the parking lot. Our eyes meet, and she waves at me as a tear slips down her cheek.
My gaze flicks to the driver of the car...Claire?
Chapter 7
Phoenix-present day
Iwake with a start and notice that Claire is sitting across from me sipping coffee. She has a look of bemusement on her face.
“You were there; you were with Tamryn,” I accuse.
“Hmm, yes, I was. I see you are gaining your memories back, slowly but surely.”
“How do you know her? Are you her mother?”
“No, I was her social worker, just as I was yours.”
“So, she was in foster care as well?”
Claire nods. “Well, she was after that day. I was told to pick her up after receiving a tip of abuse at her home. She also ran away from the church and someone reported that as well. I believe it was your father. I can’t be for certain. But now that you said he told you he ‘took care of it’ I’m thinking it was him for sure.”
“Where did she go after that? I didn’t see her again until...she showed up five years later, with Grace.”
“She was placed in foster care for a year until she turned eighteen. By that time, she had graduated high school and had Grace. She was on her own.”
“How did she make it? Why didn’t she contact me?”
“The curse. You grew angrier and angrier the longer she stayed away, and your father made it damn near impossible for her to get near you, but she had some help from a friend.”
“A friend? Who?”
“Your mother.”
* * *
Phoenix 9 years ago
“Hi.”
I look over as a little caramel-skinned girl sits next to me on the park bench. She looks like she is about five or six years of age. Her curly hair is a mixture of dark and light brown, pulled back in a fluffy ponytail. She wears glasses on her face, and she pushes up the black frames with one small hand, blinking at me with eyes that look so familiar like I've seen them before.
I see there are other kids playing in the playground, some older, others younger than this girl. I'm not sure why she's taken a seat right next to me, looking at me like she is expecting me to say something.
“Hi,” I say back.
“What are you doing?”
Sitting here minding my business, kid, beat it.
