Being his wife

Chapter Four

The door pushed open, and a woman in a hoodie walked in.

"Welcome," the cashier greeted, eyeing her curiously. The woman didn't look up, wandering down the aisles as if uncertain of what to buy.

Finally, she stopped at the home appliances section, her gaze sweeping over each item. She felt someone watching her and turned to see a little girl beside her. Tugging her hoodie, she retreated back, but the girl returned, holding out a half-eaten popsicle, smiling up at her. The woman stared blankly, her thoughts drifting. She nearly bent down to push aside the hair covering the girl's tiny eyes when a voice called out.

"Mandy," a man said, lifting the girl onto his shoulders. "Sorry about that. She can be a bit too friendly," he chuckled. The woman just nodded, grabbed a length of rope, and walked to the cashier.

At the register, she placed the rope on the counter and took out some cash. She waited while the cashier wrapped her purchase, then left without a word.

As she walked down the sun-baked street, a truck pulled up in front of her.

"Hey...we met at the store. Can we give you a ride if you're headed our way?" the man offered. She stood still, trying to cover her face with the hoodie.

"It'll be tough to get a cab, and town's a long way," he added. She gave a slight nod and climbed into the back seat.

The little girl, now in the front seat, turned to smile at her, the popsicle still in her mouth, but she just stared back, her emotions stirring up.

"She must like you," the man said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

The girl turned abruptly, dropping her popsicle on the floor. She signaled for her dad to help retrieve it. He kept one hand on the wheel and reached down with the other to grab it, only to hear the blaring horn of an oncoming car. He swerved sharply, sending the truck off the road and tumbling into a small ditch.

She opened her eyes, feeling disoriented. She shook her head to clear her vision. Her body was trembling. She closed her eyes trying to fight back the memories she wanted to forget. She heard voices, calling 911 and stood up. Someone approached her trying to make her sit down, she pushed him off and went to the car to get the rope but found it jammed. "fuck!" she kicked the car. She felt something trickle down her face, she touched her face and saw that it was blood and blacked out.

.......

Gina tucked Marcel in for the night and checked on Baby before helping Joe into his suit and tie.

"Wow...you look like a little gentleman," she said, adjusting his tie with a wink. Joe grinned proudly.

When she entered the room, she found Seth struggling with his own tie.

"Let me," she offered, taking over.

"Joe's coming to the party. Is that alright?" she asked, even though she knew he'd likely resist.

"Why?"

"He's bored. It'll be good for him, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it." She finished the tie, "I don't want him to come to the party", Seth said,

"Why?", She asked but he just stared at her,

"Cause he might meet the other members of the family?" She said and took a deep breath dressing his collar.

"I understand, but you can't keep him locked in for long, he's going to become a man someday and make his own choices and he's part of the family," she smiled but Seth's face still registered his disapproval. "Just once." She gave him a playful pout, and he kissed her.