Hollow

Chapter 7 (Mary Toledo's POV)

It's not easy losing someone you love, I know that. It happened to me and my husband... I was born inside of an abusive household, my dad molested me and my mom was never home because she was working. When she was home, my dad acted as if nothing happened in those long, hard hours she was gone. It was my father, you know? It hurts. At first I thought it was normal for him to see me and touch me, but it went a little too far. My mom had a temper, she wouldn't always hit me, only if she was angry she would. And she hit hard. It left bruises. I had a lot of empty bottles of foundations and concealers to cover my cuts and bruises.

I ended up running away when I was 15. I was in the city, New York. And I have been living on the streets for 3 days until I met Beatrice. I was so hungry and starving that I had a little bit of money. About 38 dollars. I found a place that looked as if it would be cheap. A cookie cake place. I went inside, and I found a very friendly woman. She never let me pay for the cake she gave to me for free. She let me live upstairs from the store. Where they lived. She had a handsome son, Lonnie. I quickly fell in love with him. The moment I saw him. He was about 2 years older than me but what we had was real love. He was a bit of a player, bringing girls home. But we went to the same school . (Beatrice lived close to my school) It started with greeting me in the halls, then us hanging out, then being romantic. He treated me well, and he wanted to take care of me too. I always slept in his room. Beatrice didn't mind. She felt happy for us. I was a good girl. I started to find a job as a cashier, but that's when we broke up. He ended up cheating on me while I was working. I was heartbroken. Later on, I moved out and got my own small apartment. Me and Beatrice kept in touch. She would come pick me up after work and drive me home.

A couple years later, I found this other man, Joseph. He was a redhead with freckles and glasses. I found him a bit attractive, I find so-called, "nerds" very attractive. He treated me better than Lonnie did, took me out, helped me and soon I ended up being so obsessed with him that I thought that we should have a baby. He agreed. So, I got pregnant with Timothy when I was about 24 years old. But a week before he was born, Joe had a heart attack and died. I was absolutely heartbroken and from then on, I had forgotten about men. I wanted to move. So I studied some medical things and became a pharmacist. I ended up owning my own store. I needed help with Timmy and Beatrice invited me to live where she lived with her granddaughter Hollow. I felt uncomfortable, but she told me that her and Lonnie were no longer in touch. Fortunately, I did not have to live with her that long because the house next door was for sale, we ended up moving in there.

I knew Hollow's mother, she was very beautiful but a bit of a bully . She used to bully me when Lonnie and I broke up. She was the one who he cheated on me with. I hated her. But, Hollow was a kid who you couldn't hate. And her grandma helped me a lot in my life. She really loved Timothy, she was always like a big sister to him.

And soon, I treated her like my own. Despite her parents who probably abandoned her. I tried to be like her mom. But she always included Timmy so he wouldn't feel left out. I know how much she loved her grandma, and when she died, I immediately took her in. I was the only other person she knew anyway. Who else could she go to?

I know Hollow has changed. She had become moody, depressed and tired all the time. She got very skinny, she refused to eat. She never wanted to leave. And Hollow and Timmy had not been talking as much as before, not even me, she doesn't talk to me either. I catch her screaming in her sleep, and crying at night. I paid to see Dr. Minokka. She had a temper with her too. 5 months later is when she started opening up a little. Nothing makes her happy anymore, she used to be this bubbly girl who was rarely upset, but not anymore.