Jacky felt overwhelmed as she finally got off work at 6:00 am. She worked night shifts so her husband Glynn could work day shifts. But as she pulled into her driveway, she saw someone sleeping on her doorstep. She got out of her car and got closer and saw Karen passed out on the porch. Jacky noticed Karen was bleeding.
"Karen, wake up," Jacky said, panic rising in her voice. She quickly checked Karen's pulse and breathing, relieved to find them both steady. Jacky gently woke Karen up and helped her inside the house. Karen groggily opened her eyes and winced in pain. "What happened, Karen? Why are you bleeding?" Jacky asked, her heart racing with worry. Karen hesitated before mumbling, "I got in a fight..with a friend." Jacky's eyes widened in shock. She cleaned and bandaged Karen's wound, all the while scolding her for getting into trouble.
-
Twinkie and Denise got home and saw the house trashed. They saw their mother's boyfriend, Earl, passed out on the couch drunk. There was broken glass and blood on the floor. "Aw, hell," Denise said. They rushed upstairs to see Karen's room empty and Mattie asleep. Earl had the tendency of getting drunk and abusing or messing with Karen.
Twinkie and Denise knew they had to clean up the mess before their mother woke up. They quickly got to work, picking up the broken glass and mopping up the blood. As they were cleaning, they couldn't help but worry about Karen. They hoped she was safe at Jacky's house.
After cleaning up the living room, they checked on Mattie, to make sure she was okay. She was still sleeping soundly, unaware of the chaos that had unfolded in the house. Twinkie and Denise decided to let her sleep and went back to their rooms to try and get some rest themselves.
But sleep didn't come easy that night. They were both filled with worry about Karen and anger towards Earl for causing so much trouble. As they lay in bed, they vowed to protect their sister and make sure she was safe from now on. The next morning, they would confront their mother about Earl's behavior and make sure he never set foot in their house again.
-
Dorinda put the bacon on the plate just as Greg came downstairs. He liked his food to be done by the time he woke up, and if it wasn't, there was hell to pay. "My breakfast ready?" Greg asked. "Yes," Dorinda said, placing the plate in front of him.
Greg took a bite of the bacon and nodded in approval. Dorinda breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she had managed to please him this time. She knew that his moods could change in an instant, and she always tried to stay one step ahead to avoid any outbursts.
As Greg ate his breakfast, Dorinda quietly cleaned up the kitchen, making sure everything was spotless. She knew that a clean house was one of Greg's few pleasures, and she did her best to keep it that way.
Once Greg had finished eating, he got up from the table and headed towards the door. "I'll be back later," he said, not bothering to look back at Dorinda.
Dorinda watched him leave, knowing that she had a few hours of peace before he returned. She took a deep breath and tried to push away the fear that always lingered in the air. She put a hand on her still flat stomach. "God, please don't let anything happen to this one," she whispered. As she closed her eyes and focused on sending positive energy to the tiny life growing inside of her, she made a silent vow to do everything in her power to protect and nurture her unborn child.
