The Vow: A Sample in Chapter Five

The Vow: Chapter Three

The Vow

Chapter Three

The Silencing

HELEN'S INTRODUCTION had proved only one thing to her. Those things were going to be different now that they were in Aberdeen. Not only did she have no friends, but she seemed to be losing Orville too. Having no money or ticket to leave South Dakota, she'd be stuck until she could figure out something else. So, she tried to find ways to take her mind off things. It wasn't freezing temps yet, and that was good.

She began making herself go for walks in the afternoon while the two of them slept. Geoffrey managed to get Orville a job with him, and it was on the midnight shift, so day hours were spent sleeping. Since she was alone all night and couldn't walk then, she chose to walk in the afternoons when it was a tad warmer. Dressing in jogging pants and hoodies would do, but she knew that it wouldn't be long until she couldn't even go for walks. She began thinking about getting a job herself but was quickly reminded that she had no way of getting there. This ruled out a job for her and she would find herself sinking into isolation. Her life had drastically changed since they arrived and if she had thought for one minute that it would be this way, she'd have gone her own way, to a much warmer place.

Helen also found out quickly what her duties were: cooking, cleaning and laundry. She didn't mind having duties, but she really didn't think she should have taken care of Geoffrey in any way. Orville told her otherwise. Something happened the day that he pulled her to the side after she spouted off that she wasn't washing Geoffrey's clothes. It became the first time that Orville had ever laid a hand on her. Without any warning, he slapped her across the room when she said she didn't come to take care of another man. Geoffrey seemed to enjoy watching and when she was picking herself up off the floor, he leaned over and chanted ...

"Now what are you going to do?"

Helen didn't say a word about what she would like to do, and she walked past him, straight to the bathroom to wipe the blood that was streaming from her nose. Orville had crossed a line and became a total stranger to Helen. With no money, no phone and no car, she was stuck in a situation that she wasn't big enough to get herself out of. She never thought she'd hear herself think out loud that she wanted to go home, but this might just be the first time. Even with her mother, she knew what to expect most of the time.

WEEKS PASSED, and the guys started getting all covered up with overtime, sometimes not even coming home at all. Helen knew that it wasn't normal, but she kept quiet. She would enjoy herself more if they were working overtime. Winter had finally arrived at its fullest, and snow had covered the road completely. The guys had to park their car at the end of the road that was at least a half a mile away from the shack.

Helen thought several times about making her way to the car and just taking off in it. But she didn't have the money to fill it up with gas. Orville had become quite tight with the money, and she never got to see a dime. She quickly found out what it's like to live life as an abused wife. Her daddy wouldn't have been very proud to see her get herself in such a life, and she felt shame most of the time.

She had lost a lot of weight due to stress and not wanting to feast every night on possum or squirrel. She was brought up on beef and pork, a hated the thought of eating a squirrel. Her hair had lost all its shine, and it hung in clumps. Every time she washed it and brushed it, strands would come out in her brush or in the shower. She couldn't even run her hands through her hair without it stringing across her palms and tangling around her fingers. Her lips had turned a white color, and she didn't know what that was all about. The circles under her eyes made her look like an alcoholic, and her body felt much older.