The Little Secrets

Ch. 6- Courage

NARRATOR

      Tanya, Karlie's mother, had woke up and tasted the bitter taste of blood in the back of her throat from when Kevin had punched her in the nose. She got up feeling sore and hurting all over. This last beating from Kevin sent her over the edge. He's always taking his anger from Karlie out on her when Karlie is in her room. She looked at the bed seeing that he must have gone to work. Glancing at her bloody pillow in disgust. She got dressed into a button down white shirt and regular jeans. She took off the pillow case throwing it in the floor and putting on a new one.  Karlie was right all along. Why hasn't she left? Tanya has put herself through so much to give Karlie a good safe life. Except knowing she would never be safe in a household with Kevin.
  
      As Tanya got dressed she notices the dirty needle and spoon on the dresser and glared at the bag of heroin next to the appliances. With rage in her veins she takes the disgusting tools and drugs and tosses them in the trash. Courage grabbing her mind, she walks out to the kitchen to make some coffee when she was startled to see Kevin sitting at the table reading the news paper and drinking a cup of coffee.

      "Good morning my beautiful wife." He had said to her, as he puts his coffee cup down. She looked at him disgusted, again knowing she could never be beautiful again being with him.

      "Yeah. Beautiful my ass, No work today?" She poured herself a cup of coffee drinking it fast to make the nasty blood taste go away.

       "No sweety I felt we could spend the day together. Drink a couple martini's. Babe look I'm sorry I hit you." He got up and walked over toward Tanya who wasn't the least bit interested. He kissed her cheek where there was a bruise as Tanya winced from the pain.

     "Yeah well, you say that all the time Kevin. When is it really gonna stop? We used to be so inlove and now look at us." She poured herself some more coffee.

      "Babe I said I was sorry isn't that enough?" He tried to hug her but she shoved him away and walked to the refrigerator.  She opened the freezer and grabbed the half gone Jack Daniels bottle and slammed it on the table.

     "I do not want you to drink anymore Kevin. Please you have got to stop. The drugs and alcohol. That's the only real apology I will take from you at this point." She could feel the lump in her throat but held back the urge to cry. She was a very strong women. Kevin had his glasses on the bridge of his nose and grabbed them setting them and the newspaper on the table. He glared at Tanya and grabbed her face in his strong hand.

     "What makes you think you can tell me what to do? If I want to drink, ill damn well do it if I please and you can't do a thing about it." He grabbed the bottle and scooted around Tanya to put it back in the freezer. Tanya felt rage run through her as she stepped over to the coffee pot and poured herself even more coffee.

      "If you don't want to stop drinking to save our marriage then I want a divorce." She knew that the argueing was going to start now but she didn't care she was done getting treated like this. She walked over to the basement door to see if Karlie was awake. Maybe even go to the store just to get out of the house. Or go get a manicure.

      She walked down the steps calling for Karlie until she heard nothing. She got to the bottom of the steps and she wasn't anywhere to be seen. She looked in the bathroom. Karlie's make-up, toothbrush, and toothpaste where not around the sink anymore. She started to panic.
 
     Tanya ran over to her closet and there where no clothes. She looked to the washer and dryer and the clothes from last night where still in the basket. Tanya knew her daughter had run away from the abuse. She ran upstairs to see her husband sitting at the table again but this time with a glass of whiskey replacing the coffee cup and a nasty needle replaced the newspaper. He looked up at her with sorrow on his face.