Under His Roof

chapter thirty-one

Kimberly woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing.

Her alarm hadn't gone off yet and when she checked the time, she saw that it was still 7:51 a.m.

Groaning, she reached over to her phone as she wondered who could possibly have been calling her this early on a Sunday morning. When she looked up at the bright screen and saw her mother's name flashing across it though, she grew confused.

Frowning, she picked up, "Mama? What's wrong?" she asked. "Should I come down to the cottage?"

"Kimmie..."

Her mother's voice was low and pained. It made Kimberly stiffen as the events of yesterday flooded back into her mind. Not only had she and Julian completely fallen out, but her father had been one of the witnesses, meaning that by now, both of her parents were aware of the nature of Kimberly and Julian's relationship.

She felt sick to her stomach as she waited for her mother to continue, knowing whatever it was would not be good.

"Your father and I are no longer at the cottage," her mother said. "We tried to find you last night but we couldn't. Dad said he had seen you go outside earlier, but when he ran after you to check, you were nowhere to be found."

"I, um...went to another friend's house," Kimberly said.

"Another friend?" her mother asked skeptically. "Or another Julian?"

Kimberly didn't answer and her mother sighed, her voice cracking as she spoke. "Kimberly...what happened to you?"

Ouch.

Kimberly winced as her mother's words slapped her in the face. She could hear the shame in her mother's voice and found herself wishing for her anger instead.

Up until then, she had been her parents' prized jewel. As an only child, they had put ever ounce of love, effort, and hope into her, and with one measly decision she had ruined it all. At that moment she couldn't decide which was worse: having her parents think of her as some harlot they were ashamed of, or having them think of her as the angel she most definitely was not.

A small frown spread across her lips as she spoke, figuring that now was as best a time as any to come clean about who she really was. If her parents were going to feel betrayed by her anyway, they might as well know to what extent they had been betrayed.

"Mama," she said, "you know I'm not...a virgin, right?"

Her mother paused and even without being able to see her, Kimberly knew what expression was on her mother's face. Pursed lips, closed eyes, hands on temples...the classic look of a frustrated parent.

"That doesn't mean you should be gallivanting around with grown men, Kimberly."

"Mama! I'm not – what? What does that even mean? I can't believe that you think that I – God. Julian was the one that took my virginity, Mama! I'm not just sleeping around!"

The line went silent and Kimberly felt her insides crawl as the thought about what her mother must have been thinking. They hadn't known the extent of Kimberly and Julian's relationship, but now she had given it all away. Now they knew about everything except Freddy, and the thought of it made her sick.

Her mother's voice came in weakly as she asked, "You slept with him?"

"Mama..."

"Kimberly Louise VanStromme, answer my question!"

She sighed, "Yes, I did."

"Oh my God." Her mother sucked in a sharp breath and Kimberly could only imagine the look that was on her face at that moment.