The Sweetest Devotion (The Affair Series Book 2)

All Over

9 years old

STEF POV

Tears could only stream down my face as I lay in the back of Sharon's old station wagon surrounded by trash bags and suitcases.  My stomach was turning, I had already thrown up and wet myself more than once as  the fear was so intense, and my stomach was cramping from hunger.

It already felt like years had gone by since I had seen Aunt Fran, but it had only been a few hours, maybe as the cold night air was turning light.

I didn't know where we were going, or what was happening I just knew as soon as the social worker dropped me back at Sharon's she shoved me in the back of the station wagon saying we needed to go.

Go where I didn't know, but it only scared me even more. Eventually, I passed out as the tears stained my cheeks, and I held the necklace tight that Fran had given me.

The shirt I wore still smelled like our home as I pretended that she was back here with me, holding me tight in her arms as I snuggled into her neck.

She would calm me, rub my back, sing to me and tell me everything would be ok. But I saw her cry tonight, and that scared me because she never cried. Ever.

Suddenly, hearing the back door open and someone shove me, I opened my eyes to see Sharon looking dead at me as she yanked me out of the car, and I wiped my eyes.

"I don't want to hear none of that crying.  No more! You hear me! You are with me now where you belong!" She yelled, pulling me the front of the motel as she slammed the car door shut. 

Not being fully awake as she dragged me along, I was panicking and trying to remember Aunt Fran's number or look for a phone, or a bus  or something. But nothing looked familiar and the land was flat, the sky was grey and only about two cars were out driving around.

I thought maybe we weren't too far or in the next town or something, but as we walked into the motel check-in, I saw signs that said, "Welcome to West Virginia." Where was West Virginia?

"One room. You got smoking rooms, right?" Sharon said, puffing on her cigarette as the owner knoded. She was a heavy seat woman who looked no nicer than Sharon as she puffed on her own cigarette. Looking behind her, there was a door that led to another room where I saw a young girl playing and running around with little boy. 

"Yup."

"How much.?

"40 a night."

"40? For this fucking shit hole! You must be kidding me. Nobody paying that."

"Look lady it's 40 or nothing. I got kids to feed and cloth. That's the price. Take it or leave it but there's not another motel for miles."

"Well how do I make it not that price. I got 15." My mother said annoyed.

"Depends what you got?" She said as Sharon grabbed me and headed back to the station wagon. I wasn't sure what she was doing or looking for as I stood freezing and she started to open up bags and things that were mine.

Everything Aunt Fran had given me she stuffed in one bag as my stomach was turning and I grew more and more confused.

"Must be fucking something I can give that lousy bitch that's worth more. Ain't nothing worth a shit." She yelled to herself her cigarette dangling out of her mouth when her eyes fell on me.

What she was looking at I wasn't sure as she soon walked over to me smirking and taking the necklace Aunt Fran had given me and rubbing it with her fingers as it remained around my neck.

"MM this might do. Sterling silver maybe and a few diamonds. MM."

"What? But Aunt Fran gave me that."