Her Redemption for His Sins (Under Heavy Editing)

3

Chapter 3

Leena awoke to the shrill sound of her cellular phone ringing, but there was no light in the room, and she knew it was too early. Although sleep came easily the night before, it was not pleasant dreams that kept her tossing and turning throughout the night. A thin bead of sweat coated her forehead as another night of dark and foreboding dread occupied her dreams. Leena did not welcome the nightmares but understood that her past was not easy to escape and that she would have to face her demons eventually.

For right now, Leena had only one thought on her mind as she stared at the dreaded piece of technology that was still ringing, she wondered who in the world was calling her. She stared hard at the phone, groaning as she saw her publishing agent's phone number had popped up, and wondered for the umpteenth time if the woman had an off button.

Leena figured that the crazy bat of a woman would not stop pestering her about her plans for her book tour, until she had a detailed minute by minute account for every free moment of their schedule completed. But couldn't her agent save her antics for a reasonable time of day, Leena thought as she wished for a cup of coffee.

Leena silenced the phone, worried that it might wake everybody up if it rang loudly another time and rolled out of the comfy bed sourly. The swift movement this early in the morning caused her to feel an excruciating amount of pain in her leg.

Leena rubbed her leg absently as she hoped that the pain would subside, deciding that her agent would have to wait for the call back, and that was final. In fact, Leena was going to have a chat with the dreadful woman about personal space. But first she needed to drink a jar of coffee.

Leena threw the sheets of the bed, then set out to complete her morning routine with quiet efficiency and achingly painful steps. She headed downstairs to the kitchen, hoping that Margaret would be up to help her find the coffee mix and have time for some idle gossip about her siblings. However, much to her surprise, Leena arrived downstairs to find that a pot of coffee had already been brewed and Margaret was not there.

Leena didn't question the coffee but was grateful to whomever rose early enough to make the brew. She grabbed a cup from the counter then poured herself her first round of coffee. Like always, Leena took 7 packets of sugar and a creamer to get the perfect flavor. She knew it wasn't the healthiest of choices, but she had no other way of enjoying the dreadful drink.

She was thankful for the cup of coffee because at least one of her problems was solved, but that still left the throbbing ache in her leg. Leena rubbed her hand over the scar tissue that was throbbing now and tried to practice the meditations that focused on healing thoughts. She couldn't focus on meditation or enjoy the gorgeous morning sunrise that was shining through the window, without having to be reminded of the things she could not and would not be able to do now.

Leena reached into her pocket where she always kept some of her spare pills and downed two of them with the coffee. As she wobbled over to the dining room chair, Leena glanced outside to see the bright sun casting itself onto the grass. The dew on the grass caused everything to sparkle in the morning with the hope of a new day, but she was still not ready to feel that sparkle in her heart.

It was hard to enjoy the morning dew when there were too many responsibilities weighing heavily on her heart this morning. Leena wasn't sure if she was ready to pass over the reins, of the family business and fiscal responsibilities, to her equally capable siblings because she had always been there for everyone.

Leena still wasn't used to the fact that they were adults, and they could take care of themselves without her. It was kind of hard to picture them grown up when Leena had taken care of them through their entire childhood and been there for their first everything. But she still wasn't done taking care of everyone, she owed them a lot, especially since she was the reason dad died.