After a couple of hours, Hugh knocked on Emily's door and told her that it was time for dinner. She walked with him to the dining room/kitchen which was in the back of the house on the first floor. She wanted to help her uncle but he wouldn't let her do anything. He was extremely stubborn.
"I hope that you liked what I fixed tonight. Your mother told me that you liked Italian food so I figured that I would make you Spaghetti and meatballs which just so happens to be my specialty." Emily grabbed a bowl and fixed herself some of the spaghetti. It looked and smelled mouthwatering.
Emily was about to dive into the food but her uncle stopped her when he cleared his throat. She looked at him. He smiled. She was confused.
"Emmy, here I always pray to God before I eat. Would you like to say the prayer or would you prefer for me to?" Emily's mother had never really taught her to be religious so she was surprised that her uncle was religious. Not that he ever went to church she assumed because of all the judgemental people around town.
"Oh um I wouldn't even begin to know how to pray so you go on ahead." Hugh looked at Emily with a questioning glance.
"You mean to tell me that your mother never brought you up in a religious household? Oh that's terrible! Faith in God is the only thing that gets me through life sometimes." Emily bowed her head and held her uncle's hands. He prayed and Emily wanted to smile. Somehow praying made her feel as if she were even more at home. Sadly, this didn't last very long.
Emily was eating and so was her uncle when the landline phone started ringing. She was surprised that he had a landline. Who still had them? The shrill ringing made her jump. It struck fear into her heart. Surely it couldn't be good news. She was pretty sure that Eric was un-killable.
"Hello?" When the voice on the other side of the phone started talking he walked to the cabinet and threw it back on the receiver. Emily looked at him nervously. She instantly stopped eating. He looked at her. She felt numb. She felt sick. She clinched her fists.
"What's wrong Uncle Hugh? Are you alright? You're worrying me! What's going on?" He took a deep breath, walked up to the table, and sat down. He sighed and took her hands in his. He shook his head and looked at her.
"I am so very sorry Emmy but the police have not been able to find Eric. They assume that he is on his way here......." Emily started hyperventilating. She looked at him. "Calm down Emmy. I will protect you. Now why don't you forget about him and go for a little walk to calm you down? Fresh air will be good for you, besides, he can't hurt you. I won't let him." Emily nodded. She walked up to her room and grabbed a knife to make her feel better. She walked outside and started to run. The gentle breeze made her feel calm. It was almost like it was embracing her, telling her that she was alright.
