Toto and the Boys III: Dannie

Chapter 6

A piece of the past...

The impact of her father's right-hand strike caused her to crash against the close wooden door. And before she could recover, the same hand grabbed her face to force her to look at his raging eyes.

"Where have you been?" he shouted at her face.

"School," she murmured with shaking voice.

He threw her face back against the door. She could hear her sister crying inside their room.

"School!" her father mocked. "You don't get fed wasting your time in that goddamned school of yours! What did I tell you?" He kicked her leg as he spoke. "What did I tell you, huh? You're just wasting your time in that hellhole!"

"Stop it, the two of you," her mother's voice said from the kitchen. "I can't take any more of this stupid shouting!"

"Shut up!" her father roared.

"Don't you tell me to shut up, you good-for-nothing bastard!"

Her father completely forgot about her as he whirled around to face her mother. Their shouting would continue for another hour or so.

Dannie stood up and stumbled to where her sister was crying.

"Stop crying. It's okay," she consoled her sister in bed. "This always happens, right? You know it is just a passing moment," she added.

"Your cheek is bleeding," her sister said in between sobs.

Dannie touched her cheek and wiped away the blood. "It's nothing. It doesn't hurt. Have you eaten yet? Tell me about your day, come on. Did you finish that drawing?"

As she listened to her sister's words, she couldn't help but wonder...how long would they be able endure this hell?

PRESENT DAY

"Troy..." Dannie baby started. She was nearly in tears. It seemed to me that she wanted to walk up to him and comfort him. But what was stopping her? Come on, Dannie...just freaking do it!

"No," he said, stepping away from her. He placed his hands inside his front pockets and took a deep breath as he looked up. "Let me say what I want to say right now because I don't know when I'll ever get the courage to do so again."

Dannie was standing there, stiff as a statue. A tear fell from her eye without grazing her cheek. And Troy's eyes were also brimming with tears. What the hell...I don't think I can take this, I said to Tata. "Troy," Dannie baby tried again, her voice broken. Oh baby, I feel your pain.

"No, let me finish, Danica." Troy said in a rush as he took another step away from her. His eyes met hers once again and she could feel his desperation through his gaze. "I love you like crazy I don't know what to do. A year was not enough to control myself from being such an idiot around you. You know me, right? You know who I was since we met. You know every little dirty secret I keep. I've been such an ass for years and now..." He gave off a snort as if he was laughing at himself. If it was a year ago, I would be laughing right now at his state. I would have been thinking he deserved this after breaking a lot of hearts. But at this moment, as I looked at his desperate state, I was hurting with him. "And now I got my prize," Troy continued. "You are my karma." Shit just got real. I don't like this at all. Why does this have to happen to these two? "And it's a really bad one that I could barely stay sane. How can I? I am fighting a—sorry for the word—goddamned Man I don't have any chances of defeating. He is the all-powerful one no man can contend and I feel guilty with the thought that I don't want you to go back to that convent!"