Only he did, and in the most permanent way possible — he died. But not before he became an alcoholic who had cheated and stolen from their joint account until both their finances were in shambles.
The last straw was the appendectomy incident and she had spent many days crying herself to sleep for being so foolish as to believe in her husband's declaration of love and promises. She'd spent so many days after his death, cursing the stranger she had married, a resentment greater than any kind of love she believed grew in her heart.
She couldn’t help going back to it now, especially now that it was obvious, she was about to be homeless with a child in tow. She blamed him for the situation she was in, but most of all, she blamed her soft heart, that naive, little innocent heart that had been willing to trust in the name of love — since she had never had that kind of attachment before.
She shifted closer to her daughter, cuddling her, her head dropping to inhale the ever present aroma of sugar.
She did not know what to do, and short of crying her eyes out, she really did not have any option but to roll with things. Come tomorrow she would pack everything that belonged to her and search for someone looking for a roommate. She had five hundred dollars in savings and hoped to God it would be enough for a security deposit on a room.
She spent the night turning and tossing, worried about what tomorrow would bring.
???
"What are we getting, Mira?" Trinity asked her indecisive daughter.
"Chicken," she responded.
"Two chicken sandwiches to go, please," she directed to the patient cashier who allowed the little girl time to decide despite the sizeable queue.
"Mommy, Pepsi!" Miranda exclaimed out of the blue and Trinity rolled her eyes at the sudden burst of excitement.
Trinity glared at the sugary drink. Usually, she did not allow Miranda to drink it unless it was a gulp from her own cup, but today was one good day for an exception — they were celebrating.
After spending a few nights in a motel and the past two sleeping in her car, she had finally found a second job and soon they would be able to afford their own apartment. She was celebrating how good Miranda had been with everything, treating it all like a big adventure and keeping in good cheer all while managing to be obedient and helpful.
Her daughter was normally well behaved, but their unexpected eviction was deplorable and took a toll on Trinity, so she was thankful her daughter took it in stride.
One drink won’t hurt.She nodded at the cashier. “Two drinks please,” she said. After the cups were handed to her, she headed for the drink dispenser.
When their order was called, she snagged up the bag and exited the fast food joint, heading straight for the parking lot. Their car was parked at the farthest end, a bit away from the closest car for a good reason — it had been their home for the past two days. Stuffed to the brim with their belongings, only the front seat area had room for sleeping.
With what came next, her only excuse was that she was distracted — too distracted to notice that the step behind them was too intent and getting closer by the minute. She looked up from her daughter, only to see two men suddenly in front of her.
Her hand clenched around her daughter's as she tried to scoot back, but a hand pushed her forward. She shouted and cowered away. The two men encircled her closely.
She tried to edge away, but the man at her side only stepped nearer with a sick smile that turned her stomach. It promised a bad encounter.
"Going somewhere, pretty?" the one directly in front asked, his tone smug and taunting.
"Why don't you stay and play with us," another voice chipped in.
"We'll be good to you if you play nice."
"And if you're really nice, we’ll treat the little girl right too," the last one added with a leer that showed missing teeth and rotting stomps. Even in the semi-darkness of the evening, their intent was clear.
The once crowded parking lot was suddenly too empty, and she regretted parking far from the crowd. The shadowed area of the parking lot that had appeared private, now looked downright sinister.
"We'll just go," she said, and tried clutching onto her daughter who stood frozen and whose face looked ashen. Trinity shifted to the side, but they moved her way again, moving in tandem as if by some silent communication.
“No, we rather you stayed," the ringleader replied with that smile of his.
"Yeah and play with us," a voice behind her called out.
"Please just let us go, I have a few dollars in my wallet, you can have that…" she pleaded as her voice trembled.
"Aww, don't be like that, babe. We want it all," the ringleader said.
"Yeah, everything."
