Chapter 11
Avidya
It was the day before Christmas, and one of the days I wasn’t working. It had been easy to get in contact with Bentley, who turned out to be a wonderful friend and co-worker. Krissy and Bentley, and even their children, quickly became good friends. They both welcomed me in with open arms without any questions.
It was strange to be welcomed so warmly. So quickly. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. I never had friends growing up outside of Becca, so everything was so different outside of the hold my parents had over me.
So much was so freaking different in a matter of months.
All that I was willing to give up was that I was pregnant, because there was no way I’d be able to keep that secret for much longer, and that I had left the baby father due to bad circumstances. I never discussed who he was, nor what he did. My new friends didn’t pry, either.
They supported me in my choice and they were there for me when things got a bit overwhelming emotionally.
Some days were worse than others. Some days I was so drawn down, I didn’t want to get out of bed. Other days, I was able to push all thoughts out of my head to keep on living. Knowing my choices made a difference to the baby I carried helped me get up each morning.
Having a support team behind me made a huge difference. One that I couldn’t be happier to have, even if I was grumpy most days because I missed having my husband by my side. It was my choice, and I kept my mouth shut about it.
Taylor was a constant presence, which helped more than he’d ever know. He was able to get off work to take me to each doctor appointment, where everything was looking great. I was now just shy of seventeen weeks, and slightly showing if I wore a tight shirt.
Thankfully, the nausea had passed, and I wasn’t nearly as tired constantly. Don’t get me wrong, I was still tired by the end of the day and crashed shortly after dinner almost every night.
Everything was going as well as I could expect. I had people who were there for me, a place to live, and a job. I didn’t think anything worse could happen now that things were starting to look up finally. I had talked Taylor into going to church at least once a month with me. He wasn’t thrilled, but he did anyhow without too much complaint.
I went to church every Sunday, hoping that it’d help get me out of my depression that I knew I suffered with. It was all my fault, and I had to change things so I could live. I couldn’t let all my hard work go to waste.
Church helped more than friends and family, truthfully. I knew God put these people in my path that I had met so far for a reason, along with giving me a baby that I would no doubt love forever. Most of all, I knew that God’s love would be what helped get me through life, no matter how hard it would get through the next however many years I would have.
The day before Christmas, I slept as late as I could before starting my day. Being in California, it was strange that it didn’t feel like the holidays. It was too warm, and not cold.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do all day, but I felt happy, like things were finally looking up. I had been expecting Zachariah, or even one of his guards, to come find me. But there had been no one. Not a squeak or peep out of anyone that may be looking for me. Not even Aaron.
I still wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted out of me, but as long as he didn’t find me again, I’d be perfectly fine.
The ringing of my cell phone caused me to jump slightly, bringing me out of my thoughts. Glancing at the number, I saw it was only Carlos calling. He had made sure to call me every few days, just to check in. I wasn’t sure why, but I never questioned it. Maybe he was just concerned that I wasn’t happy.
With a shrug, I answered the phone with a simple “Hello.”
“Avidya,” Julia’s name came through the speaker with a sigh of relief.
“Uh, hi,” I said, loss of words. No one but Carlos had called, well, other than the people who I knew here.
“Carlos is going to hate me, but I had to talk to you. How are you, dear?” she said quickly.
Did she steal her husband’s phone to call me? I knew they were pretty open about sharing their phones if they ever needed to, but why would she willing call me? Didn’t she hate me for leaving?
“Doing okay,” I answered.
“I miss you,” Julia sighed out. “We all do.”
“I miss you all too,” I replied, forcing my tears to stay at bay.
“Please, come back home, Avidya,” she said, near tears herself.
“I can’t,” I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see it. “I’m sorry. I can’t come back.”
“Why not?” she asked, sniffing.
“I just can’t,” I sighed. “I’m sorry. I really am. I just can’t come back. I had to leave.”
