The words taste bitter. Saying them out loud makes it all real again. The helplessness, the fear, the rage that I might never see my son’s face again. I grip my knees to keep myself from breaking.
“She what?” Anna screams.
I wave a hand at her to calm down. “Soren found her, thankfully. And then I stabbed her hand with my heel. She didn’t hurt Oliver, thank God. Her intention was purely to hurt me.”
“Thatevilbitch,” Anna growls. “Maybe I’ll bring my whip with me next time I visit you, and have some practice with her head.” She smiles, and despite myself, I can’t help but smile back. I miss being surrounded by women who do nothing but love me. I’m pretty isolated where I am, but it’s more by choice. I have very few friends in the city because I can work odd hours, and by the time I’m finally home, I want to spend some one-on-one time with my son.
“And this man…?” my mother asks.
“Soren.”
“He found him?”
“He did. Then told me where they were.”
“He looks at her as if she’s the only woman in the room,” Izzy gushes.
“Izzy, you aren’t supposed to like him.” I shake my head.
“What? I can’t help it. I loved the way he looked at you. He didn’t even notice I was sitting there.” She smiles. “You want a man who only has eyes for you, right?”
“We ended whatever was building between us, and agreed to just be friends,” I tell them, and they give me disbelieving looks.
Oliver runs over and straight into my mother’s lap, and she hugs him hard to her chest.
“Do you like Soren?” my mother asks Oliver.
“Yes! He’s going to teach me how to box,” he replies.
Once again, they’re all staring at me.
“Oliver, why does Soren need to teach you that?” Mom inquires.
He plays with the end of his shirt, avoiding looking at me, then admits, “Timothy keeps pushing me, and he tells me I’m weak.”
“You want to learn to defend yourself,” my mother says, brushing her hand down his back, comforting him.
“Yes. And Soren is one of the best fighters.”
“Who told you that?” I ask him.
“His sister,” he says, and I cringe. “Can he teach me, Mom? I really want to learn to box.”
“I’ll think about it. Soren is a busy man.”
“He said he would do it. I asked him.”
“All right, I’ll talk to him.” He beams and runs over to kiss me before taking off again to chase chickens.
I’m not sure I’m making the right decision, but it can’t hurt to teach your child how to defend himself. Right?
“How is the rest of Soren’s family?” Mom asks. “You mentioned the sister, but what about the rest?”
“They’re dead.”
“So, they are all each other has?”
“Yes.”
