by Jack Phoenix
“You hesitated. He got so close to you that you finally shot him at point blank range.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, that’s all I needed. I don’t think this will get too messy, but we’ll be talking to you soon. Take your daughter home now.”
“Thank you.”
“Good luck to you, Ms. O’Dell. Take care of yourself.”
* * * *
Elizabeth held a private service for Roderick Whithers. It was so private, that she and Father Prynne were the only two in attendance. She left her daughter with Angela and only stayed by his grave for an hour. When Elizabeth was alone, she dropped to her knees and soiled her favorite black dress in the fresh earth. She placed one hand on Roderick’s headstone and the other on his Father’s.
These two men had destroyed lives and wrought unforgiveable damage. She slammed her fists against the marble, and sobbed as she cried out in anger.
She rose to her feet and whispered, “Hell is too good for you both. I hope you melt.”
After she had released the rage in her soul on their graves, she rose. She knew the anger would not help her or her daughter move beyond these tragic events. It would devour her and Samantha if she allowed it. She would learn to point the blame where she had pointed that gun. She looked up at the bright sun as it dried her tears with its warm caress. These two men, these tormentors, were gone. Now it was time to put them to rest.
Elizabeth shook, “I will try to forgive you. It may take the rest of my life, but I will try.”
* * * *
Elizabeth unplugged the house phone. There were so many phone calls, she just couldn’t take it anymore. Everyone from news reporters to Doctor Klubnik and the Florentines had called to give their condolences. They snuck in a few questions as well about the deeds and events that transpired. After Wade and Diana’s funerals, she was determined to put this experience behind her.
She slid all of the photos in the house featuring Roderick into a brown paper bag. She had the carpet removed at the spot where Wade had died, and desperately destroyed all evidence of Roderick’s lifestyle so her daughter would not be reminded of him while they were still in the house. Samantha appeared from around the corner, holding one of her dolls.
“What are you doing, Mommy?” she peeped.
“I’m just throwing some stuff away, Sweetheart.”
“Pictures of Daddy?”
“Yes, pictures of Daddy,” she replied, dropping a family portrait into the bag.
Samantha ran for the bag and tipped it over, allowing the framed pictures to spill onto the floor. She reached for her mother’s hand, wrapping her little digits around her palm.
“Don’t,” she said.
“Why, Sam?”
“I dunno. It’s wrong.”
Elizabeth got down on one knee and put her arms around her, squeezing tightly.
“You know what,” she said, “I am very proud of you. You’re very brave.”
Samantha turned her head. “Is he really gone?”
She felt her mother’s fingertips gently on her chin, as she moved her face forward and looked into her mother’s watery eyes.
“Yes, he’s really gone, but you need to keep being brave because…this isn’t what I probably should be saying but…just because he’s gone, it doesn’t mean you can’t still be hurt. There are bad people in the world, bad people who want to do bad things. You have to stay strong, and you can’t give in. If someone hurts you, you can’t just take it, do you hear me? You have to scream. You have to scream and fight and let everyone know, because it’s not your fault.”
Samantha was flustered by her mother’s words, and her face became tart.
Her mother continued, “I know you don’t understand now, but you will some day. What I’m trying to say is, if someone hurts you, you can’t be ashamed and you can’t be afraid to ask for help. I will be there to help you, do you understand? I love you, Sam.”
She took her daughter’s hand and put it to her heart. The little girl could feel its warmth, its soothing beat.
“Because this…this is what matters in life. It’s love. Bad things will happen, but you just remember what’s important, and you stay strong. Sometimes you have to fight to be happy, so you promise me that you’ll never give in to sadness, okay? You promise me that you’ll never cave in, that you’ll stay strong for Mommy.”
Samantha said, “I promise.”
“And Mommy will stay strong for you. I love you.”
* * * *
They moved into a small apartment near the city. It was a good location to keep Samantha busy since there were plenty of parks and programs for children surrounding them. The little girl began to smile more, standing up straight, and even made a new friend on the playground who came over for dinner with her parents. All the while, Elizabeth took her to a doctor her physician had recommended, once a month. Samantha liked the doctor and told her mother that she was very nice and that they talked about lots of things. Sometimes her mother would join, and she was actually relieved when her daughter would cry, releasing just a little bit more of the despair she had kept inside.
Both of the Whithers’ houses sold for an exceptional sum, and Elizabeth deposited the money for future use, such as Samantha’s college education. She soon found a job teaching at a local elementary school. The inner-city school had quite a few troubled kids, but they responded well to her. There was something about her, some quality that they trusted. They could open up to her, as though she knew how some of them were feeling.
On quiet nights, Elizabeth would curl up with her daughter on the couch in their little apartment and turn off the cartoons. They lay in each other’s arms reading. Samantha always read a picture book from the library without a word to her mother. Within a month, Miss O’Dell finally finished The Woman in White.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The snow was falling when Rebecca stepped through the hospital doors, and it crunched beneath her feet. She stood there for a while, enjoying the sensation of the flakes landing on her face. It had been so long since she’d felt something so pure. There wasn’t much in her suitcase, her belongings were very few, but she wasn’t too worried about that. Her sister-in-law had transferred a great deal of money into an account created just for her. All she could think about now was the freedom she had to enjoy, and not just the freedom from the hospital, but the freedom from her shell.
The golden taxicab pulled up along the curb, and she approached it nervously. She knew that she would have to overcome her apprehension to the world, since she was given a second chance at life, and it would be a sin to waste a single minute. It was time to live the life she desired.
She opened the back door of the cab, setting her suitcase inside as the driver greeted her. She paused, however, when she heard a sound from above. It sounded like the gentle flapping of wings in the cold evening air. She turned and looked to the sky.
Standing upon the hospital roof, smiling down at her were three lovely maidens, with flowing white robes and shimmering white wings behind them. They were holding hands, their fare faces glowing warmly, and their feathers glistened in the moonlight. Rebecca smiled back at them.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
With that, the three glorious figures spread their wings and slowly ascended into the air until they disappeared into the night clouds, their long red hair danced in the winter breeze like the torches of Heaven.
About the Author:
Jack Phoenix graduated from Otterbein University with a degree in English Literature and Religion and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University.
A writer with a day job, this is his first published novel, and he hopes the first of many.
Jack Phoenix lives in Central Ohio with his dog Onyx, but you can visit him at:
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http://www.jack-phoenix.com
http://www.facebook.com/tormentorsbook
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