Chapter 9

The next day, when Mary came home from work, she pulled me aside and told me in a hushed voice, “Next weekend is Sabrina’s birthday.”

She looked sexier in her waitress outfit than I’d thought possible

“Great! Have you planned anything?”

“Nothing special. A small celebration just the three of us. Pizza and a cake. You know she doesn’t get along with her classmates. I don’t want to disappoint her when no one shows up.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said. But it didn’t.

I thought this was the end of the conversation, but I could see Mary had something else in mind.

“I’m worried about her. She should have friends. She seems lonely.”

“I was a lot like Sabrina,” I said glancing at my hands, which were clenched between my knees. “I couldn’t sit still. I was a problem child. Did a lot of dumb-ass stuff. That’s how I got my ex-wife pregnant.”

Mary nodded, but I could tell her mind was still focused on her daughter.

“What happened with Sabrina’s father if I may ask?”

Mary shook her head to get rid of the painful thoughts and said, “He abandoned us. You were not the only one who did stupid things when you were younger. I was a rebellious teenager. I ran away from home and hung with the wrong crowd. Then I got pregnant. He stuck around for a while, but he didn’t have a regular job and drank a lot. The first time he beat me I went straight to the police. He ran away and I haven’t seen him ever since. I contacted my parents, but when they knew I was pregnant they didn’t want anything to do with me. They donated me this house that belonged to my grandparents to ease their conscience and gave me some pocket money.”