Toto and the Boys III: Dannie

Chapter 25

A piece of the past...

George and Jackie found her inside the chapel alone and crying.

Her friends silently sat beside her, Jackie at her right and George at her left. And Jackie started crying too. George followed. They sat there crying until the bell rang. Not one of them moved, not an inch.

And then Dannie started talking. She told them everything that had happened to her, everything her parents did to her. And she told them about Tessa.

PRESENT DAY

Tears were streaming down Dannie baby's face and I wanted to wipe them off with my squeaking wipers so bad. But I could no longer see that she was hurting as much as before. Yes, there were the tears, but it seemed that they were not part of her anymore. It was like she had learned how to accept the hurt and the pain and she was getting good at it.

What I couldn't fathom to see though was Troy's expression. When he finally learned and confirmed what her father had done to her, his face was too stern that I didn't even want to know what he was even thinking. It was like watching a boiling volcanic crater.

But there was more. And I was certain he was not ready to hear them because the moment Dannie told him about her hotel visits and how her mother sold her to different men after her husband was sent to prison, Troy pulled his hand away from Dannie, too swiftly that I thought he was about to hit her or something, and jumped off Tata's rear end. His hands were on his hips, his head bent, his face dark, and his steps without direction as he circled around the grassy ground.

A whimper escaped Dannie baby's lips as she watched Troy try to control himself and she covered her mouth with her hands. She was hurting with him and I could feel every bit of emotion from the both of them. Dannie seemed to be emptying herself of the pain after she told him and Troy was trying hard not to be consumed with anger as he paced around, his breathing heavier by the second.

"Goddammit, Danica, why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a whisper. I saw something glittery fall from his eyes. Shit, he's crying. It was dark, but the light of the moon caught the tears as they fell straight from his eyes. He did not even bother to wipe them away as he repeated his question a bit louder. "Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was shook with anger. I could see the crater boiling to its maximum.

Dannie didn't answer his question for a while. She waited until her sobs subsided before she said, "I don't want you to feel angry because—"

"The fuck I am angry!" Troy's cry rang out in the silence around us, making Dannie flinch. He kicked Tata's back wheel and cried out in anger. My poor friend just sort of give an engine kind of whimper but I hope she understood her owner's pain. "The fuck it's the first time I want to literally strangle someone with my bare hands and—" It was dark but I could see Troy's face turn red with anger as he scrunch his fingers before him, probably imagining an invisible neck in his hands. "Fuck!" he shouted once more and Dannie baby flinched again as she stayed in her spot with tears silently but slowly falling down her cheeks.

Troy saw and he immediately relaxed and walked in front of her where she sat, her legs dangling in the air. He took her face in his hands and cried in front of her like a real man that he was. His shoulders started shaking as he pulled her head toward him and planted his lips on her forehead. His action caused Dannie baby to cry harder. Her hands came up to hold his arms.

Troy was not a good crier. He cried with all his heart and he did not even bother to muffle the sounds. He sniffed and sobbed, pulling Dannie baby closer toward him. He whimpered and groaned in pain. He buried his face in her hair. She clung unto his shoulders as they waited for the tears to stop.