The Sound of Her Heartbeat

30. Unwanted Memories

Jenny's pov:

"These look so fresh!" Shay is already excited to cook the cauliflowers. Every time mom visits Yenville, she brings the best vegetables. It's also easy since it's just a 40 minutes train from Strawport (our city) to that town. We received her from the station an hour ago, helped with carrying the bags. Now we're just hanging out in mom's room, talking.

Mom: "Don't forget your aunt's ones" (at Shaylin). 

Shaylin: "I won't... oh she's gonna love them!"

I can watch her being excited over vegetables for the rest of my life. Mom loves to buy for everyone, even for the people in the town. That reminds me- "Mom, how's Uncle?"

Mom: "Oh right, he's fine now."

Shaylin: "What happened to him?"

Mom: "(sighs) Had fever for two days and still went to work yesterday, dropped unconscious in the field, apparently his blood pressure fell."

Me: (raised eyebrows) "That doesn't sound fun."

Mom: "Yeah, doctors gave him meds, told to rest and proper diet.. (sigh) idiot just doesn't take care of himself."

Shaylin: "At least he's okay now."

Mom: "Yeah..."

After a few seconds I asked again "How did you get all these items to the train?" 

Mom scoffed and said "How else? Ben helped, now that Jerry is fine, he was relieved to leave the hospital." 

Ben is Uncle Jerry's son, my only cousin. Mom silently watched me for a moment then said "You know, they were all asking about you."

I'm facing down, "Well" I spoke up "I'd love to see them sometimes but you know I... don't really... you know (shrugged)"

Mom nodded and said "Mhm, I know, I never pressured you to go either, but I think... well, you're a grown up now, I guess you need to know."

I looked up at her in confusion, asked "Know what?" Shay was listening to us quietly, she's also curious now.

Mom was looking at her nails, rubbing them with thumb, "Nothing you didn't know before..." then looked up saying "just a few more details... At first when I tried to talk to you about this a few times, you used to get slightly traumatized, I never wanted that, so I thought 'why bother', but..."

Shaylin was sitting on the floor with me, she slid close and hugged around my shoulders. Mom smiled seeing that, "Yeah.." she said "Shaylin is here too, we both are, you're fine kid, okay?"

I nodded and gave myself up into Shay's embrace.

Agnes's pov: 

"I was a rebel, a troublemaker of the town when I was little, your Uncle Jerry used to fear me" I scoffed, girls smiled at me.

"Gary (Jenny's dad) and I, used to be in the same circle..." I continued "He had said he liked me and I thought he was a good guy, my parents had already passed away, so I accepted his proposal... I got pregnant with you when I was like, 28-29 I think... left behind my wild life, quit drinking, smoking and everything else and started to take care of myself."

I sighed "I had no idea that your dad somehow got into drugs, day by day it got worse" my voice got a bit sad "He got more and more violent, lost his job... luckily my father left me some ancestral assets, which I utilized to keep us cozy but Gary.. he drowned his property into drugs and alcohol, started to physically abuse me from time to time..."

"I've already lived a few years of hell with him so hurting me was one thing... but then a few weeks after your 6th birthday... that night..."

Jenny's pov:

I know which night Mom is taking about. The only thing I most vividly remember from that place.

"Jenny came running at me..." Mom continued "my brave girl tried to protect me" her voice is getting a bit choked up.

"He snatched me away from her..." I said in a shaky voice, staring blank, the only thing that's keeping my nerve under control is Shay's hug, "..and slapped me so hard that I almost hurled at the other corner of the room!"

I can feel Shay's grip got tighter. I see her teary eyes at me, shocked wide open. Mom put her hand on my head at the same time, I'd have broken down without them by now.

Mom wiped her tears and continued "That was it for me, I shoved him down hard, picked little Jenny up and locked that piece of shit in that room from outside then called the cops."

"We sat in our room until they arrived... little Jenny was completely in shock, had been unresponsive for a while in my arms, she only got a hold of herself when cops arrested him away."

Few seconds of silence. Shay softly asked me "You okay?"

I nodded, then said "Now you know why I don't wanna go to that place."