The Truck Driver

Welcome Home

Tank woke to the sound of Kayla pacing in the small sleeping space, her voice hushed but sharp as she whisper-yelled into her phone. His eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as he listened, quickly realizing she was arguing with someone.

"Janay, I don't care what they say, I'm not coming back," Kayla snapped.

Her little sister, Janay, was on the other end of the call, her 17-year-old voice filled with urgency. "Mama and Daddy are looking for you," Janay hissed.

Kayla smacked her lips, her frustration evident. "That man ain't my daddy," she shot back, rolling her eyes.

Janay's voice sharpened. "Vince is the only daddy you ever know!"

Kayla let out a bitter laugh. "He ain't my daddy, he's yours. He ain't try to touch you, but he was trying to touch me. That man is NOT my daddy!"

Silence stretched for a beat before Janay scoffed. "You a liar, Kayla."

Kayla exhaled, shaking her head. "Whatever, Janay. I'm grown. I not coming home to get abused."

Janay's voice turned smug. "Well, they know you are in Maine."

Kayla snorted. "Okay. Let's see if they actually come to Maine to get me. I'm 18, I'm legal, and I ain't coming back." Without another word, she hung up the phone and immediately blocked her sister, just as she had done with her mother and stepdad.

Tank had been watching the whole thing unfold, leaning against the bed, his arms folded. He saw the stress weighing on her, the way her shoulders tensed as she stood there gripping her phone. He knew she had a lot on her mind.

Without a word, he opened his arms.

Kayla didn't hesitate. She crawled into his embrace, tossing her phone onto the mattress like she wanted nothing to do with it anymore.

"Don't worry," Tank murmured, pulling her close, his deep voice filled with quiet reassurance. "I won't let anybody take you back there. Nobody takin' you away from me."

Kayla clung to him tightly, burying her face into his chest as the weight of everything threatened to bring her to tears. Tank rubbed slow, comforting circles on Kayla's back as she clung to him, her body trembling with quiet sobs. He held her close, feeling each shudder as she buried herself deeper into his chest. He didn't rush her. He didn't tell her to stop crying. He just held her, letting her get it all out.

Between her cries, she finally spoke, her voice breaking. "He—he used to come in my room at night, Tank," she whispered, her grip tightening on him like she was scared he'd let go.

Tank's entire body tensed, but he stayed quiet, letting her talk.

"Vince," she spat his name like it disgusted her. "He said since I wasn't pure no more—since I had sex with my boyfriend—he should be able to touch me too."

Tank's jaw locked. His arms tightened around her. His stomach twisted with anger, but he stayed silent, letting her continue.

Kayla swallowed hard, wiping her face as she kept going. "My first boyfriend told me if I loved him like he loved me, I'd have sex with him. I was young, I didn't know no better... so I agreed." She let out a bitter laugh. "And after that, that's all he wanted to do. Every chance he got, he would manipulate me into it. Told me I was proving my love to him. And I believed him."

Tank closed his eyes for a brief second, his fingers gripping the back of her shirt.

Kayla sniffed, shaking her head against his chest. "When my mama found out, she whooped me. Butt naked. In front of Vince," her voice cracked. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life."