Deception - A family Affair (#sytycw15 #superromance)

Chapter Two - Part 3

12 years later

Marisol sat in a trance unable to focus as she gazed out the window leaning back against her chair. She noticed how gloomy it looked outside but nothing compared to how she was feeling. Today she faced her utmost challenge as a guidance counselor. Until today she thought she could conquer any circumstance thrown her way by her students at the middle school. Even with her experience nothing prepared her for the emotional rollercoaster ride she was on. She received the phone call at home early this morning from Mr. Johnson the middle school principal informing her of Savannah Prescott, a sixth grade student who committed suicide. Apparently, she hung herself inside her bedroom closet and her mother found her late that evening. From what Marisol knew of the girl, she came from a middle class family who moved into town about six years ago; they own a local antique shop downtown and extremely involved in the community. Savannah had a lot of friends, always on the honor roll and avoided trouble at school which only baffled Marisol. She marveled on what kind of pain or hidden secrets she may have kept to result to such an extremity.

This brought her back to how many times the notion of suicide entered her very own mind years back. Growing up with a dysfunctional family was one thing to contend with; having a demented father was a whole other story. When she lost her mother she thought it was the hardest thing in life she would have to deal with. Truth be told; the abandonment of Marco who she gave her heart and soul to was severe devastation. He left her holding the bag and she had to face the music alone. A high price she paid for loving him and it practically destroyed her entirely. Marco left with no word in the middle of the night and leaving her no closure. She waited hours for him in that old red shed scared out of her mind, knowing in her gut something terrible must have happened. Even after all these years, none of it made sense to her. They confided in each other about everything important, their fears, dreams, secrets and future plans. Except for the one time it mattered, he coward away with no explanation that caused him to flee like an escaped criminal which kept him away for twelve years. His family behaved strangely when she appeared at their door step to seek answers of his whereabouts and the only response given was a sympathetic apology with the explanation that Marco wished to get away and start a new life, he felt tied down. Sharing nothing else on how to reach him she gave up after a few failed attempts. Her father even appeared in high spirits of the news and said she should be thankful he was gone. The mystery of it all has torn apart her very soul into millions of pieces.

What saved her from madness was Nate her only ally, who was also at a loss. Her biggest regret was waiting to tell Marco that she was pregnant since he left before she was able to share the news with him. Her only solace was having a part of him growing within her until her world came crashing down once again the day she spilled the beans to her father. From that moment forward she became a prisoner in her own home, the embarrassment was too much for him to bear. He punished her and demanded to have the tutors come to the house since attending school was out of the question. She disgraced him and he took every opportunity to let her know it. He would get so angry at times that he would leave the house for hours and come home toasted. She was only grateful he never physically harmed her or the baby. Her depression made her passive and she just complied with all his demands. She buried herself in her studies and by the time the baby was born she had completed her classes to graduate. Without warning her water broke leaving its mark in the middle of the kitchen floor causing her to go into labor three weeks early. With Nate away at college her only alternative was to call Freddie since her father was on duty. His astonishment was heard through his silence but he appeared at her front door within three minutes time. He stood by her side as she screamed and cried for her mother and Marco. When she looked up at him she saw his eyes well up with tears and sadness. The baby's heart beat began to slow down and causing for an immediate C-section - anxiety took over. With the grace of God it was over quickly, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with reddish brown hair. She named her Marissa Ortiz Braxton. Freddie just stared at both mother and child thinking of the sacrifices his son made to protect the family. Remorse set in and he was ashamed to be such a hindrance to his own family.