Painful Beauty

Chapter 7:

“He’d do things to me but I never realized he was raping me until my seventh birthday when my mother called him a rapist. He beat her and then threw her down the stairs lifeless.” When she says this she chokes and puts her hand to her chest breathing deeply. I grab her hand wide eyed and terrified for her. That she had to go through all of that. That she had to see her mother dead and that she had gotten raped since the age of four.

“After he killed my mother he would come and see me everyday either beating or raping me it didn’t matter. I never had seen the night I had never seen the day. Nevr had I taken a shower or knew the sounds of the birds until I turned nineteen. A few days after my birthday he came and seen me. He was different though more angry than he ever was before. He asked me if I was read and I was because I was tired of being abused I just wanted to leave and meet the man that comforted me.” I’m confused on who the man is until she smiles and looks out of the window toward the sky. That’s when I get that God was always with her.

“He took me out and threw me into his truck and all I could do was smile because the night was so beautiful with the stars sparkling and the crickets chirping. I blacked out when he threw me out of his still moving truck and then I woke up here with May popping my arm back in place.”

“Wow.” Is all I can say because I don’t understand how this small woman could have went through all of that and be where she is today. “So Dallas is the one that brought you here?”

She nods and gives me a gentle smile. “He is. I was terrified of him at first and then after a few months of watching him I knew he was not an evil man. He was gentle with me and always apologized when he frightened me. He didn’t know that he was scaring me because he was doing nothing wrong but I was jumpy because I was afraid he was going to beat e but he never did so I learned to trust him.”

“What about your daddy Walter?”

Avlon chuckles and says “Walter worked out at the Barn and he was a very nice man. He didn’t even know me and he said hed give me one of his puppys and then when I went to see the horses he gave me sunny. He was nice and loving and he was everything I wanted in a father so I grabbed him and never let go.” I smile at that because she was so afraid of men yet she looked for fatherly traits in a man she didn’t know.

“You are a very strong woman.” I tell her and she gives me a quick hug coming to a stand.

“Without God I would be nothing.”

.

“So what do you like?” Avlon asks when we walk into the home store.

“Bright colors.” I say excitedly looking around at everything.

At home it was dull and always dark and moody. I want my room to be bright and happy.

“Good Afternoon Lady’s what can I get you?” a worker asks with a kind smile.

Avlon smiles back at him and says excitedly “We’re decorating her room and we want bright.”

“Right this way.” He chuckles taking us to a section of the store. “This section has bright paints. If you find something you like but you dnt like the color you can always paint it to match your style.”

“Thank you.” Avlon says to the man politely.

“What kind of bright colors do you want?” he asks and I think about it for a second.

“Do you have highlight yellow?” Nodding he pulls out a piece of paper with different shades of bright yellow. “Lavender?” I ask and he pulls out another piece. “Does this match with white?” I ask Avlon and she nods more excited than I am.

“On to the furniture?” The man asks and I nod happily. Avlon and I are in that store two hours picking out everything I want before we move onto clothes.

“Get anything and then we’ll come back a few months after the baby is born to get you regular clothes.”

“Are you sure?” I ask her not wanting to spend their money. They look rich but its not my money to spend.

Avlon purses her lips at me and says “You pick or I will.”

“I’ll pay you back.”

“Braylee your my daughter now. Mothers and fathers do this for their children. You wont pay me back because I wont except it.” She says softly and I sigh at her because shes always going to play that card now when im being stubborn.

“Fine but can we stop some places I want to get a job.”

Avlon scoffs and says “Dallas isn’t going to let you work while your pregnant. He’s very protective of pregnant woman if their me or not.”

Dallas does seem like a very protective man and I don’t want to be the one on the other end of it if I get a job so I nod my head and shop for clothes.