"...Omg guess what?" Riley's voice became high pitched; the usual sound when he has gossip.
A forced chuckle past through my lips as I looked at myself in the mirror to see the huge bruises forming on my right cheek and around my left eyes. "What?"
"Kimberly and Shawn are getting married! He finally asked last night at the office party. Isn't that great?!"
A smile tugged on my face, but soon slowly faded away once I heard Robert coughing in the background. "Yeah, t-that's great. I'm really happy for her."
"Are you okay TJ? You sound drained. Is everything okay in Philadelphia?" His voice drops in concern.
I wanted to say yes, but I refrain myself not to. Instead I said in a enthusiastic voice: "Yeah, everything is perfect. I have a office now and a nice apartment, Robert and I are fine." I mainly said to myself than Riley.
"That's good. Well I should go, I have work to do. My new boss is really grinding my gears and it's making me want to quit so badly, but if it wasn't for the good paycheck I would of already." Riley huffed in irritation.
"Well, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye,"
I slowly removed the phone from my ear before hanging up. When I open the door, Robert was standing there waiting for me. "Took you long enough," Robert comment before snatching the house phone out of my hand and going to it's call log; to properly see if I actually called Riley and no one else.
"I need to go to the store," I announced in my squeaky and shy voice.
"Why?" He questioned.
"B-because I'm not feeling to well. I think I have the stomach flu or something."
A chuckle passed through his lips. "Your fat ass is eating too damn much. Maybe if you set the fork down once in a while, you won't have stomach problems." He laughed in my face.
My heart immediately ached from the mental abuse he was giving me right now. My frown deepened even more, "Please Robert." I begged so he can see I was in urgent need of medicine.
He eyes me up and down before nodding his head. "Fine, but come straight back. If you don't- well I don't really need to explain what I would do to you." Robert cuffed my cheeks; making me hiss in pain from the pressure on my bruised cheek. Doing this was mainly a reminder that he can easily hurt me without any hesitation.
"I'll come back as quickly as I can." I said through my forced out tight lips.
A smirk played on his face; reminding me he's still a monster. "Good. When you come back, maybe we can treat me with a little loving."
On the inside I threw up, but on the outside I put on a fake smile. "Okay. Let me just hurry."
Which I did. I hurried to cover the bruise, put my clothes on and to walk out the door with my wallet, keys and phone in my hand. I drove to the pharmacy to pick up what I needed, as I walk down the isle I see a familiar person. "Mom," I called.
She turned to me with a relief smile. "Thank goodness, I thought I would have to go to the apartment if you didn't show up."
I embraced her into a bone crushing hug. "I'm sorry, Robert was there and he-"
"Don't," she pulled away from me to mainly examine my face. "I can tell you put makeup on. I assure you, he will never lay a single finger on you ever again. Now, let's go."
"I have to pay for something before we leave." I should her the product in my hand before handing to the counter.
*****
"So, you want me to stay with Grandma?" I asked as I flopped on the motel bed. We was already in Virginia, and since it was close to eleven at night we decided to rest. "Why?" I added to my question.
My mother flopped on the bed beside me before answering with: "Robert will know you would either come home or go to Seattle. He would never expect you to be at your grandmother's because you never spoke about her."
"Because she mean." I stated.
She gave me a knowing look. "That's why. This is for your safety, it's not going to be permanent. Trust me."
I nod my head in understanding. "Okay. Where does she live, again?"
"South Carolina, in a small town called Bluffton."
Ew! Bluffton; the most smallest, and boring town in South Carolina. It literally has a five hundred people population. I guess that's safe, Robert would never suspect.
***
The both of us got out the car to see the old and small home with the short and mean lady standing in front of it with a grumpy look on her face, her right hand on her hip and hand made fan in the other. "Come on gal," he southern accent can be heard all the way in Alaska.
I took a deep breath before stepping out of the safe zone near the car and on the squeaky steps. My grandmother looks like the same seventy year old woman with brown skin, short hair that was dyed brown, huge ass, big breast and her short height (mainly from shrinkage.)
Her small hand that was on her hip was now on my face as she examined it. "You should of killed him," she mumbled as her hand went back on her hip. "Come on in. Since you don't have clothes, I took the liberty to buy you some and other utilities. You would have to get your makeup your own time." My grandmother walked inside her home, and of course my mother and I followed.
The house was the same from when I visited eighteen years ago. The only difference is the updated television. "I got you a job in the town center, as a defense lawyer, of course. I had to pull some strings with the council, it pays good money. This ain't no free ride, so your rent will be four hundred a month. Cash only. And here's your room."
All three of us walked inside my mother's old room; which still had her dolls and clean covers from when she was little.
"Thank you mama," my mother said from behind us.
"No problem, us girls gotta stick together."
Us... It's funny how all three of us went through the same thing. Damn shame, huh? Each generation of Hunter women has men laying their hands on us. It's like a specific gene that passed down to each oldest daughter in the family, it's like a gene you can't get rid of.
Damn...