One Night of Love
Chapter seven — was all they knew
Two hours later, I had all of my and Hartford’s necessities crammed into two suitcases and placed them out on the front porch. The Uber I called for beeped its horn outside, indicating they were there.
The house was quiet as we made our way down the staircase. As I walked outside carrying Hartford, I noticed Daniel’s Ferrari wasn’t in the driveway, and neither were the construction vehicles. I guess he told them the job was no longer available. Hopefully, no fight ensued. Daniel wasn’t much of a fighter, but he would get someone back using financial means.
Taking business away.
Crushing contracts.
Canceling all my credit cards and access to any of the bank money.
He must’ve done that as soon as he left the house. I was now officially broke
I saw the dark clouds looming in the background, indicating a storm was brewing. The driver had already put the luggage in the back of the SUV and was waiting for me to put Hartford into his car seat.
I buckled the child carrier in the backseat and placed Hartford safely inside. I crawled in beside him, closing the door to our past lives. I glanced once more at the place we were leaving—the house that was never home.
“Where to, ma'am?" The driver questioned me from the front seat as we neared the end of the driveway.
Where was I going? I couldn’t go to Momma and Daddy’s house. They already have too much on their plate right now. One of my older sisters and her boyfriend, along with their three children, were residing there for now. They’d fallen on hard times, and Daddy would never let his babies go without.
I had no place to go. All my other siblings lived too far away for me to escape there tonight. I gave the driver directions to head to the part of town where all the hotels and motels were located, the section of the city across the bridge. The one that was washed out that rainy night.
Forty-five minutes later, we pulled alongside the sidewalk. The rain was coming down like a monsoon was blowing through. I didn’t have an umbrella, I was going to have to make a run for it with Hartford, hoping not to trip and fall into the puddles. The driver had set my luggage under the awning so it wouldn’t get drenched. I gave him my last fifty dollars, then made a run for it holding Hartford tightly against me.
I watched as the taillights of the minivan disappeared into the hammering water falling from the sky. I turned and stared at the doorway that changed my life forever the last time I walked through it.
It was now or never. I had no other option.
I rang the doorbell as a loud bang of lightning and thunder rolled through the midnight-black sky. That could be an ominous sign of what is about to happen.
The door opened. Arian stood there, looking almost identical to the night I was there before. His eyes searched mine…questioning for answers that I didn’t have at the time.
One of the suitcases tumbling over from a gust of wind broke our stare. Arian looked from me to the luggage, then back to me. His large hand softly stroked the hair on Hartford’s head, then rested on my cheek.
“Welcome home, Bobby Jo.”
The End
