26. It’s Time I Tell You

Chapter 26

It’s Time I Tell You

Hunter

“ T here was a brief moment when I really believed that things would work out for me,” Megan starts her story as if she’s humiliated with herself.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“In that house, with them .”

“You thought things would work with those three?” I say in disbelief.

“I know. I was delusional, but the tide seemed to be turning when I turned seventeen.”

“How so?”

“They hired a new art teacher at my school who encouraged me to paint just when I was thinking about abandoning my art. Then I got my first real job at a department store that paid me more money than I’d ever seen before,” she explains, wiping her nose with a clean tissue. I hand her another one in silence and wait for her to continue. “Samuel didn’t believe in giving us allowance.”

I stay quiet, her voice in pain each time she utters his name like a shard of glass cutting me inside.

“But going to work after school also afforded me some independence, something else that Samuel rarely gave me. Honestly, it was a miracle that he allowed me to take the job, but I soon realized it was because he wanted me to contribute to the house bills. They were always awful with money, but I wanted to keep mine, so I had to make sure that I never told them what I really made there.”

I try not to react in an audible way, but I can feel the imaginary shard of glass shredding me from the inside out. While this story is basically nothing compared to many of the other horrible ways those people treated her, I’m angered that Megan was a child who was treated like this, and nobody caught it.

“And how did you manage to keep the money from them?” I ask with a slight edge to my voice.

“The other thing that happened when I was seventeen was that I met my boyfriend, Peter.”

“Peter?” My voice sounds gruff. I have no interest in hearing about Megan’s past romantic relationships.

“He worked at the store too, and the best part was he didn’t know anything about my home life and how fucked up it was. He helped me.”

“What did he do?”

“I would cash my paycheck during lunchtime at the local cash checking place near my high school. I’d bring the money to work and ask Peter to hold on to some of the money for me.”

“Didn’t he ask why?”

“He did, but I never told him any specifics about my home environment. I just told him that it wasn’t good. I never even told him about Rachel.”

“And he didn’t push you for any details?”

Megan turns her head to look at me. “He was a teenage boy, Hunter. He wasn’t going to push for answers about my parents. All he cared about was getting in my pants.”

If I could go back in time, I’d slap that teenage boy and tell him to pay attention to his girl. How the hell was she able to keep the crazy going on in her home from him?

He wasn’t paying attention.

That’s how.

“Got it,” I reply. “Go ahead and finish your story.”

“Well…my birthday was coming up,” Megan lets out a shuddering breath as she continues. “I was planning on taking a day off from work to go to the carnival in town. Actually, I’m not sure how much of a carnival it is. I think most people from Los Angeles would call it a fair because it was a small event with rides and games sponsored by the local Rotary Club. I thought it would be romantic and something different to do because Peter and I would only see each other at work.”

I didn’t know that listening to Megan reflect somewhat wistfully on romantic dates with her teenage ex would make me feel so uncomfortable.

“I guess I was entirely too excited about the date because it wasn’t long before Rachel noticed, and that was trouble.”

“Even when she was younger?”

“Rachel was young, but Samuel and my stepmother brainwashed her early.”

“So she hated you as a kid and probably didn’t even know why.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“So, go ahead.”

“Well, two weeks before my birthday, she dropped by the store with a few of her little friends to spy on me and, unfortunately, found what she was looking for. Peter just happened to be in my section, talking to me, and Rachel soon figured out at least one of the reasons why I was so happy.”

“What did she say?”

“I remember dread washing completely over me, and I froze in place as Rachel introduced herself to Peter as my sister. Remember, I never talked about my family, so I could tell he was shocked, but he did what any normal guy would do and was polite about it. He introduced himself as my boyfriend, but that was his biggest mistake, and of course, it was mine for not warning him.”

Megan’s hands clutch the duvet as she takes a second to breathe and finish her story.

“We don’t have to talk about this now,” I tell her.

“No, it’s fine. I just haven’t talked about it in a long time. A few of the memories leave me with feelings that are a bit raw.”

“Understood. Take your time.”

“Peter was not like the boys in my neighborhood or at my high school. While he wasn’t the most attractive guy I ever met, he was sweet, and he was kind, which is why I liked him. He gave me the space I needed and did not pressure me to talk about my family. But after that meeting, my two worlds collided, and I was helpless to stop it.

“What happened?”

“Rachel happened. She decided to make it her life’s mission to discover the source of my happiness and then declare war on it. First, she went home and told them I had a boyfriend, and I was punished. My parents were always creative when it came to punishments because after child protective services were called, they were careful not to hit me in places where I would be inspected. So they found other ways to hurt me.”

“Did anyone ever realize how you were being treated at home?”

“Everyone knew.”

Her voice is flat as she speaks, almost empty as if she’s trying to disassociate from the memories of her past.

“I thought Samuel would tell me to stop working there, but they needed the money I was bringing in.”

“So you didn’t give your entire check to your…your boyfriend?”

“No, that would have obviously raised suspicions. I had to give them some money and prayed that they wouldn’t ask to see a check stub.”

“And what was your punishment for having a boyfriend?” I’m almost afraid to ask.

“I had to sleep on the kitchen floor for a week, but worse than that, I was told to break things off with Peter. At the time, that seemed like a death sentence. Peter was the only person I had in my life who seemed to care about me.”

“So what did you do?”

“I didn’t do it, of course. Instead, I told him that we should hide our relationship because my parents were strict and didn’t approve of me having a boyfriend at my age.”

“He agreed?”

“He agreed, but he was also determined to prove to my parents that he was worthy of me. He thought a good way to show that was to get an “in” with my little sister.”

“Uh oh.”

“Exactly.” She nods her head. “I told him not to talk to Rachel, but he didn’t listen. It was hard for him to understand why when I wasn’t telling him the entire truth. But Rachel continued coming to the mall on the days I worked and would drop by the store to chat with him. I didn’t know this at the time. But Peter confided in her that the two of us were still seeing each other, and as my birthday drew nearer, he started discussing my birthday plans with her.”

Megan pauses and then pushes up against me as if seeking the comfort of my body heat and I hold her tighter, wondering why this story is so hard for her to share. Was she in love with this kid?

“You don’t have to share the rest if it’s too hard,” I tell her, although I’m hoping that she does. However this story ends, it is big enough that those asshats held it over her head for years, even to the extent of extorting money from her. It’s probably best if I know everything because it’s the only way I can protect her moving forward.

So I wait with bated breath for her response.

“No, it’s time I tell you, Hunter.”