Amnesty by Kim Lenor (web ebook reader TXT) 📕

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I threw the keys at him and as he opened the door I broke into tears at the sight of a tow truck pulling up in front of the house. I was infuriated as I ran into my room and watched from the window as the tow truck towed my car away. Almost instantaneously my parents turned and looked up at me as I stood in the window as if they thought this scene would have some magical impact on me. However, it only made me more determined to do what I wanted to do.

Later that evening, my parents came into my bedroom and my father laid a small teddy bear on my pillow as if this was a gift that would make everything better.

“Sahona, we are so sorry that we had to do this but bad behavior must be and will be punished. The decisions you make will either bring you rich rewards or lavish regret,” Mother said.

This is just a lesson,” Father slurred.

“A lesson? Why did you have a tow truck come to take my car? You could have driven it back to the dealership or wherever you wanted to take it. You were just trying to add insult to injury,” I said with attitude.

“You are correct, that is exactly what we were trying to do. You have to feel the pain in order to learn. So yes, that was a nice little extra dramatic affect. When you have to pay for your sins Sahona, it doesn’t feel good,” Mother said as if she was teaching me a valuable lesson.

“Taking my car is not going to stop me from seeing Ian. You won’t even give him a chance.”

“Well, just know that you will have bigger consequences to face if you don’t stop seeing him. Do you want to lose everything for some stray with small aspirations? Sahona, don’t play this game with me because I can play it a hell of a lot better, trust me,” Mother assured coldly.

“I just want to go to sleep now so can you both please just leave me alone… please?” I asked almost breathless and exhausted with frustration.

“Goodnight sweetheart, your mother and I love you dearly and we won’t allow you to fail. Just don’t make this hard on yourself. You have such a bright future.”

I didn’t say another word and as soon as they closed the door behind them I threw the bear in the garbage.

When Ian snuck into my room that night, I told him what they had done and he was so angry that he cried.

“Honny, I can’t believe they did that. Just because I live in a foster home they think I’m some kind of thug. I live in the same neighborhood as you. My grades are good. Why do they hate me so much? The last time I checked, being a teacher was a commendable thing,” he said frustrated.

“I know baby… but who cares what they think, we are going to always be together. I don’t care what they think or what they say. If they knew you like I do, they would be pushing us to be together.”

“Don’t worry Honny, I’ll do whatever I need to do to get a car. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just give me a little time okay babe?”

“Well when we walk it takes longer to get home and that only means I get to spend more time with you. But…I do go through a hell of a lot more shoes walking so maybe you should work on that car!” I laughed.

Ian held me all night and neither one of us slept at all. We were both quiet and still as if we didn’t want to disturb the other. I couldn’t fall asleep because he was awake and I could tell he was in deep thought yet he still found a way to make me feel so safe and comfortable in his arms.

A couple weeks passed and despite my parents warning me to stop seeing Ian, he and I were closer than ever. They really couldn’t forbid me to do anything if they had no way of controlling or knowing what I did. I missed the car but I didn’t love it as much as Ian.
Actually, I had got used to walking home again until one day the roar of an engine caught my attention and seconds later a classic electric blue 1966 Chevrolet Impala convertible pulled up slowing beside me. As I focused my eyes, I was elated to see that Ian was behind the wheel of this jaw-dropping car. Everything was brand new and shiny on it from the wheels and rims to the cream and blue interior leather seats.

“Ian this is beautiful! Where…how did you get this?” I asked as I jumped in.

“This is my dad’s car, my grandfather and I have been working on it forever. There was one final part it needed… an engine, but I didn’t have the money to get it. But now we are rolling again baby!”

Noticing Ian had a vicious black eye, I asked, “Ian, how did you get the money and what happened to your eye?”

“My eye, oh nothing… just something that happened in a little fight, no big deal. So you like the car?”

“Ian, don’t lie to me or try to change the subject. We talk about everything are you going to start lying to me now?”

“Alright look, I fought for the money to fix the car okay. I got a black eye but obviously I won the fight. I told you I was going to get us another car and I had to do what I had to do.”

“You get paid to fight at the rec?”

“No Honny, an underground fight, a fight club okay? I’m fine, we needed another car. I mean we’ll be away at college soon so how do you expect us to get around? I had to do it. Besides, you should see the other guy!” He laughed.

“Ian, thank you, thank you so much. I love you so much, I really do. But I don’t want you fighting, especially underground fights. Those are so dangerous and we can figure something out to do what we need to do. If something ever happened to you or you got really hurt, you’d leave me all alone and I don’t ever want to be without you, okay?”

“Okay Honny, Okay...”

“Promise me!”

“I promise… I promise mommy! Gosh!” He laughed.

“How fast can this thing go Ian?”

“Ah shit! Are you ready baby?”

Ian threw that car into gear and we took off. He loved that car not just because it was really nice but because it belonged to his father and since his grandfather was becoming weaker from old age, he also cherished the memories they had working on it together.
Driving around with the top down speeding down some isolated road made me feel so free. I would stand up and let my hair fly through the air and laugh so hard. I always felt free with Ian no matter what we were doing. It seemed as if in Ian’s world nothing mattered but me, our future and that bad ass Impala.

Graduation seemed to be approaching quickly and we were almost at the finish line. However, things changed dramatically one morning as Ian and I laid naked and cuddled in my bed together. I obviously had forgotten to turn on the alarm clock because we slept well past the time we would normally wake up. We were suddenly awaken by the eerie and horrified gasp for air and the sound of my mother screeching my name as she stood in my bedroom doorway. She nearly fell as she turned to run out of my bedroom.

Ian and I quickly got dressed and we rushed out of the bedroom to confront my parents that were in the living room. My father was consoling my mother as we approached and as soon as he saw me, his eyes got beady and his jaw quivered in anger.

“Mother, Father, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say,” I shouted in shame.

“How dare you come into my house and sleep with my daughter! I should… I don’t even know what I should do! I don’t know whether to get my gun or call the police,” Father said as he paced the floor.

Knowing my father was drunk and very well capable of grabbing his gun, I said, “Ian you should just leave.”

“No, let the son of a bitch stay! Well that’s not a fitting description now is it? You are the son of nobody! Anyway, Honny, Honny, he needs to hear this,” Mother said in a crazy deranged half whisper, “You have a choice my dear…You tell him right now that you will never ever see him again.”

“Mother, I know it was totally disrespectful to have him here and I am so sorry… but… but I will not stop seeing him,” I said humbly.

“Oh no… you will. Let me think… hmmm it’s too late in the year to transfer you to another school… hmmmm… I got it… If you don’t tell him that right now, we won’t pay for you to go to college.”

“Mr. & Mrs. Story… Please I’m a good guy, I love Sahona. I want to marry her. I will marry her right now if you are worried about me mistreating her or…

“Marry her...?” Mother interrupted, “That will never happen!” She said turning her nose up as if she was looking down on him. “Sahona tell him now!” She screamed belligerently.

“I will marry him… Mother I love him.”

“You tell him now or not only will we not pay for college but we will totally cut you off completely! If I turn my back on you Sahona Angel Story, you will never be allowed back in this house again ever! You will not defy me! You will do as I say! When I say it! Now tell him!” She demanded.

Those words stung me to my very soul and I said and did something that I had never said or done before. I dropped to my knees and at my mother’s feet I said in almost a whisper, “Mommy, please… Don’t say that, please take that back… please don’t ever say that. Mommy… please…” I begged and pleaded as my voice quivered in sadness.

She continued to stare at me cold and heartless. I reached both my hands out to my father barely able to see him through my tears, “Daddy…?” I asked if I was giving him a chance to rescue me from that curse.

“Sahona you heard your mother, make your choice,” he said as he turned his back to me.

I couldn’t do anything but cry, the pain was so overwhelming and it was something I had never felt in my entire life. My mother stood above me, looking down at me with tears in her eyes that she managed to hold back from falling and said, “If you make the wrong choice Sahona, leave with the clothes on your back, nothing else. You will pay for your sins,” she said turning her back to me.
I was still paralyzed with pain and couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t do anything