Chapter 38

Once back at the trailer, Grace was setting the table as her father came in. He took his place at the small table and she served up the chili. Taking a spoonful he drank down all his milk and said, "Grace, this is awful! It's too spicy and should be thrown out!"

"No, father, it's good, try another bite with your cornbread."

"Nothing could help the taste of this chili, Grace! I should have known when you said that Chegwidden woman gave you her recipe that it would be horrible."

"Please, father, it's wonderful chili."

"No! I will not take another bite! Now get up and fix me something fitting to eat. Make it quick, girl, we have a meeting to attend and I won't have you being late."

With tears filling her eyes, Grace made some scrambled eggs for him, he complained they were too dry, but since they were in a hurry he would eat them anyway. He quickly finished his eggs and two pieces of cornbread smothered in honey and watched in disgust as she ate her bowl of chili.

"Hurry and get dressed, girl," he ordered. "You can feed the rest of that slop to that dog of yours."

Grace went back to her room and changed into her white revival meeting gown and giving Angel a hug left to join her father in the tent.

As she walked from the trailer to the tent lightening was flashing and thunder was grumbling. The light rain that had started to fall that afternoon was now a steady down pour. Before the meeting was more than an hour old the wind had picked up so much that everyone decided they had better head home early. Harold told Grace to go back to the trailer while he picked up their half of the evenings money. Grace had just changed into her everyday clothes, when her father came storming into the trailer, slamming the door behind him. He was wet and angry and Grace made the mistake of asking what was wrong.

"That damn Preacher Perkins, is taking all the money tonight because you didn't do any healing!"

"But, father, it's not my fault that they sent everyone home early because of the storm."

"Everything's your fault! Don't you know that, girl?" he shouted. "From the time you wouldn't heal your mother you've been nothing, but the source of my pain and misery."

"Father, AJ said you should never have asked me to heal mother."

"What in the world does he know?" snarled Harold.

"He has a daughter just a year younger than I was then and he said he would never have asked her to do what you asked me to do," replied Grace.

"Then he's a liar, and don't you back talk me, girl."

"AJ, wouldn't lie…he would never lie."

"Well, he's never had to watch someone he loved die."

"He said it wouldn't have mattered, he wouldn't have expected me to do that."

"Then he's a liar, girl."

"He is not!" Grace insisted and was backhanded across the face.

"I told you not to back talk me, girl."

Grace held her hand to the cheek that he had just slapped, tears streaming down her face. She had never known hate in her life, but came very close to it in that moment. She ran to her room and threw herself across her bed, crying her eyes out. Angel jumped up on the bed and licked at her tears, trying to offer what comfort she could.

She knew she could no longer stay with her father after he had hit her. She was too afraid of him to stay with him any longer. As soon as he was asleep, she would sneak out and go to the truck stop to call AJ to come and get her.

It was almost midnight before Grace heard her father snoring and putting on her raincoat she snuck out of the trailer. Within moments of stepping outside, Grace was drenched, even through her raincoat and it's hood. She was glad she had made this walk earlier in the day so she knew where the truck stop was. The night was so black, and the rain so heavy, that until she was nearly at the truck stop, she couldn't see the lights.

To be continued…..