Everyone was silent for a minute or so until Linda broke the silence.
"I know I've got no right to ask you this but........." Linda's voice trailed off.
"But what? It doesn't hurt to ask anything."
"Can you..... do you forgive me?" Linda whispered.
"I understand why you did what you did. And in my eyes you did nothing wrong, you haven't done anything that needs to be forgiven. I would've done the same in your situation. But if it helps you then yes, I forgive you." Rachel cried.
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means." Linda said looking at Rachel.
Rachel nodded, she dug around in her purse and dug out a small card. "If you ever change your mind my phone number and address is on the card. I'd like to get to know you." She said as she handed it to Linda. "I won't bother you again. And I'm sorry for ruining the party and everything."
"You don't need to be sorry. I wondered whether this day would ever come or not and I'm glad it has."
"So am I. Bye..." Rachel quietly said as she walked out, closing the front door quietly behind her, got in her car and drove off.
Linda sat with her head in her hands, crying. Vince sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "Oh Linda, I'm so sorry for all the things I just said. Why didn't you tell me? I would've come back, stuff the military school, I would've come back and looked after you. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was scared."
"Of what?"
"That you'd leave me, you might have believed his story, after it happened he said he'd deny it if I ever told anyone. Then when I found out I was pregnant, that was it. I just thought it'd be best if you never knew anything about it."
"I would never have left you. Oh God, if I ever see Andrew again, I'm gonna kill him." Vince angrily stood up, walked to the other side of the room and punched the door. Vince punched it so hard, his fist went through the door. "Shit!" Vince shouted.
"Vince, don't. He's not worth it."
"I can't believe it! I thought he was my friend. I'm so sorry honey, I should've been there. You begged me not to go but I just ignored you. I should've listened."
"It's not your fault, I don't blame you."
"Well, I blame me. I should've been there to protect you, instead I leave you in the hands of some sort of phsyco. This is my fault."
"You can't blame yourself. Looking back, I should've told you when it happened but I didn't. You understand why I couldn't tell you, don't you?" Linda said quietly.
"Yeah, yes. I think I do. You know what I would've done to him." Vince said quietly, carefully controlling the anger in his voice.
"How did you manage to keep it to yourself for all these years?" Stephanie asked her Mom.
"I don't know." She said shaking her head. "After I gave birth we never spoke of it again, really, Mom and Dad never even mentioned it. They never asked me how I felt, they were ashamed of me, they just put me down as a cheap slut. I was very jumpy around men for ages afterwards, everyone knew there was something wrong but I never told them, I couldn't. I felt so dirty and so.....so used, I was worried people would blame me if they ever found out, they'd say I deserved it. I didn't deserve that though, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. To this day I don't regret giving the baby up, at least she was brought up by people that loved her, I could never have done that. I know it sounds horrible but when the nurse showed me her, I felt nothing. She just reminded me of what happened, if I'd kept her I'd never have been able to move on. She would've been a constant reminder, it would always have been there. I never knew I could feel nothing towards a sweet, innocent baby before that. Even now, I still think I'm a horrible person, how could I feel nothing towards my own baby?. Today, I know who she was as soon as she walked in the room, she didn't need to tell me. I know its wrong of me to punish her for what someone else did to me but I don't know any other way of dealing with it."
"I know I've got no right to ask you this but........." Linda's voice trailed off.
"But what? It doesn't hurt to ask anything."
"Can you..... do you forgive me?" Linda whispered.
"I understand why you did what you did. And in my eyes you did nothing wrong, you haven't done anything that needs to be forgiven. I would've done the same in your situation. But if it helps you then yes, I forgive you." Rachel cried.
"Thank you. You don't know how much that means." Linda said looking at Rachel.
Rachel nodded, she dug around in her purse and dug out a small card. "If you ever change your mind my phone number and address is on the card. I'd like to get to know you." She said as she handed it to Linda. "I won't bother you again. And I'm sorry for ruining the party and everything."
"You don't need to be sorry. I wondered whether this day would ever come or not and I'm glad it has."
"So am I. Bye..." Rachel quietly said as she walked out, closing the front door quietly behind her, got in her car and drove off.
Linda sat with her head in her hands, crying. Vince sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "Oh Linda, I'm so sorry for all the things I just said. Why didn't you tell me? I would've come back, stuff the military school, I would've come back and looked after you. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was scared."
"Of what?"
"That you'd leave me, you might have believed his story, after it happened he said he'd deny it if I ever told anyone. Then when I found out I was pregnant, that was it. I just thought it'd be best if you never knew anything about it."
"I would never have left you. Oh God, if I ever see Andrew again, I'm gonna kill him." Vince angrily stood up, walked to the other side of the room and punched the door. Vince punched it so hard, his fist went through the door. "Shit!" Vince shouted.
"Vince, don't. He's not worth it."
"I can't believe it! I thought he was my friend. I'm so sorry honey, I should've been there. You begged me not to go but I just ignored you. I should've listened."
"It's not your fault, I don't blame you."
"Well, I blame me. I should've been there to protect you, instead I leave you in the hands of some sort of phsyco. This is my fault."
"You can't blame yourself. Looking back, I should've told you when it happened but I didn't. You understand why I couldn't tell you, don't you?" Linda said quietly.
"Yeah, yes. I think I do. You know what I would've done to him." Vince said quietly, carefully controlling the anger in his voice.
"How did you manage to keep it to yourself for all these years?" Stephanie asked her Mom.
"I don't know." She said shaking her head. "After I gave birth we never spoke of it again, really, Mom and Dad never even mentioned it. They never asked me how I felt, they were ashamed of me, they just put me down as a cheap slut. I was very jumpy around men for ages afterwards, everyone knew there was something wrong but I never told them, I couldn't. I felt so dirty and so.....so used, I was worried people would blame me if they ever found out, they'd say I deserved it. I didn't deserve that though, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. To this day I don't regret giving the baby up, at least she was brought up by people that loved her, I could never have done that. I know it sounds horrible but when the nurse showed me her, I felt nothing. She just reminded me of what happened, if I'd kept her I'd never have been able to move on. She would've been a constant reminder, it would always have been there. I never knew I could feel nothing towards a sweet, innocent baby before that. Even now, I still think I'm a horrible person, how could I feel nothing towards my own baby?. Today, I know who she was as soon as she walked in the room, she didn't need to tell me. I know its wrong of me to punish her for what someone else did to me but I don't know any other way of dealing with it."