Chapter 9

John was still watching Rose from the woods a year later. She's really grown, he thought. She must be ten by now, even though she looks a little older. She was playing in some sand with some toy cars and little oblong rocks that she had put paint on. She had made a little town with the sand. John guessed that the painted rocks were the people. She has a good imagination, John thought. I wonder if she ever thinks about me?

Well, that don't matter. She'll have all the time in the world soon enough John thought to himself and chuckled. Rose looked toward him and he crept into the woods, out of sight.

Rose was playing with her sand town when she thought she heard someone laugh. She looked toward the woods, and saw the bushes rustle. She squinted so she could foucus a little farther into the woods, hoping to see a deer, maybe a rabbit. She didn't see anything, so she went back to playing.

Rose was sitting in her room, thinking about all that had happened in the past year and a half or so, and wondered if her step-father ever thought about her. Does he miss me? Or does he hate me for telling mom he hit me?If I could see him once more, I'd ask him, Rose thought. Then she had a thought that was scarier than him hating her. What if he hates mom? What if he's been trying to find us so he can hurt her?

I'll protect her. He'll have to hurt me to hurt her. Rose kind of did wish that he would find him so she could tell him how she felt about him. At that, Claudia walked in and sat on the bed.

"Hey, Rose. How would you like to go to town with me today?" Claudia said as she sat down.

"Sure. What are we going to town for?"

"I'm going to go get grocceries. I thought maybe you could go with me and get away from the house. Maybe we can go eat lunch together."

"Ok. Let me get ready." Rose said excitedly.

As they were headed to town, Rose asked,

"Mom, do you ever think about John?" This surprised Claudia. She had just been thinking earlier that day if Rose ever thought about him.

"Every once in while. Why?"

"I was wondering if you ever did right before you came into my room. Did you ever love him?"

"At first I did. When we first met, he was sweet, kind and funny. But after you were born, he started to put me on medications."

"When did you stop loving him?"

"I think it was when you were two. We had been gone most of the day, but got home before John. There was a message on the answering machine. I checked the message, and it was a woman asking when she could see John again. She left a number, so I called it. When the woman answered, I asked if she had called for John. She said yes and asked if I was his sister. I told her no, I was his wife, and she hung up the phone.

"That's when I realized he didn't love me anymore. I can't love someone that doesn't love me." Claudia explained.

"Oh, mom," was all that Rose could say.

After they had gotten home, Claudia was putting away groccieries. She was thinking about what she had told Rose. Was it too much, she thought. Well, she had asked, and I kept telling myself that I was going to tell her the truth. She deserves to know, with all she's went through. I just hope I done the right thing.

"Claudia," She heard her grandmother say, makinging her jump.

"Yes?" Claudia asnwered, her heart still pounding.

"Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. Would you like some help?"

"Sure."