(Chapter 11)
Maria sighed as she stared at the spot on the wall. There was no way she could say it to David while looking at him. She stood and paced the floor.
"Donald and I dated in high school. My mother's idea. She always wanted a son and never got one so she hand picked him for me. She figured we'd date, graduate, get married and have babies. I don't know why I stayed with him so long. I didn't love him, hell I didn't even like him." Maria began, remembering all the arguements with her mother over Donald. "The first year we dated he was bearable. He came over and ate, never asked me to go anywhere with him, never tried to kiss me or anything else."
"And after the first year?" David asked, clenching his fists.
"One night my mother suggested we go out. He took me to the movies. There was a guy there from school. I tutored him, he was the captain of the football team. He stopped to talk to me, just to say hi. His girlfriend was the head cheerleader so he wasn't about to look twice at a girl like me. Donald got mad, he grabbed my arm and drug me out to the car. He opened the door and threw me inside, I slammed my mouth again the console and busted my lip open. He apologized and took me home. After that it just got worse. He came over once and my mother wasn't home. The boy was supposed to come over for a session and when Donald found out about it he locked me in the hall closet upstairs for an hour while Donald tutored him on the front porch. I screamed but before he came back my throat started hurting so I gave up."
"He locked you in a closet!" David yelled, standing up from the couch. "You told him to go to hell right?"
"No." Maria said. "I tried. I even broke up with him but my mother just invited him over. At the time I swore that she was just trying to see the good in him because his parents were never around but then I figured that she just liked him better than she liked me. It just got worse and worse. He would hit me when he didn't like what I was wearing, lock me in closets, basements. The last straw was after graduation when Peyton and I went out to eat after to celebrate and he got upset. I was sitting in the booth and Peyton was sitting across from me. Neither of us saw him come in. I was talking and I felt someone grab me and yank me out of the booth. And I felt my back slam against a wall before I looked up and saw him there. He grabbed me by the throat and backhanded me. Yelling that I should be celebrating with him instead of Peyton. He kept slapping me and he grabbed a bottle from a table and broke it. He shoved it up against my throat. I was sure I was going to die right then but a guy from our school grabbed him and held him down until the police showed up. He went to jail for a couple years and I had no idea where he went. Haven't seen him since." Maria sighed, trying to keep the tears in.
"Until tonight." David said, watching Maria shiver.
He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her to him.
"He won't hurt you again." David said. "If he does I'll kill him myself."
"I wish you could promise that." Maria sighed, turning and resting her head on his chest.
"I'll never leave you." David said. "I'll take care of you forever."
He picked Maria up and carried her upstairs and laying down on the bed with her. He held her to him as tight as he could without hurting her. He kissed her head lightly and watched her as she fell asleep.
"I wish I could keep that promise." David whispered. "I wish I could stay with you forever. I love you."
David fell asleep, dreaming for the first time in years. Both dreaming of their future's with each other. Marriage, kids, growing old together. How he would love to have that. But how could they do it?