Norma sat at the kitchen table with her cup of coffee. She felt like her heart was being ripped apart and out of her chest. Alex had taken Dylan into the living room so they could talk.
"I don't know what to do about Norman. She won't listen to me. He needs help." Dylan was telling Alex.
"Like I told Norma earlier, I can't help if I don't know what's going on." Alex told him sounding frustrated with the situation
Dylan seem to have ignored Alex's last statement. He got up and walked over to his mother. "I'm going back home now Norma. Are you coming with me?" He asked.
"I need some more time to think. Please take care of Norman? I'll be home soon." She told him. Dylan shook his head and started to head out the door.
"Can you take me to get my car?" Norma just realized her car was still at the bar.
"Whenever your ready." Alex answered.
"Thank you. ...for everything, Alex." She said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
They headed out to get Norma's car.
"I don't want to go home yet. " Norma blurted out.
"You don't have to. Are Dylan and Norman going to be okay?" He asked.
"I don't know. I really don't know." She started to remember why she left in the first place. How they wanted her to talk to her brother. She felt the anger coming back again. She needed to tell Alex.
Alex unlocked the front door and let them back inside his home. Norma felt nervous just thinking about telling Alex.
Norma made her way to the couch and sat down. Alex followed and sat next to her.
"I need to tell you," Norma started.
Alex looked confused. She looked like a scared little girl right now. He took her hands in his and held them.
"Okay so here it goes -- the reason I left last night was because Norman and Dylan sat me down and asked me to talk to my brother. Caleb." She paused ...not wanting to say another word. She knew she had to. She felt like she could trust Alex. It was just so hard to talk about it.
Alex didn't say anything and waited for her to go on.
"Me and him, we...we didn't have a very good childhood, horrible actually. All we had were eachother. I slept with him. We ...we slept together. It happened for a long time and when I tried to stop it, he got angry and he raped me." The tears were now flowing down her cheeks as she went on. Alex put his arm around her and pulled her close into him. "I'm sorry he did that to you, sorry that happened to you. But it wasn't your fault," Alex told her. He wanted to kill her brother. He didn't know who he was but he wanted to find him and kill him. Knowing that he hurt Norma that way.
"I'm not finished," Norma started again. "He is Dylan's father."
Norma took a deep breath and felt better that it was over. She said it. She told Alex the truth. Well one truth...it's a start right?
Alex just stared into her tear filled eyes for a moment before he could say anything. "It's okay. I'm here now, nobody is going to hurt you ever again." He told her. Norma was never happier to hear those words. There was something about this man that made it so easy for her to trust him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
Norma then slowly pulled away from his hug and held tightly onto his hands. "I'll go home soon. I just want to stay here for a while longer with you. If that's okay..." She didn't know what was happening here but it all felt so right. She didn't want to leave Alex's arms. "I just feel so safe with you."
Alex then wiped a tear from her face and slowly leaned in toward her lips. He kissed them sweetly and she kissed him back. A gentle soft kiss. He didn't want her to ever leave.
