Saint Sloan by Kelly Martin

Author:Kelly Martin [Martin, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Astraea Press LLC
Published: 2013-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

Ray didn’t stay long after that, and Sloan was glad. She had so much to process, and she had no idea where to start. She locked the door behind Ray and started to go up the stairs with the card nearly falling out of her fingertips.

Because you deserve it?

Was that supposed to mean something, or was she paranoid now and trying to see the evil in even the sweetest gestures?

The sweet smell of hamburger pulled her into the kitchen. Following her nose, she sat down and took the first bite. Eating hurt her cheek, but her empty stomach hurt worse.

“I’m glad you’re eating.” Her mom smiled across the island.

“Um-hmm,” she said through bites.

“I guess it was nice of Ray to bring your homework.”

“Um-hmm.”

“And the card.”

“Um-hmm.”

Her mom put her sandwich down and leaned back on her barstool. “What is it?”

“What?”

“Did something happen I didn’t notice between you two?”

“How could it? You were watching like a hawk, weren’t you?” Okay, maybe a little too much snark in that. “I’m just probably reading too much into something.”

“What? I can help.”

She rubbed the card against her leg under the table, trying to decide if it was even worth mentioning. Probably not. “I feel so bad, Mama. Since Aaron took off, Ray has to go live in a foster house somewhere until he’s eighteen in a few months. It’s not fair.”

“None of it is.”

Sloan threw down her hamburger. “I don’t understand. I prayed, I screamed to God while that guy was here, and He didn’t save me. He didn’t help me!”

“Look, I’m not Donna. I don’t have all of the Bible answers like she has, but maybe He did and you just didn’t see it yet.”

“Excuse me for not seeing the good in this.” She pointed to her stitched up face, grabbed her fries, and took off up the stairs. When she got nearly to the top, she felt bad about the short tone she’d had with her mother.

With a huge sigh, she clomped back down the stairs. “Mama, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take all of this out on you. I’m just…” She couldn’t find the right words to describe how she felt. “I’m just so mad and so angry and so sad that all this happened, and I don’t know what to do with any of it.”

Her mom walked toward her with her arms outstretched, and Sloan thought about pushing her away but couldn’t. She needed a hug from her Mama. Even though the hug made her ribs hurt, she felt safer than she had since it happened. “I’m not going to tell you that it will be all right because it won’t be. Not for a while. But I will tell you that you will get through this. You’re strong.”

Sloan didn’t want to be strong. She wanted to fall apart and kick and scream. Instead, she kissed her mom’s cheek and went back upstairs. Once in her room, she tossed her fries on the dresser and sat on the bed with Ray’s card in her hand.

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