Loreena's Gift by Colleen M. Story

Author:Colleen M. Story [Story, Colleen M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LOREENA’S GIFT
ISBN: 9781938103476
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Published: 2016-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

12

Loreena didn’t see any of the men for two days. Aside from dreams of Dominic, she passed the time peacefully enough, helping Mrs. Markos go through the rest of the clothes in the boxes, choosing those that would fit her and discarding the rest. It reminded her of the many times she’d done the same when going through the donations at the church, separating the women’s clothes from the men’s, the girls’ from the boys’, Mrs. Enger giving directions as to where each was to be piled in the reception room. It surprised her uncle that she could do it with such accuracy. She took his praise with a quiet smile and didn’t bother telling him it was easy enough to feel the addition of a little lace or velvet, a certain cut in the waist, or whether the buttons were placed on the left side or the right. Pushing the memory away, she went through the motions with Mrs. Markos half-heartedly, her mind on Saturday, when she would see Saul and they would make their escape.

Friday it rained all day, so Loreena allowed Mrs. Markos to show her a bit of crocheting just so she wouldn’t be bored out of her mind. She missed her books, but of course there was no Braille in her captor’s house. So she fingered the yarn as best she could with her gloves on—a requirement, Mrs. Markos had said, if she were to leave the cuffs off—and looped it over the hook and ate freshly made popcorn. By the end of the day, she had created a square. It was uneven, the right side shaped like half an anvil, but still it was hers, and she kept it on the nightstand by the bed to serve as a coaster for her water glass.

Saturday dawned fresh and dry, warm enough that Mrs. Markos served breakfast out on the back porch. She positioned a portable heater near the table to make it comfortable. Loreena sat in the wicker chair and enjoyed the feel of the morning sun on her skin, and prayed it would give her strength for what lay ahead. A few minutes after she finished her eggs, she heard the van come up the driveway.

The empty beer bottles still littered the floor and the seats still reeked of cigarette smoke, but once they got underway she relaxed as best she could, leaning her head against the window. They had her hands cuffed again; apparently the men were more frightened of her than the old woman was. Lacing her fingers together, she rehearsed potential scenarios. In the end, she determined leaving as quickly as possible was best. Everything depended, then, on when she would see Saul.

The drive was long, but the air still smelled of rain, and it came in fresh through the front vents. It was a blessing, considering Bert’s body odor and the ever-prevalent smell of beer. The man behind her started clipping his fingernails, and Loreena grimaced and moved closer to the frame of the vehicle.

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