Chapter 4 - The Phone CallTerrence called that evening.
“Mom, Lennox made bail.”
Bessie closed her eyes.
“She says she's sorry.”
“She assaulted me.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Silence.
Then Terrence whispered:
“You're suing us?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Approximately sixty thousand dollars.”
“We don't have that.”
“You should have thought about that before selling the house.”
Terrence's voice cracked.
“We're family.”
Bessie looked around the quiet kitchen.
“Family doesn't mean I have to let you steal from me.”
Another silence.
“Where are you staying?”
“A motel.”
“How long can you afford it?”
“Maybe a week.”
Bessie felt the old maternal instinct rise inside her.
She wanted to rescue him.
But she remembered his silence when Lennox slapped her.
“I love you, Terrence,” she said. “But I won't protect you from your own choices anymore.”
She hung up.
Then she cried.
May you like
Not because she regretted what she'd done.
Because she finally understood how necessary it was.
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