With that, he turns my body, forcing me to bend at the waist. He grabs me roughly and as his fingertips dig into my flesh, I find my tongue going dry, my mouth, my words disappearing like sawdust in the wind. Can’t tolerate someone not bending to your will?” “You’re such a strong man, but you can’t handle a woman speaking her mind. Though I’m terrified, my sharp tongue breaks through the shock. “Why do you think?” he asks with the growl of a tiger, stalking toward me as if I’m his prey. There’s no escaping him-his broad shoulders block my way. No other defense, I back toward the window like a caged animal. And I’m going to pay for it.įear swirls around me, fogging my mind, making me numb. He leans in, close, his voice lowered to a dangerous rumble. His gaze lowers to my hand, my finger still poked into his chest. And yes, though I am burdened with my father’s debts, I am also filled with his love.” I have a community that I served every day, before you brought me here. I’m bilingual and highly educated from books I’ve read. I may have nothing, but that does not make me nothing. “Let me offer you your first lesson in respect. I lean in, pressing my fingertip into his chest. Anger rises in me, looming so large I’m briefly no longer afraid of him. No education, no career, you have nothing.” Penniless, homeless, left with your father’s debts.
“It’s time you received your first lesson in respect. It reminds me of the store, adding sadness to my anger. A window overlooks the gardens, the walls are lined with shelves of food, and a counter runs down the length of the room. We’re standing in a small, rectangular room, what looks like a butler’s pantry. “Let me go!” I struggle to pull away, but his strength overpowers me. He ignores my question, opening another door, pulling me inside.
He opens a door, guiding me down a long hallway. The haunting silence finally breaks in the crowd as hushed whispers fill the church. He turns to the Priest, murmuring, “You’ll have to excuse us for one moment.” Fear and fire fill my belly as his hand reaches toward me. They smolder with flames from the depths of hell. The single word echoes through the church like the sound of the guillotine crashing down on the block. My throat feels tight and I clear it so that my words will be heard and there can be no mistaking of my response. The priest awaits my response, dewy perspiration forming above his brow.