Chapter 2
The train rolled on, taking me back to a place I hadn’t seen in years.
Across from me, some college girls were laughing about something on their phones–carefree, light. I’d never seen that look on Jenna’s face.
“Ma’am, you heading out to visit family?”
“That’s cool. My mom won’t go anywhere without me. It’s annoying.”
I smiled a little and looked out the window. Skyscrapers gave way to open land, and I thought about my mother.
She grew up in Appalachia with nothing.
But she was tough–tougher than anyone I ever knew.
She smiled through everything, like the world couldn’t break her.
“Girls need school more than boys,” she used to say.
She never went herself. But she loved hearing me read.
I was the only girl in my grade who stayed in school past fourteen.
The rest got married young. Pregnant by sixteen.
My father didn’t see the point in educating me. “Waste of money. Marry her off. Save up for your brother instead.”
Sober, he’d grumble. Drunk, he’d call me worthless.
My mother would cover my ears and shove me outside. Then she’d take whatever he had coming.
Every time he drank, she got new bruises.
But afterward, she’d hold me and hum. “When you’ve made it out… will you remember me?”
“Delia,” she’d whisper. “I’ll get you through school. Once you finish, you can leave. You won’t end up like me.”
That winter, my mom got thrown from a horse and died.
By spring, I was married.
I never went back to school.
Some things don’t change out here.
So You Wanted Me Gone? The Comedy Show from My Ghost Perch Is Savage!
Chapter 2
I had a son. Then a daughter.
I named her Jenna because I wanted her to be strong–stronger than I was.
I taught them both to work the land, handle livestock, read and write.
Jenna was sharp. Sharper than her brother. She’d hear something once and never forget it.
Quick with words. Could argue anyone into a corner.
One of the neighbors once said, “Girl, that smart mouth’s gonna get you beat by your husband someday.”
“Why’s it always gotta be that way?” Jenna shot back. “I’m not gonna let any man stand over me.”
I held her that day the way my mother used to hold me.
After that, I kept her in school no matter what.
No chores. Homework and play–that was it.
In this land, once you start doing housework, you never stop.
Time passed. Her braids grew longer. She got taller. And then her body started changing.
Then it happened.
A neighbor showed up wanting to talk about her son marrying Jenna.
My husband sat there smoking. Didn’t say no.
That’s how it works here. Always has.
But I wasn’t letting that happen to Jenna.
I worked more–cleaned houses in town, waited tables, whatever paid.
Slowly, I scraped together enough for tuition at a better school two counties over.
Then one day I saw her standing with some girls her age. A couple were already pregnant, showing off cheap rings and talking about their boyfriends.
“Mom, they say their guys treat them great. Buy them stuff. They don’t even have to work.”
“I heard Dad yelling at you again last night. If I got married, would he stop?”
I pulled her close. My throat burned.
My Jenna. My girl.
So You Wanted Me Gone? The Comedy Show from My Ghost Perch Is Savage!
5.64%
Chapter 2
That sweetness doesn’t last. It never does.
“That’s not your problem. Your job is school.”
I sold what little we had and sent her to a better high school.
My husband started drinking more after that. Started hitting me like my father used to hit my mother.
I didn’t blame him. He was trying to save for our son’s future.
Everyone saves for their sons. I was the only one saving for Jenna.
Boys kept coming around. I got desperate.
She needed to finish school, get into college somewhere far away. Somewhere she’d never have to live my life.
So when I found out she’d been skipping class to hang out at the mall, I didn’t sleep that night.
Next morning, I cut her hair.
All of it. That beautiful long hair–gone.
She screamed. She cried. I didn’t stop.
I shamed her. Killed her vanity. Made sure the only thing left was studying.
She never crawled into my lap again after that.
I know she hated me for it.
But I’d do it again.
♡ (0)
So You Wanted Me Gone? The Comedy Show from My Ghost Perch Is Savage!
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
