Tom’s face went dark.
My son looked up at me, tears welling up.
“Mom, I didn’t hit him, he fell and scraped his
face.”
“I’ll take him to the doctor.”
Carol got up, holding Mikey.
Tom instinctively followed her. “I’ll go with
you.”
<
Carol flinched away, her voice cold. “You take
care of your own family.”
After Carol left, Tom’s disappointment was
clear.
He went over to my son, raised his hand, and
slapped him. “John, why were you picking on
your brother?”
My son covered his face, his voice shaking. “I
didn’t.”
My son said Mikey told him he was dirty and
he wasn’t allowed to sleep on the bed, so he
had to sleep on the floor.
But Mikey forgot and tripped over him when
he got up to pee.
く
Tom didn’t believe him. He raised his hand.
“You’re lying!”
I grabbed his arm. “Tom, my son wouldn’t lie.”
He stared at me, took a deep breath, and
said, “Sarah, take the kids and go.”
I was stunned. “Now?”
“Yeah, now!” He ran his hands through his
hair, all agitated. “You’ve been here less than
half a day, and this place is already a mess!
You want money, right? Go back, and I’ll send
it to you as soon as I get paid.”
He went inside and tossed our bags out the
door.
く
He didn’t even look back, just opened the
door and ran off.
Probably to find Carol.
The door was wide open, and a cold wind was
howling around me and the kids.
My son and daughter started to cry.
“Mom, I made a mistake, I’ll apologize to
Mikey, so Dad won’t be mad.”
My heart twisted.
Even though I knew Tom didn’t love us.
Even though he only cared about Carol.
I still had a glimmer of hope.
T
<
Dulnym
But mynt then, tial Tupe view.
I picked up my bag and took the kids.
My son asked, “Mom, are we going home?”
I shook my head.
I took them to the hospital.
Even late at night, the emergency room was
packed.
By the time we got there, Mikey’s face had
already been bandaged.
Tom was holding him, a happy family.
I went over with my kids.
d penicked when b
<
Tom looked panicked when he saw us. “Why
are you here? Get out of here! Don’t let
anyone see you!”
He acted like we were carrying the plague.
Carol pretended everything was normal. She
smiled at me. “Sarah, Mikey’s not hurt bad,
don’t worry. Go on home now.”
With her smile, I took my kids down on my
knees.
“Carol, please! Give me my husband back!
Give us a chance to live!”
My kneeling and shouting stunned Tom and
Carol.
Everyone went quiet and stared at us.
く
Chapter 2
A bunch of people recognized Tom, and they
started whispering.
“Isn’t that Sergeant Smith and his wife?
Who’s that kneeling down?”
“She’s saying husband… doesn’t that mean
the Sergeant and his wife aren’t the real
deal?”
Tom’s face went white when he heard the
whispers. He tried to pull me up.
I locked my knees, not budging.
Tom pleaded in my ear, “Sarah, honey, I know
you’re upset, but this isn’t the place to cause
a scene. Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
I bit my lip and grabbed onto his waist. “Tom,
please don’t send me away. I know I’m not as
pretty or capable as Carol, but I can learn.”
“You said Carol was a poor widow in the
country, and she was getting picked on, so
you took her with you and left us in the
backwoods. But it’s been three years! Can’t
Carol manage on her own yet?”
“I promise, I’m not trying to break you and
Carol up. I just want to be part of this family.
If you don’t want me, I’ll get a divorce, but
please don’t abandon the kids. Boys, beg your
dad, don’t let him send us away!”
My kids got the message. They knelt beside
me, clinging to Tom’s legs and crying,
“Daddy, please don’t leave me!” Our crying
was too much for Tom, and his face turned
く
The onlookers finally pieced together the
story.
They got riled up.
“Sergeant Smith seems like a decent guy,
how could he do this kind of thing?”
“I always thought they were married, but it
turns out he’s got a mistress.”
Carol panicked at being called a mistress.
“No, no, we’re not… Tom, tell them!”
Tom, being a soldier, straightened up and
said, “Folks, don’t get the wrong idea. Carol
and I aren’t married. She’s my brother’s
widow, and her two boys are my brother’s. He
died eight years ago.”
<
“He asked me to take care of them, so I
brought them with me to fulfill his wish. I’ve
never said that we were married, and I swear
to God that Carol and I are not involved.”
With that, everything changed.
People respected fallen soldiers, so the
conversation shifted.
Tom went from being a scumbag to a Good
Samaritan.
He was sacrificing his own family to raise his
brother’s kids.
What a selfless, amazing man!
Carol’s eyes got red. “Tom and I don’t have
anything going on. We sleep in separate
rooms. If you don’t believe me, you can check
it out.”
The two of them played their parts, and I
looked like the bad guy.
I was slandering a good man and his
generous heart.
Some people even walked over to convince
me to go home.
“Sergeant Smith is up for a promotion. If you
love him, don’t cause a scene. The children of
fallen soldiers deserve to be taken care of.”
Carol started to cry. I started crying too.
“Fallen soldiers‘ children deserve care, but
what about my kids? Carol, I remember when
your husband died, the government gave you
a job, a house in the city, and a settlement.
Why did you sell the job and the house? Why
is it still not enough for you, and why did you
take all of Tom’s pay?”
