FINDING BLISS
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Chapter 2:- Let the lying begin
I thought all birthmoms were like mine. I thought they all pimped out their daughters for a bottle of gin or a quick fix. What did I know?
The first time I was taken away from The Womb I was three. A neighbor reported a child crying in the next apartment. The child was me. The Womb had decided it was perfectly fine to leave me alone in my playpen while she went out to score some weed.
I don't remember that time. But I sure do remember the next. I was four and a half. The Womb took off for Las Vegas with the jerk of the month and left me at a daycare center. When she didn't pick me up by the end of the day, the daycare owner called Child Services, and away I went in a shiny blue car.
I only remember that car, nothing else.
I moved around a lot after that, but I don't recall much until I hit double digits.
When I was eleven, I went to live with the O’Brien family. They had one child, an older boy named Troy. He hated me. I think he was jealous. He did everything to get rid of me.
Troy took a special enjoyment in lying about me and watching me squirm. His mom―I called her Troy’s Mom―believed everything he said. Her golden boy could do no wrong. But I certainly could. According to Troy’s Mom, I did enough wrong for the both of us.
"Why didn't you clean the bathroom like I told you to?" Troy's Mom asked me one day when she got back from work.
"I did," I said.
She wagged a finger at me. "Now don't you lie to me, Bliss. I was just in there and it's as messy as can be. You get on in there and clean it up."
"But―"
"Now!"
I could hear Troy snickering in the other room. That's why I wasn't surprised to see the mess on the bathroom.
Toothpaste was smeared on the counter. Dirty soap scum coated the sink, and there were fingerprints streaked across the mirror.
Troy!
I marched into the kitchen. "That's not my mess," I told Troy's Mom. "I already cleaned it. After school. Troy made that mess."
She stared at me hard. "Troy! Get on in here!"
He swaggered into the room, looking all innocent. "Yes, Mom?"
"Did you make that mess in the bathroom?"
Troy turned his big blue eyes on her. "I just got home a few minutes before you. I haven't even been in there."
He turned his back to his mom and gave me a mean smirk.
"You know, Bliss, my mom doesn't ask for much. You should be more grateful."
Troy’s Mom gave him a smile that almost made me puke.
In that moment I hated him more than anyone else in my life. Troy O'Brien was also a bit twisted. I learned that a few months later.
"A group of us are going to Stan's for a movie night," Troy told me one night. "Wanna come?"
I was stunned. He'd never included me before.
"Why me?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Mom said I should make more of an effort with you."
He sounded sincere, so for the first time since I moved there I let down my guard.
BIG mistake.
There were four of us at Stan's. I was the only girl. Downstairs in his family room, we watched an R rated movie that showed a man and woman doing it. You know, having sex.
"Does your mom know we're watching this?" I asked Stan.
He snorted. "My mom lets me watch what I want. I'm almost fourteen." He gave Troy a look that said, 'Is she for real?'
The movie showed the actress's boobs. It made me really embarrassed when the boys hooted and looked at me.
"Do you got boobies like that?" Evan Carmichael asked me.
Stan laughed. "She ain't got no boobies, Ev. She prolly doesn't even got hair down there. Do you, Bliss?"
I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter.
Then something awful happened.
"Show us your titties," Troy demanded.
I moved toward the door, but I wasn't fast enough. Troy spun me around while Stan grabbed my arm.
"Show us your titties," they all chanted.
"Stop it!" I shrieked.
Stan and Evan held my arms behind me as Troy lifted my shirt.
"No!" I cried. "Don't!"
"Don't," he mimicked.
Tears streamed down my face. "Please, Troy."
"Please, Troy," Stan said, grinning.
With both hands, Troy lifted my shirt up past my bra.
I was crying full force now, wailing sobs that went unheard. God how I wanted to disappear. I would've given anything to have melted into the carpet.
"Sure ain't no Victoria's Secret bra," Evan said with disdain.
"Let's see what's under it," Stan said, licking his lips.
I started fighting them. I wriggled and stomped on Troy's foot. He yelled and slapped me across the face. Then he yanked up my bra, exposing my barely formed boobs.
I wanted to kill him. And I wanted to die. I don't know which one I wanted more.
I bit down on Troy's hand. Ignoring his scream, I pulled myself away from their dirty, grasping hands.
Then I ran.
I didn't stop until I reached the O’Brien’s house. I raced upstairs into the safety of my bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Sobbing, I collapsed on the floor in front of the door. I cried until my throat burned, until I had no strength left. Hours later I woke up on the floor. The house was silent. Neither of my Fosters even bothered to check on me.
That's when I knew. I was alone. Completely alone.
There is no greater pain for a child than that single realization.
*****************************
Dorchester Contest: Please check my novel in progress LANCELOT'S LADY, which is entered in the Textnovel/Dorchester Publishing contest. Vote for Lancelot's Lady by clicking on the "thumbs up" icon. You can also click on the cell phone icon so you'll get all my chapter updates, and please leave me a comment. I can use all the encouragement I can get. Thank you so much!)
For more information on Finding Bliss, please visit:
http://www.findingblissbook.com
You can also follow Bliss on Twitter. She has her own account.
http://www.twitter.com/findingbliss
If you enjoyed this excerpt from FINDING BLISS, I know you will enjoy my novels: The River and Divine Intervention!
The River is a high octane thriller that has been compared to works by Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. Del Hawthorne takes a group of near strangers into the wild and dangerous Nahanni River to search for her father, and stumbles upon a deadly conspiracy involving nanotechnology, painful serums and a plot that threatens all of mankind. A thriller with a techno twist!
Divine Intervention is a paranormal suspense thriller that takes you across British Columbia as an elite and covert team of psychic government agents search for a deadly serial arsonist who is leaving behind a trail of corpses. If you enjoy hit TV shows like CSI, Ghost Whisperer and Medium, you'll love Divine Intervention, a novel that has been compared to works by Kay Hooper and J.D. Robb.
Whale Song is in negotiations for a major film! It is currently out of print to make room for a new movie edition (no pub date yet). This novel is about family, love, tragedy, sacrifice and redemption. It will make you remember what it was like to be a teen and it'll change the way you view life...and death. Emotional, inspiring, mystical...
Divine Intervention and The River are available on Amazon, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, etc. You can also ask your favorite bookstore to order you a copy.
My official website:
http://www.cherylktardif.com
I thought all birthmoms were like mine. I thought they all pimped out their daughters for a bottle of gin or a quick fix. What did I know?
The first time I was taken away from The Womb I was three. A neighbor reported a child crying in the next apartment. The child was me. The Womb had decided it was perfectly fine to leave me alone in my playpen while she went out to score some weed.
I don't remember that time. But I sure do remember the next. I was four and a half. The Womb took off for Las Vegas with the jerk of the month and left me at a daycare center. When she didn't pick me up by the end of the day, the daycare owner called Child Services, and away I went in a shiny blue car.
I only remember that car, nothing else.
I moved around a lot after that, but I don't recall much until I hit double digits.
When I was eleven, I went to live with the O’Brien family. They had one child, an older boy named Troy. He hated me. I think he was jealous. He did everything to get rid of me.
Troy took a special enjoyment in lying about me and watching me squirm. His mom―I called her Troy’s Mom―believed everything he said. Her golden boy could do no wrong. But I certainly could. According to Troy’s Mom, I did enough wrong for the both of us.
"Why didn't you clean the bathroom like I told you to?" Troy's Mom asked me one day when she got back from work.
"I did," I said.
She wagged a finger at me. "Now don't you lie to me, Bliss. I was just in there and it's as messy as can be. You get on in there and clean it up."
"But―"
"Now!"
I could hear Troy snickering in the other room. That's why I wasn't surprised to see the mess on the bathroom.
Toothpaste was smeared on the counter. Dirty soap scum coated the sink, and there were fingerprints streaked across the mirror.
Troy!
I marched into the kitchen. "That's not my mess," I told Troy's Mom. "I already cleaned it. After school. Troy made that mess."
She stared at me hard. "Troy! Get on in here!"
He swaggered into the room, looking all innocent. "Yes, Mom?"
"Did you make that mess in the bathroom?"
Troy turned his big blue eyes on her. "I just got home a few minutes before you. I haven't even been in there."
He turned his back to his mom and gave me a mean smirk.
"You know, Bliss, my mom doesn't ask for much. You should be more grateful."
Troy’s Mom gave him a smile that almost made me puke.
In that moment I hated him more than anyone else in my life. Troy O'Brien was also a bit twisted. I learned that a few months later.
"A group of us are going to Stan's for a movie night," Troy told me one night. "Wanna come?"
I was stunned. He'd never included me before.
"Why me?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Mom said I should make more of an effort with you."
He sounded sincere, so for the first time since I moved there I let down my guard.
BIG mistake.
There were four of us at Stan's. I was the only girl. Downstairs in his family room, we watched an R rated movie that showed a man and woman doing it. You know, having sex.
"Does your mom know we're watching this?" I asked Stan.
He snorted. "My mom lets me watch what I want. I'm almost fourteen." He gave Troy a look that said, 'Is she for real?'
The movie showed the actress's boobs. It made me really embarrassed when the boys hooted and looked at me.
"Do you got boobies like that?" Evan Carmichael asked me.
Stan laughed. "She ain't got no boobies, Ev. She prolly doesn't even got hair down there. Do you, Bliss?"
I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter.
Then something awful happened.
"Show us your titties," Troy demanded.
I moved toward the door, but I wasn't fast enough. Troy spun me around while Stan grabbed my arm.
"Show us your titties," they all chanted.
"Stop it!" I shrieked.
Stan and Evan held my arms behind me as Troy lifted my shirt.
"No!" I cried. "Don't!"
"Don't," he mimicked.
Tears streamed down my face. "Please, Troy."
"Please, Troy," Stan said, grinning.
With both hands, Troy lifted my shirt up past my bra.
I was crying full force now, wailing sobs that went unheard. God how I wanted to disappear. I would've given anything to have melted into the carpet.
"Sure ain't no Victoria's Secret bra," Evan said with disdain.
"Let's see what's under it," Stan said, licking his lips.
I started fighting them. I wriggled and stomped on Troy's foot. He yelled and slapped me across the face. Then he yanked up my bra, exposing my barely formed boobs.
I wanted to kill him. And I wanted to die. I don't know which one I wanted more.
I bit down on Troy's hand. Ignoring his scream, I pulled myself away from their dirty, grasping hands.
Then I ran.
I didn't stop until I reached the O’Brien’s house. I raced upstairs into the safety of my bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Sobbing, I collapsed on the floor in front of the door. I cried until my throat burned, until I had no strength left. Hours later I woke up on the floor. The house was silent. Neither of my Fosters even bothered to check on me.
That's when I knew. I was alone. Completely alone.
There is no greater pain for a child than that single realization.
*****************************
Dorchester Contest: Please check my novel in progress LANCELOT'S LADY, which is entered in the Textnovel/Dorchester Publishing contest. Vote for Lancelot's Lady by clicking on the "thumbs up" icon. You can also click on the cell phone icon so you'll get all my chapter updates, and please leave me a comment. I can use all the encouragement I can get. Thank you so much!)
For more information on Finding Bliss, please visit:
http://www.findingblissbook.com
You can also follow Bliss on Twitter. She has her own account.
http://www.twitter.com/findingbliss
If you enjoyed this excerpt from FINDING BLISS, I know you will enjoy my novels: The River and Divine Intervention!
The River is a high octane thriller that has been compared to works by Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. Del Hawthorne takes a group of near strangers into the wild and dangerous Nahanni River to search for her father, and stumbles upon a deadly conspiracy involving nanotechnology, painful serums and a plot that threatens all of mankind. A thriller with a techno twist!
Divine Intervention is a paranormal suspense thriller that takes you across British Columbia as an elite and covert team of psychic government agents search for a deadly serial arsonist who is leaving behind a trail of corpses. If you enjoy hit TV shows like CSI, Ghost Whisperer and Medium, you'll love Divine Intervention, a novel that has been compared to works by Kay Hooper and J.D. Robb.
Whale Song is in negotiations for a major film! It is currently out of print to make room for a new movie edition (no pub date yet). This novel is about family, love, tragedy, sacrifice and redemption. It will make you remember what it was like to be a teen and it'll change the way you view life...and death. Emotional, inspiring, mystical...
Divine Intervention and The River are available on Amazon, Chapters, Barnes and Noble, etc. You can also ask your favorite bookstore to order you a copy.
My official website:
http://www.cherylktardif.com
