Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 2

Toni freezes after Dave basically tells her to pour everything out of her bags for him to inspect. She shoots a knowing look at Shelby thinking, not invasive of privacy, huh?

"Uh, didn't um..." Toni tries to think of something to say.

"Spencer, brought them up, yes." Dave answers, but not the real question that Toni is trying to ask.

"You see, Toni, this family likes to be open with one another, and being honest with yourself means being honest with your family."

Not this family, Toni thinks.

Shelby looks at Toni whose eyes bore into Dave, unflinching. She's not scared of him.

Toni knows worse.

"Daddy..." Shelby tries to plead, "She just got here."

"We don't know her. And while I'm lookin' forward to the opportunity to get to do that, she's goin' to show us her bags, so I can make sure she's not--"

"No, I get it." Toni cuts him off. "Want to make sure I'm not bringing any drugs or weapons?" Toni replies, angry. "Check for syringes or a nickel bag of weed?"

"Daddy... "Shelby looks at him, waiting for a response, but he doesn't give one. He just smiles, looking expectant.

"I'm sure there's personal stuff, you know, that she's not ready to share yet?" Shelby counters, her voice starting to waver, she's reaching the end of her ability to stand up to her father.

As an answer, Toni jumps off the bed, scoops up her bag and throws it on the comforter.

"Feel free." She bites. "You might be disappointed. I don't own shit."

Dave sighs, and opens up the drawstring bag and pauses.

"I don't want to be meddlesome, so why don't you just pull everythin' out?" He smiles again, but now Toni knows he doesn't mean it. He'll never mean it.

"And while we're confidin' in each other, that language is not acceptable in my home," he adds.

My home, she thinks. Dave is all about possession. Of Shelby, clearly. This family. This house. What's inside it. And now her. But only when he wants. And this is not one of those times.

Toni pulls out her t-shirts, a few gym shorts, a baggie of bandaids, and a lot of socks. Dave nods approvingly and looks over at the other bag. Getting the message, Toni dumps out her backpack. This makes a bigger pile.

One notebook, a pencil, earbuds, jeans, a few bags of Takis, her toothbrush, all of her sleep shirts, pajama pants, underwear, and shirts. And a big brown jacket. One basketball medal, and her dream catcher that works very hard getting rid of her nightmares.

Dave grabs the Takis.

"Sorry, but we don't allow food into our home that God didn't make," Dave places the Takis on the other side of him, obviously taking possession.

Toni laughs, then looks at Dave. He's serious.

"Wait, Takis? Seriously?" She asks.

"If it didn't grow from the ground, it won't enter our temples," he responds.

Toni taps her foot, wanting to get out of this, trying to get out of this.

"But aren't you about loving people?" Toni asks.

"Of course." He answers, not sure where this is headed.

"People worked real hard to make that bag, that food, I mean," Toni starts, her eyes meet Shelby's, "Probably a lot of folks employed, with families," she continues. 'Folks' does not roll off the tongue as smoothly as she wanted. Faking it is taking an extra effort. "Don't you—"