The Source

Part 11

Miss Mela: Our beautiful Freenky is not only a thief but a killer too. (I still love her... 👀Is that wrong?) Next up is our angel, Rebecca Armstrong. 😇 I should warn you Becca's story is not a happy one either.

Robert Armstrong has always been a very strict man since before Becca was born. He and his wife Patricia met while he was covering a night shift. He stopped by the restaurant where she was waitressing at the time to have dinner with his partner. They immediately hit it off and went out on a couple of dates. Patricia ended up getting pregnant after a few months. Robert was so excited about the pregnancy once he found out it was going to be a boy. Sadly, there were complications during the birth and the baby boy died hours after being born. They named him Robbie and buried him next to Robert's dad.

After losing their son, Robert became hostile and violent with Patricia. He blamed her for not doing things right. He always said there was something wrong with her body and that's why their son died. He never physically hurt her, but the emotional abuse was constant. Patricia had no one left. Her parents lived out of the country. She didn't have any friends because Robert refused to let her out of the house. She only left the house to go to the grocery store and Robert knew exactly where she went since he installed a tracker in the car. She had an overnight bag stashed under the bed for when she built up the courage to leave Robert, but she never did.

After trying for a long time, Patricia got pregnant again. This time the baby was a girl, Ingrid Armstrong. For the first few years of her life, Ingrid was the only light in the Armstrong household. One tragic afternoon, Patricia was watering the plants in the garden while Ingrid rode her bike. No one saw the car coming. Patricia turned her back away from Ingrid for a second to pick up the garden hose when she heard the screeching car tires. She turned around quickly and saw the trampled bicycle with one wheel spinning around and her daughter a few steps away covered in blood. Yes, another hit-and-run. She ran immediately towards Ingrid yelling out to the neighbors to call 911. She held onto Ingrid until the ambulance came.

They placed Ingrid on the stretcher and took her to the nearest hospital. Patricia ran inside the house and called the station. She told Robert what happened and grabbed her things. She got in the car and drove to the hospital. Robert arrived a few minutes later. They sat in the waiting room hoping for any good news that would come from the doctors. A doctor and a nurse came to speak with them and told them Ingrid was in a vegetative state and she couldn't wake up again. Robert grabbed the doctor by his shirt collar and punched him.

Robert: You didn't do enough! Why didn't you save her?! The doctor assured everyone that he was fine and placed his hand gently on the new bruise that was forming from the punch. Robert turned back and looked at Patricia who was sobbing uncontrollably. He grabbed her by the hair and made her face him. You're so useless! You had one fucking job. Watching Ingrid! That's all you've had to do for the past 5 years, and you couldn't even do that. He let go of her hair and walked away.

Patricia: I failed you, Ingrid. Just like I failed your brother Robbie. The nurse and the doctor tried to console Patricia as best as they could. They took her to see Ingrid one last time. She placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead. Something in her mind clicked. She was back to being all alone with Robert. She cried harder when the thought crossed her mind.

Robert became even more aggressive and demanding. He never hit her, but he did grab Patricia with enough force to leave constant bruises on her arms. Even if it was the hottest day, you would always see Patricia wearing long-sleeved shirts to cover the marks. Other than the constant yelling when Robert got home, the Armstrong house was always quiet. You wouldn't even hear the faucet running. The only noises were when Robert was at the house. Once he left, Patricia just lay in bed holding a picture of Ingrid tightly to her chest.

Years went by. Robert became distant. Patricia was almost completely sure he had a mistress, but she didn't care. Unless it was for sex, Robert didn't even bother looking at Patricia. She had spoken to a neighbor about a method to avoid getting pregnant again. She couldn't handle losing another kid and being on the receiving end of Robert's aggression. But no contraceptive method is 100%. A few days after they had sex, Patricia started to feel the usual symptoms when she got pregnant. She went immediately to the pharmacy and bought all the pregnancy tests and did all of them at once. Only two were negative. She cried herself to sleep thinking about another baby that would possibly die. But this one didn't. This baby was our Becca.

Even before she was born, Patricia and Robert acted as if the baby never existed. Neither one of them wanted to get attached to another possible loss. Instead of feeling joy when the baby was born, Patricia went straight to feeding Becca but didn't even smile. For the first few years of her life, Robert didn't even spend time with Becca unless it was completely necessary. He avoided her completely. Since she was four years old, Becca did everything she could to get her father's attention. She joined the sports team hoping her father would come to see one of her games, but he never did. The only one who bonded with her sometimes was her mom. When Patricia realized Becca liked art, they shared that passion by looking at different art books on the weekends. She also had Koi and Dao, her best friends from school who turned out to be her neighbors as well.

Becca was a straight-A student. She spent her time studying or playing some sport. She spent years trying to bond with her dad, but he refused to interact with her. Patricia told her many times to just let it be and that she and her father had been through a lot before she was born excusing him for being an ass. Patricia told Becca about her other siblings, and she went to visit them every weekend at the cemetery. Becca found comfort in sitting before their graves and just venting about her feelings. In one of her many monologues with her siblings, she decided to join the police academy to be just like her dad. Becca told her mom who almost lost her mind thinking of losing her daughter. She had finally gotten used to the idea of having a living breathing kid that was safe from harm.

Patricia: No, I won't let you. She shook her head.

Becca: Mom, it's already done. I start the academy next week. I told Dad I was going to college, so he doesn't find out. Patricia shook her head again.

Patricia: This is a bad idea. Robert will be furious. Koi and Dao also agreed with her mom, but Becca was stubborn like her father and didn't listen to anyone when she made up her mind. Becca grabbed her hands.

Becca: I'll deal with Dad. Please. I need your support on this. She kissed her mother's hands.

Patricia: Promise me you will be safe. Becca nodded.

Becca: I promise. It's just the academy. The worst that could happen there is bruising from all the training sessions, OK? Patricia reluctantly agreed. While Dao studied journalism and communications, Becca and Koi joined the police academy. Koi couldn't find her calling in high school and she didn't want to leave Becca alone to deal with her dad, so she decided to become a cop as well. Once they graduated from the police academy, Becca informed her father who was too busy reading the newspaper.

Robert: What? Why are you bothering me right now, Rebecca? Can't you see I'm busy?? He groaned.

Becca: I graduated from the police academy and starting on Monday I'll be working at your police station. This time he heard her. He dropped the newspaper and stood menacingly above her.

Robert: You did what now?! Becca tried not to seem scared, but she feared her father more than she admired him.

Becca: I'll be working with you starting Monday, sir. Robert grabbed the lamp that was on the table next to the couch and threw it against the wall.

Robert: Like hell you are! He grabbed the car keys, slammed the front door, and drove away. Becca sat there frozen.

Patricia: I knew he wouldn't be happy. To say that Becca felt disappointed was nothing. In the end, Robert had to accept Becca. She graduated top of her class and the chief of police at the time said she would be an amazing captain one day.