Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Mother (Part Two)

Thirty minutes passed since the confrontation between Vera and her husband, and now she was sitting with her son, her lips pinched together anxiously, as she prepared to tell him what she had planned for the two of them.

She was initially thrilled with her decision to leave Victor for a better life, but the more she thought about it, the more doubt started to fester inside of her like bad indigestion.

She had married her husband at a very young age, and on their wedding night he promised her that he would take good care of her so that she would never have to get a job.

At the time, she thought it was romantic, but then she realized that keeping her home was just another way for him to control her. She had no means of income outside of what he provided, which was why she found herself worrying that she would not be able to take care of her son alone. Still, she decided that taking the chance was better than staying at home and enduring the continual abuse.

Vera sucked in a deep breath and clasped on to her son's hands.  "Vincent, I know you're happy living with your grandma, but....I want you to come home."  She could see the fear in his eyes, so she tightened her hands around his.  "I don't mean back home to your father and sister. I want you to come with me and start a brand new life, just the two of us."

The sound of glass breaking echoed from the kitchen, and Millicent came storming out with her fists clenched by her sides.  "Are you out of your mind?"  She demanded, "You can't just come here and take my grandson away!"

"I'm not trying to take him away from you, Millicent." Vera said calmly, "But you and I both know that he needs a more stable life."

Millicent nodded her head. "I could not agree more, which is exactly why I wanted him to move in with me." She walked behind the couch and placed her hands on Vincent's shoulders.  "He's much better off here."

"Listen, Millicent, I really am grateful that you took him in, but he needs to be with me now.  I promise I will take care of him-"

"The way you took such good care of him while Victor was beating him?"  Millicent snarled.

Vera's chest tightened at the harsh words, and she rose from the couch, throwing her arms in the air defensively.  "I cannot believe you just said that to me! Do you have any idea what hell your son has put me through for the last twelve years!?"

"Don't play the victim card, Vera."  Millicent sneered, "You should have left the moment my son first laid his hands on you, but you stayed with him because you're a coward."

"You cold hearted old bitch." Vera said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You've known for years what he's been doing to our family, and you never once tried to step in and help."

"What would you have me do? Victor may be an abusive asshole, but he is still my son."

"You could have-" Vera started, but she knew it was useless to try and reason with her. She shook her head before looking over at her son, who was watching the confrontation with tears in his eyes. She took him by the wrist and pulled him off of the couch. "Go and get your things, Vincent. It's time for us to go."

"And where will you go?"  Millicent asked, stepping in front of him before he could leave the room.  "You have no money, and you know as well as I do that Victor will catch you before you even reach the city limits."

"I don't care."  Vera said, "I just know that I'm tired of living in fear. Now get out of our way."

"No." Millicent said, holding her ground. "I think we should give Vincent a say in this matter." She looked at him and asked, "Who do you want to live with, sweetheart?"

Vincent gazed at them with dread all over his face. He loved them both dearly, and he did not want to hurt any of their feelings, but he took a deep breath and answered. "I'm sorry, but I want to stay here with Grandma."

"W-what?"  Vera said, ignoring the feeling of her heart crumbling in her chest.  She kneeled in front of him and took his face into her hands. "Vincent, I understand that you love your grandma very much, but I want you to come with me.  I promise things will be different for us.  You have to trust me."

Vincent wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and laid his head on her chest.  "I do trust you, Mommy, and I love you very much.....but I wanna stay here.  I've made lots of new friends, and I'm really happy here."

Vera removed her hands from his face, her body slumping down to the floor. For the sake of her son, she fought the tears that threatened to escape her and said, "Alright, Vincent. If that is really what you want then you can stay."

"I'm sorry, Mommy." Vincent whispered.

"Don't be." Vera replied, replacing her hands on his face. "Your happiness is all that matters to me, and I know that your grandmother will continue to take good care of you."

Millicent helped Vera off of the ground and took her into her arms, pulling her in for an unexpected, but welcome, embrace. "Thank you for letting him choose, Vera. I promise that he will be safe as long as he is with me."

"I know he will be." Vera sighed, trying to mask the hurt inside of her. "And look, I'm sorry things got a little heated back there."

"Me too, honey."

Vera nodded at her with a frail smile on her face, then she grabbed her son for one more hug. "I love you so much, baby. Promise me that you will be good for your grandma."

Tears rolled down Vincent's cheeks as he held on to his mother. "I love you, too. And I will."

"Goodbye, son." Vera said, kissing him on the cheek one more time. She wiped the tears from her face as she walked out of the front door.

She climbed back into her car, heaving a weary sigh as her head laid down on the steering wheel.  This was not what she had hoped would happen, and now she had no idea where she would go from here.  All she knew was that she could never go back home, not after what she had done to Victor.

Sighing, she switched on the radio and began to drove down the road. 

She soon reached an isolated pay phone that was on the outskirts of town and pulled the car over to use it. There was a crusty phone book stationed just below the receiver, and she used it to find the number to a taxi company. 

She held her breath as she waited for the operator to answer, her heart beating with fear and excitement at the prospect of a new life, a life where she never had to be abused again.

"Benson Taxi Company." Someone finally answered from the other line, snapping her out of her thoughts. "How may I help you?"

Vera exhaled softly and opened her mouth to answer, until she felt a large hand close around her throat.

"Hang the phone up, bitch." A raspy voice hissed in her ear, sending a terrifying chill down her spine. She already knew who it was.

"Hello? Benson Taxi Company. How may I help you?" The operator repeated, but the call was cut short when Vera placed the receiver back down with a shaky hand. 

"V-Victor..." She stammered, cringing as she was pulled into his chest.  How did he manage to find her so quickly? 

Cruel laughter escaped his lips and he wrapped his arm around her waist, his lips dangerously close to her ear.  "Did you really think I would  allow you to leave me, love?"

"Please....don't hurt me."  Vera choked, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, baby." Victor chuckled, tightening his grip around her neck.  "You have not even begun to be sorry yet......"