"Ah, you did not hear. When it is unnecessary, you hear every thang, and here ya jus' did-not-hear. Now rush outside and get me some cigarettes. Come on, you!"
He gazed somewhere afar with a drunk look and moved the embers into the furnace with an iron stick.
"Where will I go so late at night!?"
"What night, are you blind? Everywhere it is light!"
"Night in the streets!" she was afraid that the remark would piss him off entirely and shook with terror. "Look out the window, please. Late already, all shops are closed."
"Was I not clear enough?!" stepfather squeaked. "Now dress up and run to buy me my cigarettes, or you will regret it deeply. Go to the kitchen and take the money on the shelf! In a trice!"
Anna was panic-stricken. She had no idea where she would get him a cigarette at –30 degrees of cold outside, and time passed after midnight long ago. This winter was just ruthless, but even more brutal were the winter nights. The horror of the situation did not allow her to think things through. She ran up, took cash from the shelf, and hastily returned to a smoking room.
"Here, here is fifty," mumbled Anna and saw stepmonster sitting in front of the furnace with his eyes closed.
She stiffened. As incredible as it might seem, this magical falling asleep of the drunkard in a matter of seconds was just a gift from heaven. She tiptoed back to the kitchen and put the money back on the shelf.
Quietly she returned to bed, trying to squeak the floorboards as little as possible. All her body shook with fear. She was afraid to close her eyes, but knew that every hour of sleep won before school would be a real victory. She squinted and looked at her little alarm clock on the handmade bedside table. It showed 3:45 a.m.
Another two hours, and you must get up, grab your rucksack, and run to school, away from this tyrant. At least for a few lessons. Yes, and school is very far, which means two-three hours of quiet life until you get there.
Anna closed her eyes.
Why are ten-year-old girls so helpless?
YOU ARE READING
NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER
RomanceOne woman. Three men. One of them should surely be The One. When Anna's heart is shattered by betrayal, she embarks on a journey to heal her broken heart. But when she meets two handsome suitors while traveling, she must decide between them and lea...
