Mr. Winston stepped into his home, and slammed the door.
Pam, Paige, and Mrs. Winston jumped to their feet and walked out into the living room.
Mrs. Winston saw her husband's jaw and the blood leaking from his nose. "Oh my goodness, Calvin. What the hell?" she exclaimed.
She grabbed a pack of frozen beans from the freezer and held it on his face.
Pam looked at her father, and said, "I'm so sorry. All of this could've been avoided. This is all my fault. I'm so damn stupid."
"Nothing is your fault. He had no right to put his hands on you."
Pam sighed. "Can you hear me out, dad? I was the one who put my hands on him. He didn't hit me back. I even made his mouth bleed. I've never hit him before, and I just hope he'll forgive me. But anyways, he grabbed my arms to stop me from hitting him. He held on to them really tight, so I tried to get my arms out of his grip. I guess that caused them to bruise up. Will doesn't abuse me. And I should've never put my hands on him. I was wrong. The sad part is, that's all he went through when he was growing up. Abuse. I've been lying to him and he really thinks I cheated. None of this is his fault. Will has so many reasons to blame me for things, but he doesn't. He always apologizes if he feels like he does something wrong and he really tries to be understanding. I just hope he still loves me." She paused, then said, "What I'm trying to tell you is that I'm not perfect. I'm not your perfect little girl. I'm a normal person. I mess up sometimes. Will is patient and caring. I'm telling you. He's not even angered easily, but he's been through so much that when he's angry, he has a temper. But he has never abused me in any kind of way. And he never calls me out of my name. Our relationship isn't perfect, but this is the worst that we've ever been through. This year came with a lot of pain. And seeing you and him against each other is something that I've never wanted to happen. I'm sorry."
"You don't have anything to apologize about. All I know is, this family don't have to worry about seeing him again," Mr. Winston said.
"Me and him are still married, dad. And I still have to get my things from over there."
"I will bring you over there to get your things, tomorrow. But make sure you get everything that belongs to you."
Pam sighed and shook her head. She wasn't planning on being away from Will forever.
Her father snapped, "He's no good. You don't need him. I told him that and I also told him to never come near you again. You want to know what he said? He said, 'Fuck you, and your daughter.'"
Pam felt like her heart dropped. "He said that?" she asked as her eyes watered. She tried her best to hold her tears back.
*
As night came, Pam was in her old bedroom, pacing back and forth with her cellphone in her hand.
She sat down on the bed, and took a deep breath. She wanted to talk to Will. She needed some type of confirmation that he still cared. She wanted to be able to apologize and explain everything to him calmly.
She dialed the number of her home telephone.
Will was laying down on the living room floor with his arms covering his face. He was in a battle with his mind. He was hurt and distraught. Zavier and Isaac were sitting in the couch, making sure to keep an eye on him, and watching tv, without any conversation. They had been like this for hours. The telephone began to ring. Will didn't budge, so Zavier got up and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Zavier? You almost sound just like your brother," Pam said.
Zavier smiled. "Yeah, I know. Are you okay?"
