Baby

rainy days in her marriage, but none as nasty or as desperate as this. Relief briefly flooded her mind, amazed by her unexpected wisdom when she heeded his wise advice, retaining the coins until she was truly desperate. And yet the cabin needed so much more to become fully habitable. She felt pressured to make every coin stretch three times as far.
    Late yesterday afternoon, her feet just gave out, forcing her to rest and soak them as they refused to heal from her self-destructive trek from Norristown. As she soaked her feet, reclining against the unforgiving headboard of her parent’s primitive bed, the harsh, roughly planed wood digging into her plump shoulders, she thought she saw rainbow colors in the periphery of her vision. An aura, gone in a flash, it left behind an unmistakable urge to visit the woods. She fought the compulsion, recognizing the time and effort involved. Her exhaustion loudly begged her to not to go. Clearly, a visit must wait. Chores, dinner and desperately needed sleep come before a break or a jaunt into the wood.
    So here she was, a day later. She slowly breathed out a ponderous sigh, knowing she better get a move on if she wanted to climb up into her secret sanctuary and still have time to absorb some of the joyous memories from her childhood. Nightfall could come quickly in the woods.
    Netty again tried to get to her feet, this time, with more success. She squeezed her large frame into the painfully tight cleft in the rocky hillside. It made her overwhelmingly aware of how her slender figure had ballooned up in the few years since her sham of a marriage. She wondered if perhaps it had been a subconsciously defensive move to dissuade Robert’s occasional drunken late night forays into her third floor bedroom. It was there that he chose to indulge his malicious need to remind her of her powerlessness. Just as he did on their wedding night.
    The evening started out full of promise, her innocence perfectly clear, even as her mama tried to prepare her by tentatively discussing the rituals between a man and woman in love. Not grasping the significance of the talks, she came away convinced that her wedding night would prove to be mysterious and wonderful, capturing the feelings of the true love her mama described to her. Delivered to the bridal suite, she prepared for Robert’s arrival, the canopy bed, so sumptuous she dare not sit on it.
    Readying herself for her husband, she donned the new nightgown her mama painstakingly stitched for her. She never held anything this elegant, with its delicate lace and silky translucence. As she brushed her long brown hair, thick and gleaming, she casually wondered what was keeping Robert. He pulled away from her after the ceremony to welcome his boisterous friends, barely speaking to her except for an occasional dance. The crowded room consisted mainly of strangers. Robert’s sisters formally congratulated her but quickly moved on to other party guests. She understood his need to play host to his friends and business associates, although the unfamiliar smell of spirits she detected on his breath as they danced left her confused and nervous.
    Time passed quickly and before long she nodded off on the petite water silk divan in the far corner of the bedroom, only to be startled awake as Robert stumbled into the room, locking the door behind him. It was very late and her innocent eagerness dissipated with her grogginess at not having properly gone to bed. As she yawned herself awake, she softly inquired as to his whereabouts. Robert stood in front of her, lightly swaying on his feet as he regarded her with what she could only describe as a sneer. Without warning, he backhanded her across the face. The strike, so powerful she fell off the divan. He turned to go toward the bed, turning back as if he suddenly thought better of it, hauling her up off her feet, his face transformed, unfamiliar and strange. Pausing, his hand in midair, he reached out and slowly, so gently, caressed her bodice. Before she could react, he viciously gripped the bodice and yanked it down, fully exposing her trembling nakedness. Lust now filled his eyes as he painfully bit down on her nipple, causing her to scream with shock and pain.
    He gave her another backhand, whispering ominously, “You stupid strumpet, don’t you ever question me again.” With further disdain, he dropped her to the floor. Struggling to pull down his trousers, he mounted her from behind, slamming into her