One Thousand Miles

Chapter  |  A New Life

Part  |  One

Almost a whole year had passed since I last seen Tanya. I wish we hadn't gotten caught because we could be seeing each other. She was such a great friend to me and knew me like she knew her own name. The people John made me hang around with were too snobby and full of themselves. Almost every event we went too nowadays, John made me hang out with a bunch of woman he knew. He said they were great people, but he obviously failed to mention how greedy they were.

Life was still the same sadly. I stayed locked up inside the house while John goes to work, I make him dinner before he gets home, and if 'misbehave' I get 'punished'. I tried to change up our schedule by looking for job advertisements in the paper. It didn't take me very long to find one that I would like. I found an advertisement about a diner hiring, so I thought that the job would be perfect for me.

Later that afternoon I would tell John, but first I had to butter him up with his favorite meal and dress nice. I covered the bruises on my face with makeup and dressed in a nice red dress that was tight on the torso and flowed out under it. The short sleeves didn't hide my bruises, but I didn't bother to put a sweater on to cover them. 

As soon as I heard the front door slam I quickly slid my feet into a pair of red flats and rushed downstairs. I entered from the dining room and found John in the kitchen looking down inside the pot with a smile on his face. He looked up at me and his grin widened. "My favorite!"

I smiled back and nodded my head before walking towards him. I wrap my arm around and bury my face in his chest while he wraps his own arms around me. "I love you."

He kisses the top of his head before resting his head on top of it. "I love you too muffin."

We stay like that for about a minute or so before finally I tell him to sit down while I fix him a bowl. I quickly fixed him a bowl and poured him a glass of wine before sitting it down in front of him. I quickly made me a bowl and sat down across from him at the table. I don't bother touching my food, I just watch as he eats his food.

"Do you like it?" I ask quietly. He nods his head and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah you did a wonderful job," he said before scooping up another spoonful. He continues to eat and doesn't stop until everything inside his bowl is gone. I quickly get up and put some more in his bowl before placing it back in front of him. Once I sit down I prepare to tell him about the John advertisement.

Once I find the right words to say I open my mouth to speak. "John?"

He stops eating and looks up at me. "Yes Stephy?"

I clear my throat and look him right in the eye. "So I've been reading the newspaper lately, and I found this job and I was hoping---" Before I could finish he shakes his head and starts eating again. "But you didn't let me finish."

He drops his spoon down in the bowl and looks at me with narrowed eyes. "I don't need to let you finish if I already know what you're about to say. The answer is no and that's final."

"But John I---"

He groans in frustration. "No, Stephy."

By now tears are stinging my eyes and I'm desperate. "But, John please---"

"Goddammit I said no and no means no!" he yells as he bangs his fist on the table.

I instantly shut my mouth and look down at my now cold stew. I could feel his eyes on me, but I don't look up. After a few seconds I hear his spoon making the clanking sound it makes every time it hits the bowl. It wasn't fair to me that he got to go out and work while I stay home and do absolutely nothing. I sigh and look back up at John. "John, I---"

"Stephanie, I've already told you no," he says while glaring at me.

I sigh and look down at my hands resting in my lap. "I was just going to ask you if you wanted some of that pie from last night."

He sits there and continues to stare at me before nodding his head and finishing up his bowl of stew. Once he's finished I take his bowl and place it in the sink before grabbing the pumpkin pie I had made last night out of the refrigerator. I cut him a piece and place it on a saucer before sitting it down in front of him. He gives me a quick thank you and I just nod my head before sitting down across from him once again. I watch as he eats his dessert until he is finished. Once he's he comes around the table and leans down so his mouth is resting next to my ear.

"Baby, you know that I love you, right?" I nod my head and he continues. "Don't think that I'm upset with you or anything because I'm not. I'm just trying to get you to see that you don't need a job because you have work here. Plus here at home you don't have to worry about the annoying co-workers. It's like you're running your own business."

I nod my head and he smiles before leaving the room. Once I hear the door to his office close I rest my elbows on the table and slowly bring my face down into my hands and cry.

Here I was now sitting on the toilet in our bathroom waiting for the timer to go off. Actually, I didn't want it to go off because I was too scared of what was going to happen once it did. I wasn't quite sure how this had happened. John and I were always safe, so I don't know what's wrong with me.

I take in a deep breath and pace around in the bathroom while running my fingers through my hair every few seconds. Time was going slow which was kind of a good thing. But at the same time it was bad and very frustrating.

Finally after another long minute, the timer dinged and I knew it was time to see what my future would hold. I was scared, no I was terrified. 

I closed my eyes and breath in through my nose before slowly letting the air back out through my mouth.  I slowly let my eyes flutter open before slowly taking a few steps towards the toilet. I slowly and shakily reach my hand out towards the small white and pink stick and raise it up to see the results. Tears slowly filled up in my eyes when I saw the two small red lines on the small screen.

I was pregnant.