Chapter Eight

Tasha

“Miss Tasha! I’m halfway finished with Danica’s second book!” An excited Trudy runs up to me after lunch. We’re getting ready to dismiss the kids at the community center. Since it’s later in the summer, the center is now down to half days, so we end our day between noon and one o’clock.

I grin widely. “Really, Trudy? That’s great.”

“Yeah. Danica is so strong and fierce. I love her. Thank you for giving me the first book. I have to return the second book to the library this weekend, so I gotta hurry up and finish it.”

“Oh, that reminds me. Stay right here,” I say before hurrying off to Coral’s office where I’ve left my belongings. I use the key she has given me to her office, opening the door. I go into my bag to pull out Danica’s Passage and Danica’s Voyage, the second and third books in the series. I have autographed both books. I leave the office and return to Trudy. “These are for you.” I hand the books over to Trudy who now wears an awe-struck expression.

“Really?!”

“Yes. Open the front covers,” I encourage.

When Trudy does, her eyes grow even bigger as she realizes what’s inside.

        Dear Trudy,

      I heard you were a big fan of Danica’s adventures, so I wanted to give you a few of my personal copies.

Sincerely,

           L.T. Jones

The excited child looks up at me. “Oh my God! Is this for real?!”

I nod. “Yes, I have some connections, so I was able to get the author to autograph copies for you.”

The excitement from Trudy’s eyes helps me to not feel so bad about the lie. I still don’t want anyone to find out I’m the author for more than one reason; one of which includes this damn writer’s block that continues to take hold of my imagination like an iceberg. Thinking about my inability to write causes a knot of dread to rise in my belly. Unfortunately, it also means that I’ve failed to complete the assignment Jeremy gave me earlier in the week. Writing 10,000 words in a week has never fazed me before, but right now it feels impossible, I just couldn’t get it done. I feel my anger surfacing the more I think about it. Jeremy knows I’m going through writer’s block. Why the hell would he give me such an impossible task? Is this a typical Dom thing? I also hate to admit this, but the idea of disappointing him also doesn’t sit too well with me.   

“I won’t let anything happen to these ever.”

 Trudy’s excited words pull me out of my own head and back to the present moment. “I know you won’t,” I assure her. “Is your mom picking you up today?”

Trudy’s expression changes from excited to withdrawn in an instant. “Nah. She said she had something to do today. I think she’s sending my aunt or someone to pick me up.”

“Oh, do you need more money for the bus?” I ask as we head out the door to wait where parents pick up their kids.

“Nah, I think my auntie comin’.”

“All right. Do you mind if I wait with you? You can tell me what you think about Danica’s adventures so far. I was thinking of starting a book club here in the fall for the after-school program. What do you think of that?”

“What’s a book club?” she asks as she stuffs her newly acquired book into her book bag.

“It’s a club wherein all the participants read the same book and then we come together once or twice a week to have discussions on what we think of the book.”

“Will there be snacks?”

I laugh. “Of course! What good is a group discussion without good food?”

“Then I’m in!” Trudy agrees, grinning.

We talk for a few more minutes about book club ideas pertaining to the Danica books. We both feed off one another’s excitement, talking up more and more ideas before I hear a male voice call Trudy’s name.

She turns and her frown is instant. That look causes warning bells to go off in my head. On instinct, I move to stand in front of Trudy.

“Hello, sir. I’m Tasha, one of the volunteers here.”

He glares at me. He’s about 5’9” with almond skin. He’s dressed in a white T-shirt and baggy jeans. I wouldn’t call him handsome by a long shot, especially now with the scrunched up face he’s directing toward me. 

“Yeah, I’m Trudy’s step daddy,” he returns.

“Oh… And your name is?”

“Gary,” he says shortly. “Trudy, let’s go.”

“My auntie couldn’t come and get me?” Trudy asks.

My worry grows when I notice she hasn’t stepped from around me to greet this man who claims to be her stepfather.

“Nah. She ain’t coming.” He sucks his teeth. “Let’s go, girl. Ya mama got shit to do.”

I frown at the language he speaks to an eleven-year-old girl.

“O-okay.”

“Trudy, you have a good weekend, sweetie. I’ll see you here Monday morning at nine o’clock,” I say, trying to reassure her.

“Whatever. Let’s go,” Gary rushes to say before he turns and walks away, clearly expecting Trudy to follow.

“Trudy, are you okay?” I hurriedly ask.

“Yes, Miss Tasha. I gotta go. Thank you again. See ya,” she says before rushing off behind him.

The sense of dread I feel watching her walk away doesn’t ease up until the red beat-up Buick they get into is long out of my sight. I say a silent prayer for God to watch over Trudy as I turn and head back inside to collect my belongings. I plan on doing some more investigation into Trudy’s home life. I know something isn’t right there. For now, I turn my attention to gathering my things and heading home to prepare myself for the evening ahead.