Enchantment (146 page)

Meeka
sat
on
the
edge
of
the
bed
beside
her
m
ot
h
er.
Could
this
d
a
y
po
s
sib
l
y
get
any
m
ore incredible?
For
the
first
t
i
m
e
in
her
life,
she
felt
a
sense
of
pride
in
her
m
ot
h
er.
“
H
ere,
M
o
m
.
Let
m
e
help
y
o
u
fold
y
o
u
r
shirts.
I’ll
give
y
o
u
a
ride.”
Meeka
s
m
iled.
Bella’s
tears
ran
d
o
wn
her weathered
face.
“Meeka,
I
love
y
ou
s
o
m
uch,
I’m
so
sorry
I
haven’t
been
m
uch
of
a
m
o
ther
to
y
o
u. I
certain
l
y
don’t
expect
y
o
u to
forgive
m
e.
I
appreci
a
te
y
o
u
r
help.”

“Mo
m
,
I’m
proud
of
y
o
u
.
Your
drinking
problem
isn’t
one
I
can
fix.”
Meeka
s
hake
her
head. “But
I
will
be
there
to
support
y
o
u
.”

Bella
nodded.
“
Y
ou’ve
helped
alrea
d
y
. Without
y
o
u, I
w
ould
never
even
w
ant
to
t
r
y
.
”

Meeka
closed
the
suitcase,
then
asked
her
m
o
m
the
question
she’d
been
dreading
since
being on
Enchantment.
“Mo
m
, I need
y
o
u
to answer a
question
for
m
e, and I know it
m
ight
not
be ea
s
y to
answer.”

“Oka
y
,
I’ll
tr
y
.”

“Is
George
my
real
father
?
”

Bella
lost
all
expression.
“
H
ow
did
y
ou kno
w
?
”

“He
isn’t,
is
he
?
”
Meeka
sighed,
relieved
at
the
one
note
of
hones
t
y
.

“I
w
as
pregnant
with
y
o
u
before
I
m
et
George.
He
accepted
m
e,
a
n
y
w
a
y
.
Litt
l
e
did
I
know
w
hat
price
I
would
have
to
pay
when
it
ca
m
e to
his
acceptan
c
e.”

“Who
is
my
real
father
?
”

Bella
s
m
iled
and
her
e
y
e
s
twinkled.
“
D
on’t
think
bad
of
m
e
Meeka,
but
I
don’t
know
his na
m
e.
I
w
a
s
y
o
ung,
and
he
w
a
s
s
o
handso
m
e.
I
didn’t
regret
it,
and
he
w
a
s
s
uch
a
gentleman.
He told
me
he
traveled
a
lot.
I
convinced
him
to
hold
m
e
and
m
ake
love
to
m
e.
Then
y
o
u
ca
m
e along.
You
were
my
little
mirac
l
e,
but
I
kn
e
w
I
was
in
trouble…
Then
George
sh
o
wed
up.”

Meeka
hugged
her.
“Thanks
for
telling
m
e
the
truth,
M
o
m
.”

“Meeka,
George
w
a
sn’t
all
bad
until
he
started
to
drink.
He
treated
y
o
u
like
his
o
wn,
even though
y
ou
weren’t.
But
then
he
started
to
drink.
I
didn’t
know
h
o
w
to
leave
him
when
he
got
m
ean.
In my
cowardice,
I started drinking, too.
I’m
sorr
y
,
Meeka.
I never
s
howed
y
ou
how
m
uch I
loved
y
o
u
.
M
a
y
b
e
s
o
m
e
da
y
,
y
o
u
’ll
let
m
e
m
a
k
e
it
up
to
y
ou
and
forgive
m
e.”
Bella
looked sadly
at
her
daughter.

Meeka
reached
down,
picked
up
the
suitcase,
and
opened
the
bedroom
door.
“We
can
talk about
it later.
Let’s get
y
ou out of
here
for
now.”

Meeka
hadn’t
taken
two
steps
d
o
wn
the
hall
before
the
front
door
crashed
open
and
George stu
m
bled in,
banging
his
s
hin
on
a
stool.

I
n
stant
l
y
, Meeka
shoved
her
m
ot
h
er
farther
behind
her.

He
slam
m
e
d
the front door
closed and glared at the
two
of the
m
.
“Well,
lookee here. What’s all
thi
s
?
”
H
e
e
y
e
d
the
s
uitcase
in
Meeka’s
hand.
“
This
the
hello
I
get
from
y
o
u
?
”
He
slurred
and reeled
against
the
grea
s
y
counter.

“Where
do
y
o
u
think
y
o
u
’re
going,
daughter?
‘Cause
y
ou
know
y
o
ur
m
other
isn’t
going an
y
whe
r
e,”
he
jeered
at
th
e
m
,
advancing
down
the
hall.