Chapter 29 Won’t Have Anything to Hold Over Me
By the time Yvonne got home, it was already completely dark outside.
She’d spent the entire afternoon at the police station reporting Alice missing.
The officers on duty started searching every hotel in Southville and even looked through the bus and train station records to see if Alice had bought a ticket.
But Yvonne knew the chances were slim.
Back in 1983, scalpers were everywhere.
If Alice had half a brain–and she definitely did–she would’ve just paid a little extra for a ticket under the table. That way, there wouldn’t be any records at all.
Sure enough, the police found nothing.
No clues. No leads.
After crying her eyes out at the station, all Yvonne could do was drag herself back home and wait.
She hadn’t even had time to sit down before Irene came charging toward her like a bull, eyes darting around, full of suspicion.
“Yvonne, are you hiding something from me?” she demanded, grabbing her arm.
Yvonne was beyond exhausted–mentally, physically, emotionally.
She didn’t have the energy to deal with Irene’s paranoia.
She tried to shake her off. “Mom, can we not do this right now? I’m dead tired. I just want to lie down.”
But Irene wasn’t buying it.
To her, Yvonne’s attitude reeked of guilt.
She only clung harder. Tell me the truth. Are you keeping something from me?”
Growing up in the countryside had made Irene direct and sharp. She wasn’t the type to hold things in–if she thought it, she said it.
“What would I even be hiding?” Yvonne groaned. “Mom, it’s late. I really don’t want to fight.”
But Irene didn’t back down. She went straight to the point. “Evelyn brought her boyfriend over this afternoon. I wanted to scold her, but she told me not to bother and said that you were using me like a puppet.”
Evelyn again.
It’s always her.
The second Irene said her name, Yvonne clenched her teeth so hard her gums hur
Yeah, I’ve kept something from her.
Because if she ever finds out, there’s no way she’ll keep her mouth shut around Victor.
Irene never held back. She blabbed about everything to anyone who would listen.
Yvonne hadn’t said a word about the photos. Not a single word. She didn’t want Alice’s name dragged through the mud.
That was her daughter–her only child. If anything happened to Alice, how could she live with herself?
“Mom, I’m not hiding anything.” she said as calmly as she could. “Evelyn’s just trying to stir up trouble. Come on–have I ever kept anything from you?”
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Chapter 29 Won’t Have Anything to Hold Over Me
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She meant it as reassurance.
But Irene took it literally.
“Oh, please.” She snorted, starting to count on her fingers. “You never hide anything from me? What about when you stole money from Victor to buy fabric for that skirt? You swore up and down you didn’t do it. That doesn’t count?”
That was different!” Yvonne snapped. “I had just started working in the city, and all my clothes had patches. Meanwhile, Victor used that money to hang out in the capital with his friends. Of course, I was mad!”
Even now, it still stung.
She remembered spending days sewing that skirt together. She hadn’t even worn it once before Irene took scissors to it and cut it to pieces.
She ended up showing up at her first city job in patched–up clothes anyway.
Irene opened her mouth to fire back.
How could a girl ever measure up to having a son?
Boys carry on the family name. Girls? Once they get married, they belong to another family. No matter how well you dress them, it’s just wasting money.
Irene had been about to say all of that–she could feel the words forming. But in the end, she swallowed them down.
She couldn’t risk upsetting Yvonne now. If they got into it again, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to ask for help when she needed it.
So she quickly switched gears, her eyes darting nervously. “You know… Thinking back on it, I really regret the way I treated you. I was way too harsh.”
Her voice softened as she grabbed Yvonne’s arm. “I even thought about bringing you some clothes afterward. But the way you showed up like that–it actually caught Zaid’s eye, didn’t it? In a way, it all worked out.”
At that, some of the tension in Yvonne’s face finally eased.
Whatever fight Evelyn had tried to stir up between them seemed to fade, like it had never even been there.
Irene was easy to calm down. But the problem with the photos was a whole different story.
The negatives were like a thorn stuck deep inside Yvonne’s heart. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, it kept jabbing her every time she thought about it.
I need to get those negatives.
Only then can I figure out how to deal with Evelyn.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. She just lay there, tossing and turning, racking her brain for a plan.
Zaid didn’t come home.
He’d sent her a page earlier while they were still at the station.
All the neighbors had been looking at him weird. Every glance, every little whisper, felt like they were laughing at him behind his back.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He packed a bag and moved into the staff dorms at his workplace.
Said he wasn’t coming back anytime soon.
That was actually a relief for Yvonne.
With him out of the picture, it’d be easier to move.
If Zaid were still hanging around, it would be harder to find the right moment to deal with Evelyn
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Chapter 29 Won’t Have Anything to Hold Over Me
That girl is getting out of hand–and the more people around, the harder it is to clip her wings.
The next morning, Yvonne asked Evelyn to head to the train station and pick up her brother, Victor Walton.
He had come all the way over because of the drama with Alice.
Evelyn didn’t argue. She just changed her shoes, turned around, and held out her hand.
Yvonne blinked, confused. “What are you doing?”
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Evelyn looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. “I’m asking for cab fare, of course. It’s two bucks to get to the station.”
She wants to take a cab to the station?
Yvonne felt like she was losing her mind.
Only loaded folks waste money on cabs just to get to the train station. Regular people take the bus.
Pying four bucks is way too much.
I haven’t
haven’t even recovered from that one–dollar cab ride from the hospital.
“Take the bus. It’s direct. And Victor doesn’t have any heavy bags, so there’s no point throwing money away.” She clutched her purse tighter, on instinct.
But Evelyn didn’t budge. She slowly lowered her hand, plopped onto the couch, and said sweetly, “But I get carsick on the bus. What now? Maybe you should go instead.”
That’s not gonna happen.
Yvonne had only asked Evelyn so she’d leave the house.
But now, she couldn’t push too hard–things were too delicate. Gritting her teeth, Yvonne reached into her bag and started digging through her change.
Before she could even count it, Evelyn snatched up a five–dollar bill like lightning.
“It’s hot out. Who knows, maybe Uncle Victor and I will want a drink on the way back,” she said, totally straight–faced.
“Fine. Just go.” Yvonne’s jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt.
Evelyn twirled the bill in her fingers, gave a lazy wave, and strolled out the door like she didn’t have a care in the world.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Yvonne darted up the stairs. She rushed straight into Evelyn’s room and began tearing through everything, flipping it all over.
If I can just find those negatives… I can finally breathe again. Evelyn won’t have anything to hold over me anymore.
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