Branded Read Online Free Page A

promises.
    The beatings came several times a week for years.
    About six years ago, a friend came over to check on Sal when she couldn’t get a hold of her. She found Sal unconscious on the floor, in a pool of blood. She called an ambulance and Sal was lucky to have survived. The doctors said she was never going to fully recover and they thought there would probably be some brain damage.
    Sal’s husband had fled that night but guilt eventually caught up to him and he turned himself in two days later.
    He was arrested and sentenced to jail for a very long time.
    All his money and assets were turned over to Sal.
    I couldn’t understand how Sal had managed to take care of herself before I moved to Lake Samish. While she had her lucid times where she seemed absolutely normal, these occurrences were rare.
    “Do you need anything, Sal?” I asked as I watched her flip through one of the books.
    She shook her head furiously but after a second snapped her head up to look at me.
    “Money,” she said before she sprang to her feet.
    “Oh,” I said with a sigh. I knew what was coming. It was always the same.
    Sal disappeared down the stairs and I heard her banging around loudly in the office below. After a few moments she reemerged with a broad grin on her face.
    “Here you go,” she said as she shoved a few bills into my hands. “Thank you, Jessica.”
    I looked at what she gave me and noted there was two-hundred dollars there. This was nearly twice what I had spent getting things for her. But I knew better than to refuse.
    I had done that twice and it had thrown her into a screaming fit. It had taken me hours to calm her down. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
    “Alright,” I said as I stood, tucking the bills into my back pocket. “I’m going to get going.”
    Sal didn’t say anything back as she settled into the couch and flipped another book open, turning to a page three-quarters of the way into it.
    “Call me if you need anything,” I said as I opened the door. Still nothing. “See ya, Sal.”
    Getting no response, I closed the door behind me and started the walk back to my apartment.
    I was ashamed to admit it, but being around Sal made me feel just slightly better about myself. I certainly felt terrible for what had happened to her. I had no doubts as to what would happen to her ex-husband come his judgment time. But I could usually hide my oddities. Occasionally numbers slipped between my lips but I knew I wasn’t the only one who counted my steps; it was something plenty of people did. I felt pretty normal when I was around Sal. I was the sane, rational one.
    Ninety-one steps later I was back in my apartment. It was simple but cozy. The living area, kitchen and non-existent dining area were all combined. The kitchen contained one row of upper and lower cabinets. The stove was one of those old units that was remarkably smaller and narrower than the modern appliances. There was a sink, not one of the normal double ones, just a single sink. There was no dishwasher. The fridge sat at the end of the row and a microwave perched atop it. I didn’t exactly like this arrangement, it made it difficult to use, but there was nowhere else to put it.
    The card table I used for dining upon was against the wall, floating oddly between the carpet of the living area, and the outdated tile of the kitchen. Again, no room. The living area was small but because I only had a small loveseat and a television that sat on top of one of those milk crate things, it didn’t feel too cramped. My bedroom was set off from all this and oddly it was as large as the other room, if not larger. There wasn’t much in here either; just my full size bed, a dresser and my guitar leaned in the corner. A walk-in closet led off the bedroom room as did the bathroom.
    It wasn’t much but it was home. My own little haven where no one bothered me and no one could call me crazy.

    The days passed slowly in the winter. There was nothing to distract me