Broken Promises by Terri Reid Page A

money, but it’s s’posed to go to Mrs. Gunderson,” she said. “It’s not my money. I don’t have money. It’s your aunt’s money.”
    “That bitch don’t need this money,” he said. “I do. And you need to give it to me so your momma don’t die one of these nights when she comes home from work.”
    She looked into his face and knew he wasn’t lying. She had seen the fights in the alleyways next to the school. She had seen the knives carefully hidden in backpacks. She had heard about classmates who no longer came to school because they had been killed in drive-by shootings, had heard Mrs. Gunderson talking about the murders in their neighborhood. She had no doubt the boys would do exactly what they said.
    Reaching inside the zippered pocket of her backpack, she grasped the envelope. “Don’t kill my mother,” she said, her hand shaking as she held out the money.
    He grabbed it from her and stuffed it into his pocket. “You just saved your momma’s life,” he said. “But if you tell anyone about this, even your momma, I’ll find you and I’ll kill both you and your momma. You understand?”
    Clarissa nodded.
    “Now, you best go to school little girl,” the boy laughed. “And I’ll be back next month for your next payment.”
    Clarissa ran down the street, away from the boys mocking laughter. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she was going to be sick. When she walked into the schoolyard a teacher approached her. “Are you okay, Clarissa?” the kindly teacher asked. “Did those boys bother you?”
    Clarissa took a deep breath and did something that was becoming easier and easier every day. She lied to her teacher. “Oh, no, Mrs. Jankiewicz,” she said. “They just live in the same apartment building as I do. I know their aunt.”
    Mrs. Jankiewicz looked over at the boys and then back at Clarissa. “Are you sure there isn’t something you’d like to tell me?” she asked. “I promise you won’t get in trouble.”
    Clarissa shook her head, her heart beating wildly. Would they think she had spoken with the teacher? Would they hurt her mother?
    “No, but thank you Mrs. Jankiewicz,” she replied firmly, taking a step away.
    “But Clarissa...,” the teacher insisted.
    “Sorry, I have to go,” Clarissa interrupted and walked away from the teacher. When she was halfway across the schoolyard, she glanced back at the boys. They were still watching her. Mrs. Gunderson’s nephew nodded his head slightly and she let out a shuddering breath. Her mother was still safe. She walked past the playground equipment and sat by herself on a bench near the school. She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered from the cold as well as the fear growing in her stomach. She would have to be sure her mother never realized the babysitting money had been taken. No one could find out.
    She looked up into the cold blue sky and watched as one fluffy white cloud floated by. It was long and narrow and looked like an angel. She sighed deeply. “I miss you, Daddy,” she whispered, wiping a solitary tear from her eye. “I miss you lots.”

Chapter Nineteen
    Rosie came down the stairs at Mary’s house a full two hours after Mary and Ian had left, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Morning, Rosie,” Stanley offered cautiously from the kitchen table. “How’d you sleep last night?”
    She yawned and stretched. “Oh, I had an awful sleep,” she admitted. “The snoring from downstairs was just awful. It shook the house.”
    Stanley stood and pulled out a chair for her. “Don’t I know it,” he said. “I don’t know how a man that young can have breathing issues like that. Must be all that time spent in drafty castles.”
    Rosie sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.
    “Muffin?” Stanley offered, reaching inside the covered bowl for a blueberry muffin.
    “Thank you,” Rosie replied, biting into the crumbly pastry. “You know, these aren’t bad. Mary did a fine job with these.”
    Stanley took