The One That Got Away » Places

         Winnie went around to the rear passenger door and unbuckled Sawyer from the car seat "Mommy is this our new house?" asked the sleepy eyed boy. He had fallen asleep on the way home and was rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, baby for now this is our house" she said as she picked him up and out of the car setting him on her hip. "Will be here till mommy finds a job and we can get out own place to live" she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"You stay here as long as you need to hun" said Joe "I just got you back don't go running....

"SHIT!", Joe was cut off by a yell down the street the whole family turned to see and electrician fall.

"Oh God!" gasped Winnie as she buried Sawyer's head in her shoulder just in case something happened she didn't want him to see.

Joe dropped the suitcase in his hand and ran down the street, just as the man on the pole grabbed one of the prongs on the way to the ground.

When Joe got close enough he realized who it was Thomas Hanley the young man that had once been neighbors with them and good friends with Winnie. "You alright there Thomas you need to be a little more careful even though that's hard to do on some of these old poles" said Joe.

Winnie heard the name her father just said Thomas she hadn't seen or talked to him sense she left for college. And after she met David there was no way she would have been able to talk to him, considering he had cut her off from everybody at home. He probably hates me now, and I wouldn't blame him for it, she thought. She set Sawyer down on the ground "Mommy is that man okay?" asked the scared little boy. He knew what was about to happen when his mother covered his eyes.

"Yes, baby I think he's alright why don't you go in the house with Grandma okay. Mommy will be inside in a minute" said Winnie as Maria motioned for her grandson to come with her.

"Come on Sawyer Grandma has cookies inside that she want's you to taste test" Maria said with a smile. The little boy cheered and followed her in without any more questions as Winnie went over to where her father was.

"Thomas you need to be more careful" she said quietly and looking down at the ground. Her voice was shaky she was still not used to talking to other people again, it was like she still expected David to come out and smack her if she did.

Joe looked at his daughter as she spoke, once she had with confidence and enthusiasm David had made his daughter a shell of her former self. All he could think is that man will be lucky if he never saw him again cause he'd probably cave his face in for making his daughter this way. He had always thought that Winnie would be strong enough to not get herself into a situation like that and when he went to the wedding he felt dread in the pit of his stomach. He barely knew David but he had the air about him like he though he was Gods gift to women.

But at that point Winnie wasn't his little girl any more and he couldn't do much about it, he tried to be supportive to her and walked her down the isle. But there was something about David he just didn't like and he found out later there was a reason why. It tour him apart the first time he called after the wedding and David answered the phone refusing to let him talk to Winnie. He felt like reaching the phone and ringing the little punks neck, but there wasn't much you can do with a dial tone on other end of the line. It got to the point after that where calls would me made and nobody answered.

At one point he had even taken a trip to their apartment only to find out that they had moved and the landlord had no idea where they had went to, saying that the had skipped out on three months rent and the year lease. His daughter would never do anything like that she always worked hard as a teenager even though she didn't need to. But now he knew that David would take most of the money he made form his job at a club and put it back into it. Winnie would be left at home to live in squallier with their little baby. He was so grateful when Winnie finally came to her senses and contacted them he couldn't but the plane tickets fast enough after that phone call.

Joe shook all the thoughts out of his mind and walked over to the pole holding out his hand to Thomas "Here you need to come down to the ground and collect yourself for a minute" he said with a smile.