The sun shone brightly through the curtains and across the room to where a young

woman lay asleep. An alarm sounded and she arose from the bed, stretched and
began her day. After showering and dressing she made her way down the back
stairs. In the kitchen her mother was busy making breakfast.
“Good morning Marie how did you sleep last night?”
Yawning, she padded silently across the worn linoleum feeling herself regressing
back to childhood with every step. "Just fine mother and you?"
Her mother gave a tired smile and slid the final, perfectly-cooked, egg onto the
plate. "I slept well. I’m glad you are home.”
Marie sipped her coffee before replying.
“Well I’m home till I can get my life together and help you out around the ranch.”

Helen buttered her slices of her toast before saying anymore.

“Well I appreciate you coming all the way from New York to help me out.”
Marie chewed the piece of egg she had just stuck in her mouth before answering her
mother.
“It was no problem because I quit my job the day before you called me.”
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. After Marie finished eating. she went
out to the barn. She started the daily chores of feeding the animals and cleaning
out the stalls. She put the horses in the corral and went about cleaning out the
stalls then putting hay down on the stall floors. She put the horses back and fed
them. After she finished the chores around the barn she saddled her horse baby
that her father had given her on her 16th birthday. The memory of her father
washes over her causing her to tear up. She rode out to where the cattle and the
ranch hands were. The ranch hands had been hired a few years before her father
died. All the men turned at the sound of hoof beats. Sal walked up and helped her
off baby.
“Sal how are you?”
I’m good Marie.”
They rounded the cattle into a big group and herded them towards home to the
corral. After they had the cattle in the corral Sal spoke again to Marie.
“When did you get back?”
Marie paused and knelt down to check baby’s hoof before answering Sal.
“I arrived last night around eleven.”
“Well its good to have you home after two years of you being gone.”
“Yeah I know and mom needs the help around here.”
“Yes every since your father died your mother can get all the help she can get.”

She turned away so Sal could not see the tears burning the back of her eye lids.
“Marie you alright?”
“Yeah and Sal don’t tell ma I’m home for good.”
“Well I’m glad to here that Marie”
Marie unsaddled baby and put her back into her stall to brush her down. Just then
the phone rang. Sal answered it.
“Hello, this is sal; may I ask who’s speaking?”
He listened carefully for what seemed like an hour. Finally he hung the phone up.
“Well who was it?”
Marie bellows. Sal looks at her with a highly shocked expression. It was as if he
had seen a ghost. Marie replies again.
“What?”
Sal takes a deep breath and says.
“You remember when your father was trampled by that long horn right, well the
police just discovered that was not him but it was his twin brother.”
“NO WAY!”
Marie yells.
“Yah father must have gone away or something.”
“He’s still alive and in a underground tunnel being held captive by a Tony soprano
person.”
“Can we save him?”
Marie screams.
“I don’t now Marie!”
Marie suddenly faints. She wakes up in her room. She sat up and she headed down
stairs. She then stopped in the hallway when she heard voices.
“Yes Mrs. Towns I’m your daughter’s boyfriend”
“Marie never mentioned a boyfriend to me”
“That’s because he’s not my boyfriend ma.”
“Marie how can you say that?”
“ I can say it because it’s the truth now get out and never come back, ma I’m
going out to the barn till dinner.”
“Okay sweetheart.”
Marie sat in the office crying. As memories of that night came flooding back. She
did not see sal walk into the office.
“Marie?”
“Oh hey sal how’s it going?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing sal I’m alright.”
“Liar.”
“There’s only one reason I came home.”
“Why?”
“My boss raped me one night after I left the office and so I quit my job.”
“He raped you?”
“Yes and I did not report him.”
Sal pulled Marie into a hug and let her cry on his shoulder. Marie pulled away and
knelt to pick up the papers that she knocked off when she ended the story.
“why didn’t you report him to the police?”
Marie sorted the papers before answering him.
“I could not ruin his life.”
“ he ruined yours.”
“yes but I’m not married and he is.”
She stacked the papers on the desk slowly waiting for Sal to say something more.
As he sat there in a chair and stared at her for at least 5 minutes.
“Are you pregnant?”
She stopped and turned away from him before she answered him with a simple one
worded answer.
“yes.”
“Is that why you came home?”
“Yes I came home to have my baby and raise it away from the city.”
Then someone screamed. Marie and Sal went running. Her mother was crying and being
held by her father. Marie went back into the barn and climbed up into the hayloft
where she use to play. She slid down against the back wall in the corner.. then
her father was talking to Sal
“Where’s my baby girl at Sal?”
“She’s up in the hayloft probley crying.”
“why what’s wrong with her?”
“her boss raped her one night after work and she’s pregnant.”
“did she report him?”
“ no she did not only because he’s married and with kids.”
Marie heard him curse as he climbed up to the hayloft. She closed her eyes and
wrapped her arms around herself. The tears still fell from under her eyelids. She
did not realize her father was watching her rock back and forth.
“Marie baby.”
She opened her eyes and looked into her fathers worried eyes . she struggled to
get up off the floor. He helped her up. Marie ran from him. She climbed down the
latter. She ran into the house and to her room then locked her door. She was not
ready to see her father just yet. Marie curled up on her bed and cried herself to
sleep. A knock came at her door 2 hours later.
“Marie please let daddy in hunny.”
She opened the door and let her father in. she knelt down and picked up the things
she had thrown because she was mad. Her father took her arm and pulled her into
his arms.
“Oh daddy I’m so sorry.”
“No it’s not your fault sweetheart.”
Marie cried uncontrollably for the next 2 hours while her father held her while
rocking her back and forth in her rocking chair. Her mother came into the room.
“How’s our baby doing?”
“She’s not doing so well Helen.”
“ well dinners done.”
“ alright I’ll be down in a moment.”
Marie opened her eyes and looked up into