Awakening next to a tray of food instead of him and the lights in the room on, she laid there staring at the pillow where his head had been. Leaning over, she pressed her nose deep into the pillow smelling his essence and closing her eyes relishing in his smell. She couldn’t understand what it was about Lynx and why she was becoming more and more attracted to him.
After a long hot shower, she changed into the jogging suit. Pressing her ear against the door she couldn’t hear him outside, but she knew he would come back for her.
Unfortunately, he didn’t come for her until three hours later. He knocked on the door, and she found her blindfold and put it on. He secured the door before coming over to her to check her blindfold then guided her to sit on the bed next to him and took her palm in his.
“Five minutes talk.” He placed the receiver in her hand.
When she put the phone to her ear, she could hear ringing and a familiar voice pick up the phone. “Daddy?!” she said excitedly.
“Tannie? Is that you baby? Where are you?” he demanded to know.
Tanae calmed herself knowing she only had so much time. “Daddy, I don’t have much time to talk. You have to do what they ask you to do. Please, so I can come home.”
Tightly, he said, “Tannie, I can’t. I’ll give them the money, but I won’t-” He stopped what he was saying and then she noticed how the phone was covered as if he didn’t want anyone to know who was on the other line. She began to become incensed because if he didn’t want anyone to know who he was speaking with, it meant he hadn’t contacted the police, and he hadn’t told anyone she was missing.
Whatever he had done meant more to him than his daughter’s own life. “You won’t what, Daddy?” she asked.
There was a moment of hesitation, and Tanae knew her father well. Quietly she asked, “Did you do what they said you did?”
Tanae could hear his flustering. “I can’t, baby. I’ll lose everything. I’ll be publicly shamed. Do you believe them?” he asked her.
“I believe for those who fight for the truth.”
He snorted. “The truth won’t buy you those pretty clothes and that nice new car or pay for your apartment, so you won’t have to work. They think I should take them seriously, but I won’t.”
Her world began to crumble around her. “I want to come home,” she protested. “You’ve got to tell the truth so that I can come home!”
Lynx took hold of the receiver, but Tanae tried to hold on to it screaming into the phone. “Daddy, do it! Get me free or they’ll-“
The receiver was snatched away and hung up.
She screamed in frustration at Lynx. “I HATE BEING HERE! I HATE YOU! I WANT TO GO HOME!
He signed. “Love talking.”
“I don’t want you around anymore! I want to see Jimmie.”
“Jimmie sick.”
“I DON’T CARE! I don’t want you around me anymore, you stupid mute. You poor trash! Your parents were even decent enough to take you to the hospital. You should have died! You’re just some ugly mistake walking around!”
The room was deadly silent. Tanae could feel her father’s anger, but she was so angry herself at what her father was doing to her, she didn’t care.
“What are you waiting for, you stupid mute! Get the hell out of here and don’t come back.” When his footsteps moved away, and she heard the door slam closed, she took off the blindfold and threw it at the door. “And don’t come back here, stupid. I hate you! I hate you around me! I don’t want anything from a mistake!” Furiously, she hurled the tray of food at the door and screamed even more so livid until her throat burned. Slumping to the floor crying hysterically she prayed she starved to death.
That would show her father. That would show everyone that she horribly suffered before she died.