Willie felt his anger rising. He was able to keep it at bay most of the time. He had actually gone to therapy at one point to try to cure himself. It had come after roughing up a woman real bad, and when he saw the aftermath once he cooled off, he realized that maybe he did need help.
The therapy helped at first. He believed he could find ways to help channel his rage and stop it before it grew out of control. It really wasn’t about curing, he learned, but more about managing his symptoms. He had experienced his own trauma growing up at the hands of his father. All he had known his entire childhood was abusive hands, and he carried that legacy with him as an adult.
But after a few weeks of going to the sessions, Willie was starting to become frustrated. No matter how much he tried to keep his anger in check, there was nothing that stopped it from bubbling up. And the fact that he was now trying to stop it only made the anger worse. Eventually, all that anger came out one night when his girlfriend didn’t make dinner the way he normally liked it.
It was the only time in any of Willie’s relationships where the police were called and he was arrested. He lost control and had done prison time because of it. He was sent to counseling in prison as well to help deal with his anger management, but it was the same story inside. No matter how much therapy he received, the anger never went away.
And if he were completely honest with himself, which he never really was in therapy, he enjoyed the anger. He liked it when he finally let go and did what he wanted. He never felt more powerful than when he was unleashing that anger on something so fragile. He didn’t know why that made him feel good, but it did.
And right now, he wanted to feel good.
Willie made a beeline for the tents. They were terrible flimsy things, and he hadn’t had a good night's sleep since they had arrived there. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t doing any favors for his back. He spied their tent and ripped open the flap, finding Carolina inside reading a book she had brought with them from the clinic. They had a small library there, and she was always reading, her nose in those stupid books. He never understood it.
“We need to go,” Willie said.
Carolina immediately perked up to attention. “What’s wrong?”
Willie grabbed hold of her arm and squeezed hard enough to cause her to flinch. “It doesn’t matter what’s wrong. What matters is that I need you to do what I say when I say it!” He barred his teeth as he pulled her closer. When she cowered from his touch and his proximity, he felt a rush of excitement course through him. She was afraid of him because he was stronger than her, and that was what he enjoyed the most.
But then Willie saw a flash of defiance appear on her face. That elation of power was replaced with his own twinge of fear.
“No,” Carolina said.
“What?” Willie asked.
Carolina pulled her arm free, and she rose to her knees. “I don’t have to go with you, and I don’t have to do what you say. I’m staying here.”
Willie shoved his finger in her face. “You are coming with me, now.”
Carolina shook her head, remaining defiant. “No.”
In all the time that the pair had been dating, Carolina had never stood up to him, and the fact that she was making her stand now only added more fuel to the anger burning inside of Willie.
“You think that you’re safe here?” Wille asked. “You think that these people are going to keep you around? You’re worthless and pathetic!” He struggled to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
“I am not useless,” Carolina said, though her meek tone betrayed the confidence of the words. “I’m going to help build houses for the other women.”
Willie laughed, and his reaction was almost as bad as a slap to her face. “You think that you have friends here? You think that they’re going to keep you around after they find out you can’t do anything? How are you going to build a house, Carolina? You can’t even take care of yourself.” He leaned closer, almost hissing now. “I’m the only one who can help you.”
He saw the conflict on her face. Part of her believed him, but there was another part that believed in herself. Willie thought he had broken that part of her, but apparently, it had been repaired.
“This isn’t a discussion,” Willie said, grabbing Carolyn’s arm again. “We are leaving, and we are leaving now.”
Willie yanked Carolina out of the tent and immediately headed for the exit. He was so blinded by his own anger he was oblivious to what they would do once they were gone. There wasn’t anything left in this area, which meant they would have to find a new town. A new place to start over.
Carolina defied him the entire way, struggling and pulling, silently causing a scene. “Let me go. I don’t want to go with you.”
“You’ll go wherever I damn well say,” Willie said.
Willie was so focused on getting to the gate that he didn’t see the look of determination on Carolina’s face. He had left himself vulnerable for an attack that he never believed Carolina was capable of giving.
“I said no!” Carolina lunged forward, reaching up with her nails, and clawed at the side of Willie’s face. She pressed down hard and cut his cheek, drawing blood.
“Gah!” Willie released her and immediately reached for his cheek. He looked back at her in disbelief and saw she was in the same state of shock.
It was the perfect opportunity for her to
