Valley Of Glamorgan Read Online Free PDF Page B

rapidly.
    Calming myself I continued saying, “I
thanked you because it seems to me either of us had a choice in the
matter. You said it yourself you were born and raised to protect
me. Now, excuse me if I am not so happy to meet a mother that you
speak of, if you’re afraid of losing your own life because of her.”
I managed to stammer out the words before sitting back in my seat,
readying myself for whatever Knoll had to say next.
    Shaking his head and leaning more towards my
side of the van, he said, “Carmina, I appreciate your thanks. I
will not lie to you or tell you that I wanted this for my life. My
father was and still is a guardian to your father. My grandfather
was a guardian to your grandfather, and so on. I am not ashamed to
follow in my father’s footsteps. I just needed time to remind me of
who I was, and I have a feeling the same will happen to you. Now,
if you don’t mind I would like to continue driving, we still have a
few hours until we reach your grandmother’s home.”
    Agreeing with his suggestion I relaxed back
in my seat, letting the conversation that we had just had, play
over in my head. Finally I decided that I needed a distraction;
even if it was a simple one, so I turned the radio on and let the
music fill the van. The music carried me away; it was the only
thing that ever calmed me down. I was about to change the station
when the song, ‘I Hope You Dance,’ by Martina McBride filled the
car. I couldn’t help myself but sing along.
     
    I only realized I had started singing along
out loud when I noticed Knoll staring straight at me smiling
sheepishly. I went to turn the radio off. “Sorry,” I exclaimed,
“Music and singing helps calm me down.”
    Laughing he replied, “No need to apologize
Mina; you have the most beautiful singing voice I have ever
heard.”
    My cheeks turned a rosy red, but I snorted
in response, which only deepened the blushing, so I rolled my eyes
and simply said, “Thank you, but I know that’s not true as I sound
like a screaming cat,” and I started laughing at my own joke.
    Shaking his head Knoll replied, “No, not
even close.”
    I thanked him, reminding myself to keep the
music low in future, and the singing to a minimum. Turning the
radio back on I was glad to hear the song was still playing.
Suddenly I remembered how I had listened to this song hundreds of
times, even having it playing at every one of my dance
recitals.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 3
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Time, and the miles, soon passed but we sat
in silence; me listening to the radio whilst Knoll focused on the
road ahead. I didn’t mind the silence and it seemed neither did
Knoll. When we finally came to a stop it was at a small gas station
with a small diner inside. Relief flooded through me as I knew my
growling stomach was ready for food. Going inside we found an empty
table.
    “Do you think that you could tell me a
little about me and my history? Or maybe where we are going,” I
asked, having remembered to finally take him up on the promise he
had given me the day before.
    Nodding his head he replied, “I suppose now
is as a good of a time as any; but first you should order some
food.” As he finished speaking, a waitress came and stood by our
table. She wore an orange dress with a white collar and a white
apron. Her grey, greasy hair was pulled back into a lazy-bun. When
she spoke, her teeth were as yellow as a cigarette butt; which
didn’t surprise me really because she reeked of dingy
cigarettes.
    I ordered my food quickly as the smell
coming from her was hurting my stomach. I told the waitress, “I
will have a cheese burger on rye, with a small order of onion
rings.”
    She looked at me seemingly annoyed that I
hadn’t specified a drink of choice, asking sharply, “What to drink
with that?”
    Thinking for a moment, I replied, “I will
have a diet coke please.”
    I tried to remain calm