With Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the situation.
    My heart feels like it’s dropped into the pit of my stomach as I say it and it’s making me feel like shit. The problem is, I don’t know who’s to blame.
    Mark only whistles before saying, “I sure hope Elizabeth likes kids.”
     

 

     
     

     
     
    THE TIME FOR me to start packing up my items came faster than I wanted. Some days it seems like the day drags on. Others, like today, can go by faster than I wish them to go. Today was one of those days I felt like I wanted time to completely stop.
    I wasn’t ready to face Joseph yet. I wasn’t prepared to explain Josephina to him anymore. That time had disappeared long ago when I had desperately waited for him to show up. Of course, I had just as many questions as he had for me, but my questions had long been pushed away. I’d faced the reality that I might never see him again, forcing myself to realize he would never come looking for me; choosing to believe he never wanted anything to do with us.
    At least, that is what I told myself.
    I had given up on Joseph. Given up the notion that he would show up like some knight in shining armor to rescue Josephina and I; it never happened
    Forcing myself to return my focus on packing, I let out a sigh, wishing again that time would slow down. Normally I would want to hurry to put everything away, excited to finally be done with the day so I can take Josephina to the park, but today was the opposite because I know Joseph will be there waiting. At least, I think he will be.
    Giving myself the excuse that I’m taking my time so I don’t misplace anything, I make sure everything is packed and ready to go for next week. I slow my pace a little, only because I’m dreading seeing Joseph again.
    Even as I keep packing, I keep wondering to myself… What is he doing here? Was he purposely looking for us? Shaking the second thought from my mind, I have to tell myself that he wasn’t. If he had chosen to look for us, he would have done it a long time ago. He should have done it when Josephina and I really needed him, when I had begged him to come to us.
    “Mommy, hurry. You’re taking too long,” Josephina whines up at me as she tugs on the hem of my shirt. “I really want to go play now.”
    Sighing, I know that I’ve already made her wait longer than I should, so I quickly start to pack the last of the items into the container in front of me. Taking the box back to my small SUV, I lock it up and grab a hold of Josephina’s tiny hand, leading her straight towards the park.
    I’ve been bringing her to this park since she was a toddler; when I first started selling my soaps at the local Farmers Market. I didn’t have a choice but to bring her with me every Saturday. I didn’t know anyone at that time being that it was only Josephina and I back then. I moved to Madison in hopes of providing a better future for the both of us.
    The closer we get to the park, the more my stomach is beginning to turn. The nerves are starting to build up with every step I take, knowing Joseph will be there waiting for us.
    The sight of him sitting at a picnic table, his head hung low facing the ground and his elbows resting on his knees, tugs at my heart. I can see the stress rolling off him as he runs one hand back and forth across his nearly bald head. That was the first change I noticed about Joseph. Growing up he always had a full head of hair. Now he had it cut so short all over, it practically looked like he was bald. It made him look more masculine, instead of the young boy I remembered.
    Even with the distance between us, I can tell he’s concentrating hard, making his body look tense and worried. Seeing him like that, knowing the reason why, hurts me just as badly. I never meant for him to find out this way, but I never thought he’d come back into our lives.
    Josephina sees him, excitedly shouting, “Look mommy, it’s your friend,” before letting go of my hand and bolting straight for Joseph.
    He must have