Stealing Glances

A Story by live well laugh often love ALWAYS

To Kim Lee Brett John was her father, he was the only person she knew.....

Kim is 14 years old she lives in a small town in New Jersey with her father. Kim is tall and extreamly thin for her age. Her long stringy red hair was probably her best fetaure. Her pale skin made her freckles stand out. Her dark brown eyes always looked worried and tired.

Kim knew that Brett wasn't her biological father but she certianly thought of him as her real father. He has been in her life for as long as she can remember. He takes extreamly good care of her and is very protective of her. He wont let her go anywhere with out him. He makes sure she is always within eye sight of him. Kim feel safe when shes with him. If Brett isn't there he intructs her to speak with no one and don't go anywhere.

" Kim! Kim! Where are you!"

The vaines in Brett's forehead looked like they were ready to burst. He was sreaming and running through the house. Kim was worried she did not know was he was so worried about her running off all the time. He stormed through the door, the golden knob slammed into the wall making it crack. Pieces of paint chipped from the wall. Kim saw the sweat drip from Brett's eyebrow.

"Kim! I have been screaming your name! Why don't you come when I call? I thought I taught you better than that!"

" I am sorry Brett."

" You spoiled brat! Have you been up here playing all day!" Brett didn't even give a chance for Kim to answer.

" Of course you have. I tell you that you don't have to go to school like all the other kids your age, I give you your very own room and some nice toys and you think you can do what ever you want?"

He had asked a question but Kim knew he did not want her to answer. She looked up at him in scilence. He gazed at him apologicly, but he didn't deem to notice. It wasn't that Kim was spoiled it was just that she was so tired. She didn't finish all of her soup from dinner the night before so Brett made her spend the entire night cleaning the bathroom in the basement. To most people thaht would be a bit extream but to Kim it was normal. She had disobayed one of Brett's orders and rules, she knew there was consiquenses.

"I thought I told you to clean the kitchen before I came home from work?"

"I did clean the kitchen."

"Oh you did? I looked when I came in and there was still ketchup on the table from two nights ago."

Kim thought back to what they had eaten two nights before. As far a she could remember they had not eaten anyrthing involving ketchup.

"We didn't eat ketchup two nights ago."

"So now your calling me a lier! You have become more of a hassle each time I give you something."

Brett ripped the CD player Kim was listing to out of her hands and threw it to the grown. He lifted his large foot, Kim turned away just as she heard his stealtoe work boots mash it into tiny pieces. He reached down for her forearm.

"Please! Brett! I am sorry! Please I didn't mean too! I will never do it again!"

Kim started shricking as he pulled her off her bed. She knew what was coming, she pleaded for him to stop, she yelled and yelled until her voice became hoarse. Her arm began to throb from his tight gripp. He yanked her down the stairs and into the kitchen. He shoved her into the large tray, they called the kitchen table. Her face slammed into the bleach smelling plastic. Kim could feel the black circle forming on her cheek bone.

"You call that clean!" He screamed so loud Kim was shocked no one ever heard him.

She looked at the tray under her. She searched and searched for a spot or smug but the tray was spotless.

Brett let out a sigh that seemed to relax his whole body. Kim still hadn't spoken a word she just rubbed her sore arm and looked at her feet.

"Kim, I am sorry. You know I love you?" He wait for her to answer, when she didn't he just kept talking.

"I know sometimes I seem to be hard on you. I know you get lonely sometimes and I am sorry. Is your arm ok?"

Kim looked up at Brett her had kneeled down to her. He reached for her arm , she flinched a bit but he soothed her and told her he just wanted to look at it.

" I am really sorry Kim. I didnt mean to hurt you."

" I know its ok."

" Here rub this on it will make it feel better, and to make it up to you why don't we go out to eat tonight?"

Kim really didn't want to go anywhere but to her bed. She knew her cheek was swollen and black and she knew that people would notice then wisper about it when they thought she wasn't looking.

" I don't want to." Kim wispered.

" You dont want to?" Brett's eyes lit up with shock. "Here I am trying to do something nice and you don't want to!" His voice rose with each word, by the time he was finished he was sreaming again.

" YOU WILL GO TO DINNER!"

They pulled up to the local Denny's in their old beat up white van. Brett climbed out of the van and told Kim to wait in the van while he went and got them a table. She watched as he walked up to the hostess and followed her to a table in the far back corner of the dinner.

Kim wanted to cover the large black spot on her face. She opened the glove compartment in search of some foundation. She pulled out a bunch of papers she had never seen before and some bills. Shoved in the corner was a small black cell phone. She was just about to close the compartment when the phone began to ring. She answered the phone.

"Hello?"

A womens voice answered.

"It's her 15th Birthday! You said to call this number when she turned 15. You told us we could have our daughter back! You kidnapped her! You stole 10 years of her life away from us you a*s!"

The women's voice was shacky and nervous but thats not what gave Kim the chills. She reconized the women's voice from somewhere. She tried and tried to remember. When Kim didn't say anything the women started to talk about how she wanted her daughter back.

"Mom?"

"Kim!"

It all rushed back, Kim's life flashed before her eyes. She remembered so many things, Her mother who had the same hair as hers, her father whoes brown eyes were identical to hers. She remembered her older brother, John. She was about to tell her mom where she was but she screamed. She saw Brett at the window next to her..........