She had gone to bed shaken after Gayle had stormed out, and only fell to sleep at the wee hours of the morning. She had no knowledge of his whereabouts, and she cared little. Her first act after waking up in the morning was to call in sick. She could not go to work in that state. Her lower lip was still swollen and throbbing. The cut had somehow disappeared under the purplish color. Gayle had struck her and had stormed out on realizing what he had done. Her insistence that he leaves her apartment had contributed to his departure. She never gave him time to apologize because the situation brought back painful memories of her father and mother. The memories coursed through her, burning her conscience and numbing her. She wanted to tell him that it is over, that she has had enough of it. She could not fathom the prospect of dying young like her mother, nor could she withstand the physical and emotional torture she went through. She had worked so hard to be where she was and felt that her life was just starting. She would not allow anyone to mess up her present or future, and she was not going to relive her past!
Rebecca Armstrong was a nurse at Stanworth Medical Centre in New York, one of the best-ranked hospitals in the country. She had spent her whole life within the state of Texas, and hoped that one day she would have a chance to travel the world. She was living that dream. Her parents had been well off financially, but the family had its own domestic problems that denied it the happiness it longed for, for years. Rebecca was the daughter of Jake Armstrong and Elizabeth Armstrong. Her father was a white American and her mother a Latin America. Elizabeth had immigrated to the United States from Mexico with her parents at the age of six. After settling in the state of Texas, her parents died in a car accident four years later. Her uncle, Rodriguez, was the only relative who could claim Elizabeth’s custody, largely because she chose to live with him rather than a children home, despite disapproval of the assigned officer from the Child Protective Services. Elizabeth dropped out of high school and took up a job as a waitress at Guido’s restaurant. She met, Rebecca’s father, Jake Armstrong, two years later, and they were married in another two.
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Jake was a well-off businessman who commanded respect among his peers. Elizabeth thought he could provide her with a getaway from the problems that bedeviled her since childhood. Their initial days together were blissful, but everything changed two years later following the arrival of their first child and daughter, Rebecca. The situation was further complicated when Elizabeth birthed their second child, Joel Armstrong. Elizabeth was overwhelmed and could not balance her work and family life. Her husband was rarely home to help with the kids as he was busy in his business deals. Elizabeth was forced to abandon her job at the restaurant to concentrate on the children. Jake hired a house help after Elizabeth insisted. As years went by, Jake grew distant, irritable, and irresponsible. He rarely visited his family and provided very little support. As a result, Elizabeth took a job as a cashier in one of the local stores with the help of her neighbor, in order to fill the financial gap. Rebecca was eight by then. The incident with Weber Gayle reminded her of her childhood experiences; of the unending quarrels and fights between her parents whenever her father came home.
Despite her mother’s attempts to protect her and her brother from witnessing such quarrels, Rebecca could recall hearing their conversations. Her father would hurl unprintable insults at her mother while asserting that his whereabouts were none of her business. Her father would angrily storm out on most occasions and vanish for days. Such was the case years that followed, and Jake resulted to drinking and became abusive. The initial quarrels transitioned to physical fights. Rebecca saw her mother with a black eye and swollen lips on many occasions. Elizabeth never said a word to anyone about her husband, but Rebecca could tell that her mother was very sad. The tribulations for Rebecca’s family grew when she reached fifteen and had just joined high school. On coming home from school one day, she learnt that her father has been admitted to the hospital after suffering a severe stroke. The next day, they received news of her father’s unfortunate demise. The death of Rebecca’s father triggered a cascade of events that had profound effects on the family. It occurred at a time when the economy was on a downward trend and businesses were resizing or closing down. Jake’s business had lost substantially as a result. Some of his close friends thought this to be the reason why he became agitated and lost focus. Nevertheless, Jake left enormous debts with the banks. Rebecca saw them come for her father car. Soon, they served notice that the family was to vacate its premises. Rebecca’s mother had no alternative. She could not fight off thee greedy representative and used the little she had saved to move her family to a one-bedroom apartment. The house help was long gone. Elizabeth left her job and spent most of her time indoors. Her daughter’s attempts to cheer her up and get her back to her normal self, bore no fruits. One day at school, Rebecca was summoned to the school director’s office where the news of her mother’s death was revealed.
Rebecca was inconsolable. She cried for days after her mother’s burial. She went to live with her aunt, Winny and her husband Gerald. Joel Armstrong, her little brother, was taken under custody of her uncle whom she did not know. Life at her aunt’s place proved to be challenging, and Rebecca wished for her holidays to go faster so she could go back to school. After her high school diploma, she landed a scholarship to a nursing degree at Northeastern Illinois University. After attaining her undergraduate degree nursing, she joined Molloy College in New York City for a professional course as a registered nurse. Rebecca’s desire to pursue a career in nursing was informed by her anger at herself. She was apprehensive of how helpless she had been that she could not help any of her parents in managing their health, and particularly at their time of need. Therefore, she was determined to be equipped to assist other people in the future.
After completion of her RN program, Rebecca was accepted for internship at the Stanworth Medical Centre. She met her fiancée, Weber Gayle while interning. Gayle had been admitted for a minor surgical procedure and Rebecca was his assigned nurse for the two weeks he was at the hospital. They started dating afterwards. At first, Gayle was a perfect gentleman. His mannerisms accentuated his professionalism. Like Rebecca’s late father, he was a successful businessman. Fortunes were smiling at him, largely due to the booming economy, which was recovering after over a decade of depression. Money was coming in fast for Gayle and he treated Rebecca to all manner of delights. Trips, picnics, and dinner dates to exquisite restaurants. However, Rebecca was cautious. She never wanted to be surprised by life. Besides, she had her own goals in life. Therefore, when Gayle proposed that she joins him in his flashy apartment, Rebecca turned him down unapologetically. It was then that Gayle had a sudden change in behavior. He became irritable, temperamental, broody, and eventually resorted to drinking. During days that they spent together, Gayle would be distracted by calls that he claimed to be from business associates. However, as days went by, Gayle grew distant and was angered by Rebecca’ inquisitive behavior.
The day the two fought preceded a rather painful encounter. After Gayle failed to answer any of Rebecca’s messages or calls, she had gone to his place to find him with his new girlfriend. She had not reproached him then. She left without a word, her heart heavy with remorse and her mind in turmoil. It was on a Friday evening so she had the weekend to get her senses straight. She had tried going out to shop, but found out that she could not overcome the regret and anger growing within her. She went back to her apartment, cried, and cried until her eyes grew red and her throat soar. She had switched off her phone and had not eaten for a day. She hoped that Gayle would come over so she could vent her anger and frustrations at him. Her prayer was answered that Sunday evening when Gayle made an impromptu visit. He let himself into the house using the spare key Rebecca had given him because no one answered his call at the door. Rebecca was lying in a sofa in the living room and was surprised to see Gayle after he nudged her to wake up. Her first reaction was to jump at him, but Gayle appeared prepared. He held her at bay, and on realizing Rebecca’s determination, he hit her across the face. That did it, she crumble on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. When Gayle tried to reach out at her, she gave him a smoldering look that made him hesitate on his tracks. When she spoke, her voice was calm and determined, and Gayle could not mistake the finality in it. Their relationship was over.
