The thunder continued to rumble as they rounded the corner. Angela felt a growl in the pit of her stomach. With the sky growing dark and no money for food, she felt desperate. Glancing at Tim, Angela wondered what he would come up with, because he usually could get them out of just about anything.

"We gotta go get Curly, Tim!" Angela began to cry as they wandered down sixty-ninth and Lewis Street, which was the street Tim and Curly had said was bad news; but tonight they were desperate. As she clung to him, she could feel him shudder through his jacket.

Tim stopped, grunting. "What do you want me to do? We have nowhere to hide!" The harshness of Tim's voice stung like a bee. It was okay if he was scared, but she did not understand why he was being mean to her because of it.

"Sorry, I just want Curly with us!" Angela wailed. She buried her face in Tim's coat and cried all over again. The harsh loud wind and the rumbling thunder drowned out her cries. Leaves fell off the trees a few at a time. Dogs howled and ran wild about their yards.

"Angel, don't you think I know that?" Tim said with a calmer tone. He went a little ways down the street and carried her into the nearest grocery store. Once they got inside; he lifted her off his shoulders and placed her on the floor. Tim spotted a sandy brown haired man at the cash register who was busy with another customer, but that did not stop him and Angela from getting a few more raised eyebrows and glares from other customers.

A few people aimed sneers and snickers their way as they dashed through the store. The swish of Tim's shoes was enough to make Angela giggle. He just grinned at her. His smiles usually cheered her up, except when he was picking on her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she thought about the times when David wasn't drunk. He had the sweetest voice in the world and was surprisingly gentle with them. There would be times he would get down on the floor and tickle her. Other times he would play games like Duck Duck Goose, horses, and Chess. Occasionally, he and Mama would play Chess, and she just didn't understand it, but he was patient when not on the booze. Mama would ask him why he started drinking, and he would tell her that it kept his bad dreams away.

"Angel!" Tim shook her a little too roughly. "You need to pay attention and not fall asleep, okay? I know you're tired, but we gotta see how much money we have so we can get something to eat." Tim shuffled down the cereal aisle and eyed each product. He pointed at a box of Cheerios. "If we have enough do you want a box?"

Angela nodded and wrapped her arms around Tim who dug furiously through his pockets and pulled out a handful of quarters, nickels, and dimes. He scowled as a few quarters clinked to the floor.

"I need to buy me a wallet," he muttered, shoving the coins back in his pocket.

"Why?" she asked, reaching for the cereal box.

Tim reached over and handed her the box. "It'll keep a better hold on my money."

Angela wrapped an arm around the box and smiled, her smile fading as they turned the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight of David who clasped a bottle of whiskey in his hand. His shirt was halfway unbuttoned and slacks wrinkled from sleeping.

"Shit!" Tim skidded to a stop and pulled Angela to a ducking position. "You gotta be quiet so he won't see you," he hissed.

"He was asleep when we left," Angela croaked. She curled up into a ball and hid behind Tim. "We are SO dead. Let's get outta here."

With those last words said, she crawled out of her hiding space, bound and determined to get away. Nobody was going to stop her from leaving, but Tim yanked her by the back of her dress.

"Where do you think you're goin', kid?" Are you nuts?"

Angela turned to glare at Tim, but instead found herself nose to nose with David. He yanked both kids roughly by their arms and dragged them hastily through the store, earning a few puzzled looks and raised eyebrows from the customers. Angela felt her blood go ice cold and her legs felt like rubber. She tried to walk but found it difficult.

Even though she was too scared to speak, she managed to sneak a peek at Tim, whose eyes were colder than ever. Angela said a silent prayer, praying that they would not get hurt and that maybe someday David would be nice again. She did her best to tune everything out so she could concentrate. Angela knew she had a long time to go before she was eighteen, and could get away from her parents for good.

David picking the kids up and tossing them over each of his shoulders interrupted her daydreams. As soon as they reached his battered Desoto, he put them down and yanked open the door, banging it into another car door in the process.

"Get your fucking asses in the backseat, now!" David roared. Angela quickly scampered into the car, trying to avoid a blow, and breathed a sigh of relief that there wasn't one. He slammed the door shut and staggered around to the driver's side; stumbling over his untied shoelace in the process. After a few seconds of fumbling through his pockets for the keys, David jerked the door open and collapsed into the seat. Tim and Angela's noses wrinkled as the stench of whiskey and beer wafted throughout the cluttered car. He never picked up any of his beer bottles or trash. Angela and Tim slumped down in the seat while David started the car; revving the engine. A black cloud of smoke nearly fogged the rearview mirror.

"Sit up," David growled. He pulled them into a sitting position and spun around. Angela's stomach lurched as the car peeled out down the street and swerved to the right. He clutched the wheel with his right hand and cradled his bottle in the other. Angela's eyes darted back and forth from Tim to the side of the window. She clamped her mouth shut and stared straight ahead.

"W-we didn't m-mean to run away," Angela began to sob. Tim clamped a hand over her mouth to shush her.

"That's a fuckin' load of bullshit young lady, and you know it." David slammed his fist on the dashboard. "Y'all had your mother and me worried sick, but you don't think about anyone besides yourselves, do you? Well, that's all about to change when I'm done with you because you won't be sitting for a week."

Angela gulped and squeezed Tim's hand. She and Tim hated David's spankings because he either used his belt or a paddle. Right then she regretted ever smarting off to Mama in the first place. She should have just taken her punishment and stayed in her room; but no she had to take it too far. She hung her head, hoping he wouldn't hit them too hard. Her mind continued to race as he circled eighty-first and Admiral. She gazed out the window, spotting a few kids in their rain slickers scurrying inside their homes to get out of the thunderstorm. David slammed on the brakes as a scrawny, gray cat darted out in front of the car.

"Oh, for the love of all that is holy," David inhaled and then exhaled to regain his temper. "Animals are the most wonderful things in the world, but do they have to get in my way? I mean, seriously," he shouted. Tim and Angela held each other. David glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Sit up and get your seatbelts on, now." The kids obeyed and clicked their belts on promptly. Angela's shoulders and neck tensed up as he floored the engine and turned into their driveway. She sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds, then let it out.

"Get out of the car and go inside," he commanded. He jerked open the door and pulled them out. Tim grimaced as David grabbed a handful of his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the pain. Angela knew he wouldn't cry over that. She bit her lip to keep quiet as David steered them towards the door. Once they were inside, he undid his belt.

Oh, great, Angela thought as she sat down gingerly on the couch next to Tim and her mother. Nancy folded her arms and shook her head at them. Curly then chose that moment to barge through the kitchen door. Nancy motioned with her finger for Curly to be quiet; he nodded and sat in their mother's tattered maroon chair.

Nancy cleared her throat to speak. "Alright, what I want to know is where have y'all been for the last hour and a half." She raised her eyebrows and waited for an answer. "Well? I'm waiting for you to speak."

Tim sighed and dug his tennis shoe into the stained carpet. "At the store getting something to eat," he lied.

David slammed his hand down on the coffee table. "No, what they were doing was running away from home." He yanked his belt off his pants.

"Angela Marie, get over my lap," he said calmly. Angela's lip trembled as she wobbled over slowly.

"P-please, I'm sorry!"

"Get over here or you will get it bare."

Angela burst into tears and threw herself over his lap.

"Hush, you brought this all on yourself." He smacked her backside hard with the belt. "You kids are going to start minding Daddy. That means no sassing your mother and me or cussing as well. I'm only doing this because I love you."

Angela squealed as the stinging pain shot through her. She heard Tim sneer from across the room. He wasn't her daddy.

David whacked her again. "Are you going to start minding?" He grasped the collar of her dress. She continued to thrash, kick, and scream.

"Yes!" She screamed, wishing he would stop.

David cupped his hand around his ear. "What was that? I didn't hear you, and what is my name?"

"D-dad-dy," she sputtered. He was so mean. Mama shook her head unsympathetically and went back into the kitchen, leaving them alone with David.

"Young lady, you need to learn to speak louder, because you know I'm partially deaf in one ear. Also, it is rude not to speak where someone can't hear you," he added. The belt landed again.

"Ow, please stop, I'm sorry!" Angela tried to wiggle free from his painful grasp, but his strong hand was firm across the small of her back.

David grunted and jerked her up by her arm. "Now, I want you to go to your bedroom and think about what you've done," he said. "Tim, you're next. Get over here."

Tim managed to keep his cool as he bent over David's lap. Angela dashed upstairs as fast as she could so she didn't have to watch Tim get his end of the stick. She hated David so much. Angela Shepard didn't need a daddy; she could take care of herself.