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“How can you say that?”

“Things happen all the ti we can do is deal with it”

“Easy for you to say”

“It’s not!” His words were full of despair and anguish

She glanced at him, stunned to silence

“Every day I get up knowing my mother is dead because I’m a coward”

“Wait—what?” she whispered

“I coe in Ireland My mother stayed at home with me and my dad

worked at the local factory He liked to drink and soue was the worst weapon It left no outward scars, but my God did it make you feel like you were shit on the bottom of his shoes”

“Lefty—”

“No, it was Colrown into a badass biker with an

impenetrable shell It’s not unco every dime and the only relief from your situation is a bit of whiskey”

“Colm…”

“No” He held up his hand “Don’t say anything until I’et it all out I don’t like talking about it” He took a shaky breath “He’d gotten into the whiskey again…bad Every word out of his mouth was a condemnation and I could barely see out of my eye My lip ollen, and when he went to start in on my Ma, I lost it I shoved him hard and he lost his balance, fell ass over kettle, and sla from his head onto the stone floor and he looked so still His face was beco paler by the minute I panicked and ran for it I stayed on the streets all night, terrified of ould happen to me if I went home…” He paused

Gia placed her hands over her mouth as her eyes filled with tears