�
"I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, and Danny wasn't far behind me. When I got outside I hurried to the cellar, and locked myself inside. Danny pounded on the doors for a while, but he finally gave up. I went back upstairs early in the morning. Dietz was sitting at the table looking sick, and Danny was sitting in the corner with his head down. I went to the kitchen and made breakfast, but they refused to eat. For some reason I was ravenous, and I at heartily, feeling a little superior to them. When I finished, I pulled my chair beside Dietz."
�
"Danny did not glance my way, and I looked up and studied his features. He looked so tired, and I think he had been crying, because his eyelashes were wet. The ferocious gleam in his eyes was gone; replaced by an expression of complete sadness. Ordinarily, I would have turned away at the sight of such grief, but in his case, I was gratified to see him suffer. I could not miss the chance to twist the knife."
�
"Shame on you Marah," I interrupted. "One would think you never opened a bible in your life. God will punish your enemies for their wrongdoing. It is cruel and selfish to add your torture to his."
�
"Ordinarily I agree with that Maria," She replied; "but I could not enjoy his misery unless I had a hand in it. I would rather he suffer less, as long as I was the cause of his suffering."
�
"I put my hand on Dietz's shoulder, she continued, "and asked him how he felt. 'Not as bad as I wish,' he replied, 'but aside from my arm I feel like I was hit by a truck.' "
�
" 'It's no wonder!' I exclaimed. 'The way Danny beat you after you passed out. Don't you remember?' "
�
" 'No,' he replied. 'I just remember him grabbing the gun from me, and then it is all black.' "
�
" 'He kicked you, and smashed your head against the floor. I was afraid he was going to kill you.' "
�
"Dietz and I looked up at our mutual enemy. Danny was so absorbed in his anguish, that he did not take notice of our contempt. 'If I only had the strength to strangle him, I'd go to hell with joy,' Dietz said. He tried to get up, but sank back down to his chair, realizing that he was in no shape to fight Danny again."
�
" 'It's enough that he has murdered Michelle,' I observed, loudly enough for Danny to hear. 'After all, it is preferable to be hated than loved by him.' "
�
"Danny certainly heard my comment, because his eyes flooded with tears. I stared right at him, and laughed at his misery."
�
" 'Get out of my sight Marah,' he screamed."
�
"I continued to laugh at him, and he lunged for me. I jumped out of my chair, and Dietz did the same, shielding me from Danny with his body. Danny picked up his coffee cup and flung it at my head. It missed me by inches, and landed unbroken on to the sofa. Quickly, I snatched it up, threw it back at him, and ran for the door. I don't know if I hit him or not, but as I took one last look into the room, I saw Dietz holding Danny back. They both fell to the floor, fighting like two wild dogs."
�
"I ran outside, not bothering to even take my purse or keys. I knew I had to get out of that house, before something terrible happened. It was raining so hard, and the wind tore at my clothes. I stumbled and fell a few times, but I didn't care; I just ran. But wasn't running just for my own sake, I found out I was pregnant shortly after we returned to Springfield."
�
"Pregnant!" I cried. "Oh no Marah! Does Danny know?"
�
"No, I didn't tell him," Marah answered. "I don't know why I kept the news to myself, maybe I was waiting for just the right moment to spring it on him. Thank God that moment never came. Please Maria! You have to promise me you will never tell him. I am going to go to Italy to be with Mom and Dad. I plan to raise my child in a loving house with a happy family around us. Maybe Danny would be a good father, I don't know, but I'm not going to take the chance. I'm afraid he would raise our child the same way Carmen raised him."
�
I loaned Marah enough money to get to Chicago, and she said she would take the Lewis jet from there. Seven months later she gave birth to a boy; she named him Lewis, Lewis Santos. He was a sickly child from the beginning, and was in and out of hospitals every few months. The doctors said he had kidney disease, and would eventually need a transplant.
�
I ran into Danny one day at the grocery store, and he asked about Marah. I was surprised when he told me he knew about the baby, and that they were in Italy. When I told him the baby's name he grimaced, and said, "They want me to hate it too, don't they."
�
"I don't think they want you to know anything about it," I replied.
�
"But I'll have it when I want it," he said, with a sly smile. "They can count on that."
�
�