Shadowing Practice: 5 True Wild Horror Stories Animated - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
1
My mother was a very rich woman.
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She built a real estate empire from the ground up.
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She was a cold woman who only cared about business and her son, my brother, Raymond.
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Because he was the oldest, and he was just as cutthroat as her, she saw Raymond as the heir to her fortune, while I was just the other child.
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I learned very quickly to stay out of her way and do whatever she asked.
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Now, despite all that, I had a good life.
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I had plenty of money, and I'd found the love of my life.
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His name was Raj.
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He grew up in a poor but loving household, the exact opposite of my situation.
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We'd been together for three wonderful years, and I knew in my heart that he was my soulmate.
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He proposed on our third anniversary.
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Best moment of my life.
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And then I told my family the big news, and everything changed.
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Raymond didn't seem to care one way or the other.
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He was already in a loveless marriage, and he couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that I actually had feelings for my partner.
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But my mother?
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She was horrified.
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You can't marry him.
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He's beneath you.
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You'll get nothing out of it.
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But I love him.
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Isn't that the only thing that matters?
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Raymond watched with this infuriatingly bemused smirk on his face as mom and I got into a huge argument.
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She ordered me to call off the wedding, and for the first time, I told her no. She tried everything to convince me to change my mind,
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but when none of it worked, she walked over and whispered something horrible in my ear.
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If you marry that man, I don't think it would be safe.
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I'm worried that he might have an accident I'll always remember
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that exact moment
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and it made my skin crawl I felt like throwing up
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my own mother was talking to me like a mob boss she basically threatened to murder Raj
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if I went through with the wedding I had heard
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that she had done some shady things in the years
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that she had spent growing her Empire but I had never seen this side of her firsthand before.
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And the way she looked at me, I had no doubt she'd do it.
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She'd kill the love of my life just because he wasn't a good match.
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I ended things with Raj that weekend.
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I didn't tell him the real reason because I was too ashamed.
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Plus, I was worried that if he found out about my mother's threat, he'd tell me that he could live with the danger and convince me to marry him anyway.
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I couldn't let that happen.
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I simply told him that I didn't have feelings for him anymore.
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Well, a month later, mom came to my apartment with some good news.
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I was in a deep depression at the time, scarfing down gallons of ice cream and barely leaving the couch.
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Mom said that she had found me a man, a better man.
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His name was Steve, and he was the son of a wealthy landowner outside of Miami.
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If I married him, mom's company could buy all their land and make a boatload of money.
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It didn't matter that I'd never met Steve before.
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She wanted me to marry him to help her business.
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I should have said no. I should have screamed for her to leave my apartment.
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But I was at the lowest point in my life and I didn't have the strength to stand up for myself.
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I told her that I'd like to meet him.
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Three months later, Steve and I were married, just as Mom had wanted.
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I tried to tell myself that he was a good guy.
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We didn't have a spark, but he was handsome enough.
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Okay, in the bed.
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He spent most of his time driving around in his convertible and playing golf, so I didn't have to see him a lot.
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For a while, I convinced myself that I was happy.
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Eventually, the deal with Steve's family land went through, and we all made a lot of money.
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I accepted the fact that the rest of my life was going to be tolerable, but unfulfilling.
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And then I saw Raj again.
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We ran into each other on the beach.
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I took one look at him and started crying.
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All my old feelings came back and I knew that I had made a mistake.
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He was the man I was truly meant to be with.
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We started talking and I felt better than I had in a long time.
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Steve had gone to the bathroom at the time but when he returned he saw Raj and me together.
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Andy saw the smile on my face.
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He angrily grabbed my arm and led me to the car without saying anything to Raj.
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I know who that was.
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Don't you dare speak to him again.
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That moment was a real turning point in our marriage.
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Steve became possessive.
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He started checking in whenever I wasn't at home.
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He'd wait up for me when I was late, demanding to know where I was and who I'd been with.
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He knew that I was in love with another man, and his fragile ego had turned him into a jealous bully.
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After a month of this torture, I had enough.
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I told him I wanted a divorce.
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He didn't say anything for a long moment.
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He just glared at me.
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If you leave me, I'll take everything you own.
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With horrifying coldness, he laid out his plan.
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How'd he get his lawyers to prove that I'd only married him for the land deal?
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How he would claim I was unfaithful?
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How he wouldn't stop until all of my property went to him, including my 20 % stake in my mother's company?
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I didn't care.
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If anything, it felt freeing to sacrifice all ties to my rich, miserable life and start from scratch with Raj.
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I told him I'd draw up the papers.
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He stormed out.
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I felt weirdly euphoric for the next few days.
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But that ended when mom came over for a surprise visit.
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I guess my lawyer had told her about the divorce papers, and mom had gotten him to tear them up.
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You can't divorce him.
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I refuse to let that a take 20 % of my company.
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Of course, all she cared about was her company.
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It didn't matter to her that she was the reason that I had married that a in the first place.
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It didn't matter that I was miserable.
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I told her that I'd made up my mind.
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Besides, she and Raymond had the rest of the stakes in the company.
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Steve's minority share wouldn't change anything.
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For a while, she seemed to back down.
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But then I realized she was just formulating a plan.
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Give it a month before you do anything rash.
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I have a feeling that your problems with Steve will go away soon enough.
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Once again, she was sounding like a mob boss Her threat against Raj was very real And now,
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it sounded like she was doing the same thing to Steve She was going to kill him Whatever you're planning to do,
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don't Just let me divorce him
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Wait a month
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I didn't wait a month I found another lawyer who wasn't under my mom's thumb and I drew up divorce documents, giving Steve everything he wanted,
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including the 20 % stake.
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To keep my family off my back, I told them that Steve and I were trying to work through our problems, but in reality he had already moved out.
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And I started seeing Raj again.
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I told him everything, and he was nothing but supportive.
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He knew that my family had forced me into this situation, and he was proud of me for finally standing up for myself.
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I didn't see my mom or brother for weeks, though mom called every few days to check in.
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She always asked if Steve was okay, and weirdly she kept asking if he had been on any joy rides lately.
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I thought that was weird.
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And then, out of nowhere, Raymond showed up at my house.
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Somehow he had gotten word that the divorce was still going through, but rather than tell mom, he wanted to talk to me directly.
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He really was our mother's mini -me.
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I didn't let him inside.
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We talked on the porch for a while.
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I listened to him list off all the reasons that marriage shouldn't be about love, but I kept telling him that it was too late.
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I was divorced, not just from Steve, but from my entire toxic sick family.
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I told him that Steve had already cleared out all his stuff, aside from his beloved convertible, which he wasn't going to be picking up until that weekend.
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Raymond's eyes lit up.
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Once again, all he cared about were possessions.
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The only non -business conversations he had ever had with my ex -husband were about that stupid car. Can I drive it?
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I mean, since he's not using it?
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Knock yourself out.
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I watched him drive off for a short ride along the coast, shaking my head over how messed up my family's priorities were.
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And then I went back inside and hugged Raj, glad that he didn't have to hear any of that conversation.
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That was the last time I saw my brother.
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A few hours later, I found out that he had swerved off the road and died instantly.
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I thought it was a tragic accident, until Mom called me that night.
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Why did you let him drive your husband's car?
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How could you do this to your own brother?
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Hmm.
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So Mom had followed through with her plan to kill my husband.
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And it worked, just on the wrong person.
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Now you'd think that would be the end of my story, karmic justice and whatnot.
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But it gets even crazier from there.
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A few months ago, I found out that Steve had remarried.
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His new wife is Raymond's widow.
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Both of them are perfect together.
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Cold and money hungry.
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And guess what that means?
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Together, they have the majority stakes in Mom's company.
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Mom lost everything because of her actions.
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Me, Raymond, and her company.
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I'd feel sorry for her, but she brought it on herself.
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Raj and I are married now.
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We are very, very happy.
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Hey fam, Mr. Broccoli this side.
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Do subscribe and hit the like button if you're enjoying this video.
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My mother spent most of last year in the hospital.
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She'd been a healthy person all her life, but then she had an accident.
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I won't go into the specifics, but she fell off of her porch and landed in the wooded area behind her house.
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She was too wounded to crawl back or shout for help.
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She spent a full day lying there, going in and out of consciousness before I finally found her.
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And the worst part was, I should have been there when she fell.
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If I hadn't cancelled on her at the last minute, I would have seen her fall.
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Or maybe she wouldn't even have fallen in the first place.
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I felt awful.
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The recovery was a long, painful process.
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Her bones refused to heal, and several of her wounds were badly infected.
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I took off a lot of work to visit her at the hospital, and that always cheered her up.
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But as the months went on, I visited less and less.
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She said she understood.
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But I knew that if I was there more, her recovery would be much faster.
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I always used my job as an excuse, but the truth was, I had plenty of vacation days I could take.
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The real reason that I was so busy was Rachel, my girlfriend.
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Rachel demanded a lot of my time, and I thought she was worth it.
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She was gorgeous, much better looking than me.
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I accepted that she was high maintenance, even though I always felt guilty that I chose time with her over my own sick mother.
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Deep down, I knew that she was doing it on purpose, scheduling dates and inviting me over when she knew that I was planning to visit Mom.
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She was forcing me to pick sides, knowing full well that I'd always choose her.
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Well, after seven months in the hospital, Mom's phone calls were sounding much more desperate.
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Honey, I know you have a lot of work, but I'd love to see your face tonight.
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It would mean a lot.
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I told Rachel that I needed to visit my mom that evening.
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And of course she tried to talk me out of it.
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Oh, but I thought we were going to that movie I keep talking about.
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It's opening night.
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I had no idea what movie she was talking about.
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It was one of her more shameless excuses.
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And for the first time, I told her no. I said that I really needed to see my mom.
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She didn't argue, but I could tell she was pissed.
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I was so glad I went, though.
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I sat by Mom's bed and we talked for hours.
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Afterwards, her nurse pulled me aside and said that this was the most energetic that she had been in weeks.
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That was a turning point for me.
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I started telling Rachel no a lot more often.
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I actually stood up for myself.
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Mom seemed to be getting better just from my presence.
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And I actually felt more confident in myself.
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My girlfriend had treated me like a doormat, but not anymore. And then it happened.
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Mom was finally released from the hospital.
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She still had a long way to go before she was back to normal, but she could go live at home again.
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She needed crutches, and a nurse came by every day to check on her.
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I helped her get settled in, and I visited her for the next few days.
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I made her promise to stay off the porch.
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The railing was still broken, and I didn't want her to fall off again.
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Well, one day, Rachel insisted that she come with me on my visit.
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She really didn't like my mom, but she said that she wanted to pay her respects, whatever
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that meant but I had a feeling
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that she wanted to see how well my mom was doing
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so that she could tell me that I didn't need to visit her as often anymore.
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It was a total mind game with her.
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I knew that now.
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Well, mom countered with a mind game of her own.
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On that visit, she acted much more feeble than before.
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She made a big show of nearly falling off her chair.
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She dropped her water and asked me to clean up the shattered glass.
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Now, I hated to admit it, but I thought that the whole situation was hilarious.
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Mom was obviously exaggerating her illness as a passive -aggressive form of revenge against my girlfriend.
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Good for her.
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I still loved Rachel, and I would still do anything for her, but I had a twisted new respect for my mom that day.
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Anyway, life seemed to go back to normal after that.
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Rachel and I still spent most of our free time together.
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I still showered her with presents and spoiled her whenever I could.
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But once a week, I visited Mom.
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She seemed to get better every time.
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And Rachel seemed to get more annoyed.
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Her possessive streak was really coming out.
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Just one night a week, she wasn't the center of attention.
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And that really bothered her.
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And then, one night, we had a fight.
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It was our biggest one yet.
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It came out of nowhere.
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She said that I had no reason to visit Mom since she wasn't sick anymore.
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I told her that was an awful thing to say.
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She stormed out.
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It was a ten -minute argument, maybe less.
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I assumed that she'd just cool off and come back.
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She didn't.
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The next day, I got a little worried and called her friends.
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No one knew where she was.
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I started to get nervous.
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The day after that, I visited Mom as usual.
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She seemed in especially high spirits.
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We had a nice long lunch together, and then I mentioned my fight with Rachel, and a sly smile spread across her face.
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That's strange.
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I could have sworn I saw her car parked on the edge of my driveway.
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Maybe she's nearby.
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I rushed to the window, and sure enough, Rachel's car was outside.
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I looked all over the property, but I couldn't find her.
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Mom waited inside, sipping her juice and watching me rush around.
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Then I went to the wooded area under her porch, to the exact spot where Mom had her accident.
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Rachel was unconscious on the ground.
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Both her legs were broken, and she had scratches all over her body.
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That's when Mom joined me outside.
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She didn't bother using her crutches anymore.
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She didn't need them.
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Oh, dear.
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I had no idea she'd fallen.
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What a horrible accident.
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The ambulance took Rachel away.
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Doctors operated on her for hours, treating her wounds and fixing up her five broken bones.
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She was in terrible shape and a lot of pain.
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Mom and I were both in the waiting room.
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I was a nervous wreck, but Mom seemed unnervingly blank.
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Mom, what happened?
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You saw her fall, didn't you?
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My mother very casually explained that Rachel had snuck onto her porch and had covered the floorboards with water.
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She was obviously trying to create an ice patch right in front of the broken railing.
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She wanted to restage mom's accident to finally get her out of my life.
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But, as she was doing that, she slipped and fell, suffering the exact same injuries that she had been trying to inflict on my mom.
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Broken bones, deep scratches, and no one to rescue her as she lay on the ground.
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It felt like the ultimate irony.
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Practically unbelievable.
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But there was something really dark about Mom's expression.
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I had to ask.
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You didn't push her, right?
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Right?
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Of course not, sweetie.
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I was sitting on the sectional in the living room, staring at the dust motes dancing in a shaft of afternoon light.
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My son, Leo, was finally asleep in his bassinet.
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He was three weeks old, and I was running on caffeine and the kind of hollow, vibrating exhaustion that makes your eyes sting.
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My husband Mark was still at work pulling a double shift.
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It was 2 .30pm on a Tuesday.
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I remember the time because I had just looked at the microwave clock, calculating how many minutes I had before my mother arrived.
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She was coming over to hold the baby so I could take a shower that lasted longer than three minutes.
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Then came the knock.
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My brain, sluggish and fogged over immediately went to, Mom.
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She usually parked around back and came in through the garage code, but maybe the keypad was acting up again.
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Or maybe her hands were full of casseroles.
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I didn't get up, I just shouted, Come in!
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It's unlocked!
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Because why wouldn't I?
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We lived in a subdivision in Ohio where the biggest crime was someone leaving their trash cans out a day late.
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The door handle turned.
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The heavy oak door creaked open, letting in a slice of blinding daylight. In here, Mom.
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Don't wake the beast.
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He just went down.
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But the footsteps were wrong.
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My mother walks with a brisk, purposeful clip.
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These steps were shuffling, scuffing against the hardwood.
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Heavy.
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Uneven.
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standing in the entryway was not my mother it was a woman I had never seen in my life
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she looked to be in her 60s
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but a hard 60s her hair dyed a violent unnatural shade of raven black
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that showed an inch of gray roots she was wearing a dirty pink windbreaker and oversized sunglasses, despite being inside.
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She stood there, swaying slightly, looking at my family photos on the console table.
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Oh, nice place.
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Real nice.
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I stood up, instinctively moving between her and the bassinet.
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Who are you?
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How did you get in here?
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She turned to look at me, lowering the sunglasses.
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Her eyes were watery and pinned.
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You said come in, she said, a weird crooked smile spreading across her face.
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I heard you.
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You yelled it.
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Come in, you said.
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I thought you were my mother.
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You need to leave now.
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She waved a hand dismissively, taking a step further into the living room.
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Now, don't be like that, honey.
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I'm in a bit of a pickle.
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A real situation.
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She gestured vaguely toward the front door.
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My car, it's.. it's dead.
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Just died right at the end of your driveway.
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Alternator, I think.
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Or maybe the spirits got it.
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She laughed.
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I can call a tow truck for you, I said, reaching for my phone on the coffee table.
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My hand was shaking.
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What's the number?
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Do you have AAA?
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No, no, no, she said quickly, stepping closer.
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Too close.
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I don't need a tow.
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I need a ride.
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Just a quick run.
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Up to the Sunoco on Route 4.
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It's five minutes.
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I just need to get there.
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I can't drive you, I said, gripping the phone.
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I have a baby.
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Bring the baby.
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Babies like car rides.
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Put him to sleep.
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He is asleep.
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I'm not waking him up to drive a stranger to a gas station.
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You need to wait outside.
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I'll call the police.
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They can help you.
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At the mention of police, her face changed.
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The crooked smile vanished, replaced by a sudden, jagged anger.
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I don't need the cops, she shouted.
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I need to get to the Sunoco.
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I have a winning ticket.
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You hear me?
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I have a scratch -off.
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I won 500 bucks and I have to cash it in before the shift changes.
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That clerk, the one with the lazy, he steals them if you don't cash them quick.
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I don't care about your ticket, I said, stepping back, shielding the bassinet with my body.
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I don't have a car seat installed in my truck right now.
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I can't go anywhere.
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This was a lie.
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The car seat was in the jeep.
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But the lie felt safer than the truth.
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you don't have a car seat no for a baby it's in my husband's car She looked at the bassinet,
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and then back at me, her expression twisting into something grotesque.
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She pointed a finger at me, the nail bitten down to the quick.
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That's just inappropriate!
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She screamed.
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The volume made me flinch.
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Leo stirred in the bassinet, letting out a small whimper.
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Quiet!
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I whispered furiously.
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Get out!
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Inappropriate!
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She yelled again, stepping forward.
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She was in the living room now, fully inside.
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You have a baby and no car seat?
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What kind of mother are you?
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What if there's a fire?
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What if you need to run?
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That's neglect.
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That is purely inappropriate behavior.
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Get out of my house.
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I'm calling 911 right now.
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You have five seconds.
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You think you're better than me?
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She screamed.
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She looked around the room, her eyes darting frantically.
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Sitting in your big house with your big TV?
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You won't even help a fellow citizen cash a ticket.
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I need that money.
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It's mine.
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I earned it.
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I'm dialing, I said, thumbing the emergency button on the iPhone screen.
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She lunged, not at me, but toward the side table where my purse was sitting.
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Give me my 20 bucks, Dad, she screamed again.
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If you won't drive me, pay for my Uber.
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That's fair.
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That's the best thing to do.
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I don't have cash.
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Liar, everyone has cash.
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She grabbed the strap of my purse.
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I dropped the phone and grabbed the other end of the strap.
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Let go!
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I screamed.
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You selfish fk.
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That's inappropriate.
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Harding it all.
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Leo started to cry.
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A full -blown lung -clearing wail.
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The sound seemed to break something in her.
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She let go of the purse so suddenly that I stumbled back, hitting my hip against the wall.
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She looked at the crying baby, her face twitching.
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You woke him up, she muttered.
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You woke him up, bad mother.
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Get out, I roared, grabbing a heavy glass vase from the mantle.
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I didn't care about the flowers.
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I held it like a club.
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Get out.
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She looked at the vase and then at me.
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For a second, I thought she was going to charge me.
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Her hands were balled into fists, trembling.
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Then we heard the sound of tires crunching on gravel, the sound of an engine cutting, the heavy thud clunk of a car door closing.
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Hello?
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My mother's voice floated through the open front door, cheerful and oblivious.
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Sarah, why is the front door wide open?
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You're letting the A .C out.
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The old woman's head snapped toward the door.
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The color drained from her face beneath the tan.
430
The bravado evaporated instantly, replaced by the scurrying panic of a cockroach when the lights flick on.
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I'm leaving.
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You're a terrible mother, she muttered.
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She spun around and sprinted, actually sprinted, toward the door.
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My mother was just stepping onto the threshold, holding a Tupperware container of lasagna.
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She froze as this wild -haired woman barreled toward her.
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Excuse me!
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The woman yelled, shouldering past my mother hard enough to knock the lasagna sideways.
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Hey!
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My mom shouted, spinning around.
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Who the hell don't touch me?
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The woman screamed over her shoulder.
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She didn't head for a car.
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She ran across the lawn, cutting through the neighbor's side yard, disappearing into the wooded buffer zone that separated our cul -de -sac from the main road.
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There was no car at the end of the driveway.
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She had walked here.
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I dropped the vase.
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It didn't break, just thudded onto the rug.
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My legs gave out, and I sat down hard on the floor, shaking so bad my teeth chattered.
449
Sarah!
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Mom rushed over, dropping the food on the table.
451
Oh my god, who was that?
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Are you okay?
453
Is Leo okay?
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Lock the door.
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Lock this door, Mom.
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We called the police.
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Two deputies came out about 20 minutes later.
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They took a description.
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Pink windbreaker, bad dye job, obsession with inappropriate car seats.
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They look tired.
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Oh, we've had calls about her, the older deputy said, scribbling in his notebook.
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She hangs up by the gas station on Route 4.
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Usually just harasses people for cigarettes or scratch -offs.
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Never heard of her entering a home before.
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That's escalation.
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She said she needed to cash a ticket, I said, holding Leo tight against my chest.
467
Yeah, that's her bit.
468
Always a winning ticket.
469
Always an emergency, he sighed.
470
We'll patrol the area, ma 'am.
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Keep your doors locked.
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Don't yell, come in, unless you know who it is.
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i felt stupid i felt small i felt like i had endangered my son
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because i was too lazy to get up off the couch i will be careful next time
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when mark got home
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that night i was a wreck he went around the house checking every window every lock he held me
477
while i cried telling me it was over.
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She was gone.
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Just some crazy lady off her meds.
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I barely slept.
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Every creak of the house sounded like a pink windbreaker swishing against the drywall.
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Around 3 a .m.
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I heard the noise.
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Glass breaking.
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It came from the driveway.
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I shot up in bed, my hand instantly shaking Mark's shoulder.
487
Mark, Mark, wake up.
488
What?
489
He grunted.
490
Class, outside.
491
Mark was up in a second.
492
He grabbed the baseball bat he kept under the bed.
493
A cliche until you actually need it and went to the window.
494
He peeked through the blinds.
495
Son of a b*h, he whispered.
496
Is it her?
497
Is she back?
498
someone's in the truck i'm calling 911 don't go out there
499
i begged he didn't we waited for the lights the response time was faster this time blue
500
and red strobes washed over our bedroom walls in under six
501
minutes by the time the cops got there the driveway was
502
empty mark went out to talk to them i watched from
503
the window they were shining flashlights into the bed of mark's ford f -150 When Mark came back inside, he looked pale.
504
Furious, but pale.
505
What happened?
506
Did they take the stereo?
507
No, they didn't touch the cab.
508
They broke the back window of the camper shell.
509
Mark ran a side hustle.
510
He worked HVAC during the day, but his real money came from flipping high -end commercial espresso machines and restaurant equipment.
511
He'd buy them broken from bankrupt cafes, fix them up, and sell them for a massive profit.
512
They took the La Marzocos, he said.
513
The espresso machines?
514
Those things weigh like 80 pounds each.
515
They took three of them, and the box of grinders.
516
That's ten grand, Sarah.
517
Easy.
518
How?
519
How did they know they were in there?
520
The shell has tinted windows.
521
You can't see in.
522
Mark looked at me, and the realization hit us both at the same time.
523
The woman, I whispered.
524
She wasn't crazy, Mark said grimly.
525
Or maybe she is crazy, but she's useful.
526
The police put it together later.
527
It was a ring operating out of the next county over.
528
They used so -called walkers, usually older, mentally unwell, or homeless women who looked harmless enough to be ignored or pitied.
529
They'd send them into neighborhoods during the day to knock on doors.
530
If no one answered, they'd check the side yards.
531
If someone did answer, like I had, they'd make up a manic story, act unhinged, and cause a scene.
532
But while she was inside screaming about car seats and scratch -off tickets, she wasn't just being crazy.
533
She was scanning.
534
She was looking for keys, for alarm pads, for anything of value.
535
And when she walked up the driveway, she wasn't just stumbling.
536
She was looking through the windows of the vehicles.
537
She wasn't a lost old lady looking for a ride.
538
She was a spotter, a bird dog pointing the way for the hunters.
539
She knew the husband wasn't home, and the wife was distracted with a newborn.
540
The police didn't catch her, and I never saw her again.
541
My mom took me to Starbucks to have a private chat.
542
She didn't tell me what it was about, but I knew that she wanted to tell me something serious.
543
I got there first and drank my iced tea, nervous about what my mom was going to tell me.
544
When she finally arrived, she seemed perfectly fine.
545
She ordered a coffee for herself and then sat across from me.
546
She smiled and asked me about my day.
547
I told her that I was fine and everything was normal.
548
Good to hear, she said.
549
Unfortunately, I have some bad news.
550
She went on to tell me that she was planning to divorce my father.
551
She wanted to tell me in person before she filed the paperwork.
552
I was absolutely floored.
553
My parents have been married for nearly 30 years, and they always seemed so happy together.
554
I never saw them argue you.
555
I asked her what had changed, and she said, sometimes people grow apart.
556
There was obviously something she wasn't telling me.
557
I'm 26, but at that moment, I felt like a little kid.
558
I didn't want my parents to break up.
559
I wanted to argue with her, tell her to reconsider, but I stopped myself.
560
It wasn't my decision to make.
561
I asked her, does dad know?
562
Oh, he knows.
563
The tone of her voice proved that there was definitely something she wasn't telling me.
564
Okay.
565
Well, I love you both, and I'm sorry this has to happen, I said.
566
I didn't know what else to say.
567
We stayed at Starbucks for a couple more minutes, but I really didn't have anything else to talk about.
568
She thanked me for understanding, and then I left.
569
I didn't do anything for the rest of the day.
570
I was too distracted.
571
Honestly, I was mostly worried about my dad.
572
Unlike a lot of families, my mom was the breadwinner, while dad was the stay -at -home spouse who took care of me and my sister.
573
What was he going to do after the divorce?
574
He hadn't had a real job in decades, so he'd have to maybe work at some fast food restaurant or something.
575
The next day, I called in sick to work.
576
I still wasn't in the right headspace, and I needed to see both my parents face to face.
577
Maybe then I'd hear the full story.
578
I called mom to say that I was coming over, but she didn't answer.
579
A little before noon, I drove out to their house.
580
Both their cars were still in the driveway.
581
I knocked on the door, but no one answered, so I let myself in.
582
That's when I saw my dad's body lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor.
583
He had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.
584
I screamed.
585
From the other room, I heard my mom's voice.
586
Jane, is that you?
587
I followed her voice to the bathroom.
588
She was sitting on the floor, trembling.
589
Is he gone?
590
At first, I thought she was talking about my dad, but then I realized she was talking about someone else who murdered my dad.
591
Chills ran down my spine.
592
The killer might still be in the house.
593
I ran inside the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
594
Tell me what happened.
595
Mom breathlessly explained that dad had gotten mixed up with some shady people.
596
She didn't know all the details, but she told me that he owed them a lot of money.
597
That was the reason why she wanted to divorce him.
598
She said that she was in the bathroom when she heard the man come in to argue with my dad.
599
Then she heard the gunshot.
600
I love my father so much.
601
I really couldn't believe that he'd get mixed up with all these criminals.
602
It was just too much to process.
603
I pulled out my phone and called 911.
604
The dispatcher said that they would send someone right away.
605
I begged her to hurry, because I didn't know if the killer was still here.
606
Just stay where you are and keep the doors locked, the lady on the phone told me.
607
That was the best she could do.
608
I hung up the phone and then sat next to Mom on the floor.
609
I wrapped her in a big hug and told her how sorry I was.
610
Even though she was planning to divorce Dad, I knew that she still loved him.
611
I could feel her trembling arms.
612
We waited until the cops to arrive.
613
I glanced at the door, trying to hear any noises or footsteps outside.
614
The house was completely quiet.
615
I can't believe he's dead, she muttered.
616
At least she didn't have to see his body.
617
She heard the gunshots, but she didn't have that terrible image in her head.
618
Dad lying dead on the ground.
619
It was all I could think about.
620
He had his problems, Mom continued.
621
But no one deserves to get shot in the head like that.
622
I instantly pulled away from her.
623
What did you say?
624
She looked at me confused.
625
You didn't see what happened, right?
626
So how do you know he was shot in the head?
627
Mom's face went instantly blank.
628
Oops, she said.
629
I jumped to my feet.
630
You?
631
Slowly, she stood up as well.
632
Damn it, Jane.
633
You're too smart for your own good.
634
She stepped closer, her face blank, and placed one hand on my shoulder.
635
You're not going to tell the police, are you?
636
I didn't answer.
637
I could barely breathe.
638
He was going to take everything in the divorce, she said.
639
I couldn't let him do that.
640
She squeezed my shoulder hard enough to hurt.
641
Mom, I said very slowly, where's the gun?
642
Disposed of, she said.
643
Don't worry, I won't hurt you.
644
I didn't believe that.
645
If she could murder her husband of 30 years, what would stop her from killing me too?
646
I pushed her away.
647
Please, Dane, it'd be so much easier if you just play along.
648
I opened the bathroom door and ran out.
649
But Mom surged forward and grabbed me by the waist.
650
I was surprised at how strong she was, and she shoved me to the ground.
651
Desperate, I grabbed a lamp from the table next to me and held it up as a weapon.
652
If she tried to attack me again, I would slam it into her.
653
Stay back, I screamed.
654
That's when the front door opened and three policemen charged inside.
655
Mom looked over towards them and screamed.
656
Help, she wants to kill me too.
657
The policemen pointing their guns at me.
658
Drop the weapon, one of them ordered.
659
It's not me, I tried to explain.
660
Drop the weapon.
661
I put the lamp back on the ground, and the cops rushed out to handcuff me.
662
I'm in a holding cell now, waiting to tell my side of the story.
663
I know that Mom spent a lot of time covering her tracks, but I pray there's something she forgot.
664
Something that'll prove that I'm innocent.
665
For now, all I can do is wait.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze video bevat 665 zinnen en 6287 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 41:20. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 152 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. Slechts 80% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| divorce zelfstandig naamwoord | /dɪˈvɔːs/ | echtscheiding |
| scream werkwoord | /skɹiːm/ | schreeuwen |
| driveway zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈdɹaɪvˌweɪ/ | oprit, inrit |
| knock werkwoord | /nɑk/ | kloppen, aankloppen |
| inappropriate bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/ | ongepast |
| porch zelfstandig naamwoord | /pɔɹt͡ʃ/ | veranda, portiek |
| rush werkwoord | /ɹʌʃ/ | afraffelen |
| argue werkwoord | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | redetwisten |
| marry werkwoord | /ˈmæɹi/ | trouwen, huwen |
| cop zelfstandig naamwoord | /kɑp/ | smeris |
| shake werkwoord | /ˈʃeɪk/ | schudden |
| scratch werkwoord | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ | krassen, krabben |
| stake zelfstandig naamwoord | /steɪk/ | staak, paal |
| bone zelfstandig naamwoord | /boʊn/ | been |
| convince werkwoord | /kənˈvɪns/ | overtuigen |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| come back werkwoord | terugkomen | |
| find out werkwoord | ontdekken, onderzoeken | |
| get up werkwoord | opstaan | |
| stand up werkwoord | opstaan | |
| clean up werkwoord | schoonmaken | |
| come out werkwoord | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | uitkomen |
| come over werkwoord | langskomen | |
| cool off werkwoord | afkoelen |
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Voorwaardelijke zinnen if + zin, will/would + werkwoord — een voorwaarde en het gevolg | If you leave me, I'll take · If no one answered, they'd check |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | was horrified · was divorced · was pissed |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | have fallen · has tinted · have been married |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | woman who only · women who looked |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 151 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals didn't, don't, wasn't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: rush /ɹʌʃ/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shout /ʃaʊt/, shell /ʃɛl/, shady /ˈʃeɪdi/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: inappropriate /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/, miserable /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/, minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als divorce, scream, driveway.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.