“No.  You took me from him when I was fourteen, and it took me a long time to stop hating you for that.  But I grew up, and I knew you did what you thought was right.  I know he seemed weird to you.  Crazy even, and you were trying to protect me in your own fucked up way.  But I’m grown now, and while yeah, I’m dealing with a lot of stuff, I’m the one that has to deal with it. I don’t need you to decide how I live my life and I sure as fuck don’t need to listen to you shitting on the best man I ever knew.  We clear?”

There was a pause, and I could hear Becky’s wheels turning.  She knew if she argued further, it might damage things beyond repair.  But this was a personal thing for her now.  She had to be right, if only to justify taking a teenaged girl away from her father eleven years ago.  The only question was what she valued more.

“Will you at least tell me where you are?  So I know you’re safe?”

I stifled a sarcastic reply.  “I’m working for a company in Colorado.  I’m safe…you know, relatively.  I haven’t had it try to attack me since the day before I left.”

Becky saw another avenue.  “You know the police still want to talk to you about that girl you knew.  The one that died.”

My tone was harder this time.  “Oh, the one they found in a dumpster?  The one that had been rotting there for days when something that looked just like her tried to jump me in the parking lot?  That girl?”

Another pause.  “Yes.  I know you think that’s what happened but…”

“Don’t patronize me.  That is what happened.  It was the Stranger.  Just because you refuse to believe it doesn’t make much of a fucking difference.  I was there.  I’m the one it wants.  I’m the one that had to banish it.”  I couldn’t help but add, “Using things my crazy father taught me, by the way.  If I listened to you, I’d be fucking dead or worse.”

Becky sounded tearful now.  “Just tell me where you…”  I ended the call.  I couldn’t take any more of that.  It didn’t matter, anyway.  I could never go back or I’d just put her in danger, and despite everything, I didn’t want to see her hurt.