Half Mine

By Elston Hortman

Sondra and Lisa, both fleeing an abusive past, meet at a restaurant in Milwaukee, WI. Shortly after they find out they have a lot in common and spend the night together. The one from Milwaukee, Sondra, is being pursued by her abusive father. They run away to St. Louis, MO and start a new life. Everything goes fine except that something is missing... a baby.

Sondra goes out into the city in search of a father for their child. She meets a nice man in a club and they have a whirlwind love affair. When she finds out she is pregnant, she breaks it off with him. She and Lisa move to another place leaving him heartbroken and confused. He doesn't take it well.

Years later the child grows up to be a tennis star like her father was in high school. She amasses a fortune while beating all of the world's top ranked tennis players.

Her distrought depressed father sees her on TV one day during one of her tennis matches and can't believe his eyes. He contacts her and wants to meet.

Against her parents wishes she agrees to meet him. The meeting doesn't go as planned. The girl, her parents and her biological father, all trying to get their needs met become entangled in what climaxes into an explosive ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elston Hortman
• Release date: Jan 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301637447

Elston Hortman

Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. Graduate of Siefert Elementary, Roosevelt Junior High, North Division High School(1980) and UW-Milwaukee. Single father of married son. New grandparent (9/9/2013), GranDestry, of Layia Love Hortman. School teacher for 21 years and currently a part-time comedian/entertainer and full time Title I Teacher.

Book preview

Half Mine

By Elston Destry Hortman

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013 by Elston Destry Hortman

All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Night Flight

Chapter 2 On the Run

Chapter 3 A New Beginning

Chapter 4 The Courtship

Chapter 5 The News

Chapter 6 The Dump

Chapter 7 Relief

Chapter 8 A New Family

Chapter 9 Homecoming

Chapter 10 The American Dream

Chapter 11 A Life Saving Lesson

Chapter 12 The Tennis Teacher

Chapter 13 Close Call

Chapter 14 A Star Is Born

Chapter 15 Cream Rises to the Top

Chapter 16 First Contact

Chapter 17 Going to Meet Daddy

Chapter 18 Tragedy

Chapter 19 People Act Funny when it Comes to Money

Chapter 20 That’s Our Money

Chapter 1

Night Flight

Sondra didn’t know why her father beat her and degraded her so. All she knew was that she wanted it to stop. The hitting, the punching, the slapping, not to mention the verbal abuse she suffered every day; she could take no more. She didn’t know which one she hated more, the pain or the harsh words. It was time to leave.

She waited until her father went to sleep and she began to pack. She only packed what she absolutely needed; two outfits, all of her panties, a couple bras and an extra pair of shoes. She had $70 cash that she had been squirreling away for the past year. She had a savings account that her Grandmother on her mother’s side had started for her when she was in kindergarten. It contained $530; she would have to get it tomorrow when the banks opened.

It was 1:30AM when she quietly walked out into the night. Her nightmare was over. She started walking toward downtown. She was not afraid because even though her father treated her like dirt, they lived in a pretty nice neighborhood; single-family homes with attached garages for at least six blocks in each direction.

It was about a mile to downtown. It was a beautiful morning. It was raining and cold. But, it was beautiful because she was finally free. She was eighteen years old, a high school graduate, high yellow with soft curly shoulder length dark brown hair and a body like Alicia Keys. She was about to begin a new life.

She hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch the day before. She could hear her stomach growling over the sound of the music from her IPOD nano. She went to George Webb. She took a booth in the corner because she didn’t want to be bothered. As fine as she was, there was always some man trying to talk to her. This morning attention from a man was the last thing she needed or wanted. What she wanted and needed was peace. She had found it in the corner of the restaurant; for now.

When the waitress came, Sondra ordered hot cakes, sausage patties, hash browns, wheat toast, cheese eggs scrambled medium and a large glass of milk. She could hardly wait to get her eat on. She leaned back in her seat, turned up her IPOD and waited.

Her new found beautiful peace was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder, which scared her so much she almost fell out of her seat. She slid back into the booth as far as she could to get a better look at the person who had invaded her tranquility.

The intruder looked like a cross between Rambo and Rosario Dawson. Her name was Lisa. She was about 5 ‘7" tall; a butterscotch colored dike with the eyes of an angel. It was hard for Sondra to tell what her figure looked like because of the baggie army-issue like clothes she was wearing. She even had a man’s haircut. Her butch exterior was mostly a defense; a guard against men’s desire for her. She could be drop dead gorgeous if she tried, but right now she looked about as butch as they come and the jet black 2 inch high Mohawk made her look menacing as well as masculine. She was new to Milwaukee and the United States.

She had come here from Mexico to get away from her father, her uncles and any man who reminded her of them. She was so beautiful as a girl that the men in her family couldn’t resist their desire for her. So the frequent rapes and molestations over the years caused her to spend most of her time just trying not to look so beautiful. She was doing a good job of it this morning. But there wasn’t much she could do about those heavenly eyes. Today was her birthday and she didn’t want to celebrate it alone.

You must be very hungry this morning, you ordered a lot of food? asks Lisa with a thick Mexican accent.

I haven’t eaten since yesterday, replied Sondra, I’ll be glad when the food comes.

Today is my birthday, said Lisa, do you mind if I join you? This will be my treat. I will pay

Why sure, Sondra returned, and since it’s your birthday I will pay. And by the way, how old are you?

I am 25.

Then Lisa began to cry.

What’s wrong, inquired Sondra. She moved to the other side of the booth, put her arm around Lisa and began to gently rock her consolingly.

Do you want to talk about it? asks Sondra.

No, not now, replied Lisa.

After about 2 or 3 more minutes of sobbing, Lisa finally gained her composure and wiped her eyes.

Just in time for the food. The waitress brought Sondra her food and asked Lisa would she be sitting where she was. Lisa nodded, still a little tearful, and the waitress brought her food to her new location.

Lisa began to tear into her food like a pit bull. Sondra gently touched her hand and said, Wait, let me bless the food. Dear Lord, please bless the food we are about to eat… Lisa couldn’t hear the words because of the rage and disgust she was feeling. She looked at Sondra, whose eyes were closed in sincere prayer, with a look that went from anger to disgust to compassion and then to relief. She remembered how her father would bless their meals before they ate them and then force himself on her an hour later.

But she couldn’t get mad at Sondra. She was too beautiful and too kind. She reminded her of herself, before the rapes started. But that was behind her now. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She, like Sondra, had escaped her prison of abuse. She was no longer afraid. She could tell Sondra meant her no harm.

How could anyone this beautiful bring anything but joy into a person’s life?, she thought.

They both ate