Straight to You Page 0,95

I turned back around just in time to see Mr Hill lunging at me but it was far too late for me to prevent his bulk from crashing heavily into me. The force of his body hitting mine sent me reeling across the hallway and my head thumped against the hard wooden bannister. I was dazed for an instant and could do nothing to protect myself as Hill jumped on top of me and gripped my neck tightly with his hard, bony hands. Although much older then me, Samantha's father had the power of a man possessed and I could not prise his twisted fingers away as they tightened around my unprotected throat.

'You can't take her,' he hissed with terrifying venom and spite in his crazed voice. 'She's my fucking daughter and she's staying here with me.'

I struggled to speak and Sam rushed over to try and pull her father off me. He was too strong for either of us and, as I struggled to push him away, he spat in my face. I winced and squirmed in disgust as the foul, sticky spittle ran into my eyes.

'It's up to her,' I croaked, barely able to breathe. 'Let her make the choice.'

Mr Hill took one of his hands away from my throat and lifted it high above his head, ready to bring his fist crashing down into my face. Before he was able to strike me, his wife caught hold of his arm and Samantha grabbed his shoulders. His grip on me slowly relaxed and he stood up, allowing me to roll out of the way. I coughed and spluttered as I fought to take in deep breaths of the stale and dry night air. I clambered to my feet and watched as Mr Hill turned to face his daughter and, with tears running from his eyes, he held her close.

I felt embarrassed again and wondered if I should be watching at all. I already felt guilty at having torn the family apart but to ease my troubled consciousness, I had only to remember that it was Samantha's decision. Whether she decided to stay with her family or come with me, it was a choice that only she could make. It was almost impossible for me to hide the relief I felt from knowing that she had chosen me and I tried not to imagine how I would have felt had she decided otherwise.

Samantha painfully tore herself away from her father's tight hold and turned to face her mother. She hugged her and, once more, tears of sadness ran freely down both of their faces. For a second I looked towards her father but I turned quickly away again when he stared back at me with violent intent. The hate in his face was difficult to stand. For the benefit of the daughter that he obviously loved so much, he managed to contain his feelings. I knew that had things been different then our leaving would have been a much more difficult affair.

Sam walked over to the old woman who sat shaking on the settee and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Her grandmother looked up and smiled. I could tell that she did not have the slightest idea of who I was or of what was happening and, in a way, I could not help but envy her apathy. Sam turned to me and smiled and I knew then that it was time for us to leave. Had I arrived earlier then perhaps there may have been a chance that we could all have spent the last few hours together but I knew that it was impossible now. It was better that Sam said goodbye and left her family.

I cleared my throat and tried to speak to Sam's parents, Before the first words had even come out I gave up as I knew that it was pointless and that anything I had to say would seem conceited and would only anger her already furious father still further. I wished that I could have expressed my sorrow at the way things had turned out but I accepted that I could not. Sam stood next to me and I held her hand in mine. I lifted it to my dry lips and kissed it softly, hoping that the people in the room would appreciate just how much I loved Samantha and that they would understand what I had already done and what I would do to stay with her. I wanted