Veronica took her coat off and walked into the kitchen to pull some steaks out of the freezer for dinner. Little Mike came into the kitchen with his coat on wondering when they were going to leave for church.

"Ma, hurry up. We’re going to be late."

Mike walked into the kitchen.

"I’m going out, I’ll be back in a couple of hours." Mike said as he walked out of the back door of the house.

"Ma, what about church?" Little Mike was anxious to get there. He had written a poem that he was going to recite during the youth program.

"We’re not going to be able to go tonight. Daddy wants us to stay home and have dinner with him."

"But Ma, I’m supposed to be doing my poem. Besides, Daddy just said that he won’t be back for a couple of hours." Little Mike pleaded with his mother.

Veronica hated to disappoint the kids. Truthfully, she was excited that Little Mike had agreed to take part in the youth program because she didn’t think that he would even be interested. She was tired of Mike controlling everything by telling her what she could and could not do.

"O.k. Go tell your sisters to hurry up so that we won’t be late."

The youth program was wonderful! The Jr. Faith Praise Team danced and the girls did great. Little Mike’s poem was beautiful - it talked about how God loves and watches over us. Veronica was beaming with pride. She thanked and praised God for the things that He was doing in her and in her children.

She was so full of the joy of the Lord that she completely forgot about Mike. When she walked into the house, he was sitting on the couch. He hollered at the kids to take off their coats, go to their rooms and go to bed. Veronica knew that he had been drinking by the way his words slurred. She kissed each of the kids on their heads and told them to do as their father told them.

By the time the kids had reached their rooms, Mike was in her face!

"So you went anyway!" He said, as he back handed her across her face.

Veronica braced herself for the next blow. She knew that there was nothing that she could say or do to save herself. She used to cry and beg for him to stop but now, she withdrew somewhere deep inside herself. She had defied him and there would be hell to pay...