Escape From Poverty

In the car both Lisa and I were crying; I interrupted my tears enough to tell Jordan what Joe's address was.

We were still crying when we arrived at the mansion. We were greeted by Emma, Robert, Warren, Denise, the nanny, and the concierge doctor, Dr. Barnes, all with distraught looks on their faces. Emma and the nanny took Lisa and played with her and her favorite toys to cheer her up – Emma always seemed to cheer Lisa up if she was fussy – while Dr. Barnes examined me in private in the Study, and dressed my wounds.

When we emerged from the Study everyone was wringing their hands. "She's going to be fine," Dr. Barnes announced." She'll have a few marks for a week or so and then be as good as new."

I actually heard a collective sigh.

Emma and Warren both came up to me and we had an intense three way hug.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Robert answer his cellphone. When he terminated the call he motioned to Emma for her to join him. They talked in hushed tones. Then Emma asked to see m in the Study – the mansion had like forty rooms but it seems like I went into that room as much as any.

Emma held my hands. "The call Robert got from was Jordan. When he and John got to Joe's apartment they found your husband dead and Joe injured. They called 911 from a secure cellphone and then waited to make sure that the police and ambulance for Joe arrived before they took off. We don't want there to be any trace leading to you."

I was surprised by my reaction. I knew that I should feel sadness – and I did, but not for my loss, but for what Matt had become. I was shell-shocked, though; I had had too many bad things happen in the same day to process them. I hugged Emma again, she wiped a single tear from my eye, then said "I want you to move into our guest house tonight. There's no reason for you to go back to your apartment for anything, is there?"

I just shook my head.

I was told that Jordan – who used to be a detective in the metro police force before becoming head of security for the Williams family – would find out everything that he could about the situation and report to us that night.

Everyone there made every effort to make the rest of the day as normal for me as possible. Maria made one of her normal great meals, Warren and I took a swim together, all of us played with Lisa, and before I knew it, it was eight at night.

That night, Jordan and Robert gave me a full report – again in the Study.

"The white powder was almost pure cocaine and was the property of a notorious drug gang, which is why your husband was no nervous about it," Jordan started out. "Joe says that Matt was frantic when he arrived there. Joe tried to calm him down and tell him he had no business having coke around with a toddler in the apartment and Matt attacked him. Joe cut Matt up enough with a knife so that he died, but Joe got knocked out of his wheelchair and injured in the process. Joe could be released from the hospital but the police are keeping him in the protective wing and may arrest him tomorrow."

I started to tear up again.

Then I found out one reason why Robert was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company; he was clear-headed, smart, decisive, and compassionate. "Here's what's going to happen, Charlotte. I will get Joe an excellent defense attorney. I also am appalled by what Jordan tells me were his living conditions – I can't believe that a wounded veteran could end up living like that. I'll make sure that he gets every VA benefit available to him and that he can live in relative luxury at a place where they will care about him. Since a drug gang is involved, I'll get your name changed and have the record sealed, and you can live in the guest house as long as you want to."

I ran up to Robert and hugged him while I sobbed "I don't know what I'd do without you, Emma and Warren." He comforted me. When I moved away from Robert I profusely thanked Jordan.

By then I was dead tired. Emma and Warren showed me the guest house – which I had often seen but never been in before. The bedroom for Lisa and I was much bigger than my entire apartment had been. I brought Lisa into bed with me and Warren snuggled us until I fell asleep then left – at least that's what he told me the next morning, because I was so out of it that I didn't really recall.

I visited Matt's body in the morgue; Emma and Warren accompanied me, which was fortunate since I got weak-kneed and probably would have fainted otherwise. Robert arranged for a short ceremony and Matt's cremation.

****************

After about three weeks I had almost completely recovered from that awful day. The main reasons I recovered so quickly were Warren's love, and that of the rest of the Williams family and staff.

It was a Sunday when I made a decision about my future; I wasn't ready to reveal my entire plan to everyone yet, but I started on it. I had arranged for Lisa to sleep in a modified crib, with a monitor, in the room next to mine. After dinner that night I whispered into Warren's ear "I want you tonight. Please come to my room and show me your love." He got a big grin.

That night Warren made every effort to please me – and it sure worked. I must have had a dozen orgasms, each one more intense than the last, and he filled my pussy with cum four times before the sun rose Monday morning.

I asked to talk to Emma just before lunch; in that Study again.

"Emma; there are no words to express about how grateful I am for the love that you've shown me. I would have expired long ago if it weren't for you. I don't know if I can ever repay you but I have a plan I want to run by you."

"OK," she smiled.

"Once I get my GED I'll get a job and pay room and board. I'll also do any work around the house that you need, and I'll talk to Warren's specialist and find out what things I can do for him that will keep him making progress. Is that enough – if there is more that I can do, I'll do it. Anything."

Emma gazed at me like I read and saw movies about how real mothers – not degenerate whores like my birth mother – looked at their children, with love in their eyes. Given her loving look I suddenly felt obligated to tell her the rest of my plan, even if it got me kicked out of her life. So before she could say anything I continued.

"There is more – something selfish. I – I – uh, I've fallen in love with Warren. I've never been in love before so it took me a while before I realized what the feeling was. If he ever asks me to marry him, I'll jump at the chance – but I want you to know that it is only because I love him and I'll sign any contract saying that I get no money if we ever divorce."

Emma got a smile on her face. "I've told you many times that you have given as much to us as we've given to you," she said. "I understand your desire to feel like you're carrying your weight – even though, Lord knows that you are already. So I accept your plan."

"All of it?" I skeptically asked. "Even the part about Warren?"

"All of it; especially the part about Warren. If you give me biological grandchildren – I already consider Lisa my surrogate grandchild – I'll be as pleased as I could be," she replied. Then she extended her hand and said "Shake."

I shook her hand and then hugged her, and we both shed a few tears of joy.

Warren moved into the guest house with me the next day. I think that he was more thrilled than I was. That day you never would have known that he had autism.

*****************

Life wasn't perfect after that – but for me it was as close to it as possible.

A month after the police arrested Joe the prosecutor dropped the charges. Robert's attorney made sure that Joe got all of the benefits that he was entitled to from the VA, and moved him into a VA assisted living facility where he always seems to be happy whenever Lisa and I, sometimes with Warren, visit him.

I got my GED and started working at a hair salon. I also cut the hair of all of the males at the Williams household, including Robert's, and I helped out Emma with her charities at least ten hours a week.

Warren's progress was so dramatic that the specialist that dealt with him wrote an entire scientific article just about him. I read it – I didn't understand all of the medical and technical terms, but I cried at the parts where the author credited Warren's relationship with me as the most important single factor in his progress. Warren is to the point now where he works a regular job, thirty five hours a week, for one of the subsidiaries to the company that Robert is CEO of, and does better than the average employee. In fact, when Warren meets new people who don't know that he had/has autism some never suspect it.

Warren and I got married a year after I moved into the guest house. Warren and Emma wanted us to get hitched without a pre-nup but I insisted on one. They made it much more generous than I thought was right and at first I refused to sign it; then one Friday night Warren fucked me five times and ate me more times than I could count; he kept me up the whole night. I was delirious the next morning and before I knew it had signed the pre-nup and Warren had spirited it away.

When I finally regained cognizance and complained to Emma she squeezed me and said "You're more my daughter than the daughter-in-law you'll soon be. Please, please, for my sake leave it be."

I started crying then sobbed "OK," onto her shoulder as she hugged me.

When I got pregnant with Warren and my first child everyone in the family insisted that I quit working at the salon, and instead I did volunteer work for Emma's charities; Emma proudly introduced me to all of her friends and business associates as her daughter-in-law – more times than not leaving out the "in-law" part. I never corrected her. When we got married I started calling Emma "Mom" and Robert "Dad." They never correct me either.

I do continue to cut all the hair of all of the males at the Williams household. Also I now run one of the charities that Emma started, one I feel particularly qualified for. It helps single mothers get out of poverty.

Neither our little boy, nor our subsequent little girl, have autism or any other condition – they are perfect.

Robert and Emma are proud grandparents for all three of their grandkids – Warren adopted Lisa, and Robert and Emma treat her no differently than they treat their two biological grandkids. They don't spoil any of them, but are as loving as grandparents could be.

My life is better than that of any princess in any storybook!