The Blessing is a fast paced fiction novel filled with suspense and intrigue from beginning to end. Prologue Emily Jeff's dinner was late. I wasn't trying to deny that. I'm a good wife. Jeff has told me a thousand times, "Your job is to take care of me and my boys and nothing else." I tried my best, but sometimes I can't make my body go any further. The logs attached to my feet just refused to move. I had no choice but to surrender to my defeated body. I can't remember the last time I sat in a chair for an hour without being yelled at or called a stupid this or stupid that. I had every intention of getting up from that chair. The clock on the wall was warning me. It was ticking away as I watched and prayed that my eyes were deceiving me. It was 3:00 pm when I woke up. I was already way off my schedule. I wished my body would get the news. Jeff says I'm too stupid to work around the house without a schedule. I would not know what to do if he did not plan every minute of my day. I proved him right when I messed up a week ago and forgot some of my chores. He did not include breaks on this week's schedule. I really had no business sitting down. I probably would not have if the chair had not kept calling me. I guess I am stupid. I can not think of any other reason why I stay here. I know the speech I'll get, and I am all too familiar with the routine. It will take all of five minutes before Jeff starts in on me, "I work all day, Emily, and all I expect you to do is get my food on the table. Are you that stupid? Can't you do anything right?" Then he'd grab my hair and my best friend, the floor, would welcome me yet again. I got up from the chair, moved to the stove, and started his dinner. It was almost done. I needed just a few more minutes. The dogs were barking and straining at the gate. I knew they were hungry. They were always hungry. They see Jeff coming up the road. He'll get out of that smelly van and taunt them with food. Jeff is evil that way. He has no intention of feeding them. He likes them hungry they make better hunters that way. The sun left the house the minute he entered the room. "Emily, where are you? Get in here now " He hovered in the door like a bear guarding his cave. I was still in pain from last night's beating. I knew I could not move any faster even if I tried. I begged God to help me. "I don't know why you insist on whining and crying and praying to a God that does not hear you or care about you. Now get up. You know what time it is." "Jeff, please don't be this way. Please don't. Not tonight it's so cold. I promise I'll be good like you showed me. I won't say another word about anything. Just please don't put me outside tonight. I'll sleep in the kitchen on the floor so I won't disturb you. "I'll do anything you want Just don't turn me out to the dogs. You know they haven't eaten. Your dogs don't like me. Please Jeff, don't." "I wish you'd stop that whining. It ain't like I'm likely to change my mind once it's been made up. You brought this on yourself. "You just don't learn, Em. I tell you to do things one way and you do the other. You still haven't learned. Besides, you need to get out the house. The exercise will do you good." He glared at me and paced back and forth like a lion in a cage. There was nowhere to run, no place to escape to. The floor becomes my refuge. I crouched next to the refrigerator like a frightened child and awaited my fate. I hated him with everything in me. What could I have possibly done to deserve to be treated like this? There had to be a way out of this.