In the Shadow of His Wings Read Free Page A

of vegetables as well. The Bloone’s could easily have hired a gardener if they desired but that was too extravagant for Hilda and she insisted on doing all the household chores herself, with the help of her two children.
    Harold immersed himself in his work and was rarely home. He found Hilda to be a demanding and overbearing woman. She was a perfectionist in keeping a spotless and immaculate home. Hilda ruled the two children with an iron fist, demanding perfection from them as well. The love that Harold once felt for his wife faded just as Hilda’s heart grew hard. Harold was an old fashioned man and it never occurred to him to seek happiness elsewhere. Deep down, he truly loved her; he just didn’t understand the woman she had become. He chose to devote himself more to the hotel business than to Hilda. As his hotel empire grew, his marriage did not. Gerhard was just seventeen and Christine only twelve when their father died of a heart attack. They didn’t cry at the funeral. They could find no reason for tears for they barely knew the man who died. He was a stranger to them. He was the type of man that thought children should be seen and not heard. He had never made an effort to build any sort of relationship with his children.
    After Harold died, Hilda spent less and less time out in her garden and more time in front of her TV. She eventually realized the need for some help and hired a local man to come to the property a few times a week and tend to the yard and garden. The man, Ralph Milgrom, proved to be more than capable. The Bloone property grew to be one of the finest looking ones on the parkway. The house had four bedrooms with three full baths on the main floor. It also contained a large open room for the family living room, dining area, and a large kitchen with an island in the center. The living room was fully carpeted. A stone fireplace and a cathedral ceiling extended into the dining room. A large screened in porch and an outside sun deck, with access to the kitchen made the room bright and sunny. The view from the kitchen was breath taking. A beautiful gazebo was just down the garden path to the Niagara River which could be seen through the trees just beyond. Harold also had a home office but he had seldom used it, preferring to be out of the house altogether when there was work to be done. The house had an attached three car garage that faced the side of the property. The basement was huge and only partially finished.
    Hilda became very possessive of Christine after Harold died. At twelve years of age Christine had many friends at school. She would rather be out with friends instead of coming home after school to be with her sad, overweight, weepy mother, sitting in front of the TV. Christine was happiest when she was away from home. A trip to the mall with her closest friends was best! Hilda was suspicious of what Christine might be up to and she used Gerhard to be her spy to follow Christine after school for a week to see where she went and who she spent time with. Gerhard, wanting only to please his mother, gave her a full report of everything Christine did and everyone she talked to.
    Hilda was not happy to find out that Christine was seen talking to a young man outside of school on a regular basis. She was afraid that Christine might do the same sort of thing that she herself had done and run off with someone. She couldn’t handle the thought of Christine leaving her. She panicked just thinking about it. She decided that she would pull Christine out of school and teach her at home. She would do the same with Gerhard. They would all stay home together. She was sure that was the right decision. She could handle the home schooling and Harold had left some well trained people that saw to the management of the hotels. They seldom bothered Hilda with any details, simply because she wasn’t interested. As long as the money kept coming in she had no interest in business. Gerhard however, like his father