Author's note: I want to say thank you for the feedback I have received so far. While I try to incorporate parts of the Christian religion-my own faith-it is my goal to not do so in a way that would be overbearing or offensive to those who do not share my belief. Also, all of my chapters are unedited, unless I go back and edit a mistake or two I notice, due to the fact I honestly don't have time to edit and run a household as well. I apologize for the long note, and hope all have a great day.
Abby called me every day during the first month, telling me about school, her step-father, and her mother. She would chatter on for thirty minutes or so every evening, and I very much enjoyed her calls. There was joy in her voice, and I could almost see the smile that I knew would be lighting up her face.
Soon the calls became less frequent as she called only once a week, then even less frequently so that I would sometimes go weeks without hearing her voice. However, whenever she did call, she assured me that all was fine, and told about all sorts of trips and adventures, some that she had always wanted to do, but my limited income just didn't allow.
I would visit her, whenever she asked me too, but soon that too happened less frequently, with Abby reassuring me with news that she was just too busy with school, clubs, and outings with her parents. She talked frequently of attending the local Church of Christ, and of a nice boy she had met there, and a pastor's son at that. I was happy for her, because to me she was very much still my little girl.
Then, one day she called after I hadn't heard from her in three weeks, later in the evening. I picked up the phone on the second ring, and as always she started talking about the great fun she had been having. It was then I heard a loud voice call out from the background.
"What are you doing?!? I told you not to touch the phone!" the male voice yelled, spitting profanities no child should hear.
I heard muffled sounds, then Abby's voice once more. It was shaking as she spoke.
"I-I have to go.." she managed to get out, fear filling my voice.
"Abby, what's goi-"
Click
The line went dead. I stared at the phone in my hand, wondering what I had just heard. My mother's instinct kicked in, so I grabbed my keys, hurrying to the car. A part of my mind said that everything was ok, but it was overridden by the part of my mind that said that something was wrong. As I drove, I whispered a silent prayer, hoping that I was only being paranoid and that nothing was wrong.
When I arrived at the address I had visited just five weeks ago, I found the place empty, and it looked as if it had been for at least a week or two. I noticed an older woman on the front porch of the house just across the road, so I walked over to her.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but a family lived her. A man, woman, and her daughter?"
"Yes, they moved out a week ago, yesterday.Finally some peace in the neighborhood," she told me. "I wouldn't bother looking for them, they aren't worth the time, and if they owe you anything, you'll never see a dime of it. Though poor kid."
"Was something wrong with their daughter?" I asked, my hand going to the cross around my neck.
"The man treated her terribly, always yelling and cussing the poor thing. Saw him knock her across the yard a time or two when he had a drink or two."
I was outraged. "You never reported it?" I asked, my voice a mixture of concern and anger.
"It wasn't my business to, so I kept my nose out of it, and I suggest that you do the same," she told me, lighting a cigarette. I did my best not to grimace, not understanding what enjoyment anyone got from those cancer sticks.
"Thank you, ma'am," I told her, hurrying back to the car. As soon as I was seated and had my seat belt on, I called Abby's caseworker, leaving a message when the call went to voice mail. Then, with nowhere else to turn, I started toward a small church, intent on stepping inside to say a small prayer, and hope that the holiness of the church would bring me even a bit of peace of mind.
Since I was a young girl, raised to religious parents, I had always found comfort in churches, as they opened their arms to me, calling me so that I could find my way to the alter whenever I strayed, until once again I would find my way back home.
It was after the Sunday evening service, but the pastor was still there, so I went inside, hoping to ask for his advice and prayers. As I walked between the rows of pews, I saw him kneeling next to a girl, praying over her while speaking soothingly. The girl looked up at him with a teary face. It was a face I knew all to well. I called out her name as I walked quickly up the aisle.
"Abby!"
She jumped to her feet, rubbing at her eyes as I approached her. I gasped as I saw the state of her face. Her lip was busted, her face bruised, and beneath the sleeves of her t-shirt you could see fingerprints, as if someone had grabbed her tightly.
"Baby, what happened?" I asked softly, looking at her and the pastor at the same time. Abby didn't speak, she just through herself into my arms, sobbing. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, looking to the pastor for some sort of explanation.
"She was like this when she came in. I've already called the police, they should be here any minute, as well as paramedics to look her over. The only other thing I knew to do was to comfort her in prayer and ask for God to help her though her trials, as He will when He is asked. Do you know her?"
"Yes," I told him weakly, pulling Abby closer, and rubbing her back as she buried her face in my shoulder. "Lord help me," I whispered, rocking slightly so as to calm my baby girl.
"I've got you, Abby. I've got you. You're safe now, I've got you," I repeated, over and over, until the police and paramedics came up. By that time, Abby's cries had quieted, though they still flowed down her face. Her grip was strong, but I didn't register the pain, at least not that pain. I only saw the pain that Abby was going through, and for the first time in many years, I found myself asking God a question that even to this day I have yet to receive an answer to.
'Why?"
ns 15.158.61.48da2
