What really matters...
Trigger warning*** abuse
Richard hadn't heard her come home and wasn't aware she was there. Kelly watched with horror as Richard's face twisted with rage and pulling back his arm, slapped their daughter's cheek. Miri, knocked back a foot, startled and scared, started to wail.
Kelly closed the distance between she and her daughter in a heartbeat. She glared at him while trying to soothe Miri's hurt.
Richard backed away guiltily, calling her name. Kelly, flashed him a withering look of disgust, crossed to their bedroom, and began hastily filling suitcases and bags.
She and Miri were leaving, and leaving now. Thoughts in neon red flashed through her brain, blinking on and off. Why? How could he? God she's only two!
Richard was low level management at the factory, while she waitressed at the diner during evening shift. Tips were better then. Her extra income came in handy with the price of diapers and wipes. Work sent her home early tonight, business was slow and they didn't need her.
Thank goodness they had or Kelly wouldn't have known. God, she's only two!
Kelly tossed their bags into the car, strapping the baby in her carseat. They'd go to her mom and dad's. If her rust bucket didn't make the three hundred miles, she'd call home. Her father wouldn't hesitate, he'd drop everything to come get his girls.
Anything she'd forgotten they could buy. Mom already had a room set up for Miri. Her old room had not been changed either, left for when they could come spend holidays or vacation. She'd call them when her heart stopped racing and she could be coherent. Right now, they had get safe.
It was hard not to blame herself for this. She should've trusted her intuition the first time Richard hit her. She put it down to his having been drunk then. The second time he was sober, and jealous over Kelly spending time with her friends, when her 'place' was at home with him.
She had left him then, and didn't go back until he agreed to anger management classes and counseling. He told her he went. She found out later he lied.
This time, there'd be a restraining order, proof of counseling and only supervised visits, at her convenience. Most likely there wouldn't be any visits. He wouldn't take the classes, and he couldn't lie saying he did, not with the courts intervention.
Kelly wouldn't fall for his act again. These were her conditions. Otherwise there would be child abuse charges.
She watched her daughter sleeping through the rearview mirror. A thousand tears coursed down her face, as she slapped at the steering wheel, while a thousand questions stomped through her mind.
Questions of, Why? Why didn't she figure this out sooner? How could She not have known? Why was she so blind?
Miri sometimes had bruises Richard would explain away with, "She fell." or general toddler clumsiness. He always sounded so plausible when speaking to her. Yet there wasn't a trace of guilt for not having caught her soon enough, or stopping Miri before she got hurt. She should've known but she had been caught in "Happy family dreams." This was nightmare.
"How Richard? How could you? Dear God, she's only two!" She smacked at the steering wheel in frustration and fury.
After a while, the tension between her shoulders eased as her rust bucket continued eating up the highway. She smacked the steering wheel one last time, drying her tears with the back of her hand. Kelly turned on the radio and began to sing along to what was playing, Tom Petty's Free Falling.
"Perfect." She thought as she sped down the road.
"...Because I'm free, free falling!"
Richard hadn't heard her come home and wasn't aware she was there. Kelly watched with horror as Richard's face twisted with rage and pulling back his arm, slapped their daughter's cheek. Miri, knocked back a foot, startled and scared, started to wail.
Kelly closed the distance between she and her daughter in a heartbeat. She glared at him while trying to soothe Miri's hurt.
Richard backed away guiltily, calling her name. Kelly, flashed him a withering look of disgust, crossed to their bedroom, and began hastily filling suitcases and bags.
She and Miri were leaving, and leaving now. Thoughts in neon red flashed through her brain, blinking on and off. Why? How could he? God she's only two!
Richard was low level management at the factory, while she waitressed at the diner during evening shift. Tips were better then. Her extra income came in handy with the price of diapers and wipes. Work sent her home early tonight, business was slow and they didn't need her.
Thank goodness they had or Kelly wouldn't have known. God, she's only two!
Kelly tossed their bags into the car, strapping the baby in her carseat. They'd go to her mom and dad's. If her rust bucket didn't make the three hundred miles, she'd call home. Her father wouldn't hesitate, he'd drop everything to come get his girls.
Anything she'd forgotten they could buy. Mom already had a room set up for Miri. Her old room had not been changed either, left for when they could come spend holidays or vacation. She'd call them when her heart stopped racing and she could be coherent. Right now, they had get safe.
It was hard not to blame herself for this. She should've trusted her intuition the first time Richard hit her. She put it down to his having been drunk then. The second time he was sober, and jealous over Kelly spending time with her friends, when her 'place' was at home with him.
She had left him then, and didn't go back until he agreed to anger management classes and counseling. He told her he went. She found out later he lied.
This time, there'd be a restraining order, proof of counseling and only supervised visits, at her convenience. Most likely there wouldn't be any visits. He wouldn't take the classes, and he couldn't lie saying he did, not with the courts intervention.
Kelly wouldn't fall for his act again. These were her conditions. Otherwise there would be child abuse charges.
She watched her daughter sleeping through the rearview mirror. A thousand tears coursed down her face, as she slapped at the steering wheel, while a thousand questions stomped through her mind.
Questions of, Why? Why didn't she figure this out sooner? How could She not have known? Why was she so blind?
Miri sometimes had bruises Richard would explain away with, "She fell." or general toddler clumsiness. He always sounded so plausible when speaking to her. Yet there wasn't a trace of guilt for not having caught her soon enough, or stopping Miri before she got hurt. She should've known but she had been caught in "Happy family dreams." This was nightmare.
"How Richard? How could you? Dear God, she's only two!" She smacked at the steering wheel in frustration and fury.
After a while, the tension between her shoulders eased as her rust bucket continued eating up the highway. She smacked the steering wheel one last time, drying her tears with the back of her hand. Kelly turned on the radio and began to sing along to what was playing, Tom Petty's Free Falling.
"Perfect." She thought as she sped down the road.
"...Because I'm free, free falling!"