“No, and my kids are really not Sheila, Alice, and Adam either.” We all shared a good laugh. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon enough. It’s kind of like playing a game; except the stakes are higher and all mistakes have serious repercussions. Both of you have to make sure you never mention your real names again.”
“Cool!” I exclaimed, treating it like an espionage mission. “This is going to be a blast!”
Momma didn’t seem as excited. “What about Kandace’s, I mean Rhonda’s education?”
“The school records, immunization forms, and everything else have been taken care of,” Irene soothingly reassured her. “Just relax and enjoy the train ride. You both must be mentally and physically exhausted.”
I had to admit she had a valid point. As if to confirm her suspicions, Momma and I were both asleep within the next fifteen minutes.
After we got to Portland, Irene hailed a cab and shuffled us inside. She explained Safe Haven in more detail on our way there. It was originally started by a group of Catholic nuns in the early 1940s and had been going strong ever since. The only people who knew the exact location were those who stayed there at one point or another. She stressed that we must never reveal the location to anyone, or Safe Haven would become not only unsafe but downright dangerous. All the women and children there were hiding from something or someone, including her, and the protection of the group rested totally upon the shoulders of the residents. No one ever dropped by for visits because no one was ever invited. The length of stay per family depended upon a variety of factors, including but not limited to, gaining steady employment, progress in the therapy sessions because everyone was required to undergo some form of therapy or counseling, and emotional strength to go forward alone.
Momma assured Irene that we would be there two, three months tops. She didn’t want to impose on them any longer than that. I couldn’t fathom how she came to that time frame, considering she was always so reliant on Josh throughout their marriage, but I kept my two cents to myself.
Safe Haven was breathtaking. It was right on the coast and sat on at least a hundred acres. It looked like something out of a movie. There were huge, thick wooden doors with a silver knocker positioned in the middle of each one, cobblestone floors throughout the entry level, and the biggest fireplace I had ever seen in the living room.
Everyone was so nice, it was incredible. Sheila and I hit it off right away. She was a tall brunette with deep-set gray eyes like her mother. It looked like Irene had literally spit her out. Her younger siblings were adorable and jumped all over my lap until I couldn’t feel my legs. I didn’t mind. It was refreshing to be around happiness for a change. I hoped some of it would rub off on me.
There were ten families currently residing at Safe Haven, excluding us, and the upstairs was divided into four wings. Irene introduced us to Maddie, who ran the day-to-day operations while Irene was traveling cross-country rescuing troubled souls. She was a heavyset woman with pale skin and salt and pepper hair. She huffed and puffed up the flight of stairs and showed us to our room in the south wing. It had twin beds and a private bath. Momma’s face frowned up the second Maddie left.
“Not much space in here, Kandace.”
“You mean Rhonda!” I lashed out at her, correcting her mistake. “We have to be extremely careful, Momma. You heard what Irene said.”
“Well, it’s easier for you,” she replied, with an edge of sarcasm in her voice. “You never call me Nina anyway. You still get to call me Momma. I’m the one that has to adjust.”
I sat down beside her on the bed. “We both have to adjust, Gladys.” We both chuckled. “I love you, Momma.”
“I love you too, Baby.” Momma embraced me again and it hit me that she had hugged me more times in the space of one day than she had the entire time she was married. “Are you hungry? Irene said they saved us some dinner.”
“No, it’s really late.” I got up and heaved my duffel bag onto the other bed, unzipping it to search for the large red tee I always slept in. “I think I’m going to hit the sack. Tomorrow’s a brand-new day.”
“And a brand-new life,” Momma added, turning down her own bed. “I’m too tired to even change. That nap on the train helped, but I’m still worn out.”
I went into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. When I returned, Momma was snoring softly. I covered up her legs and got into my own bed. My new bed in my new room in my new home. I wondered what Josh was doing at that very moment. Probably pacing the floor or throwing dishes against the wall or some other immature behavior. Maybe he was actually concerned and had the local police over there filing a report. I was glad Momma didn’t leave him a note. He didn’t deserve one. He didn’t deserve anything.
One Year Later
Momma lasted three weeks. Three lousy weeks before she went crawling back to Josh. Irene had arranged for her to wait tables at a Mom and Pop restaurant in town. She hated it and came home exhausted every night. As far as I was concerned, anything was a step up from scrubbing toilets and changing funky sheets at that motel. I guess she didn’t see it that way.
One night, Maddie went into town to pick her up, and the other waitress, Peaches, told her that “Gladys” had asked one of the regular customers, a trucker who went by the handle of Red Dragon, for a ride out of town. I was devastated when I heard the news and didn’t eat for four days. Everyone tried to console me, but to no avail. How could Momma do that to me? How could she choose a man over her own flesh and blood?
I tried to convince myself that she hadn’t gone back to Josh. I dialed our old number and it was disconnected so I decided to call Mrs. Cowan. She was elated to hear
my voice and asked me why I didn’t mention that I was moving to Atlanta to stay with relatives. The Atlanta comment threw me for a loop. Mrs. Cowan told me that Momma had personally explained the situation to her when she and Josh were cleaning out the apartment and piling everything into the back of a U-Haul. She said they left no forwarding address and the landlord was pissed because the rent was two months in arrears when they fled like bandits in the night. I promised Mrs. Cowan I would write and tell her the truth. I was too upset to go into it over the phone. She wished me well and told me that she would keep me in her prayers. I told her that she had always been in my prayers and thanked her for being a surrogate grandmother during my stay in Richmond. I could hear her weeping on the other end of the line and I fought back my own tears until we hung up. Then I buried my head in a pillow and cried myself to sleep.
Standing here on the coastline, watching the waves crash against the shore, I have no regrets about leaving. I wish Momma could be here. I wish she could have been stronger and I realize now that I will never see her again. Sure, miracles can happen but I sense a closure to my past life and, in my heart, I know she’ll never come looking for me. She made her choice and I made mine.
For the first time, I am on the honor roll at school. I even tutor some of the younger kids here at Safe Haven in math and science. Those have always been my stronger subjects. Sheila and I are going to a school dance tonight. I am so nervous. There’s this boy, William, who I’m crazy about. I’m not sure if he’s ever noticed me. If he hasn’t, if he never does, that’s still okay. Someone else will come along, someone capable of loving me for me, and when he does, the way he will touch me will be with love and affection. No man will ever beat on me. Not ever again.
Grandma, wherever you are, I want you to know that I’ve turned my life over to God. I even attend church every Sunday now and sing in the youth choir. Pastor Geoff is always telling the congregation what a beautiful voice I have and it makes me feel proud. I’m singing the Easter solo next Sunday. I wish you could be here to hear me. I wish Momma could be here, too.
I can’t promise that I’ll grow up to be a surgeon or a lawyer or a famous singer. I can promise that, no matter what I grow up to be, I’ll be happy. I’ll be happy because I know, at least for this family, that the cycle of violence has finally been broken.
Zane is the New York Times Bestselling author of ten books (Afterburn, Addicted with a Twist, Skyscraper, Nervous, The Sisters of APF, Gettin’ Buck Wild: The Sex Chronicles 2, The Heat Seekers, Shame on it All, Addicted, and The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth ) and the editor or contributor of several anthologies including the upcoming Love is Never Painless and the Publisher of Strebor Books International. She resides in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.
GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS
J.L. WOODSON