Safe and Sound Read Free Page B

and he pinched her arm. “ Now .”
      Lola darted to the counter and plucked the small sheet of paper from it, outstretching her hand with her head down. Bob snatched it from her fingers and she quickly pulled her hand away.
      Bob feinted toward her with his fist raised and Lola jerked back, her face heating as he laughed. “Not so tough, are ya ?”
      Lola stared at the back of his head as he walked from the room, anger and hate burning through her. She could see herself grab a large pot and bash him over the head with it. She could hear the satisfying thud as metal met flesh. She could see him fall to the floor, unconscious and maybe dead. And she was happy .
      She shook the upsetting thought away and swept the floor with renewed vigor.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    2
     
      Lola zipped her jacket and quietly left the house, clutching a purple folder to her chest. A cool breeze blew her hair over her eyes and Lola pushed it away. The sun was bright, warming her where it touched her. The air was cleansing and Lola inhaled deeply.
      Her eyes strayed to the house across the street, not surprised to find it silent and still. It was early Saturday morning, not even eight yet. Lola had to work at noon and wanted to take advantage of the hours before then.
      She turned in the direction of the park. It was a short walk. The park had full green grass, lots of shady trees, and play equipment she and Sebastian used to play on as kids. There was a shelter mainly used for family get-togethers and a basketball court high school boys liked to monopolize.
      It seemed almost every memory she had of her childhood involved Sebastian.
      Lola found a bench and sat down. She set down her pen and opened the folder. Inside were pages and pages of words, some flowing, others erratic, some that didn’t even make sense to her once she went back and read them.
      Lola found one she’d written over six months ago . Her hand paused, and then pulled it from the folder. Her eyes blurred as she read.
    The Truth
    Try to convince yourself you’re sane, try to overcome the pain
    You may feel like dying, but you can’t stop trying
    If you look hard enough, you’ll find a friend
    If you pray long enough, you’ll learn to trust again
    True, you have been hurt
    Yes, you are confused
    But you have to face the fact:
    You didn’t deserve to be abused.
      A sob escaped her and Lola put a hand over her mouth, eyes searching for possible witnesses. She didn’t want anyone to see her weep . It was bad enough she had a tendency to do so on a whim these days; it would be worse if someone saw it.
      Don’t cry. Stop crying. Don’t cry.
      Her eyes burned with the need to release her pain. Reading those words was like reliving the pain and fear and sense of helplessness of every cruel action or word Bob had ever inflicted on her. Lola took a deep breath and shoved the paper back into the folder.
      Blank sheet of paper before her, pen in hand, Lola chewed her lower lip as she tried to put her current emotions into words.
    Acceptance
    She’s dead, I thought. How can she be dead?
    Then I remembered all the pain she’d endured through her life and I understood.
    Physically she was not dead, but her soul was.
    She just sat there with a lifeless look in her eyes and lived in her own world.
    In her safe haven , there was no emotion, only acceptance.
    She glanced up in sorrow and…
    I gazed at myself through a dusty window.
      Lola stared at the words. It was funny how almost every poem she wrote started out about her or her mother and somewhere during the process turned out being about the opposite one. Or mayb e they all were about them both.
      Their life hadn’t been perfect. There had been clashes of will and temper tantrums and whatever else was normal between a parent and their child. But there hadn’t been abuse. Her mother hadn’t locked herself in her room all the time and slept.
      Or had