“Dolores?”
“Willard,
I don’t know where to start?”
“How
have you been?”
“For
a while everything was going swell. I was babysitting two girls eleven and
seven years old during the day while their mother was working. I had a story
hour at the library and lots of kids were coming. I was going to Sunday School
and church with the two girls. Everything seemed to be going fine.
“Then
their father attacked me on the street – slapped me so hard it knocked me to
the ground and I was still on the ground when the police arrived. His wife got
a protection order against him. I thought we were safe. Then, this past weekend
he broke into my room carrying a knife. He said that he was going to rape me,
then cut me up until I was dog ugly.”
“Holy
cow, what happened?”
“I
kicked him in the groin, then I poked two fingers into his eyes, finally I hit
him over the head with several books and knocked him out. Then I called the
police.”
Willard
roared in laughter, laughing until he was crying.
“Oh
Dolores, I wish I could have seen that!”
“I
wish you had been there to protect me. After the police left and I was back in
my room, I sat there with a blanket around me and wishing that your arms were
around me.”
“O
Dolores!”
“Willard,
I had to leave that home. The police are charging him with some felonies. I
will probably have to testify. That is his old neighborhood. His wife told me
that it wouldn’t be safe for me in that neighborhood now. Willard, I am in a
motel right now. Could I come back to Little Rock, meet you there and maybe we
could just walk around some place and talk over our problems. Maybe you would
take me back, but it couldn’t be like it was before?”
“Dolores,
yes you can come back. I have so much to talk to you about. I’ve been working
with children also. In fact I am head of the Early Intervention Task Force of
the police department. We are going to try to reach children at risk before
they get in trouble with the law. Oh, and wait until you see our house. I
painted the outside white with dark blue trim. It is the nicest looking house
on the block, if I do say so myself.”
“Okay,
I will try to get a reservation on the train that leaves here about noon on
Monday and arrives in Little Rock about 3 AM Tuesday. If for any reason I can’t
get a reservation on that train, I’ll call you back tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll
ask for a couple days off and I’ll book us a room in a hotel in Little Rock. Call
tomorrow evening even if you do get the reservation you want. Hearing your
voice is like music to my ears.”
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