Page 5 of Mia Amata

Eva nodded, “I have never seen anything like that before, even with the other ladies we helped.”

They never mentioned names, not because they didn’t care but because they didn’t want to ever slip up at the wrong time for everyone’s safety. Lauren picked up her phone.

“Can you watch our soup please?” she asked. “I’m going to call Audra to see if she can come over later today.”

Eva took over at the stove and Lauren picked up her phone and made the call. “Hey, Audra. Eva and I were wondering if you were free sometime today to come over?”

Eva stirred the soup and watched her mom on the phone.

“Yes, we were really hoping you could today. We have a new kitten we want you to meet.” Lauren stated after a brief pause.

This was a phrase that had been agreed upon a long time ago to indicate they had a person who needed help. Eva knew that her mom’s friend would not hesitate now. As if confirming what Eva thought, she heard Lauren say, “That’s great Audra, we will see you in about an hour.” She put the phone down, and they both quietly got their lunch on the table and sat down to eat it.

“She couldn’t even pick out anything to wear from the closet,” Eva said quietly.

“Didn’t she see anything she liked?” her mom asked.

“She doesn’t know what she likes. She didn’t know what size she was wearing. I checked her clothes to try to see what size, all the tags were cut out of all her clothes. I asked her what her favorite color was, she didn’t even know that. She had to think about it.”

Lauren looked at her daughter in shock. She said, “I have heard a lot of things, but this man sounds like the worst type of monster. I’m sure there is a lot more that we can’t even imagine. That poor woman. I think we made the right decision today.” Eva nodded her agreement as they got up and cleaned up from lunch.

As they finished cleaning, the doorbell rang. Lauren looked at her phone and saw that Audra was there. “Well, here we go. Let’s pray that Mattie is OK.” She went to the door and opened it. “Hi, Audra. Come on in.”

Audra walked in, giving Lauren and Eva a hug. Lauren closed the door, turning toward Audra she said, “Thank you for coming, Audra. Let’s have a seat in here first, we will tell you what we know before taking you to see her.”

They all took a seat; Audra placed a bag on the floor next to her. Lauren filled her in on how they came across Mattie in the parking lot and the steps they took to bring her home with them. Eva described the episode in the bedroom, describing all of the bruising and scarring she witnessed.

Audra was shaking her head in disbelief. “I’ve seen a lot of abused women, but this sounds like an extreme case. I’m really concerned that if she has internal bleeding, we may not be able to take care of her here.”

“We can’t take her to the hospital, he will definitely find her there. I haven’t turned the news on yet to see if he has reported her missing, I am hoping we have some time before that happens. I am really hoping that we can nurse her back to health here while we make plans for her relocation.” Lauren commented.

“Do you have any thoughts on that yet?” Audra asked.

Lauren shook her head, “I don’t. I need to reach out to a couple of people yet to see what is available.”

Audra nodded, “She understands what you are doing for her, understands the danger you two are in right?”

Eva spoke up, “Yes, she understands. She has agreed to do everything we ask for our protection. Honestly, I don’t think she could do anything without permission at this point. I get the feeling that he had so much control over her that she had to have his permission for everything she did, so much so that I think it is possible she may have a difficult time adjusting to a normal life.”

“Do we know how long she has been going through this abuse?” Audra asked.

Lauren shook her head. “We haven’t questioned her very much; I feel like she is in shock right now. The fact that she has been rescued, in combination with probably being terrified that she is going to be found and forced to go back to him, is a lot for her to take in. I would say her most recent beating was last night from the looks of her face.”

Audra stood up, “Well, let’s meet her and see if she will let me give her an examination. I will do whatever I can to try to nurse her back to health here.”

Eva said, “I’m going to stay up here and do some homework. Let me know if you need me.”

Lauren nodded, “She seems to have a good rapport with you, so we may need you to come down to help keep her calm, but it may be good not to have all of us converging on her. If she is comfortable with Audra, I may come back upstairs to give them privacy. We will let her dictate who she wants around or if she even wants anybody at all.” Audra and Lauren head to the basement door and knock.

I heard the knock on the door and sat up, instantly afraid. I had been lying down reading, making my way a fourth of the way through the book already. I had forgotten how much I loved to read. I haven’t been allowed to read for five years. I took a couple deep breaths; I knew it was probably Lauren or Eva. I went up and unlocked the door, pulling it open.

“Come in,” I said, my heart beating fast in fear. Lauren came in, with another lady who was carrying a bag. I backed away a little bit, which did not go unnoticed by either of the women and then followed them down the stairs.

Lauren said, “Hi, Mattie. This is my best friend, the doctor I spoke to you about earlier, Audra. She would like to talk to you, maybe do an exam to make sure you are OK. Can we sit down?” I tried to relax and let go of the fear, nodding my head. They walked to the kitchen table. Audra set the bag she was carrying on the table, turning toward me.

“Hi, Mattie. It is so nice to meet you. Can we just visit a little bit? Get to know each other a little?”

Again, I nodded my head, feeling stupid, for some reason I couldn’t speak. We all took seats at the kitchen table, I found myself staring at my hands, unable to look at either of the women.

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