Page 34 of Bound by Affliction
She pulls her sleeves down into her fists, gripping the material hard. It’s a habit she picked up when she came home. Leah does it out of nervousness, which means all the time, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realizeit.
On a small shrug, she says, “Sucks going through itagain.”
But she talked about it and didn’t break. I hope she realizesthat.
“Yes, but did she help you?” I push a bitmore.
“No.” My gut clenches then drops to the floor. Fucking hell. But she doesn’t give me a chance to speak and continues. “But what did help was something she said to me.” Hope ignites once again in me. “She called me brave. When I was little, I saw a firefighter run into a building that had flames coming out of every crack they could. He raced in not thinking anything of it. My mom and I were at the store and happened to be walking back to the car when we saw it. But to me he was brave. He took the risk to go into that burning building and pull this little old man out, not concerned about his life one bit. That’sbrave.”
Her eyes tear up as she rips them away to stare at the wall. “I can’t be brave. I didn’t save anyone. I didn’t do any good deed to bebrave.Nothing I did in my situation warrants bravery and it baffles me that she thinks thatway.”
“You are.” Her attention comes back to me. “Bravery is living through something so terrible and awful and coming out on the other side. Bravery is walking out of this door. Bravery is talking to someone you just met and laying it all onthem.”
She shakes her head. “You’re wrong. I’m acoward.”
I grab her hand and hold it tight. “When it was time to leave today, did you flinch going to thedoor?”
She shakes herhead.
“Right. You have hurdles to go over because that’s life, but each step is getting you closer to finding you again. That right there isbravery.”
A tear slips down her cheek and I pull her into my body, her head resting on my chest. “The fight, Leah. That’s what you need to find again. The fight to reclaim your life. Those assholes already took too much from you, don’t let them take anymore.”
Her body shakes as she quietly sobs, but this time I feel it’s a release of everything and not wallowing in fear. It’s a start and it’s up to me to see herthrough.
