Andre and Paul were kept busy up in the annex getting it ready for the new residents when they arrived. The main house now had a few new residents, but as yet Paul and Andre had not seen them. In fact they would not be seeing them for a few weeks yet, so they were told. They had rather severe burn injuries and they were very self-conscious about being seen in that condition. The professionals were working on that, but it could not be rushed. Once the annex was completed and the local authority had inspected the facility they could then house more people.
Maureen and Gwen meanwhile had spent a lot of time over at the Women’s Shelter and they had learned a great deal. They themselves had been through hell – but they were now learning that Hell came in all shapes and sizes and covered a whole spectrum of painful and agonizing experiences. It was educational to say the least – but they could both empathize with these women. They had both sat down and discussed all manner of topics with these women in addition to the hell that had brought them here. As is often the case, the teacher can learn far more from the student than what they impart to the student at times. As Maureen and Gwen listened to the stories that these women were relating it gave perspective to their own situations.
“God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason” a wise man once said. “That is because your ears are twice as important as your mouth. When you are talking – you are not listening. Only by listening can you determine how another person is feeling. Listening lets that person know that you care – not listening is construed as being dismissive.”
Rachel had voiced those words to Maureen and Gwen on their first day there, and they had soon seen the wisdom behind them. It had never really struck them before, but it certainly did now. They had always bemoaned the fact that men never listened – and they were by no means alone in that, but it never really had an impact. Now it most certainly did. Paul and Andre would find this out for themselves also in the very near future.
The women in the Shelter were there for a reason – whatever that reason was, it would not be pleasant. Many would be ashamed to admit to it, others were just too distraught to even discuss it. A sympathetic ear could be beneficial – providing it didn’t come with a dose of advice and a string of platitudes. Just listening in a non-judgmental way and being there to offer support and perhaps give them a hug, can be far more therapeutic than tranquilizers – it just might heal them faster too. Having someone who understands, without having to be told is indeed beneficial to the healing process. Being accepted and not being considered warped or defective in some way is vital to sound mental health – this is what the Shelter was all about. Maureen and Gwen were now a significant part of that program and were very grateful for the opportunity to participate in it.
***
“Maureen do you have a minute” Rachel called out as Maureen walked passed her office. She then turned back and went in to see what Rachel wanted.
“Maureen this is Kelly Robbins and she is now joining us here. She arrived late last night and I’d like you to show her around if you would please.”
“Certainly I will, that would be my pleasure. I’m pleased to meet you Kelly. I’m kind of new here myself so we’ll make a good pair.”
“Yes, Kelly, Maureen is new here, and like you she too has undergone some considerable trauma in her life. If ever you feel like talking to someone, Maureen is a good listener. It’s just a thought Kelly, but for now let her show you around and how we do things here. I’ll be here all day if you have any more questions, Kelly, and again –Welcome to the Women’s Shelter.”
With that, Maureen took Kelly on a tour of the facility and the gardens surrounding it. There was a tall brick wall around the facility now and that gave the women a sense of security. They were not overlooked by anyone and the property was gated. The only men allowed on the property were tradesmen who were called to repair things, washers, dryers, and other appliances and of course police officers. Maureen did not pry into why Kelly was there. She just took her around and showed her where everything was. Once she had done that they ended up in the kitchen where Maureen made them both a cup of coffee. They chit chatted about many things, Kelly’s kids mostly and how they were doing in school. Kelly then suggested that they go up to her room as she had some photos of the children up there and she could show them to Maureen then. They finished their coffees and went upstairs to Kelly’s room. It was bright and airy, but luxurious it wasn’t. Kelly then pulled her suitcase out from under the bed and laid it flat on top of the bed. Maureen only had a quick glance inside it, but it seemed as if that was everything the woman owned in the world, her photo album being her most prized possession.
“Oh they are so cute” Maureen said, “how old are they now?”
With that simple question the flood gates opened and Maureen was given the whole story then as to what had landed that poor woman in this facility. She had married a Tunisian way back when and they had been blissfully happy. They had two children and they were doing just fine, they lived in a nice neighbourhood, had good neighbors and their children were enrolled in good schools. Then the wheels fell of the bus. Her husband lost his job. He felt it was because he was an Arab and they now considered him a potential terrorist. That simply was not the case; it was just the economic downturn that was forcing companies to downsize. Anyway, he took it the wrong way and became very bitter because of it. He had never been particularly religious previously, but now he began to turn and soon he was very anti- western and pro Islam. With no money coming in Kelly had to find work. Having no particular skills it was hard to find a decent well-paying job. Well apparently her husband had a connection who owned a gentleman’s club and they were in need of a hostess/receptionist. The money was good and the hours were favourable too and Kelly was delighted. She was earning money and they were keeping their heads above water and could now pay their bills. This however was not all that it seemed. Kelly had no idea whatsoever what was really behind all of this. The husband wanted to return to Tunisia and take the kids with him – but he couldn’t, not without Kelly’s permission. He knew very well she would never give that. The only chance he would have was if she were to be declared an unfit mother. So with that in mind he set out, with the help of his friends, to engineer her downfall as a mother. Getting her the job in the gentleman’s club was the start. Now she would be encouraged to progress to the dancing on stage part. Far more money was involved now due to the very generous tips. Kelly didn’t want to do this; she was not that kind of girl. Her husband pressured her to earn more money and suggested that his friend could help her overcome her nervousness - with a little non-addictive pharmaceutical assistance. Kelly was terrified the first time she got up on the stage to perform and she fled in fear before she got started. Omar, the owner, then gave her a little something the following day and Kelly was away to the races. She had no inhibitions that night and guys were shoving all kinds of cash into her G string – her bra was long gone by then. When she recovered she could remember nothing, but she had a pile of cash to show for it. Slowly but surely they turned her into a drug addict and then prostitution followed. She was still at the club doing her act, but now she would screw the patrons too if they asked – and of course be paid so she could feed her raging drug habit. They had set her up big time and one night the police were tipped off and raided the place. She was caught in possession of narcotics, was as high as a kite and was screwing some huge fat slob. All of it captured by video tape - purely by chance of course. Her husband now had grounds to have her declared an unfit mother. He threw her out of the house claiming that he had no idea. He thought she was a receptionist and nothing more. His friend said he felt he couldn’t tell his friend what his wife was now doing to earn a little extra cash. He felt it wasn’t his place and he didn’t wish to throw a grenade into their marriage. Kelly was then charged with a variety of charges and sent to rehab to get clean. Meanwhile, her husband filed to have her declared as unfit and if he won he could take her kids to Tunisia. Kelly was n
ow just fresh out of the rehab center and totally scared to death by the prospect of losing her kids.
Maureen just listened to all of this and had her arm around Kelly’s shoulders the whole time. She didn’t say anything, she just sat there and listened and let Kelly cry it out.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to burden you with my troubles” Kelly said when she regained her composure.
“Why not Kelly? That’s what I am here for. If you can’t tell someone like me who can you tell? I am quite sure Mrs. Malcolm will have people who can help you regarding the court case in fighting to keep you from being declared an unfit mother. She has a lot of connections in this town, Kelly. I’m quite sure she’ll have a few tame lawyers hidden away in the attic somewhere.”
That comment provoked a smile from Kelly.
“Do you think so, really, Maureen?”
“I only came here because I had nowhere else to go, I didn’t know they offered other help as well.”
“Well, trust me Kelly, Rachel has a heart of pure gold and she has similar minded friends too. I have met a few of them and they have a lot of pull in this town. Is Rachel aware of your story or am I the only one that you have told so far?”
“I was too embarrassed to tell her, I’m not even sure why I told you.”
“Well Kelly I’m glad that you did. Now that we know, assuming that you will now tell Rachel, we can set about helping you.”
“Will you come with me when I go to tell Mrs. Malcolm?”
“Yes of course if you want me to, Kelly. We want to help you, that is why we exist; you are by no means alone here, Kelly. There is no judgment here – just assistance for those who may need a helping hand to get their lives back on track.”
Maureen then led Kelly back to Rachel’s office and let her tell her story all over again. Rachel just sat there and listened. At the end of the conversation she simply picked up the phone.
“Is Mary there please?” There was a short pause. “Mary I have a lady here you may wish to speak to. This one is right up your alley and something you’d really enjoy doing.” She listened for a few more minutes and then ended the conversation with – We’ll drop by this afternoon, Mary, around 3:00 pm. Thanks a bunch for fitting us in, Bye.”
“Well Kelly we are in luck, this afternoon you and I are going to see a friend of mine who is one of the sharpest lawyers in town. Her name is Mary Marsh and she is very, very, good. I am quite sure she will take your case, she loves this type of thing.”
“I have no money Mrs. Malcolm; I can’t pay for a top rate lawyer. Few of us can Kelly, but Mary won’t charge you for this one. Like I said she is a friend of mine and also of the Women’s Shelter. When she can, she takes on some of our clients for free – you are one such case. If anyone can help you its Mary, she could even have your husband thrown in Jail if what you claim is true and she can prove it.”
Kelly left Rachel’s office floating on air. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She never though for one minute she could fight this case – but with a good lawyer this was now possible.
“Maureen I’m so glad I told you and that you took the time to listen. I feel like I have a chance now after all.”
“Kelly these people have pure hearts, Rachel was once a nun as well as a nurse. If they can help they will – and so will I.”
“You already have Maureen, you already have.”
When Maureen went home that night she knew she was working in the right place. Her own troubles were slowly being pushed further and further to the back of her mind. Being in love and being loved back had bolstered her spirits significantly. However, being of help to the likes of Kelly Robbins really boosted her self-esteem. She no longer thought of herself as excess baggage – she now had a purpose in life and that was huge for Maureen. Paul had seen this in her and he had told her so – but hearing it from Kelly really endorsed it and made her feel valued. Life had a whole new meaning for her now.
***
Paul and Andre were just finishing work for the day and were walking through the hallway of the main building when a man came out of the pool room. He was all bandaged up and when he saw them he didn’t know what to do. His instinct told him to run and hide, but he had nowhere to go.
“Hi there Buddy” said Andre, “just been shooting a few balls around in there on your own eh? I used to do a lot of that in the armed forces when I couldn’t find a mate to play with.”
“Yes and he always lost too” chirped in Paul.
Both men then walked over to the man and introduced themselves. He was heavily bandaged down his left hand side and was wearing one of those E.R. style hospital gowns. He certainly needed the loose fitting aspect as his burns were still sore. Andre and Paul made no comment regarding them.
“Have you been here long?” enquired Andre.
“Only for eight days or so” replied the man whose name was Ralph Collins.
“Well when you feel up to it, give us a call and we’ll come over and have a game with you” said Andre.
“Do you play Euchre by any chance?” asked Paul. “If so we can get a few more people together and have a tournament – that could be worthwhile, if you’d like to that is?”
“Yes I do play and my brother-in-law does too.”
“Is he in here with you?” asked Paul.
“We both came in together, but he was burned more seriously.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. How are you doing right now, are you getting the help that you need?”
“Yes they are very good to us here.”
“That they are, they really are wonderful people. We’ll let you go back to what you were doing or where you were going and we wish you a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, like we said, when you feel up to it give us a call and we can have a game night. It might break the boredom a little and it should be fun too” said Andre. “We are always floating around here somewhere, so you’ll have no trouble finding one of us.”
Both men then walked away still cringing inside thinking of the agony that poor man must be in. They would feel it even more when they learned the reason behind it all.
If anyone needed to have a little fun in their lives right now it was Ralph Collins and his brother-in-law Ken Heath. Both men had been seriously burned trying to rescue their families from Ken’s burning home. The two men had gone into town to celebrate Ralph’s promotion to regional manager. His office colleagues had arranged a little shindig in a downtown hotel to recognize this and to roast him at the same time. Ken had gone along as the designated driver. The evening had gone very well and everyone had really enjoyed themselves. Ralph was duly anaesthetized at the end having imbibed more than a few celebratory cocktails, but Ken was as sober as a judge. They were laughing and joking all the way home – until they pulled onto their street. They saw the flames immediately; the whole of the ground floor was engulfed. Ken phoned 911 immediately and followed Ralph into the burning home. They gave no thought whatsoever to what they were doing – they just did it, but it was simply beyond them. Ken managed to rescue his wife and child and one of Ralph’s children, but they could not get to his other child or his wife and they both perished in that fire. Ralph was now blaming himself for being drunk and unable to rescue his wife and his other child – but there was nothing he could have done even if he were sober. Ken had gone around to the rear, but Ralph had charged straight through the front door. That was where the fire had started they determined later. Ralph ran into a wall of flame and was beaten back by the heat and he collapsed from the smoke. The fire department revived him later, but he had serious third degree burns. His brother-in-law had climbed up on the rear verandah and dragged his unconscious wife and the two kids out. He then went back in for the others and he then too collapsed. The fire department worked on him for several minutes, but they brought him back finally. His burns were even more serious than Ralph’s. Both men were in intense pain, but their emotional pain was crucifying. This fire was deliberately set – but
it was a case of mistaken identity. The house next door was a drug lab it turned out. A rival gang had tried to burn it down to put it out of business – they got the wrong house. How does anyone live with that? Ralph was a basket case; he had lost his wife and son to a gangster’s mistake. His daughter survived thanks to Ken – but he felt responsible for it all. Had he not gone to that celebration, had he not gotten so drunk, had he been there at the time etc.? He just couldn’t forgive himself. The Fire Marshal found that gasoline had been poured onto the ground floor through the letter box and side windows and one window at the rear. Had the men not arrived home at that precise time nobody would have survived – and had they been asleep inside themselves - they would all be dead now. Both men were inconsolable over their loss. Right now Ralph’s daughter was being cared for by Ken’s wife and she too was distraught, but coping as best she could. She just had to for the children’s sake. That poor woman was also in agony of her own. Who wouldn’t be after all that? She too was now receiving counselling provided by the Women’s Shelter on an out-patient basis.
When Andre and Paul learned what had happened they just cringed. They knew only too well the kind of pain that Ralph and Ken were facing. The cause was different, but the outcome was the same. The abject sense of helplessness would haunt both men for quite some time. Telling them they were not responsible and they could have done nothing differently that would have affected the outcome would be a waste of breath. This was yet another instance of what Tony had been referring to. Andre and Paul just knew instinctively how these men would be feeling and where their minds would be at – they didn’t need to be told. There was no cure for this – time may dull the pain, but beyond that these two men would have to learn to live with it – just Like Paul and Andre were. Taking their minds off it for a while was a good place to start, playing pool or cards here and there – but this was one long road they had to travel down. However, they would not be alone on that journey, Andre and Paul would see to that.