was like, “All right, babe? What you up to?” Then he came over to look at my homework, and …’
She had to stop then, because she was really crying now. Huge gulping sobs. She was finding it difficult to catch her breath. And from behind her I caught sight of Kieron, just about to open the door from the kitchen, so I pulled her close to me again and waved at him not to. ‘It’s okay, sweetheart,’ I soothed. ‘Take as much time as you need. You need to get all this outside of you, don’t you?’
She pulled back slightly and sniffed. ‘It’s okay … It’s okay.’ She sniffed again, ran the back of her wrist across her face. ‘He pushed me on the bed then,’ she continued, gathering a little more composure. ‘And yanked my pyjama bottoms down. And I was going mental at him. Kicking him and thumping him and screaming. He tried to hold his hand over my mouth but I was biting it, really hard.’ She looked disgusted, remembering. ‘And then he undid his jeans and then pulled them down and got his dick out and then he tried to have sex with me. I was scared to death, but I never stopped fighting him – and I’m strong …’ Thank the lord for that, I thought. ‘And I think he got scared then, about all the racket I was making, because he stopped then and he slapped me round the face. Called me a prick teaser, then, he did. Said he’d kill me if I ever opened my mouth.’
‘Oh, dear God, love, that makes me so angry! Please tell me you told your mum this time.’
She sniffed again, and wiped her eyes. ‘Oh yes,’ she laughed then, almost hysterically. ‘Oh, yes, as soon as she got home and he’d stomped off to the pub. I told her everything. All of it.’
‘Good, love. That’s good. And what did she say this time?’
‘She said …’ Her lower lip began quivering. ‘She said … She was like, you lying little cow ! She said I’d destroyed one relationship and now I was trying to do it again!’ Agitated now, Sophia kicked her legs out from beneath her and, moving to the edge of the little sofa, twisted towards me. ‘You know what she said, Casey?’ I shook my head. ‘She said I really thought I was something, didn’t I? She said, and what made me think her men would prefer me ? She called me a jealous bitch. Yeah, that’s exactly what she called me.’ Her anger had overtaken her pain now. ‘Yeah, and lots of other lovely mummy things like that.’
‘Oh, sweetheart,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe it!’
‘Nor could I – she was just so horrible to me – but it’s true. And that’s when I realised just what a shitty mum she really was. I warned her. I did. I told her straight. Either him or me, I said. Because I wouldn’t be sticking around if she chose him.’ She let out a heavy sigh. ‘But she did. She did anyway.’
I was stunned. Despite all the years I’d been dealing with dysfunctional families, I still found it shocking when a mother wouldn’t put her own child – her very flesh and blood – first in that kind of situation. Yes, there were mothers like Justin’s, who, addled by drug addiction, had their kids do all sorts in order to get their next fix. But to simply call your child a liar and, worse, a jealous bitch – that was quite something. And how old must Sophia have been – eleven? Ten, even? It beggared belief. And thinking of Justin made me think of something else. I knew I had to explain to her that the nature of what she’d told me meant I would have to both record it and also share it with the rest of her care team.
I took a deep breath. ‘I’m so glad you’ve managed to get all this out,’ I said, cuddling her. ‘I’m sure you’ll feel much better for having talked about it, hmm?’ She smiled wanly. Finishing her story seemed to have knocked the stuffing out of her. ‘And you know,’ I went on, ‘what has to happen now is that I’ve got to put it in my log book. Because this is serious and these men should have to pay for what
She had to stop then, because she was really crying now. Huge gulping sobs. She was finding it difficult to catch her breath. And from behind her I caught sight of Kieron, just about to open the door from the kitchen, so I pulled her close to me again and waved at him not to. ‘It’s okay, sweetheart,’ I soothed. ‘Take as much time as you need. You need to get all this outside of you, don’t you?’
She pulled back slightly and sniffed. ‘It’s okay … It’s okay.’ She sniffed again, ran the back of her wrist across her face. ‘He pushed me on the bed then,’ she continued, gathering a little more composure. ‘And yanked my pyjama bottoms down. And I was going mental at him. Kicking him and thumping him and screaming. He tried to hold his hand over my mouth but I was biting it, really hard.’ She looked disgusted, remembering. ‘And then he undid his jeans and then pulled them down and got his dick out and then he tried to have sex with me. I was scared to death, but I never stopped fighting him – and I’m strong …’ Thank the lord for that, I thought. ‘And I think he got scared then, about all the racket I was making, because he stopped then and he slapped me round the face. Called me a prick teaser, then, he did. Said he’d kill me if I ever opened my mouth.’
‘Oh, dear God, love, that makes me so angry! Please tell me you told your mum this time.’
She sniffed again, and wiped her eyes. ‘Oh yes,’ she laughed then, almost hysterically. ‘Oh, yes, as soon as she got home and he’d stomped off to the pub. I told her everything. All of it.’
‘Good, love. That’s good. And what did she say this time?’
‘She said …’ Her lower lip began quivering. ‘She said … She was like, you lying little cow ! She said I’d destroyed one relationship and now I was trying to do it again!’ Agitated now, Sophia kicked her legs out from beneath her and, moving to the edge of the little sofa, twisted towards me. ‘You know what she said, Casey?’ I shook my head. ‘She said I really thought I was something, didn’t I? She said, and what made me think her men would prefer me ? She called me a jealous bitch. Yeah, that’s exactly what she called me.’ Her anger had overtaken her pain now. ‘Yeah, and lots of other lovely mummy things like that.’
‘Oh, sweetheart,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe it!’
‘Nor could I – she was just so horrible to me – but it’s true. And that’s when I realised just what a shitty mum she really was. I warned her. I did. I told her straight. Either him or me, I said. Because I wouldn’t be sticking around if she chose him.’ She let out a heavy sigh. ‘But she did. She did anyway.’
I was stunned. Despite all the years I’d been dealing with dysfunctional families, I still found it shocking when a mother wouldn’t put her own child – her very flesh and blood – first in that kind of situation. Yes, there were mothers like Justin’s, who, addled by drug addiction, had their kids do all sorts in order to get their next fix. But to simply call your child a liar and, worse, a jealous bitch – that was quite something. And how old must Sophia have been – eleven? Ten, even? It beggared belief. And thinking of Justin made me think of something else. I knew I had to explain to her that the nature of what she’d told me meant I would have to both record it and also share it with the rest of her care team.
I took a deep breath. ‘I’m so glad you’ve managed to get all this out,’ I said, cuddling her. ‘I’m sure you’ll feel much better for having talked about it, hmm?’ She smiled wanly. Finishing her story seemed to have knocked the stuffing out of her. ‘And you know,’ I went on, ‘what has to happen now is that I’ve got to put it in my log book. Because this is serious and these men should have to pay for what
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