in the kitchen waiting for me.
“We need to do something for that girl. That woman is absolutely nuts,” he explains.
“I know Dad, but really, what can we do? Tenley has told me how she has told countless counselors and teachers how her mom verbally abuses her, but no one can do anything. According to her, verbal abuse is far too difficult to prove.”
“This is just extremely frustrating. I can’t believe anyone can treat another person like that, much less that a mother would treat her child that way. We are going to do everything we can, you and me, to get her out of that house as much as possible.”
“I am going to go see if she is in her room, you know, just make sure she is okay.” I said.
When I get to my room and look over I can see that her light isn’t on, but it flips on within a minute. I see her walk in, and she comes right to the window. Grabbing my trusty sketchpad again I write, “PHONE?”
I ask her if she is okay, and she texts back that she is going to bed, although it is only three in the afternoon. I wonder how often she does this. Just goes to bed in the middle of the day so that she doesn’t have to deal with her mom. I reassure her again that I will fix this somehow and go back downstairs to talk to my dad.
When I walk back downstairs, I can hear him finishing up on the phone with my aunt Mel.
“Yeah, Mel, if you could just bring all of your stuff with you and pick up the dress I ordered on your way here. Yeah, let’s just hope this works! I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“What was that all about?” I ask.
“Nothing other than that your father is a genius,” he gloats. “I picked out a dress for Tenley online, and your aunt Mel is coming to do her hair and makeup. You, my boy, are taking that girl to homecoming tonight!”
“Well, you and I both know that that isn’t going to work. There is no way her mother is going to let her go to homecoming.”
“Nope, I thought of that. She is so worried about being alone, I figure if I ask her to dinner, she won’t be able to say no right? And I am going to explain that I need Tenley to go with you because you are “having such a hard time adjusting.” She won’t be able to say no, because not only will she not want to disappoint me, but she can’t very well go out to dinner with me and leave her at home alone, because she doesn’t trust her. It is really quite brilliant if I do say so myself.”
“Wow, you have kind of thought of everything haven’t you?”
“Yup, like I said, brilliant.”
“So are you actually going to go to dinner with her? You don’t actually like her do you?”
“Blech. No. But Tenley needs all the help she can get right now. I saw the sadness you described, and two minutes with her mother, and I completely understand where she is coming from. I want to help her. I wasn’t able to help your mom, and that is something I will always regret, but Tenley is too young and has far too much potential to have her life taken away from her like this. So I am sacrificing myself for the night, for her, and for you. If you were any more smitten with that girl, I think you would lose your mind.”
“Shut up. I am not smitten. And also, you should know? No one says smitten anymore, update your vocab, daddio,” I laugh.
“Haha. Very funny. I’m old; deal with it.”
“Hello?” I hear my aunt call from the front door.
“Hey, Melly! Thanks for coming on such short notice. Did you get the dress?”
“I did, Jackie, and I…”
My dad quickly cuts her off. “Don’t call me Jackie. You know I hate that.”
“Don’t call me Melly, then. You know I hate that,” she smarts back at him.
“Touché.”
“Anyway, I picked up the dress; however, you failed to get shoes, so I picked some up in a few different sizes for you. I also picked up some jewelry to match the dress. You’re welcome.”
“Aunt Mel, you are my hero!” I exclaim.
“Hey,” my dad yells “This was my idea!”
“Yes,
“We need to do something for that girl. That woman is absolutely nuts,” he explains.
“I know Dad, but really, what can we do? Tenley has told me how she has told countless counselors and teachers how her mom verbally abuses her, but no one can do anything. According to her, verbal abuse is far too difficult to prove.”
“This is just extremely frustrating. I can’t believe anyone can treat another person like that, much less that a mother would treat her child that way. We are going to do everything we can, you and me, to get her out of that house as much as possible.”
“I am going to go see if she is in her room, you know, just make sure she is okay.” I said.
When I get to my room and look over I can see that her light isn’t on, but it flips on within a minute. I see her walk in, and she comes right to the window. Grabbing my trusty sketchpad again I write, “PHONE?”
I ask her if she is okay, and she texts back that she is going to bed, although it is only three in the afternoon. I wonder how often she does this. Just goes to bed in the middle of the day so that she doesn’t have to deal with her mom. I reassure her again that I will fix this somehow and go back downstairs to talk to my dad.
When I walk back downstairs, I can hear him finishing up on the phone with my aunt Mel.
“Yeah, Mel, if you could just bring all of your stuff with you and pick up the dress I ordered on your way here. Yeah, let’s just hope this works! I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“What was that all about?” I ask.
“Nothing other than that your father is a genius,” he gloats. “I picked out a dress for Tenley online, and your aunt Mel is coming to do her hair and makeup. You, my boy, are taking that girl to homecoming tonight!”
“Well, you and I both know that that isn’t going to work. There is no way her mother is going to let her go to homecoming.”
“Nope, I thought of that. She is so worried about being alone, I figure if I ask her to dinner, she won’t be able to say no right? And I am going to explain that I need Tenley to go with you because you are “having such a hard time adjusting.” She won’t be able to say no, because not only will she not want to disappoint me, but she can’t very well go out to dinner with me and leave her at home alone, because she doesn’t trust her. It is really quite brilliant if I do say so myself.”
“Wow, you have kind of thought of everything haven’t you?”
“Yup, like I said, brilliant.”
“So are you actually going to go to dinner with her? You don’t actually like her do you?”
“Blech. No. But Tenley needs all the help she can get right now. I saw the sadness you described, and two minutes with her mother, and I completely understand where she is coming from. I want to help her. I wasn’t able to help your mom, and that is something I will always regret, but Tenley is too young and has far too much potential to have her life taken away from her like this. So I am sacrificing myself for the night, for her, and for you. If you were any more smitten with that girl, I think you would lose your mind.”
“Shut up. I am not smitten. And also, you should know? No one says smitten anymore, update your vocab, daddio,” I laugh.
“Haha. Very funny. I’m old; deal with it.”
“Hello?” I hear my aunt call from the front door.
“Hey, Melly! Thanks for coming on such short notice. Did you get the dress?”
“I did, Jackie, and I…”
My dad quickly cuts her off. “Don’t call me Jackie. You know I hate that.”
“Don’t call me Melly, then. You know I hate that,” she smarts back at him.
“Touché.”
“Anyway, I picked up the dress; however, you failed to get shoes, so I picked some up in a few different sizes for you. I also picked up some jewelry to match the dress. You’re welcome.”
“Aunt Mel, you are my hero!” I exclaim.
“Hey,” my dad yells “This was my idea!”
“Yes,
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