Troubled
There used to be this little girl that lived across the road from usshe was always out playing in the park, or inviting herself into people's houses. Her mother never seemed to look after her properly, and caused all of us to feel sorry for her.
She was the sweetest little thing. Streetwise beyond her years, beautiful, and unbelievably intelligent.
This evening we found out the mother was an alcoholic and had fallen off the wagon over the last year. The little girl had been missing school more and more often, and eventually the house wasrepossessed.
I've been thinking about it all afternoonsince I found outand wondering what any of us could have done. Would we have been able to help? Could we have been better friends? Should we have realised what was going on?After going through all manner of thoughts about the little girl's start in life being wrecked by her mother, I remembered the stories we were faced with when going through the adoption journeythat the mother was probably in a similar situation. Some people don't choose the life they find themselves leading, and have little or no means of escaping it.
Mostly I feel sorry for the little girl though. I remember the weekends last summer she spent playing with our girls, having lunches and dinner with us, and bouncing around our house like she belonged somehow. We always offered to include her at mealtimes, and she always accepted. We might have looked at each other behind her back, but we never delved any deeper.
Today I wish we had, but I'm not sure there's anything we could have done. We were there many times, and unwittingly gave that little girl an escape from a home life she kept secret from us all.