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Images 42
Chapter 42
As a girl…for me there is something as close to pure joy to just walk up and wrap your arms around you father and bury yourself into that man that will always love you. “Hey Daddy…” I love just being able to do this. Its gets so much better when he hugs me back in that Daddy strong way and it lifts my soul as he lifts me off my feet a little.
Giselle’s watching us with huge eyes and holding her whisk in both hands. She’s never seen this…I know she’s haven’t. He set’s me down and he looks at her and he smiles but carefully say’s “Hi.” With this big smile on his face.
She breaks out into the grin she gets that smile little kids get just so huge. “Hee!” and she starts to giggle and bounce in the high chair. And when he leans over she bops him with the whisk and squeals laughing. “Hee!”
He just smiles this great big smile and then looks at me. “She’s beautiful Jenna.”
I smile and tickle her sides. “You have the papers drawn up Dad?”
“Yeah, it sounds like she’s a real handful she’ll likely not sigh them.”
“I’ll make her sign them.”
“As an officer of the court I never heard that.”
“I didn’t mean it that way Dad.”
“I know, I was joking.”
“Can you get them? I’m not wasting any time here with Ingrid. She might not have the time to waste or she’s just…she’s not fighting back and I’ll drag her into the fight for her life kicking and screaming if I have to.”
“She might hate you for doing this.”
“She’s hated me before…I’ll live. Besides it’s not for me it’s for our daughter and even if it doesn’t work out we’ll be able to look Giselle in the eyes and said that we tried everything. Can you watch her until I get back?”
“Sure honey, I’ll be right back.”
He moves and goes out to the front of the diner and comes back with his briefcase and he takes out two sets of papers with that blue backing you see in legal documents. I take them and I hug him then I head upstairs to where Ingrid’s at and she’s sort of doze watching stuff on TV.
“Hey…”
“What.”
“We need to talk.”
“About?”
“I have papers for you to sign.”
“Papers you went and lawyered up already? I don’t have anything Jenna…suing me won’t get you squat.”
I go over and sit down beside her on the couch. “I’m not suing you Iggy.”
“Then what’s with the papers?”
“The first ones are custody papers.”
“We went over those; I told you I want you to take her.”
“The second ones are power of attorney.”
“What!!! No fucking way?”
“Yes.” I say it firmly. “I’m the father of your child and I’m the only one you effing got right now and you’ll sign these bloody things and you’re going to do what I tell you too.”
“And If I don’t?”
“I’ll call your parents; tell them they have a grand daughter.”
“No!!!” she screams it at me, even tries to kick me.
“No! No fucking no! You keep that bastard away from her!!! He’s never to see her ever!”
Whoa…
WTF?
“Iggy…who…Iggy chill!” I have to grab her legs and hold them.
“Jenna…Nooo…please…please Noooo…he’ll touch her…he’ll do it he’ll touch her like he touched me…”
Fuck…
“Who touched you?”
“Dad…”
She breaks down and starts to cry, to bawl and hug the pillows…I slip off the couch to the floor and wrap my arms around her and pull her head into my chest.
“I was sevennnnnnnn…….” She wails that into my chest and she hangs on tight to me.
Seven…
Seven years old and he…he molested her…
I’m not saying that’s what made her gay…you’re born that way in my beliefs but Ingrid was always considered that goth emo girl that was even odd and screwed up for the gothy emo kids. I really didn’t know…
“He won’t get near her; I promise he’ll never get the chance…”
“Promise me!, You fucking promise?”
“I promise…I’ll protect her with my life Iggy.”
(Sniffle…) “Gimmie the papers…”
“Give yourself a few minutes….”
“Okay… (Sniffle.)…this really sucks….”
“You need to talk about this.”
“I…I can’t…”
“Yes you can, you have too Ingrid this is pain you don’t need…It’s killing you.”
“The cancer’s killing me.”
“And you think this shit’s not helping it along? Getting through this is as much about heart as there is medicine.”
“You never talked like this before…”
“No…I’ve learned a lot since we’ve been together like this.”
“Jenna…?”
“Yes honey?”
“I’m sorry…”
“I know honey.”
“I…for everything…”
“I know…”
“Can you…Do you forgive me?”
“I already have…in my way…I’ll never forget it, but yeah…Love the sinner and hate the sin.”
“Yeah you’re into god and stuff.”
“I’ve my own faith yeah and I’m not so much about the hate stuff…”
“I never got the whole bible thing…it’s full of crap…”
“It is because man wrote it, people messed with it, honestly honey I just want to believe in things that move me…heck I follow the Dali Lama on FaceBook.”
“But the world’s just…”
“The world is the world honey it’s only changed in context.”
“You should write self help stuff.”
“You think a lot when you’re on the edge of suicide for a long time…transitioning or trying to…alone…then finding faith, family, lots of therapy…”
“You’ve been through so much…”
“You too…Ingrid?”
(Sniffle.) “Yeah?”
“It’s going to get worse…It’s going to be hard but I’ll be here with you.”
“Promise?”
I hold up my pinky. “Heck yeah.”
She hooks her pinky in mine. “Okay give me those papers…”
I watch as she sign’s over the papers both the sets for custody and for me being her power of attorney. There’s going to be a long tough go with her medical issues and her attitudes and getting her to go…even after this…she’ll still fight me.
She lays back down and smiles shyly at me a little before curling into her pillow.
I even lean down and kiss her forehead before going downstairs.
She needs to talk about her dad…to get it out there and to press charges…I’m not letting this slide…I need to protect my daughter from him and Ingrid needs to do this.
I need to talk to Daddy about this.
I’m going to protect my family….no matter what.
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Comments
Powerful...
And painful.
It'd be really hard to pick one of your ongoing sagas out as the best, but this one is right up there.
Thank You
Thank You Abby:)
I've always liked this story and really do enjoy writing for it and bringing about the things that happen in life and how life gets layered and complicated and very real.
*Great Big Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Darn you Bailey...
You just won't make it easy for me to hate Ingrid. *grrrrrr* Her actions are just so beyond the pale it should be easy to cast her as the mustache twirling villain of the piece. She should be Images version of Jem's Adam but you go and make her all complicated and real. *sigh*
I don't talk about my faith because it's very personal to me also but I totally get where Jenna is coming from. I struggle to be as forgiving with Ingrid as Jenna is but given everything Ingrid did to her if anyone has the right to say she should be forgiven it's Jenna. And then there is the revelation about Ingrid's father. It warmed by heart to see how protective Ingrid was of Giselle despite saying she has no connection to her... *sigh* You're making it harder and harder for me to hate Ingrid.
Jenna's right in that she has to protect her family no matter what. I fear she's going to need to throw Ingrid through the emotional sausage machine to get her to press charges against her father. If she doesn't then I'd imagine a court would grant any application from him for access rights to Giselle which is the last thing she needs.
On the plus side, Giselle got to meet her good grandfather. :-)
I think of all your characters there is just something about Jenna that seems to 'click' with me and it's always great to see another chapter of this story. Thank you Bailey.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Jenna;'s a great character very much herself...
but as brave as she is the whole thing with Ingrid is going to be really hard on everyone I think. I think Emotional sausage grinder is a great analogy.
*Great Big Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
“I promise…I’ll protect her with my life Iggy.â€
wow. So Iggy was molested. Explains a lot about her life, dont it?
And just like that, Iggy and I have become sisters - both members of the family of the abused, and I'm going to have to cheer for her no matter how sucky she behaves ....
Yeah there was some thoughts of that in this one Dorothy.
There'll be other stuff coming that I'm working on for this. I've never really done as much research in a story than Images and the music for Jem.
*Great Big Angel Hugs*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
Re: "I promise. I'll protect her with my life, Iggy."
Add me to the "family of the abused", I was 4.5 years old when I was first raped.
Not so sure if I'd want to cheer for Ingrid, but I might well be pissed off enough to fight in/from her corner.
As much as Ingrid is an utter bitch at this point, there is the chance that she can learn from all of this happening.
messed with the wrong people
jenna will see justice served. I can understand that.
good chapter, thanks
Justice and hopefully balance and compassion.
She's got a lot on her plate for sure.
*Hugs and Howls*
Bailey.
Bailey Summers
I hate how someone who is
I hate how someone who is supposed to be a parent can hurt their child that much.
Ingrid has been a s*%t but maybe with help she can be better.
Fingers crossed n big hugs
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
Jenna wants that...so even if she ends up dying....
Ingrid can maybe be a better person and she'll be able to show their daughter that her mother could be and tried to be a decent person.
*Great Big Angel Hugs*
Fingers crossed too.
Bailey.
The Godfather;)
Bailey Summers
Now I know the question
To life, death, and everything :-)
Thanks a lot!