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Providence The Valley Part Two by Andrea DiMaggio When death like a Gypsy Comes to steal what I love I will still look to the heavens I will still seek your face

It had only taken them an hour or so to get Katlyn moved in. Her possessions, such as they were, were meager. She had some clothes and an old broken CD player along with some CDs and a few books.

She spent her entire first day with April and Lainey offering to do all the housework. She was not unwilling to accept their charity; she was unable; such an effect that the constant abuse by different boyfriends had upon her. Michelle and Diane had offered to take her out to the mall to shop; nothing special from their point of view, just some shoes and underwear and such. The afternoon promised to be relaxing as they and Lainey and April and baby Diane would go out to Olive Garden for an early dinner. Katlyn's response was to run to her room and lie on her bed and cry for over an hour. She was so overwhelmed with the generosity; like eating too much food after fasting for days, it was just too much for her to handle.

She was straddling the gulf between fear and faith. She wanted to believe that God loved her, and these lovely people were trying so hard to help her understand and accept that. But look what Johnny had done to her; look what her other two boyfriends had done to her. And look at what happened when she was little; she had never told anyone about how she had been abused and raped and treated like property; that would come in time.

"Girls" like her, both genetic and otherwise, if you will allow me that distinction only briefly, are considered sluts and whores because of their behavior. But no one acts that way out of a mere choice; nothing horrific begins in a vacuum. Girls and boys act out sexually all too frequently because their innocence has been stripped away brutally by someone older and stronger and bigger than themselves; whether or not they are "girls" or "boys" if you follow me. Subsequently, many of them seek approval and validation for their own sad existence in the only way that had proved to satisfy the one who was supposed to validate and encourage.

Katlyn was no exception, and she had moved from abusive relationships quickly as she outgrew her "usefulness" with her abuser. And since she had no other point of reference than the abuse, she continued to grow more and more reliant on the one thing that kept her in bondage. Her behavior had an entirely sad but understandable explanation, even if she didn't understand herself.

She was in a prison, not of her own making, but she never knew she had the key to her own jail-cell. Even in the safety of her new home, she was a twenty-first century Repunzel, seeking relief from the tower of guilt and hurt. Like a damsel in distress, she needed to be rescued. But her deliverance would be different than the lovely stories of the past. This damsel in distress was about to be rescued from the prison of Shame, not by a knight in shining armor; not by a Lord, but a Lady! But instead of letting down her hair, like Repunzel, this poor girl needed to let down her defenses and let God and her rescuer in to encourage and heal and love.

Diane Alluccio spent most of her days going back and forth between her consignment shop, which was being ably managed by her new partners, April and Lainey, and Michelle's new Gallery and Studio, which opened to little fanfare, as her patrons resided back in Wilmington. Her transition from Mikey to Michelle brought not only personal change, but a new direction in her work. She still worked in water-color and occasional acrylic, but her approach was more spontaneous and alive, and those who followed her work considered her new approach to be the finest of her career. All that to say, the Alluccio's were beginning to establish their own routine, and Diane was more involved with her new love, which is as it should be. However, she still wanted to help Katlyn, so she reached out to the ones she knew could provide Katlyn with the help she needed.

"She's been beaten physically in at least three different relationships, and I don't think any of her sexual behavior is consensual at this point." Diane told Gina, who sat in their kitchen. "She needs help so bad, sweetie, and I thought that you could refer her to someone who could help."

Gina had been praying for when the inauguration would come, and this day seemed to be the opportunity to explore something she and Ben had discussed and prayed about ever since they returned from their long weekend with the Kiernans (see The Secret Redux). They talked about Ben's ministry and where it was headed, and the decision they arrived at did not come lightly, since it impacted them personally as well. In the end, they arrived at two parallel conclusions, both of which would be life altering, but entirely necessary. Just as some couples wonder if the female persona of the husband or boyfriend is spending too much or too little time in the home; Gina and Ben had to decide who would be more effective in the community at large; the community being those hurting children and adults who were conflicted and in pain over their "orientation," as if that were an adequate description or definition of the broad range of the transgender experience. They also needed to decide how much of the relationship would be affected should Ben's "focus" shift professionally.

Gina loved her husband; every bit in every way, and nothing was going to change that. The two would be enjoying each other’s company as husband and wife in their own lives. Professionally, however, things were about to change. Ben had declined to stay at the middle school at the end of the school year; they had a wonderful staff and new personnel with great attitude and talent would ensure that the teens had all the help they needed. Ben's inheritance from his estranged father provided him with the resources to take his ministry to the next level. He would be working full time to counsel and encourage; more time to support and display acceptance and healing through counseling. But the "how" was about to change. Uncle Tony Sorrento, whose name sounded more ominously like a Capo or a Don, was actually a gentle soul and a damn good lawyer. He worked and got some things arranged, completely legal and ethical, so that Ben now also had credentials that certified "Dr. Kathryn Agnes Kelly" to be a qualified counselor among several different non-professional credential agents.

All that to say; Gina arranged an appointment for Monday at four-thirty in the afternoon for Katlyn Carlucci to have her first counseling session with Dr Katie Kelly. Now I did say that this modern Repunzel was going to be rescued by a Lady, didn't I. But Dr. Kelly wasn't her rescuer. Dr. Kelly would almost be like the narrator of this tale, which would have been fanciful and romantic at first if not for the brutality and shame of Katlyn's abusers. No, the rescuer in question was someone from another friend's past; she would arrive in the midst of this narrative entirely due to providence.

The Valley Song — Jars of Clay

Next — A “Harvest” of Grace for Katlyn.