Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
"We currently have four women. You'll be the fifth, and two children. A boy aged six and a girl who is nine. Siblings."
"How many rooms?"
"Eight," I answer, knowing she's curious and trying to get her footing. I'd be concerned if she didn't ask so many questions. It's hard to trust you're safe when you don't know what kind of situation you're getting into.
Her eyes snap back to mine. "There are over a dozen women in that emergency shelter."
The accusation in her voice makes me want to smile, but I know now isn't the time, and it wouldn't be well received given the current situation. She cares for the others she was around, and that is a very good trait to have. It's hard for some to care about what others are going through when they're living a horrible part of their own story.
"I work for Juniper House," I explain. "I have no control over how selections are made as to who goes where."
Victoria has said that their census has been lower than normal after an incident, but I have to wonder whether their vetting process is so strict that it leaves some women without a more stable place to live other than an emergency shelter.
"I can tell some of the women I was with to ask for this place," she says, reaching into her bag.
I hold my hand out when she pulls out her phone.
"I'd caution against sharing any information about your location with anyone. I don't know your full history or much information about your abusive partner, but he could use others to track you down."
She freezes, her eyes meeting mine and holding them for the longest time. I don't know if it is fear or some other realization that makes her pause.
"I didn't even think about that," she whispers, putting her phone back in her purse.
"We want you to be safe," I tell her. "The other women will get the services they need. Let's focus on you for now."
"I can't focus on just me," she says, a waver in her voice as her chin trembles. "I have a daughter."
"Aleah, right?" I recall from going over her paperwork prior to her arrival. "Four years old?"
"Yes," she says, taking a tissue from the box when I hold it up for her. "They took her from me."
"That had to have been a scary situation."
"I asked for help, reported my husband's abuse, and they took my kid," she says, anger coating her sorrow-filled words.
"Have you met with a CYFD caseworker yet?"
"I have," she says. "Nice lady, but I still get the feeling that they're just out to steal my kid."
"I promise you they aren't. They just have to make sure that she's going to be safe. Was she placed with a foster family? Have you had the chance to meet them?"
"I have," she says, her voice lifting a little. "They're super nice people, and I have supervised visitation."
"That's procedure, and has nothing to do with you as a person. They have protocols and have to follow them to the letter."
It's not a hundred percent true. Some kids aren't removed at all, but in her case there had to have been something that raised a red flag, leading them to believe it was in Aleah's best interest to go through that process instead of staying with Kayla.
"Do you have kids?"
I shake my head. "I don't."
"So you don't know what it's like to lose them," she says, but there's no hatefulness in her tone.
She sniffles, wiping her nose with the tissue.
"I feel like such a failure."
"You're taking the proper steps to make sure she has a wonderful life, but it is a process. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that she'll be back with you in a couple of weeks. But so long as you do all the things they're asking of you, the end goal in these situations is always reunification with a parent."
"How long can it take? She's going to forget who I am."
I give her a soft smile. "She won't forget you because you're going to attend every supervised visitation. You're going to do the classes, get the counseling, and participate in safety planning. All the things to make sure you're not just jumping through their hoops, but that you're learning what it takes to keep a child safe. Sometimes it can take up to a year."
Her eyes widen. "A year! I can't go without her that long."
"We're here to help," I assure her. "We can help things move a little faster, but just because the classes are taken and the steps are complete doesn't mean that Aleah will immediately be returned to your care."
"What else is there if that's the case?"
I sit back in my chair, hating that I feel like I'm just hitting her over and over with information she doesn't want to hear.