A Simple Love

Chapter 3

Jen's childhood....

Jen was born into a seemingly normal family. Her parents were hard-working people who loved her, and she felt like she belonged. But as she got older, she started to notice that something was wrong. Her father would come home from work and he would be in a bad mood. He would yell at her mother, and sometimes he would hit her. Jen was too young to understand what was going on, but she could feel the tension in the air. She would often hide in her room, scared of what might happen next. Jen looked like her father, blonde hair and blue eyes, hers were more blue then his, Rosy cheeks and a fair skin that looked so soft to the touch.

One day, Jen and her mom were doing the dishes when they spotted her father and form the way he moved her mother knew he was in a foul mood so she gave her a meaningful look and said, "Go hide, my love. I'll be right there to find you."

Jen nodded and ran to her room. She hid under the covers, scared to make a sound. She could hear her father yelling downstairs, and she could hear the sound of things being thrown. She covered her ears and tried to focus on anything else. Then, she heard a loud crash, followed by silence. A few minutes later, she heard her father's footsteps coming up the stairs. He opened the door and went to where Jen was hiding. He removed some boxes and found a gun but before he could leave, he spotted Jen and with tears in his eyes he whispered "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" then he went down stairs and what Jen heard next was a big bang.

Jen was left alone, and she didn't know what to do. She is scared and confused, and she doesn't know if she should stay where she is or try to find help. She decides to stay where she is and wait for her mother to come get her. After what feels like hours, she hears a knock on the door. She doesn't know who it could be, and she is too scared to answer. The knocking continues, and then she hears someone call out her name. She recognizes the voice - it's Mrs Jonah, her nextdoor neighbor.

Jen's neighbor finds her, calls the police, and they arrive at the house. They find Jen's parents, who are dead. They take the bodies away, and Jen is left alone in the house. A couple of days later, a social worker arrives and takes Jen to her aunt's house. It's a long drive, and when they arrive, Jen sees a woman who looks like her mother, dark brown hair and dazzling hazel eyes with a black long sleeved dress.

She runs up to the woman crying and hugs her tightly and says "mama, mama"

But her aunt readjusts her and tells her, "I'm not your mama but your aunt Maria."

Jen's aunt takes her inside the house. Then reintroduces herself as her aunt and explains that she'd live with her from now on. Jen is confused but she doesn't dare ask why she has to live with her, she just wants to see her mama. A few days later, Jen and her aunt attend her mother's funeral and Jen cries her heart out.

"mama, mama" she cried as she touched her mother's coffin.

Once her mother was laid they left and she never saw her father's body because her aunt got her father cremated and said he didn't deserve a proper burial as far as she was concerned.

As the years go by, Jen understands what her aunt is a very strict and demanding woman. She makes Jen follow a set of rules, and if she breaks any of them, she is punished. Jen finds it very difficult to adjust to this new life, and she longs for the freedom she had at her old house. Her aunt is very demanding, and Jen often feels like she can't do anything right. She wonders if she will ever be able to live a normal life again. So, as Jen's aunt enforces her rules, Jen starts to feel more and more trapped. One night, when she is supposed to go to bed, she can't bring herself to get into her bed. She goes to the closet instead and curls up in a ball, trying to find comfort in the darkness. As she tries to sleep, all she can think about is her parents and what happened to them. She wonders if she could have done something to stop it, and she feels guilty for not being able to help them. She falls asleep, but her dreams are full of violence and fear. She hears her door open and she's scared she'd be found by her father but it was her aunt. Her aunt is furious to find her in the closet and tells her to go to bed and stay in bed which she does.

A few days later, her aunt has a visitor who is actually her best friend, Miss Katherine Peterson, Katherine is tall and is a redhead, she's kind with cautious brown eyes that could look right through you. As Jen's aunt talks to her friend, Katherine, Jen can hear them from her room. She is trying to be quiet, but she can't help but listen. She hears her aunt say that she feels angry every time she sees Jen because she reminds her of Jen's father. Katherine asks her aunt if she thinks Jen is dangerous, and her aunt says that she doesn't know. She says that Jen seems like a good kid, but she is worried that there is something dark inside of her. As Jen listens, she feels a mix of emotions. She is angry and scared, but she is also hurt. She doesn't want to be seen as a bad person, and she doesn't understand why her aunt feels this way about her, she whispers to herself, "I'm not like him, I'll never be like him."

That night, Jen can't sleep. She is thinking about what her aunt said, and she is starting to feel like she is losing hope. She wonders if she will ever be able to have a normal life. In the morning, her aunt tells her that she has to go to school, and Jen tries to put on a brave face, she tries her hair up and wears a lovely green dress, as she walks to school, she tries not to make eye contact with anyone.

When Jen gets to school, she tries to focus on her classes, but she can't stop thinking about what her aunt said. She feels like she is being watched and judged by everyone around her. At lunchtime, she has no where to sit so she goes to the library to get away from the stares and whispers. She is sitting in the corner, reading a book, when she feels someone sit down next to her. She looks up and sees Miss Katherine. Miss Katherine asks if Jen is okay, and Jen just shrugs and then apologizes immediately and keeps quiet. Katherine tells Jen that she doesn't have to talk if she doesn't want to, but she is there if Jen needs a friend. Jen starts to feel a little bit better. Miss Katherine seems like she really cares, and Jen is grateful to have someone who is on her side. They talk for a while, and Jen starts to open up a little bit. She tells Miss Katherine about how she feels like she can't escape her past, and how she is worried that she will never be able to move on. Miss Katherine tells Jen, "it's okay to feel this way, just take things one day at a time, everyone has their own journey, and no one's journey is perfect."

Jen feels like she can finally breathe a little easier and says "thank you so much, Ma'am."

That afternoon, Jen gets a text from Miss Katherine. It's a picture of a quote that says, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

This quote speaks to Jen, and she feels a little bit of hope. She knows that she can't change the past, but she can control how she reacts to it. This gives her the strength to face the rest of the day. That night, when she is lying in bed, she thinks about the quote again. She feels a little less alone, and a little more hopeful about the future.

So, the next day at school, Jen is walking down the hallway when she sees Miss Katherine coming out of the staff room. They wave at each other, and then they meet up at Jen's locker. Jen says, "Thank you for the quote you sent me yesterday. It really helped me."

Miss Katherine smiles and says, "I'm glad to hear that. I know it's not easy, but I want you to know that you're not alone."

Jen feels a weight lifting off her shoulders, and she says, "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Then, the bell rings, Jen goes to her class and Miss Katherine heads back to the staff room. During the day, Jen finds herself thinking about what Miss Katherine said. She feels a little more confident, and she starts to feel like she can handle anything that comes her way. At lunchtime, she goes to sit with Miss Katherine. They talk about her aunt and their weekend plans. Jen feels like she's finally got someone who loves her for her, and she's starting to feel like she belongs. As the day goes on, Jen feels a little more like herself again. That night, she gets another text from Miss Katherine. It says, "How was your day? I hope it was better than yesterday."

Jen smiles and replies, "It was."

Miss Katherine smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear that. I'm always here if you need to talk, okay?"

Jen feels like she has someone in her corner, and she doesn't feel so alone anymore. The next few weeks go by, and Jen starts to feel like she's finding her place at school. She even joins the debate team, and she starts to enjoy herself. She realizes that she doesn't have to be defined by her past, and she can start to move on. She knows that it will take time, but she feels like she's on the right track. She has good days and bad days, but she's starting to feel like she's healing.