Love Heals

Chapter Four

He banged the door open and staggered in, causing her to jump in fear. A mix of apprehension and disgust wobbled within her as she cuddled herself up in her bed, not sure of what to expect from him this time.

“Hey, you! What…why are you…. you're still awake” He said, slurring his speech as he was drunk and could barely make an articulate statement.

He moved further into the room, but his movement was unsteady, causing him to fall on her bed. He slowly lifted himself off the bed and looked at her. Suddenly, his eyes changed, and wild thoughts simultaneously flooded his mind.

“Come here!” He commanded the young girl who was already standing, about to make a run for it. However, before she could race it to the door, he was swift to grab a hold of her.

“Leave me alone!” the young girl now desperate for her freedom, screamed her lungs out. She was too scared to imagine what this man could do to her. She had severally borne witness to what he did to her mother and didn't want to end up the same.

Hoping that someone would hear her and come to her rescue, she kept screaming “Leave me alone” as she struggled to free herself from his grip.

The more she screamed, the more he tried to suppress her by covering her mouth with his free hand. She kept screaming and struggling until she started hearing a voice calling her name from a distance……..

“Isabella, wake up!”

“Isabella, wake up!”

She opened her eyes and jerked up, looking around to see Diane sitting by her side, staring at her with worry etched all over her face.

“Are you okay?” Diane asked with concern.

“What happened?” Isabella responded in a confused state.

“You were thrashing and muttering in your sleep. I think you were having a nightmare”

“Oh, it was just a dream” she breathed down thankfully.

Diane studied her face for a minute “Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not really. It's the same nightmare” she sighed dismissively.

“Isabella, it's getting worse. You rarely have a good night's sleep; it's either you're crying in your sleep, you're struggling or you jerk up screaming. Don't you think you should see a therapist?” her voice was calm as she tried to reason with her friend.

“No. I promise you, I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me; the nightmares will eventually go away” She forced a smile as she tried to convince Diane.

“Are you sure you'll be okay?” Diane observed her seriously.

“Yes, I am. Diane, you worry too much. I'm fine now” She brightened up her face with a genuine smile. She was thankful to have someone in her life who cared so much about her. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be loved.

“In that case, get your butt up and get ready for work. You'll be late”

“Well…. about that….I resigned” she said indifferently.

“What are you talking about” Diane asked, trying to decipher what was going through her friend's head.

“It's not official yet, but i will send in my resignation letter today”

“What happened?” Diane asked calmly.

Isabella sighed as she narrated the incident to her friend, emphasizing the part where her manager chose to defend his customer, rather than acknowledging the wrong he did.

“Honestly, I can't deal with such men. It irks me to even think about it” she said as she finished her explanation.

Diane sighed in understanding “So what do you want to do now?”

“Well, I'm not sure. I'll probably find another job” she yawned as she finally got out of bed.

“Whatever you decide to do, I'll be right here to give you all the support you need”

“Thanks, Diane. So what have you been up to?”

“I'm working on this painting and I'm trying to create a certain illusion, but I'm short of ideas”

“Have I ever told you that I believe in you? You're a fantastic artist, and I trust you'll have it all sorted out” Isabella encouraged her as she patted her back.

“Thank you, Bella”

“You’re welcome. I'll go to the grocery store later today to get some groceries; make sure to have fun while I'm at it”

The night Isabella ran away from home was the night she ran into Diane's family. She had finally escaped from her stepfather that night after several failed attempts. She was 12 years old at the time. He had killed her mother anyway, so she had nothing else left for her in that house. While wandering aimlessly and carelessly on the road in that cold and dark night, she was almost run down by a vehicle.

The woman on the steering wheel brought her vehicle to an abrupt halt, alighting almost immediately. She was temporarily in shock from the near accident, as she wondered what a young girl was doing on the road that night.

“Hey young girl, where are your parents?” She asked Isabella, who looked frightened.

“What's your name?” Mrs Smith pressed further. However, the young girl remained mute as she bit her nails - a habit she develops when terrified.

“Okay. It's alright. Let's get you out of here” She beckoned to Isabella who followed reluctantly. For a moment she was skeptical about bringing this young girl to her home, but looking at how helpless and homeless she looked, she decided to take the risk.

When she got home that night with Isabella, she explained the night's incident to her husband, nervously waiting for his response. Contrary to her expectations, he accepted the young girl with open arms and they subsequently decided to adopt her as theirs.

Mr and Mrs Smith took very good care of Isabella irrespective of the fact that she wasn't theirs biologically. After they had Diane, they were unable to have another child. They loved Diane so much, but seeing how lonely she was, they had considered adopting another child, not until Isabella came into the picture.

Diane was so excited to have another sibling she could chat and play with. The girls became so inseparable and this greatly gladdened the hearts of Mr and Mrs Smith. They provided adequately for them and ensured they were well catered for.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck as Mr Smith was diagnosed of prostrate cancer. They spent all they had on his treatment, but his health kept deteriorating. He eventually died a year later. Mrs Smith was devastated by his death, but she tried to be strong for her daughters. However, she had a cardiac arrest which kept deteriorating her health, and she died six months later.

Isabella and Diane were distraught, but they stood by each other through the trying period and eventually swore to protect each other.