An Honest Day’s Work
Written with @GraceOfAPhoenix.
Bennu: There were days when my job was just one of the most satisfying things I could ever do. Today had started out as one of those days. When I first arrived, I found out that one of our long-time residents, Natalie, had gotten the job we had set her up for and she and her daughter were going to be able to move into their own place.
She had come so amazingly far from when she first arrived. She and her 7-year-old daughter had been beaten severely. Actually, she almost didn’t make it. She had been left for dead. It was a miracle that Havers had been able to bring her back. When Havers had been called by their neighbor, Natalie wasn’t even breathing. Half a dozen surgeries later, between the two of them, and they wound up here, on our doorstep.
It’s been a little over ten months since then and they have both been put through the wringer. There is no reason in this world why a 7-year-old child should have to endure the things she has, let alone what Natalie has been through. Natalie’s cousin came into town from Wyoming to retaliate against the husband, and from what I hear, the husband never had a chance. Unfortunately, the cousin couldn’t stay, which made it harder on Natalie and her young, and why they ended up here. But this evening, she was offered a brand new job and handed the keys to their very own apartment. They had been given a whole new lease on life, and after all the time I had spent with the two of them, I knew they were going to make the most of it.
Strolling into Mary’s office, I couldn’t have been happier for Natalie and her young. However, the reason I was in Mary’s office was that we had a new resident. She had been at the house for a little over a month and already had some intense counseling. Now, it was time for her to start the physical rehabilitation that I could offer. It would be slow to start. Once a week, and depending on how she reacted, it would be as short as 10 minutes to as long as one hour. There was a lot to what I did and each person reacts differently. Most here, at the home, have been severely abused and can’t handle touch in the beginning, so we start off gradually. Sometimes, we don’t even start with a massage and just spend time talking, whatever is going to be best for the client.
I took a seat across from Mary, ready to hear about this new resident. I had seen her around but didn’t know much about her backstory.
Mary: [With everything that has been going on at the manse, I had barely any time to spend at Safe Place. But over the decades we have expanded and we're able to hire more managers to keep up with the day to day activities while Marissa, Bella and I dealt with more family and just the payroll and any big decisions with the Safe Place as of late. I wanted to take my mind off Bitty and Lyric so I decided to head back to work and get some updates on the residents and the employees.
Rhym, our full-time general manager, spent the last few hours updating me on various projects, residents and other daily activities that have been going on in the past few months. I was very proud and relieved at how well everything was running while the shellans and I took a step back for a bit. She was just telling me about Natalie and her accomplishments that I wanted to meet with Bennu to get to know her thoughts on Natalie and her transition being on her own. Getting the information from the intake coordinator. Bennu arrived in good spirits as she sat across from me.]
Hey Bennu, how it going? Rhym just told me about Natalie. Tell me more [I asked.]
Bennu: Sitting across from Mary, I always had a strong sense of calm. She was one of those people that could put you at ease without uttering a word. I think it was partially due to her training, but also greatly due to her character. She just had a reassuring sense about her. It was a quality that couldn’t be learned in a classroom. It was something ingrained and Mary had it in spades. I believe it’s one of the reasons this place did so well.
“Natalie has done amazing! I helped her into her place this evening. I know it’s not really part of my job, but I’ve worked so closely with her and her daughter in the past few months that I really wanted to be there, for them, for this. It’s just a small, one-bedroom and Natalie will sleep on the pull-out sofa. But, the sparkle in that little girl’s eyes when she saw all the toys that had been collected just for her... “ Tears welled in my eyes as I remembered. “She was beside herself.”
I continued, “For now, we got her a dishwashing job at Sal’s. That way, even though her hellren is gone, she can feel safe in knowing that she is well protected. Her daughter will still come here in the evenings, while Natalie is working, and become a member of our daycare program, so again, peace of mind for the two of them.
“I know it will take a little time, but they are going to be alright, out there, in the world. Natalie even has plans of taking some night classes in law.”
These were the best conversations, the ones that spoke about females that had been through the program and were moving on.
I shifted in my seat a little and sat straighter, “So… tell me of our newest resident. I hear she is ready to start work with me.”
Mary: [I listen with a smile as she animatedly tells me about Natalie and her progress. She was quite proud and she should be. She did a great job and I was impressed with the progress of our resident. I felt more comfortable knowing her experience with Natalie that she would do well with our latest new resident.]
Honestly, I’m not sure /she/ feels ready but I feel that without going forward and start getting her life together that all of her confidence she built to get out of her situation for herself and her young sons will disappear. Her name is Deanne came to us from #Havers after he set the younger son’s arm from a fracture but he noticed from the x-ray that there had been several healed breaks. One of the nurses took notice of how many times she came in for herself or for her sons and finally convinced her to come to us. So, the Brothers that are not on rotation or on duty at the Audience house are on alert, just in case, her hellren shows up. We also have them staying in the Wellessandra wing underground.]
Bennu: I listened intently to all the details about Deanne and her family. The ones that are reluctant to come to us are usually the ones that it takes the longest to get through to. It sounds as if she will be no exception to this rule. Young are more resilient, though. So, maybe it will be easier to get through to the boys. Time will tell.
“Well, sounds like I should start them off as a group. I’ll have to go slowly with her. It sounds as if both trust and touch will be difficult for her for a while, and that’s okay. If I have to start off with just talk, I can do that.” I picked up the file on Mary’s desk and quickly flipped through it. “Her story sounds a little like Tanya’s. However, we didn’t have to worry about Tanya’s hellren coming around for long.” We all knew how Tanya’s hellren’s story went. After Tanya’s sire got finished with him. His family was so ashamed of him, they shipped him back to the old country. “With the concern of Deanne’s hellren coming around, it is going to make it that much more difficult for them to feel in control. Hopefully, I can help them out with that.”
It wasn’t really my place, to suggest things outside of my purview, but I had picked up quite a bit of training while working at Safe Place and I felt comfortable speaking up with Mary. “I know it’s not my place, but I wonder if we shouldn’t start Deanne off sooner, rather than later, with some self defense training? It will go a long way with her self-worth and might give her that sense of control she is probably desperately seeking. Not to mention the effect it will have on her boys to see their mahmen start feeling like she can take charge of her life a little more.” Dipping my head in reverence, something long since ingrained in me from my years as a Chosen, I added, “Of course, you would know way better than me about that type of stuff.”
Mary: [Listening to Bennu’s plan, I learned more and more how detail oriented she was and it was a sound plan for Deanne. Her thoughts on the timeline were succinct and thoughtful observation.]
Yes, I think it is a great idea. Let’s start her off sooner rather than later, have her take control of something in her life and build her confidence. She needs to feel that she’s strong and that will help her boys know that everything will be ok.
You’re doing a great job and I appreciate your dedication for your work. When do you think you can start with Deanne?
Bennu: I was always filled with such pride when Mary thought that one of my suggestions on something outside of my own scope of work was worth putting into play. I had been doing massage for so many years that I felt more than comfortable with my knowledge on the subject. I also kept up with my continuing education, constantly learning more and more about my field of choice. But, when it came to the inner workings of other parts of Safe Place, I sometimes felt like it wasn’t my place to speak up. So, when I did and it was taken seriously, it made me feel all the more that I was in the right place.
I bowed my head once more, in respect of the compliment. “Thank you. It is an honor to be able to do what I do.”
Pulling up my iPad and turning it on, I scrolled through my schedule. “Why don’t we schedule something for the beginning of next week, maybe Monday or Tuesday? I have a 9 pm spot on Monday or a 10 pm spot on Tuesday. Let’s make sure to schedule them all together. I’ll bring in the chair and if they feel up to it, we’ll start with that. Otherwise, I will just explain the process to them and we can go from there.”
Mary: Sounds great, let's do Tuesday to give her a few days to get used to everything around here and meet the other residents and then start with your plans. [She had a good head on her shoulders so I knew that Deanne was in good hands. I could go back and concentrate on things at home now that #SafePlace was running like a well oiled machine with #Rhym and Bennu while the rest of us could focus on home right now. Rhage needed me, after all that has happened with the rescue and now Bitty. We needed each other more than anything. It was so hard to focus and be here that I knew I needed to leave it to Rhym and Bennu to handle #SafePlace.]
You have my cell phone. Let me know if you need anything from me.
Bennu: I nodded as I wrote Deanne and her sons in for the 10 pm spot on Tuesday. I was looking forward to getting to know her and the boys and setting up a plan tailor made for them. Each client at Safe Place was different, with different needs. I could already tell that Deanne was going to need a lot of patience, which I was happy to give. A lot of clients here needed patience. I was curious about the boys. I wondered where they were at in the process and how much they had been affected by everything that had happened. Apparently, broken bones for the youngest had been commonplace. Oftentimes the stories behind the why of how these female and young came to be here infuriated me. This story was no exception.
Placing Deanne’s file back on Mary’s desk, I stood up. “Thank you for your time, Mary. I have scheduled Deanne and the boys in for Tuesday at 10 pm. I will let you know if I need anything else.” Offering a sincere smile, I turned and left, ready to put the day behind me a start anew tomorrow.
