The Little Things

      She can't remember the last time she felt this good. Everything is bright and warm. Everything is new. It's all so real. There aren't any shadows around her. There aren't any dangers. All she can see is waiting for her touch, for her experience. It's all waiting for her.
      "Look at that!" she says, pointing off into the distance.
      "Look at what?"
      "That!" She's smiling from ear to ear. Her eyes are bright. She looks like a child seeing something magnificient for the first time.
      "You mean the hot-air balloon?"
      "Yeah!! It's amazing!"
      "If you say so, hun."
      Her friends are being sweet. They've stolen her. They learned about her relationship. They put all the pieces together. They sat down two weeks ago, the three of them, and came to a decision.

      "We can't leave her there...not with him."
      "We can't really take her."
      "Why not?"
      "I don't know."
      "We have to try."
      "What if she fights us."
      "She won't."
      "How can you be so sure of that?"
      "Yeah, what if she doesn't want our help?"
      "If she didn't want our help, she wouldn't have said anything."
      "Maybe."
      "Listen, either we get her out, or he'll kill her. Her bruising is getting worse and worse everyday. If we don't step in, we'll be going to a funeral and a murder trial real soon."

      They all watch her. They're just at the park. They're watching the sailboats out on the water and the few air ballons lazily crossing the horizon. It's nothing special. It's just a usual summer day in the city at the waterfront.
      But she keeps pointing at little things. A sailboat turning over in the wind. A child running and splashing in the water. The little things.
      They're all very happy they got her out. They're happy they made the decision to get her away before he went too far.

      "So how do we do this?"
      "She said she doesn't have anything had their place."
      "Okay. No worries of getting her stuff then."
      "I've got clothes she can have."
      "Me, too."
      "Same here."
      "Good."
      "Where is she going to stay?"
      "My place. Mom and Dad aren't keen on how things are with her. And if he does show-up at our place, Dad'll kick his ass."
      "Right after you do, right?"
      "Yeah."
      "Okay. So clothes is set. Possessions don't exist. And sleeping is done."
      "So how do we get her away without him trying to kill us in the process?"

      They waited for her after work three days ago. They waited for her outside the parking lot. They'd watched her for a week. They didn't want to let it drag as long they did. But they had to plan it perfectly. If he caught any hint of what they'd planned, she'd be the one to pay the price. They couldn't let anything else happen to her.
      So they watched her. He showed-up between 5:30 and 5:50 every afternoon to pick her up. Always in the same place. One day she was late. They watched him look around the parking lot for a minute. They watched her walk out the doors. Her head was lowerd. She had her arms crossed over her chest. Her hands were shaking.
      They watched him grab her by the neck and force her head down onto the passenger's doorframe. They watched the blood collect and fall along her face from her forehead. They watched him throw her to the asphalt and kick her twice. And they watched him grab her and throw her into the car. He slammed the door on her hand.
      She came into the work the next morning with three broken fingers and a long, deep gash on her forehead. She told them she'd been mugged.

      "We just grab her and take her back to your place."
      "I'll tell Mom and Dad."
      "Good."
      "She'll fight us."
      "Then we'll just fight back."
      "We'll have twenty minutes."
      "This will work, right?"
      "I hope so."
      "Me, too."
      "It'll work. It has to work.:

      It did.
      Two weeks after the plans were made, they waited outside for her. They took her hands and brought her to the car. She climbed into the backseat. They drove away. She was completely silent. She didn't show any emotions on her face.
      Once they parked the car and got her into the house. She started to cry. She cried for a long while. They held her close and told her that they wouldn't let anything happen ever again.
      Now they're all at the waterfront watching her laugh at the little things. They're smiling and laughing with her. All four of them keep looking around the beach, watching for him. They've made more plans since that first one. If they see him, they gather their things and walk away slowly. They hold her hand and walk away without a word. If he knocks at their door, they call the police and have him arrested.
      If she goes back to him, they decided they would stop making plans. They decided that it's her decision, after all. The decided that she's an adult, after all.
      But she's also laughing at a man whose bathing suit just fell down to his ankles. If she goes back, they'll go to get her again.
      A child is unable to make a decision in that complexity. At least, that's what they believe. And so long as they believe it, then they'll keep doing it.