Her First Taste of Freedom

                                       


As she was getting ready to leave, she whispered in her father's ear, "I'm not scared of you any more".  Without missing a beat her father whispered back, "You should be."

The young girl sighed, turned walking toward her car.  It was a gray morning. Asphalt and horizon met, blending into each other.  The smell of rain hung heavy in the air. A thunderstorm was approaching.  The tears beat the rain by a few seconds. 

She drove aimlessly without a plan or destination.  Most any place would be better than where she had been.  She made a right on to I - 75. Sooner or later it would take her through Atlanta. The idea of not knowing anyone in Atlanta didn't scare her.  It was the one person  she had known most of her life who terrified her. He was the one who ventured in and out of her dreams.  Staying long enough to scare her senseless. Whispering words cruel enough to make her puke. Her skin prickled as she remembered the hard, cold-blooded feel of his fist on her skin. She cringed. Ice cold blue eyes pierced her mind. Leaving was the only answer.  If she stayed, he would kill her eventually... or she would have to kill him.

It was almost dark when she hit the city limits of Atlanta.  She was tired and hungry.  Finding a place to stay might be hard since it was the Fourth of July weekend.  Luck was on her side that evening. She got a room at a Comfort Inn. Nice, clean, affordable.  Her room was on the 4th floor. From her window she heard the beginning of music in a park near by. Patriotic songs, country songs with a patriotic theme were played consecutively. Lee Greenwood sang, "I am Proud to be an American, Where at Least I Know I am Free"   People of all shapes, sizes and colors were blending in at the park. Laughing, singing, dancing. All waiting for the fireworks display to begin. The big celebration!

The young girl left her room and walked to the park. It felt good to be in a place of laughter. She bought a hot dog and a soda. Walking through the crowd she saw a man creating animals out of balloons. She had to have one of those. A little green wiener dog became her first pet.

 Soon the fireworks began. The sky lit up with explosions  of red, gold, silver and blue.  Each one more elaborate, more exotic and more picturesque than the previous explosion.  Bursting with millions of stars and flickers of light. Encasing her in its beauty as it fell to the ground.  It was magic raining down on her as she ate her hot dog, pure magic.  She felt like this show was just for her. Slowly she began to relax enjoying her first 4th of July. She felt free for the first time in her life. It was a good feeling--odd but good.

Later that night as she lay in bed, thoughts began to creep into her mind as she slept. As usual she broke out in a cold sweat. Startled by a muffled scream, she awoke.  The scream was coming from her. She ran to the bathroom to wash her face. She threw up her hot dog and a lot of bad memories.

Looking at herself in the mirror she knew she had made the right decision.  It was almost July 5th. Independence Day for most was just about over. For her it had just begun. She could and would do this. She was stronger than his words, smarter than his rebukes and lies. Most of all she wanted to live!  For the first time in her life, she knew she would.