THE STORY OF JOEL- Part 1
The kids on the bus asked, "You coming to the game tonight?"
"I can't. My grandmother's coming over.?
There was no visit from grandmother, of course, just another of Joel's well-devised covers for the truth. Joel never went anywhere but straight to the house. Blake House had been Joel's and his mother's home for the last four months. The place wasn't bad; there simply wasn't any privacy. Sharing a room with his mother was easier since she started going to night school. Many nights, Joel was already in pajamas and ready for sleep by the time she returned. For Joel's mom, the Blake House was nothing short of a miracle. She knew it was hard on a boy of Joel's age but it was a comfort to know that he realized it was necessary. One more day with her husband may have been the end of her or her son, and Joel knew it too. In a way, it was his growing intervention in the assaults that convinced her they had to leave. For Joel, things had a calm predictability but the days went by slowly. His mom was tormented by uncertainty. With the help of the Blake House staff she had found a part-time job and a grant for vocational training. In spite of this support, it was hard to imagine a time when she might stand on her own. To follow next week… Unknown author Josée 