Our pasts aren't perfect. As we grow, we all receive bumps and scrapes. When we feel the pressure of life bearing down upon us, we tend to move faster. In turn, the slaps and scrapes come faster. Sometimes, we make it through on our feet. Other times, however, like Shalene, in this passage, we're cut by it and fall to the ground. When that happens, we have to get up, brush ourselves off and, whether reluctantly or not, we need to accept help. When it's all said and done, the result comes with a scar.
from Chapter 5 – Top of the Third
After falling among the trees, Twelve year old Shalene ended up on the outskirts of the wooded forest. She turned to see the men circle around her. Two of them knelt down and one asked, “Shalene, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Shalene responded angrily as she brushed and slapped away the leaves.
The man began brushing leaves and grass off of her. “Why did you all run?”
“Because we didn’t want to get caught. Why'd you all keep chasing?”
“Shay.” The man admonished.
Shalene put her head down and pursed her lips. She knew her foster father didn’t like her talking back, especially at times when his co-workers were around.
“Chief,” said one of the police officers as he peered at her cheek, opposite Wes Thompson, “look at the other side of her face.”
He snapped to attention. “What's wrong?”
Shalene tried to hide it.
“Shay, let me see.”
Reluctantly, she dropped her hand and turned as her foster father shined his flashlight on the right side of her face where he saw a bloodied gash. “Shay, we have to get you to the hospital.”
Shalene withdrew. “What? No, I’m fine.”
Wes ignored his daughter. “Joe, you’re squad car is in the back. Can you take her?”
“You bet.”
Shalene tried to protest but her dad continued ignoring her and gave instructions to the five officers under his command. Wes ran in and told his wife what had happened and Brenda Thompson ran out with all of the kids behind her.
That night, Shalene sat in the emergency room while a doctor and nurses cleaned the wound and applied stitches. Shalene bit back tears as Brittany, also twelve, sat holding her hand while her parents tried to help her relax.
A couple weeks after the stitches had been removed, the scar became puffy and appeared to be splitting again, so she had to be brought back. The doctor said, with a scar of this size, infection wasn’t uncommon. He took care of the infection but the damage to her face couldn't be helped without plastic surgery. Her dad's insurance refused to cover it unless the scar had life threatening implications.
Even though her foster parents had said they could setup payments, Shalene stubbornly refused their help, choosing instead to live with it.
FINAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: My life growing up was no different than anyone else. I was no more perfect than the world around me. With each mistake something else came with it. Sometimes it took longer. However, with every mistake and difficulty within my life, came a chance to grow. Like the character, Shalene, I struggled to learn. But, then again, that's not the whole story.
More To Come......
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