Through the Eyes of a Grandmother
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All too soon it was time for Louise to return home. Daren put the clothes she came in on her. He sat in the back of the car with her. “Why have I got to go home daddy? Why can I not stay with you” she asked. “You have to go back to mummy's darling and in a few days time I will come and get you again. It won't be as long as last time I promise you” he said. She just looked out of the window, her bottom lip quivering and then crocodile tears running down her pale cheeks. Daren wiped her tears away, “Come on my darling, talk to daddy. What is wrong?” he asked. “Why do you not want to go back to your mummy's house? Your sister and brother is there waiting to see you” he said. “Louise darling do you want to tell nana what is wrong” I asked. She did not move an inch; she just carried on looking straight ahead out of the window. We just could not break through her silence and her tears. As we pulled up outside the flat, Dennis was already standing there. He must stand looking out of his window and as we pull up and run down the stairs. Daren took her in his arms and got out of the car. Louise wiped her eyes and immediately stopped crying. Dennis took her off Daren and she put her head down and gave that horrible piercing look back as she always does now, the one that rips my heart out. When we drove off I said to Daren “this is so unfair son, that little girl is not right and you can tell by the way she is that something is going on in that house that she is unhappy or even afraid off.” “Oh you think mother, I have to return my daughter into the lions den when I hand her back to him” he answered. “What makes it bloody worse is I am not allowed any contact with her now until I pick her up and I have no idea what she is going through” he said. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him one of my sorry looks but did not say anything else to him. When I returned home I decided a diary of every event would have to be kept and written in every time Louise visits us and every time she tells us something. Sure enough as the weeks went on there was always something to write in the diary. On this occasion when it was time to take Louise home we asked Louise's granddad to accompany us on the journey as we decided to go for a ride first. We did not want to let Louise think that every time she got in the car it was time to go home and we hoped it would not be as bad as the last time we took her home. I sat in the front of the car with my husband and Daren sat in the back with his daughter as per usual. We had not been on the motorway very long when she began to stare out of the window again. Daren saw her bottom lip quiver and then the tears began to run down her face again. This time Louise broke her silence after a while. “Please daddy, don't make me go back to mummy's house?” she begged. “Darling you know you have to go back, why don't you want to go back?” he asked. “Because they are horrible to me and they smack me” she replied. “Who smacks you darling?” he asked in a soft voice. He turned his face away for a minute to try to compose himself. I could see his face was red and he too now had tears running down his cheeks. Her whole body was jerking as she sobbed and replied “mummy and Dennis.” “What am I to do?” Daren asked. “I just don't know son” I replied. I know what my heart was telling me to do and that was turn the car round and take her back home, but what good would that do, we would only be made to take her back by the police or courts. We were in a no win situation and could not make our granddaughter understand this. “Turn around Dad?” Daren asked. “We can't son, you know that” he replied. Louise's sobs got louder and the more distressed she became the more distressed we all did. My husband was the only one talking sense and trying to keep it together for our son's sake. Selfishly I just wanted the journey to hurry up and end. This time when we pulled in Daren did not get straight out of the car with Louise he talked a little to her quietly. I looked over at that six foot something figure, standing at the side of our car and wanted to get out and punch him right between the eyes, but I knew that would not help the situation. “Has she been crying?” he asked Daren. “Yes she has had a little bit of an upset stomach again. I think it was the car journey as we went out for a drive straight after she had eaten” he replied. I thought to myself what a good answer Daren and I could see from Louise's face she was pleased her daddy had not said anything. I looked at my husband “How is our son meant to deal with this?” I asked. “He just has to somehow” he replied.
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About the Book
This is based on a true story as seen through the eyes of a grandmother, of a small child who is fearful of her life. She tries to reach out to her grandmother to tell her what is happening. The grandmother begs her son to go to court and fight for custody of his daughter. A paternity test has to be taken before her son is awarded 50/50 custody. But things are not about to run smoothly. The grandmother witnesses the fear in her granddaughter's eyes, every time her granddaughter has to leave the safety of her father, to return to her mother. Fear takes a hold of the grandmother and the son, when they do not see the child for 5 weeks. When they visit the child's family home, the mother of the child is very hostile and slams the door in the father's face as the child tries to get to her father. Her granddaughter becomes so distraught that the father has no alternative but to walk away, leaving his daughter screaming for him. The reason for this becomes apparent the next day when a letter is received from Social Services requesting an urgent phone call from the father. The grandmother finds out that her granddaughter is moving away with her mother without any forwarding address. Very frightened by this the child's father kidnaps his own daughter for fear of loosing her forever. When access arrangements are finally sorted out and appear to be working well, the mother fails to return the child to her father as arranged and he does not get to see his daughter over the Christmas period. During the summer holidays whilst the child is with her father, the mother moves away without his knowledge or without a forwarding address.
About the Author
Born in 1962 and brought up in Newcastle upon Tyne. She watched her father work hard all of his life to support his family and could see being a parent was not an easy task. It was not until she became a mother and then a grandmother herself that she fully realised just how hard it could be. She opens up a window into her life to tell you how it looks and feels through her eyes as a grandmother. With determination and self belief, she is pleased she can now share her story with other readers.