“I would have told you that you were crazy and you would have been wrong.”
The program to help abused women became a real foundation. We have a small shelter at the back of the property where women fleeing abusive situations can stay while they rebuild their lives. We teach them skills, help them with legal advice, and support them until they can stand on their own.
Yesterday, a 25-year-old woman arrived with two small children. Her husband had threatened to take the children away if she left him. The same threat Amber had used on me, but with my own resources.
“Can I really stay here without paying anything?” She asked me with eyes full of fear.
“Not only can you stay, but you’re going to learn to do something you like that will give you financial independence. And when you’re ready to leave, we’ll help you find your own place.”
“Why are you doing this for me? You don’t know me.”
“because all women deserve the opportunity to live with dignity and because someone taught me that sometimes you have to be very brave to save your own life.”
This morning as I was preparing dough for Tuesday’s pies, the phone rang. It was Mr. Davies.
“Mrs. Margaret, I’m calling to give you some news.”
“Good or bad?”
“Very good. Your foundation just received an anonymous donation of $50,000.”
I sat in the nearest chair. $50,000, the same amount David had tried to steal years ago.
“Do you know who made it?”
“I can’t tell you, but I have my suspicions.”
That afternoon, when David arrived from work, I confronted him.
“It was you who donated the money to the foundation.”
He turned red, just like when he was a child, and I caught him doing something he shouldn’t.
“How did you know?”
