A Rescued Heart(8)
Author: Natalie Replogle

In their last meeting for the abuse support group they discussed some of the warning signs of abuse but also covered the topic of why most women take the beatings silently. The few reasons they discussed were sad and heartbreaking. It was upsetting to hear the statistics at first and not fully understand why these women just didn’t run or stick up for themselves. People could easily judge their lack of action when they weren’t in the circumstance. After being in a home that showed the signs, their entrapment was understandable.

Some women were simply embarrassed. They thought they knew this man they loved but were rudely awakened when their prince charming became a dud. A number of women kept quiet because they felt like they didn’t deserve better. Whether their self-esteem was shot or never there to begin with, it was the best they thought they could do. They also didn’t want to be alone or felt they couldn’t support themselves, so they mistakenly decided to just stay in the relationship. Several women were so in love, the abuse didn’t matter. In most cases remorse followed the abuse, so when the apologies started, they replaced their fear with affection and hope that the abuser would change.

Sadly, some women thought the abuse had been their fault. They put the blame on themselves because they didn’t do what they were told or because they made him angry and egged him on to the violence. They put the blame solely on themselves. The bottom line was that their actions deserved the beatings.

The last scenario was the hardest to swallow because the majority of women were afraid to leave or tell someone. They were scared for their life or scared they would get caught leaving and endure an even harsher punishment. Some were in fear their children would suffer and be hurt in the backlash of the anger. If they took the beating, it meant that they spared their children. It was a love wrongly misplaced and confused.

Ava reached the park and took a detour from walking back to the school. The playground appeared fairly empty. She sat on the swings and tried to unwind. The light breeze made the sweat on her forehead cool while she leaned her head against the chains. She wanted to talk with someone, get the frustration off her chest. One person came to mind. Without weighing the consequences and what the undercurrent of her actions meant, she took her cell phone out of her back pocket and dialed.

Matt drove east out of the city, doing his best to keep at the speed limit while talking himself out of turning on his lights for an excuse to go faster. The call from Ava came as he left the station, which put them on opposite sides of the city. Ava sounded upset but didn’t elaborate on why. She had simply asked if he could meet her at the park by her school.

Their first date had gone well besides the drama at the coffeehouse … or so he thought. When he held her in his arms, he never wanted to let her go. But when she stiffened in his embrace, he needed to. Whatever hidden demons clung to her, pushing her wasn’t the answer. From the few words they shared on the phone he hoped she wasn’t upset about them. At least Ava didn’t say the four words every guy dreaded hearing—“We need to talk.” However, he would feel better once he saw her.

He handled his car with ease as he approached the park and found a parking spot near the front. About thirty yards from the playground, he spotted her sitting on one of the swings, kicking stones around with her shoe. She looked lost in thought and didn’t hear him approach.

“Hey,” Matt said as he wedged his frame into the swing next to hers.

Ava looked over. The tears glistening on her eyelashes took him off guard.

“Hi.”

Seeing her didn’t put his mind at ease and he began to second guess himself about why she had called him here.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes … no … I don’t know.” Her last words were articulated in frustration. She pushed the swing back and forth slowly, her feet never leaving the ground. “I think one of my student’s mom is being abused by her live-in boyfriend.”

He realized the redness in her face didn’t come from the warm weather, but from being upset. Her shoulders slumped forward as if weights had been placed on her. She was obviously involved in the situation emotionally, so he needed to keep a level head.

“Why do you think that?”

Ava stopped the swing and twisted around to look straight at him. “A few problems have occurred in the last couple of weeks that made me concerned about the home life of my student Tessa. I walked her home today to speak with her mom, Kim. Kim’s arm was in a sling and one side of her face was covered in bruises. She was nervous and on edge, clearly hiding something.”

“Did she admit to being abused?”

Matt had seen this too much in his profession. If a man had to beat a woman, it only showed that he was weak and a coward.

“No, but I could tell she wanted to, only we were interrupted by her boyfriend, Ray. Matt, he made me feel so uncomfortable. I couldn’t get out of that house fast enough.”

“Did he touch you or say something to upset you?” All level-headedness left him. If that man even touched a hair on her head …

“No, it was nothing like that. He was just stern in getting his point across that I was to keep my nose out of their business. It was mostly the way he spoke to her.”

Matt studied her, trying to see if he could read her emotions and if she was telling the truth. He speculated she was angry and honest. She wore her heart on her sleeve and her thoughts on her face.

He let her words soak in and watched the sun begin to set and coat the sky with splashes of pink and orange. They sat in comfortable silence, neither eager to break the quiet. Matt figured she called him for a reason, so he would wait. Ava had so many other people in her life that she could confide in. He hoped this was a good sign, the first step in her trusting him.

Ava broke the silence first. “Matt, I need you to do me a favor.”

“If I can.”

“I need you to intervene and check out this Ray guy, or even get Tessa and Kim away from him.” The pleading in her eyes crushed him.

Matt figured this would be Ava’s request and he hated having to disappoint her. Domestic abuse frustrated him and left a nasty taste in his mouth. He had taken a vow to serve and protect, but his hands were tied concerning this situation.

“Ava, I’m so sorry, but there is nothing I can do.”

“What do you mean, there’s nothing you can do?”

“Listen, I know you’re upset and I wish I could help, but I can’t.”

“How can you say that? You’re a cop, isn’t that your job?”

Her words didn’t come across as callous, just discouraged. Any type of abuse was a tricky problem where the law was concerned. Even if a wife was being abused by her husband, unless she pressed charges there was nothing the police could do. If they were called to the house because of a domestic disturbance, he could take the husband to jail for a night or two, but in most cases they would make bail quickly, and sadly it was usually paid by the wife.

If it would make a difference he’d knock at Kim’s door right now and check out the situation. However, Ava’s concern came from a hunch, and even if she was right and Kim was being abused, having a policeman show up would only cause Kim more problems. She had mentioned at Kyle and Kate’s wedding about being a part of the abuse support group at her church, which meant she knew the signs, but she also knew the way the system worked. If he were a betting man, he’d put his money on the fact that she knew what his answer would be but felt the need to ask anyway.

A few kids who looked to be middle school age walked across the playground as a shortcut to the basketball court. They were oblivious to the intense conversation that was taking place. He hesitated to answer her until they had their privacy.

Matt stood and came around to face her, crouching down to put him at eye level with Ava. He placed his hands on the chains of the swing, pulling her toward him so her knees touched his chest. He was invading her personal space, but he didn’t care.

“Ava, you and I both know there is nothing I can do. Unless Kim comes forward and presses charges, my hands are tied.” He didn’t like it, but it was the bitter truth.

“Or until he beats her to death.”

No accusations laced her tone, only sadness. The anger she’d held earlier diminished and was replaced with hopelessness.

He wished he could save the day, but all he could offer was encouragement. “We may not be able to go in and rescue Kim, but we have a God who can. The best thing we can do is pray for her and hope she gains the courage to walk away or seek help.”

Ava gave him a tearful smile and nodded her head in quiet agreement.

“Now, is my job the only reason you chose to call me instead of someone else?”

Ava looked down at her hands in obvious hesitation and back up again, slowly letting her eyes reach his.

“No.”

He couldn’t hide his satisfaction. “I didn’t think so.” He seized her hands and pulled her off the swing. “Come on, let’s go get you something to eat.”

Date #2

“Wow, I’m very impressed.”

It was Saturday and Matt had taken Ava to a park outside the city. They found a secluded spot on a tiny hill out in the sun. The day had turned cooler, but the warmth of the sun helped to take the chill out of the slight breeze. Matt pulled from the picnic basket a few pieces of Tupperware and put down a blanket for them to sit on. He had brought chicken salad croissants, a plate full of vegetables and fruit, baked chips, and brownies for dessert.

“My mom gave me the recipe for the chicken salad and Betty Crocker did the brownies. Hopefully you’ll be as impressed after you eat it.”

They watched a group of children playing on the playground across the grassy knoll and laughed while witnessing a father trying to teach his daughter how to ride a bike without training wheels. She had been nervous about seeing Matt again after her lapse in judgment in calling him earlier in the week to come talk. He had been exactly what she needed. And that was the problem. Each time they were together Matt chipped away at the walls that had guarded her heart for so long. Being vulnerable didn’t sit well with her.

Matt finished his sandwich and leaned back on his elbows, looking up at her. “So how was the rest of your week?”

“Honestly, not good in the teaching department.” She cringed just thinking about her long and trying week. “I had a lot of behavior issues with my kids. I’ll give you an example. On Thursday one of the girls got homesick and cried all day. I tried to comfort her but nothing seemed to help. The other kids noticed and made fun of her at first, but then caught on that my attention was divided and used that to their advantage.”

“Thoughts of running away?”

“I had my destination picked out on the computer.”

“Warm weather?”

“And complete seclusion.”

“Running water?”

“Define running water.”

“Ouch, it was a bad week.”

She chortled and took a bite of her brownie, savoring the chocolate melting in her mouth. “So how was your week?”

“Wish I could say mine was better.”

“I guess misery likes company. Spill the beans.”

He sat up and put his elbows on his knees, tilting his head toward her, contemplating. “Besides the normal routine, I had to go to two houses this week because of domestic abuse. One of the calls wasn’t serious, mostly a lot of yelling that worried the neighbors. The second one was totally out of control, though. By the time we got there the wife’s face was so bloody she wasn’t identifiable.”

Ava sat stunned and finally grasped his hesitation—his caution was for her concern. The subject bothered her and he didn’t want to upset her. Deep empathy tore through her heart. She had been so mindless with her words on Wednesday about him not doing anything for Kim. It was wrong of her to put him on the spot and ask him to do something she knew full well was out of his control. He had taken her to dinner afterwards and she thrived in his company. He made her laugh and never seemed bothered by her comments, but that didn’t change the fact that she said them.

“I’m sorry, Matt, that must have been horrible.” Her bad week suddenly sounded pathetic by comparison.

“Yeah, sometimes I want to deck the guy and say, ‘How did that feel?’ But unfortunately they frown upon that at the department.”

Ava twisted a piece of grass in her hands, examining the blade’s detail. She wanted to crawl into a hole, but first she needed to apologize.

“Matt, I’m really sorry for my words the other day. You kindly came at my request and I threw it in your face.” Bringing her eyes to reach his, she exhaled slowly wondering if she had caused him to think less of her.

“Ava, there’s no need for you to apologize. You had every right to ask me to help Kim. I’m just sorry I can’t right now. Have you heard from her yet?”

“No.”

“Don’t lose hope, keep praying. God is good.” He stood and stretched. “I brought a Frisbee, do you want to play?”

“Sure, I haven’t played in years. Sounds like a great way to embarrass myself.”

They casually tossed the Frisbee back and forth for a while. Once they both loosened up, they stepped it up, lifting their legs and throwing it underneath, whipping it around their sides and chucking it backwards and backhanded. It was as if they were teenagers again. Matt’s throws were smoother than hers and his Frisbee arrived at its exact destination every time. Ava’s throws usually made him run. After twenty minutes her arm started to get sore. She agreed quickly when he suggested they take the hike he had mentioned earlier.

They followed the wilderness path at an easy pace, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Ava loved the spring. After the long winter it was nice to see color on the trees again and flowers blooming with their scent of new life.