The Luna: Braver Than We Are

Chapter 7

The road was empty, so she reached the facility. There was a woman in her mid-thirties waiting on the porch of a nice-looking modern building. Viola was afraid it would be a shabby grey place where you lose all the hope you've got left, but all was clean and neat and there was even a garden where children would play.

“Hi,” the woman greeted her. “My name is Lucy. You must be Viola. Jonathan just called. You must be tired, I will show you the room.” So his name was Jonathan.

“Thank you,” she said and, after a moment of hesitation, she stretched her hand to Lucy.

“Not every woman that comes here wishes to be touched,” Lucy said, shaking Viola’s hand very gently. Not in a weak way, just gently. “Breakfast will start in half an hour, but the kitchen will prepare something for later. If you need psychological or medical assistance, the therapist and the doctor will be here at 10 a.m. Just let the staff know about it,” she said as they walked a wide corridor with many doors on both sides. She was friendly and helpful, but when Viola looked at her when they entered one of the rooms, she seemed tired.

“You had a night shift,” she said out loud without realizing it.

“Indeed. A tough one. But my replacements, Anita and Drew, will be here when breakfast starts. One of them will check on you and show you around. Now get some rest, I can tell I’m not the only one that needs it.”

She handed Viola the key and left. The woman looked around, it wasn’t a big compartment and the furnishing was very basic but all was clean and neat. The walls and furniture were white, so the room looked a bit like a hospital, but the design allowed an inhabitant to add some things to feel more like home. She guessed most of them stayed there for a longer time. She felt an urge to pee. Luckily, there was a small bathroom. When she washed her hands, she realized that she hadn’t taken any of her luggage from the car, but she was just too tired to go back to the parking space.

The tension she felt all night eased, her adrenalin stopped working and Viola felt like somebody unplugged her. She decided to believe that this was the place where she would be safe and could relax. She sat on the bed and all of a sudden she fell asleep.

***

A delicate knocking woke Viola up. She looked at her smartphone, it was slightly past noon.

“Come in,” she shouted. She was actually glad that the dream was over. She couldn't recall the details, but it was so messy and wild, totally not like any dream she had before.

“Hi, I’m Anita,” said the woman that entered the room. She had a tray in her hands and she put it on the desk. “I will be your counselor. If you need anything or just need to talk, just reach out to me. If you are ready, I can give you a tour and you will meet some other girls.”

Viola quickly assessed her wrinkled clothes, messy hair, and bad breath.

“Ah, I understand, “ said Anita. “I will fetch you some stuff.”

“Thank you, I’ve got some things in my car. I just forgot to get them earlier. Could we talk for a minute?”

“Is there something that concerns you?”

“Yes… ummmm. I’m not poor,” Viola said with uneasiness, but Anita didn’t look surprised at all. “Things at home got ugly and it was all so fast, I just jumped in the car and drove. And I don’t know the policy.” She read that there are special facilities for those who can’t make a living on their own and she thought it would be unfair for her to be in a place like this when another woman may need it. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean,” Anita interrupted, probably not wanting Viola to feel awkward anymore. “First tell me what happened to you. You can skip the details or the most painful things, but I need to get a general picture to plan the first steps.”

“My husband…” Viola choked and burst into tears. Anita sat near her on the bed and lightly patted her shoulder. It took some time after Viola was able to tell a brief version of her story.

“Don’t worry, we help everyone who needs help. You obviously need it. It isn’t only a matter of money. The therapist will speak with you today. I will arrange the meeting. Abused people often have problems with living in society. They can be anxious, scared, and view themselves as incapable. So you can stay here as long as you need and go through social skills training and therapy.”

“I should get a job to pay for it.”

“Yes, we encourage the girls to get one as soon as possible, it really helps. But you don’t pay. We’re not a commercial facility. If you want, you can make a donation, but no one will judge you if you don’t.”

“It is much more complicated. I own a company.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you were abused. It's not only what you told me, I can see that in your behavior. Now, why don’t you eat?”

Viola sat at the desk. The smell of the food struck her nose. She took off the chair to the bathroom. Anita went after her and handed her a paper towel when she was done.

“So, I need to set up a meeting with a doctor, right? And check if the cradle will fit here?” She said and smiled when Viola nodded.