I Miss Mummy: The true story of a frightened young girl who is desperate to go home by Glass Cathy

Author:Glass, Cathy [Glass, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Harper Collins, Inc.
Published: 2010-07-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Hunger Strike

Leah was standing, half concealed, behind the large oak tree on the opposite side of the road to the school, as she had been two months previously when she’d wanted to catch a glimpse of Alice dressed up for the Easter parade. Now, as I walked along the pavement towards the tree to cross the road at the crossing, she stepped out from behind its protective cover and straight into my line of vision. All manner of things flashed through my mind at that moment as our eyes met, and my pulse soared with anxiety. There was no sign of the tender, warm openness that I was used to seeing in the photograph Alice had in her room. Taken the previous Christmas, Leah had been cuddling Alice on her lap and they were both laughing. Now her face was set hard, and the wildness and anger in her eyes said she was desperate and out of control. For a second I thought she was going to attack me.

I stopped. Leah was a yard or so in front, blocking my path, and it crossed my mind to dart round her, over the road and into the school, where I could call the police. But I didn’t. Perhaps I saw something behind her eyes that said although she was angry and out of control she was also very scared, and reachable. Without Alice with me I felt I could take a chance.

‘Hello, Leah,’ I said evenly. ‘How are you?’

She started with surprise – that I recognized her?

‘I’m Cathy,’ I continued in the same even tone. ‘I’m so pleased to meet you at last.’ I smiled and, closing the gap between us, offered my hand for shaking. She didn’t take it; I hadn’t really expected her to, but I was hoping that being polite and non-threatening would defuse the situation and that she might respond.

Leah continued to stare at me; then she looked around, her lips moving as though she was trying to think out what to say, but she didn’t speak. Although, like Alice, she was an attractive girl, she was now very unkempt and clearly hadn’t been looking after herself. Her slender frame looked thin and malnourished, and her long brown hair hung limp and lifeless around her shoulders. She was very pale, and her once-delicate features now looked gaunt, which seemed to deepen and accentuate her large brown eyes. Her gaze flickered back to mine.

‘Leah,’ I said gently. ‘I know how much you miss Alice, but you can’t see her here, love. You’ll get into trouble.’

She shrugged, despair and dejection replacing her previous anger. ‘I’ve got nothing to lose,’ she said, her voice quivering. ‘I need Alice. I love her.’

‘I know you do, and she loves you, lots. But you are going to have to do what your social worker and solicitor tell you and see Alice at supervised contact for now. I can’t let you see her here. Really I can’t.’ I glanced towards the school gates, where other mothers were going in to collect their children.

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