Wherever You Are

Chapter 11: Jonah's Unsent Letter

November 19, 2015

Dear Felicia,

I have decided that my mom needs to take my dad to court. It's not enough that we got away from him. He needs to be punished for what he did to her. She still wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares and I can hear her crying most nights still. She's scarred from what happened.

Carl still doesn't know and I wish she would tell him. I know he would feel the same way as I do. He's a very justice oriented person. He likes to see people get what they deserve and that is exactly what my father deserves. He deserves to be punished for what happened.

It's not even just what he did that night. It's what he did all those years. The way he treated her. The way he treated me. I want to see him get what he deserves. He hurt me in ways people don't even know and I hate that I can't do anything about it. I need to see him in jail.

When would be a better time than now? We are away from him. He can't do anything to hurt us. It's the perfect time. But my mom didn't see it that way.

I went to talk to her about it earlier today. I walked downstairs and she was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. She does that a lot now a days. I think it helps her. I kissed her on the cheek and took a seat at the table while I read the newspaper that Carl brings over. It made me feel like an old man.

"Mom," I said as I came to the end of the first article. It was about the high school hockey team and how the hockey season was coming up fast. It was recapping the previous season.

She turned around just as she finished dumping a pile of eggs on my plate. "I think we should tell the police about what he did." She knew exactly what I was talking about. She knew exactly who I was talking about.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she set the pan on the stove top. "Jonah," she said as she took the seat beside me. "We are away from him. We shouldn't make him angrier. Everything is good now. We are safe." She put her hand gently on mine and gave me a reassuring look.

I knew that we were safe and that's all she wanted for me. That's all I wanted for her as well, but a part of me wanted to see him get the punishment he deserved. A part of me wanted to make sure he couldn't do that to anyone else.

"Let's just let it be, okay?" she asked. I nodded. It was up to her. It was her decision in the end. I just wish she would see it the way I do. I wish she had the hunger for revenge that I had. I guess I probably got that from my father though.

I still love you,

Jonah