Stronger

The Tears of Love

"Yes, that is me. Are you Emily and Lily?" The woman's french accent is thick.

"Yes, it's so nice to meet you!" we shake hands and she gets on Lily's level and says hello to her and congratulates her on being a big sister, though she knows that she's been a big sister for two years already.

"Let us go retrieve your luggage, shall we?" She says, her french accent more and more noticeable with every word.

She helps us get our things and then tells us that she has a taxi waiting for us out front to take us to our hotel, where she'll explain everything I need to know.

I try to make small talk with her in the car, Lily clinging tightly to me as I do. We pass all kinds of beautiful architecture, and Louise explains what each thing is.

We finally make it to where we're staying, which looks much more like a castle than a hotel.

Our room is amazing. It has the most beautiful view of the gardens on one side, and of the French town on the other.

I tell the woman I'd like to get Lily to sleep before we talk, since I don't want anything said to trigger something in her That could reverse any of the progress she's made, and Madam Louise agrees with my thinking and goes into her own room which is directly beside mine. I tell her I'll knock once Lily is asleep.

"Let's put your pj's on, ok Lils?" I hold up a mint green gown with pink ruffled sleeves and a pink flamingo on the front.

I'm glad I made the decision to bathe her before we left, and I'd fed her on the plane so that I wouldn't have to deal with that now.

I brush her teeth and help her get dressed before placing her on the queen sized feather bed.

Although there's two, I know we'll end up sharing one. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I also know that Lily isn't going to sleep tonight,seeing as that it's a new place and she'll be really nervous.

I wrap my arms around her and we say our prayers, being sure to thank God for our safe flight and for our Kinley.

"Alright Lily, try and get some rest. I'll be out on the balcony or in here if you wake up. I promise I won't go anywhere else pea." I say. She nods her head in reply, just like always.

I kiss her little forehead and wait ten minutes before getting up, as she's just barely drifted into a light and restless sleep.

I go over to the adjoining door and knock, the signal for Madam Louise to come over.

In just a few seconds, the door soundlessly opens and the woman steps out. We quietly walk over to the balcony over looking the gardens and sit down at the little table, where a fruit basket has been left for us.

It's pretty cold outside, and I'm thankful to find blankets in a chest in the corner of the balcony.

"Well, I don't really know where to start. I suppose it would be easier for me to explain if I had some background on Lily." Madam Louise laughs.

"Okay, I can tell you what I know about her if that'll make it easier." from there, I tell her everything I know about Lily's past. I cry, she cries, It all turns into a huge tear fest.

"Okay, now I know what I you know, so that I don't have to bore you with information that you already know. I'll just jump right in, and repeat some things just to make it easier to follow, ok?"

"Okay." I say.

"Well, We have a worldwide organization based here in France that helps to rescue people out of human trafficking. We rescue all sorts of people, not just kids, but mainly women and children, since that's the most common. We have many ways that we do this, we send in our guys to act like they are bad guys sometimes, those are our biggest busts, but much harder to do. Our most common way is to send an undercover agent in, saying that he wants to 'purchase' someone. He does the deal, but by the time it's finished, the cops are already there to arrest the guy. That's how Kinley was rescued. We have history on where all she's been, they give you the records like that when you go to get them. Kindalynn was just being tossed around, she wasn't subjected to any... you know. mainly they were just saving her for later, to put it in a way that's easier to say. She was neglected, It was one of the worst cases we've brought in, or even seen. When we got her out, she was extremely malnourished, barely hanging on. She was 13 pounds, Emily. 13 pounds. At two years old. The average weight for a two year old is 27 pounds. Kinley was 15 pounds underweight when we brought her in. Obviously, she was immediately rushed to the hospital where it could be seen she had sustained countless injuries. She had, and has brain damage. They repaired it best they could, but there had been a long period where the brain was without oxygen. She can't talk or walk, but hopefully she will one day, They have hope for her. A learning disability has not been confirmed, but is highly likely."