Jody in Neverland

Chapter 3 - A Crushed Dream

Once in her room, Jody threw herself on her bed and started furiously punching her pillow.

Why did everything always have to go wrong? Every time she had a dream or hope, it was dashed and trampled on because care kids are destined to have a hard life. Every time something seemed to be going your way, there was a new policy or new rules, that seemed to be designed purely to make life harder and create more hoops to jump through to reach the point of having a normal life. Jody was crushed and broken, her dream of living with Tyler had been taken away from her.

She refused to come down for dinner, and didn't even eat the sandwiches and biscuits May-Li brought up for her. She didn't feel like eating, she was too upset and angry. What was the point of anything, if the light at the end of the tunnel was taken away?

Just as she beginning to calm down, more out of exhaustion and defeat than anything else, Mike appeared.

Jody, can I come in?

Jody shrugged and turned away. Mike ventured into the room and perched on the end of the bed

I'm sorry if I upset you, I know its not easy having to think about life after care.

Jody sighed loudly but refused to reply

And no I cant possible know what it feels like to be you or to have gone through some of the things you have but I like think I can understand and empathise, just a little bit, and if nothing else I give pretty good hugs...so I'm told

Jody chuckled quietly to herself

Look its not all bad news. Another option to consider is your mum. I know things haven't between great between the two of you but your social worker seems to think that your mum is doing really well now Grant is out of her life. If you didn't want to be on your own, well maybe moving in with your mum might be an option

Jody didn't answer, however surprised she was, she didn't intend on ending her silence just yet.

Just think about it Jody. There's no hurry. Said Mike, he gently rested a reassuring hand on Jody's arm for a moment and then got up and left the room, with a quick glance back over his shoulder. It was moments like this that he wished he could be a dad to all the kids, hug them tight and take away the pain and heartache and difficult decisions. But well, that just wasn't possible. He couldn't be there dad, just the next best thing and he couldn't always protect them from the reality of being in care or take away the memories that haunted them.