Fascinating Lights ( A Michael Jackson Fanfiction)

Passion's Insanity

Tuesday

"I'm very sorry for being late", she appologized the whole way through, walking towards my office.
I was already standing on the door waiting for her.
She told me that she almost slept in and only woke up by the crying of her little brother who wanted to get fed.
"I prepared a meal for little Bruno and he quickly fell asleep right after eating it", she said, glad to come out of the house she was still living in.
She knew damn well that something had to change and the best for everyone is getting out of there.
Leaving the own mother and the siblings behind may be hard but there's still the option that they get a visit by the youth welfare service, they obvioiusly can lend a helping hand in rough times like that.

I noticed one heavy bruise right on her neck, it was all swollen up, deep red and blue.
"Valerie...", I began but she cut me right off, knowing what I was going to say.
"I know", she lowered her head.
"I forgot to cover it".
She walked over to the chair, taking her place like almost everyday now.

It was always the same, she sat down and immediately crossed her legs, adjusting her skirt or sometimes her dress - I rarely saw her wearing any jeans or trousers at all but hey, it's summer so she doesn't need to, it's warm enough outside.
Then we begin to talk, discuss and analyze what happened in her past, in the family or the day before.
At one point she starts to cry because the emotions are overwhelming her, and I can totally understand it - so I'm comforting her and eventually stop the session so she can calm down.
But not today!
She talked about the current situation between her mother and herself, what will happen to the siblings when she stops working now even though she is barely getting along with her workplace and that she probably is going to become a big sister again because her mother might be pregnant.

After a while I asked about that massive bruise on her neck.
She wouldn't show me where else marks like this might be.
She just mentioned her 'regular client', and that he used his belt too much this night.
He slapped her like there's no tomorrow. -  That's what she told me, completely without any emotion crossing her face.
"If he wouldn't stopped, he might beat me dead".
My eyes got wide.
He actually broke the buckle.
The image grew in my head,  a grown man raising his hand  towards another person with a buckle, that's mainly made out of metal which is a strong material, causes it to simply breaks.
I shook my head, getting this out of it.
"Yeah you heared right", she placed a stain of hair behind her ear, reveiling this bruise, making me realize that it is much larger as I saw on the first sight.
"He flogged me down and promised Dolores for every hit hundreds of dollars... at the end he broke the buckle", she told me clenching her fists.

Her eyes full of tears but none came out. Her face read no expression at all, her mouth was moving along with the words she spoke but that's it. I think she didn't even realized what she was telling me at this moment, probably too traumatisized to see clear enough.

"You survived a session without breaking down, I'm very proud of you Valerie, you make progress", I smiled down at her as she stood right beside me, ready to leave.
"The slight medication you prescribed me for my sleeping problems are really good", she smiled blinking at me, and it looked like she was at least a bit happy for the very first time in weeks.
"I can finally sleep for several hours without waking up from a bad dream or anything".
I was glad to hear it from her, it was nothing strong just some light pills that she can focus better on the day when she is well rested. So I waved her goodbye. - Hopefully for the next day.
I was worried about her. She wasn't the same on this day. So unemotional and absent.

I got exited to know that I was coming home earlier as usual. What means more freetime with my upcoming husband.

"Amanda?", Michael called right as I stepped into the house.
"Yes?".
I wondered what he meant as he asked if we had more belts.
Why?..
I narrowed my eyebrows, getting upstairs to the bedroom.
"Why do you need belts?", I asked confused.
"Well, mine broke", he showed me the buckle.
"Right here".
I got suspicious. Taking it between my fingers while I took a careful look.
"What did you do with it Michael?", I wouldn't jump to a conclusion yet so I played it smooth.
So many years at college and the university, it all prepared me just good enough to start an examination without him even noticing.
'But be careful Amanda', I thought - he is a psychologist as well.
"I don't know what happened actually..", he explained.
I slowly nodded a few times - thinking. But shook this upcoming thought as fast as it popped up out of my mind.
It simply can't be, I told myself. Michael would never... I turned around, following his steps with my eyes as he left the room never ever... but...- I remembered the bruises on his shoulders and neck, Valerie said something familiar from a client of hers.