Spiritual Networking

Spiritual Networking - Chapter 8

Chapter 8


It was just after eight when Millie rang the doorbell. Darkness was settling in, but Millie could smell the fragrant smells of the gardenia bushes close by. It should make her feel at home, but it didn’t. She could hear the chimes of the all familiar sound from the outside of the door. Shock would not adequately describe the look on Mary Anderson’s face when she opened the door to find her youngest daughter standing there.

“Amelia! Wh... what a surprise!” Mary was dressed as usual, very stylish wearing a pair of tan Chino’s with a white wrap around shirt and a pair of brown sling back shoes. Her blonde hair was in a bun and not a hair out of place. She was the epitome of a Southern Belle.

“Hello mother.” Millie pushed her hood off her head, but kept her hoodie on, she did not plan to stay long. She gave her mother the customary hug as she asked, “Is Daddy home?”

“Why yes, he is in his study darlin’.” Walking with her daughter to the study, Mary was elated to see her out of her apartment, but did not want to come right out and say that, instead she suggested, “Alexis and I are going to meet for lunch on Friday, and then go to the spa for a mani pedi. Would you like to join us?”

Millie thought, just like mom to think of the external and physical parts of life, and not the heart and soul of the matter. For so long, Millie wished she could tell her mother how she felt about all that extra stuff, the “fluff” as Millie liked to call it. In the end that stuff did not matter.

“No thank you Mother, I have to work.”

“But you work all the time. You need some time off. And I know Alexis would like to see you.”

“Mother, Alexis was over two nights ago for dinner. I fixed her lobster ravioli and we watched National Treasure together.”

“Well, I am glad that you spend time with someone in your family.” Mary was not happy that her daughter suddenly after college abandoned her family to hole up in her apartment. Sure Amelia had been quiet and shy most of her life, but now it was like she wanted to withdraw from society. The Anderson’s had been the center of southern society since... well since before the Civil War. For one of her daughters to disregard her place in society was unthinkable.

“Mother,” Millie shook her head not wanting to hear the lecture again. “I love you, but sometimes I wonder if you really know me at all?”

“Darlin’ why would you say something like that?” Again twice in one night, Millie saw an emotion her mother tried to hide. Because, ‘An Anderson is never taken off guard. If we are, it will show weakness your adversary will know it!’

“Mother, when I was assaulted by one of Daddy’s business associates, why didn’t you stand up for me?”

Again, for a third time, Millie saw shock and as quickly as it appeared on her mother’s face, it was gone. If Millie had not been watching her mother for a reaction, she would not have seen it. “Why would you bring something like that up?”

“I just want to know mother. Please? Why didn’t you stand up for me?”

Mary shook her head and patted Millie on the arm, “Darlin’ we know how shy you are and honestly, I thought you were exaggerating. You got over it really quick.”

Arriving at the study door, Mary turned to Millie, “Why don’t I make us some tea while you talk to your father? We can discuss this again when you are finished.”

“Because Mother, I have a date.” Millie turned towards her mother, “but, why don’t you stop by one day next week and I will make you tea. And mother, for what it’s worth,” Millie took a deep breath, never did she even think that she needed to do this, when she came tonight, it was to see her father, but suddenly she felt compelled to say the words, “I forgive you.”

“Forgive me? Why?”

“For not standing up for me.”

“And what is this about a date? You are dating now? Darlin’ that is wonderful. Do we know his parents?”

Typical Mary, move to a more pleasant conversation. Millie chuckled on the inside, some things never change. Why should she expect her mother to?

“I doubt it. And it is not what you think. We are just friends and we are meeting online.”

“Amelia darlin’ you need to find a good man and settle down. One of good character and upbringing. Come to the club with us and we will introduce you to a few good candidates to choose from. Darlin’ I worry about you.”

Laughing now, Millie could not believe her mother, well yeah she could, she had grown up with her trying to push her into society. “Mother, after our conversation just a minute ago, I mentioned that night, yet you want me to go back there? I’ll pass Mother.”

“Darlin’, I really don’t see what one has to do to the other. That was a long time ago and it was one night. The Anderson’s have been members there since before your father was born. One night does not mean we stop going there!”

“Of course not Mother, you and Lexi have a great time.” Millie smiled the smile she had been trained as a child to give, even when she didn’t feel like it. The one she and Lexi dubbed the ‘AA’ or the ‘Anderson Attitude’ . The whole world could be crumbling around them, but as long as they had a smile on their face, no one would know.

Millie steadied herself and knocked on the study door, suddenly she felt as nervous as she did when she was a child summoned to see him for some reason or another.

“Come.”

‘Lord, guide my steps,’ Millie prayed silently.

“Hello Daddy.” Millie said walking in, she thought about closing the door, but figured her mother was going to either come in or stand at the door and listen.

“Darlin’ what a surprise. I have not seen you in, I don’t know a year?”

“About that, give or take a month or two.” Millie came in and sat down on the sofa facing her father’s chair. “I need to talk to you.”

Lowering his book, he asked, “How much do you need?” Tom Anderson was a man of means and did not mind flaunting it. If he could not handle a problem, he could pay enough for someone else to handle it. So, to him, money solved everything.

“Nothing. I mean I need something, but not money.” Millie began playing with a string on her hoodie.

“Well out with it, what do you need me to handle for you?”

“I need to let you know that I have forgiven you and I want you to forgive me.” Millie nervously looked at her hands, as she continued playing with the string.

“What? What do you have to forgive me for? I have given you everything you could ever want or need. And you repay me by having your mother nag me all the time about how you don’t appreciate anything because you never call or come over and see her.”

“Of course you would not remember,” Millie always thought the deal that was brokered a week later was more important than she was, but she was trying hard to truly forgive, yet it still hurt. “Do you remember the party you threw right after I moved back home from college? The one for your clients?”

“OK? I throw those all the time. You will have to refresh my memory.”

“Well, it was the one that your client attacked me, the one that tried to force himself on me?”

“OK, but your sister came in. He didn’t hurt you.”

“Yes, but the damage was already done. The way he looked at me, the way he touched me. It is still hard for me to think about it. And as much as that hurt and not just that night but ever since, you did not stand up for me and that hurt worse.”

“Oh Amelia! You need to grow a thicker skin in business. He did not hurt you. He barely touched you. Sure he made some suggestive comments, but you are a beautiful woman. Surely you have heard a compliment or two before.”

“Daddy, he groped me and was trying to force himself on me! That night has kept me in my apartment for seven years. I can’t go out in public because of the things he said and did. Lucky for me Alexis did come in, but would your reaction have been any different if he raped me? A part of me says that it wouldn’t.” Feeling stronger and more confident than she had ever felt in her father’s presence, Millie continued. “You not standing up for me hurt. You doing business with him hurt. But,” Millie took a deep breath, “I forgive you. And as of today, I release this to not only you, but to God. And I pray that God can heal the wounds from the past seven years. I love you Daddy and I just thought you should know.”



HeDied4Me-ILive4Him:
hey r u on?

MilliVanilli:
yeah

HeDied4Me-ILive4Him:
i was worried about u

MilliVanilli:
i had something 2 do

HeDied4Me-ILive4Him:
r u OK

MilliVanilli:
yeah
i went 2 see my parents

HeDied4Me-ILive4Him:
really?
how did that go?

MilliVanilli:
about as good as I expected

HeDied4Me-ILive4Him:
wanna talk?

MilliVanilli:
not much 2 talk about
I told them I forgive them
mom didn’t understand why i forgave her