Tortured Innocence

By Betty Henderson

Annie suffered abuse her entire life from childhood to her adult life. She accepted the cruelty as a way of life until it was clear that the abuse was affecting the children and that was the catalyst that ended her life, but her spirit couldnt rest until she knew they were safe. The wrath she felt turned her into a protector of women and children who needed an avenging spirit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490746494

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© Copyright 2014 Betty Henderson.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4647-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4648-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4649-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916260

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Contents

Death of the Innocent

Annie Finds a Job

Annie’s First Day at Work

A Blessing from God

Annie Learned of the Girlfriend

The Brief Escape

Annie’s Sister, Mary, Comes for a Visit

Cecil and Mary’s House

Joe Didn’t Forget Them

Into the Darkness

The Search Is On

Joe’s Mother’s House

The Field

Three Years Later

Annie’s New Home

A Friend for Annie

The New Home

The Neighbors

John Bought the House

Annie’s on Patrol

Moving Day

Annie’s Little Friend

Time for John to Come Home

Return to Annie’s Neighborhood

Connie and John

Back to Connie and John’s House

Lisa, John’s Mistress

Go to Connie

The Next Morning

Back to Annie

Lilly Was Worried about Brittany

Annie and Connie

The Bullies Are Back

Brittany and Lilly

Go to Lisa and John

Go to Jackie’s

Go to Annie

Jackie’s House

Connie’s House

Trooper Donovan

Connie and John

Go to Jackie

Lilly and Kenny

Return to John and Connie

Annie Visits Her Children

The Evil Stepmother

Aunt Carol and Ethel

Annie’s Back

Annie versus Linda

Annie Returned to Connie

Annie Returned to Her Children

The Moment of Reckoning

John and Lisa

Connie and Annie

Annie and Brittany

Back to Connie

John and Lisa

Annie and Connie

John’s Spirit Returns Home

John Returns to Lisa

Connie and Annie

Annie and Connie Visit Jackie

Annie and the Light

Death of the Innocent

A nnie married Joe a week after they graduated from high school, and she conceived their first daughter, Andrea, soon after they married. She was surprised but happy since she wanted to be a mother ever since she could remember so she would have someone to love her.

Joe made a decent wage from his job, but if Annie didn’t find him before he blew every cent on his friends, she would have a hard time making ends meet, to the point of her starving so the children had enough to eat.

Andrea was supposed to be an only child, but when she got pregnant again, she was happy and scared at the same time, but she hoped Joe would stop drinking when she gave birth to their second daughter, Kathy, but the drinking and the savage beatings continued.

Annie looked forward to death until the children came along, and her death wish changed to the opposite because when Joe got drunk, he was a vicious man, and compassion wasn’t in him. She had no doubt that he would harm them when he was in one of his foul moods. She decided to get a job so she could leave him and give the children a life free of fear and violence, but to her dismay, she got pregnant again. She had to postpone her plans until she gave birth to their third daughter.

Eve was born fourteen months after Kathy, and Annie knew she couldn’t count on Joe for help with the children. Eve was two months old when Annie told Joe that she was going to look for a job when she regained her strength. He laughed and declared no one would hire a stupid woman like her.

Annie snapped back at him that she would get a job and he would eat his words. Joe wrapped his fingers around Annie’s throat and squeezed until she blacked out, then he released her until she regained consciousness, and as if that wasn’t enough to satisfy his depraved mind, he punched Annie in the face with his huge fist so hard that she actually flew across the bed and landed in the closet. When Annie opened her eyes, they were crossed, and stars flashed in her head. She lay in the closet floor until she regained her senses and climbed to her feet when she heard the hysterical cries of the children.

Joe’s drinking got worse as time passed, and the abuse changed from brutal to sadistic, and the need for alcohol took over every aspect of Joe’s life to the point that he was taking it to work in his lunch pail instead of food. The last straw came when he began to see other women. That caused the abuse to become more brutal and sadistic. He spent his money on women and drinking and stopped giving Annie money for food and bills. He would come home in the middle of the night to take a pound of Annie’s flesh and terrorize her and the children before he passed out in a drunken stupor.

When Joe lost his job in West Virginia, the family moved to Cleveland where Joe could find work. Andrea turned six years old, and Annie had to enroll her in school with one dress to wear, and it was two sizes too small. Annie had to wash and repair it every night so she could wear it the next day.

Annie decided the time had come for her to find a job, but Cleveland was a big city, and Annie had no idea where to look for work. She took the children out in the yard a few days later and saw a neighbor cutting grass. She introduced herself and asked if he knew where she could get a job. He was very kind and recommended a knitwear factory, but he added that she would have to change buses twice to get there.

Joe looked out the window and saw Annie talking to the neighbor about a job, and he couldn’t resist a chance to humiliate her in the presence of a stranger. He laughed and declared that she was so stupid that no one would hire her, and not only that, how could she get a job when she was a wimp and couldn’t ride a city bus around the block. Annie’s face turned beet red from the humiliation of Joe’s double-edged tongue that cut like a sword. She couldn’t defend herself because she knew if she opened her mouth to speak, the lump in her throat would choke off the words. She gathered the children and retreated into the house where she could cry until the lump in her throat vanished. She swore that she would make Joe eat his own words when she found a job.

Annie Finds a Job

A nnie got up early the next morning and walked Andrea to school and left Kathy and Eve with their grandmother while she looked for a job. Joe was right when he said she was afraid to ride a bus, but she was a determined woman that was on a mission to give her children a safe and happy childhood. She didn’t know anything about the bus schedule or which one to board until she was standing on the street with a group of strangers. She mustered up the courage to ask one of the women what bus to take to get to Twenty-Fifth. The woman was very kind to Annie and invited her to sit beside her and she would explain the system to her. Annie thanked her for being so kind and gladly accepted her offer, and when the time came for them to part company, Annie felt confident enough to get to work on her own, if she could find work. The second bus Annie boarded stopped directly in front of the knitwear company. Annie took in a deep breath and asked God to help her get through the day, and she pulled her shoulders back and entered the reception area with her head held high.

The woman seated behind the glass window asked if she could help her. Annie’s voice squeaked when she asked if they were hiring. The woman handed her an application and asked her to bring it back when she finished. Annie was surprised how simple the questions were, and she handed it back to the woman in no time. The woman glanced at the application and picked up the phone.

A black man opened the door and stuck his head out and asked Annie to follow him. Annie followed him downstairs to a room that was obviously used by the employees as a break room. He introduced himself as Hampton Burton and hired her on the spot. Annie was shocked and as surprised as anyone could be that had doubts about her finding a job. The amazing thing was that it was the first place she applied to for a job.

Annie went home and told the children that she had to work to pay the rent and buy groceries and clothes for them. She hugged them close to her and cried because, hopefully, her nightmare would end since they won’t have to count on Joe for support. Joe was right when he said she was afraid to ride the bus, but he had no idea how far a mother would go to care for and protect her children.

The children weren’t happy about staying with a sitter and begged Annie to stay with them. She tried to explain to them that she had to work during the day and they must stay with a sitter or they would have no food or clothes to wear.

Kathy asked why they can’t stay with their daddy, and Annie didn’t want to tell the children that she couldn’t trust their father with them, and to her amazement, she