Beanie Tells the Truth

The girls were thrilled with having their choice of beds. Beanie began jumping on the one she chose. "Mommy, look! It's so bouncy!" she squealed in delight.

Katie plopped on the other bed, making snow angels on the pristine comforter. "I love this place! It's so fancy."

"Who wants to watch TV? They have all the channels here. Nickelodeon, anyone?" I asked.

"Ooh, yes! Cool!" Beans shouted.

I stocked the mini-fridge with our snacks and turned the TV on for them before wandering to the snack machines and ice maker on our floor. I took my time picking out a few sugary treats and a few healthier drinks for them, filling the ice bucket, and leisurely strolled back to the room.

Partway back down the hall an earth-shattering scream pierced the air all around me and I dropped the snacks and ice, running as if my life depended on it. After fumbling a few times with the key card, I opened the door and found Beanie cowering under the covers on the bed with Katie.

"Beans, Beans! What happened?"

"She saw somebody in the parking lot and started yelling," Katie explained.

"Mommy, Mommy! It's that bad men. They're here. They're here. I saw them down there!" Beanie cried, shaking.

"Okay, calm down, sweetie. We're safe. They wouldn't be here. I promise you just saw someone like them. It's not them. The policeman is chasing them."

"No. No! I saw him. I saw the bad man who was going to feed me to the bird. He's here. Look down there. He got out of a car and was walking around. I saw him!" She insisted.

I wasn't too keen on looking out the balcony at the lot below, in case she was right. But, she couldn't be right. We were a hundred miles away from the lake-- more, maybe. Every State Trooper was looking for their truck.

Peering carefully between the slats in the balcony railing, I tried to locate the big, black pickup truck below. I sighed in relief. Nothing. Poor Beanie. Was she going to imagine these men chasing us for the rest of her life? Oh, God. This was awful.

"Sweetie, they aren't there. You are just so scared from before you're imagining it. A lot of men probably look like them. Their truck isn't there and I don't see anyone like them. Let's try to calm down, and watch some cartoons, alright?"

"Nobody ever believes me. Nobody," she pouted.

"I believe that you thought you saw them. That's not a lie. That's a mistake. People make mistakes, and no one thinks they're lying, baby," I tried to assure her.

I pulled her onto my lap and settled on the bed with them, thankful they were safe with me. They dozed off to Captain something or other and I laid Beanie down next to Katie and left the room to clean up the mess I'd made in the hallway.

Oh, boy. Melted ice cubes all over the carpet and bottles of juice and candy bars littered the nice, clean hall. I was scooping everything up when someone surprised me.

"Hey, Mama. We meet again. Let's finish this conversation in your room, shall we?" the monster from Beanie's imagination yanked me by the arm back to our room.

"What? How did?" I sputtered, dropping to my knees, making it as difficult as possible to pull me down the passageway, while I began screaming incoherently.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," he snarled, backhanding me in the face, silencing me mid-scream.

He grabbed the key card from my hand, comparing room numbers with the card until he found our room. I struggled, making it impossible to work the lock. He dropped the card and I shoved it under the door, keeping us both out of the room. He became enraged. No matter what, I had to keep my voice down or the girls would open the door to see what was happening.

Nothing would prepare me for what was to follow.