The Life of Jane

When I was about eleven years of age I met a girl named Jane who would come stay with her father on the weekends and during the summer holidays.

To be honest-her and I did not get along. I found her to be a bit of a bully. She thought she was pretty good. I have to admit she was quite attractive but in my books-not good.

Around boys Jane acted slutty. She wore a lot of make-up and dressed to impress and it worked. The boys seemed to be drawn to her and maybe my girlfriends and I were a bit jealous of that fact.

Jane bragged of being allowed to smoke cigarettes and drink booze. Which I thought was weird. If my parents even caught me smoking or drinking at that age, I would be grounded for sure.

But I came to learn that her dad was also the town-boot-legger and did much drinking himself-along with his buddies who spent much time at his place up on the hill, just a short distance from our home, playing poker.

In my belief system that would mean Janes dad would have low parenting skills and possibly didn’t care much about what his daughter did at home or anywhere else.

But I still didn’t care much for her regardless of her family-life with having a dad as the town-boot-legger. I was tired of her bullying words and actions, and her coming across like she was better than everyone else.

I would think to myself, ‘one of these days that girl is going to wish she would’ve never made herself an enemy of mine’!

One day Jane was walking down the road in front of my house. Not strutting herself as usual. I just happened to be riding my horse around and giving friends rides.

Jane tried to make conversation with us. She seemed a bit nervous. Possibly because she wasn’t surrounded by friends of her own.

I know it seems mean of me but I took advantage of bullying her right back that day by providing her with a run-down feeling from my horse. If my horse could talk she would’ve told me to never make her do that again! As she was such a friendly girl-so calm and gentle.

I remember saying to Jane that day, how do you like it-how do you like being pushed around! I know she was pretty much in tears. I can tell you all right now - that was the best move for me to have made. She never bullied me or my friends around again.

However, one Halloween night my family and I thought we heard something at the front door. My mother opened the door to find burning horse shit in a box. What a stink it made!

I knew right away that it had to be Jane and her clan playing the prank. I seen her the next day and she admitted that it was her and that it was just a joke. I did see the funny side of it-so all was well.

That day Jane invited me and a couple of my friends over to her dads place. So we went and I have to say-we we’re in for a big surprise. Jane fed us stories that were hard to believe. Stories that to this day make my heart sink, and puts knots in my gut.

I am twelve years old now and Jane is about to turn fourteen in a few days time. So when she mentions about sleeping with different boys, it didn’t shock us. For we had heard these stories before from the boys themselves. Janes reputation wasn’t something to be desired.

While Jane was showing us around inside of the house-all the rooms, we got to a bedroom where she said “this is my dads room and where I sleep as well sometimes”. I said- ‘You mean when your dad is not home’? ‘No when he’s here’-she replied. My girlfriends and I looked back and forth at each other and then back at Jane.

She continues-‘sometimes my dad asks me to stay in here with him and I do things to make him happy’. It became very real to us at that point - Jane and her dad had a very strange and off-putting relationship!

When we came out of the bedroom- her dad was just walking into the house with a massive booze supply. Cases and cases of beer and boxes containing liquor labels. This is when I made my move past her dad and I can tell you all one thing - this is where and when I discovered how to put on a fake smile for show.

I left the house with my friends trailing behind me. Jane came out behind us and asked if I’d stay at her moms place with her on the weekend.

It was to be a small innocent girls party. I told her that I’d have to run it by my mom for permission.

Sometime between Tuesday afternoon when I had been at Janes dads and Thursday, I found myself mysteriously grounded to the house for the entire weekend.

I say mysterious because I didn’t know then and to this very day-cannot recall what I did to cause my grounding.

Whatever it was-thank goodness I did it! That sounds weird right?

Monday morning I was informed that Janes birthday turned out to being her last birthday! The fun she was enjoying with two of her girlfriends turned ugly to put it mildly.

The girls were spraying chemicals into a garbage bag and inhaling the fumes. All three overdosed. Jane died and the other two girls were hospitalized and in critical condition.

I remember walking up to Janes dads place, knocked on the door-her dad opened with a smile. I peeked inside and seen a bunch of his buddies sitting at the kitchen table playing cards. I told him how sorry I was to hear about Jane.

All he said was “It’s a good thing you weren’t their”. I nodded and walked home.

I thanked my mom for grounding me that weekend-and she said “your so welcome, but for the life of me-I can’t remember why I grounded you”.

All my life I have stayed away from hard drugs. I believe that it is because of Janes story. She instilled strength and determination in me. Who knows - she could have contributed in me becoming an advocate for children of abuse.

By Brenda Lee Lord-Hinger

BLBLOGWRITINGNEWS1 ( KMZ2OL)

Advocate of Children of Abuse

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