Read Online The Troublesome Angel by Valerie Hansen - Free Book Online
Authors: Valerie Hansen
Ads: Link
across every nerve in her body!
She abruptly sat down to keep from tottering and reverted to a businesslike persona. “How can I help you, Mr. Payne?”
“You can start by telling me just what you thought you were doing by pretending that Missy wasn’t purposely hiding from us today.”
“Ah. That.” Stacy sank back in the chair. “It just seemed the right thing to do, under the circumstances. The poor kid was already miserable. I didn’t see any reason to berate her.”
“They call that teaching right from wrong,” he said sarcastically.
“Except that Missy already knew she’d done wrong. Yelling at her for it wasn’t going to make her feel any worse.”
“It might have kept her from pulling a stunt like that again,” he countered. “Or hadn’t you thought of that?”
“Oh, I had, all right. But I know from experience that a lonely, frightened child isn’t rational. I don’t suppose you took the time to ask her why she ran away from us?”
When he didn’t answer immediately, Stacy continued. “I’ll tell you why I think she did it. She didn’t want to leave me and the dogs and go home. Mark and Candace’s house may be wonderful—I hope it is—but if it’s not the kind of place where Melissa grew up, nothing we say or do is going to make her feel instantly right about living there. Adjustment takes time. And patience.”
“Are you through?”
“Unless you want to hear more,” Stacy said with a sigh. “Look, Mr. Payne. I’ve been in Missy’s shoes. I know what it’s like to be torn from everyone and everything familiar and plunked down in a place where the adults are either too strict because they don’t know what else to do, or too lax because they want to be your best buddy. Neither approach works. Missy needs a loving, self-assured parent. Not a jailer. And not a peer in an adult body.”
Graydon cleared his throat. “You were orphaned?”
“Yes. I thought you knew.”
“No. Mark never mentioned it.”
“Probably because he didn’t think anyone in your family would care,” she said flatly. “I was brought up in foster homes from the age of ten on.”
“Did you ever run away?”
Chuckling, Stacy nodded, even though he couldn’t see her doing it. “Oh, boy, did I!”
“Why?”
“What difference does it make?”
“To you and me, none. To Missy, maybe a lot. I want to understand where she’s coming from, what’s making her so skittish.” He paused, waited. Finally he said, “Please?”
For some reason it was harder for Stacy to confide in him than it had been to bare her soul to the six-year-old. “I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning would be good.”
She imagined she heard a trace of wry humor in his voice and it stopped her. “This isn’t funny.”
“I never said it was. Look. I know Missy’s gotten attached to me but I don’t know what to do about it. I have to go to Saint Louis next week on business and I don’t want to leave without at least trying to help her cope.”
“Will you be gone long?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“Because even if you explain the reason for the trip to her, she’s going to think you’re not coming back, just like her daddy. Especially if you’revague about your plans. If you give her definite information and then stick to it, she’ll find the whole concept easier to accept.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. The other thing you might do is telephone her at a prearranged time each day. It’s the uncertainty that’s the hardest. Kids live in the present. They have short attention spans and little patience. You and I can look ahead, be willing to wait for what we want. Missy’s lost every routine she used to rely on for stability. She needs new anchors, new daily habits to give her a sense of being able to predict a calm, happy future. Provide that and I think you’ll see a big change in her.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’d never looked at it quite that
She abruptly sat down to keep from tottering and reverted to a businesslike persona. “How can I help you, Mr. Payne?”
“You can start by telling me just what you thought you were doing by pretending that Missy wasn’t purposely hiding from us today.”
“Ah. That.” Stacy sank back in the chair. “It just seemed the right thing to do, under the circumstances. The poor kid was already miserable. I didn’t see any reason to berate her.”
“They call that teaching right from wrong,” he said sarcastically.
“Except that Missy already knew she’d done wrong. Yelling at her for it wasn’t going to make her feel any worse.”
“It might have kept her from pulling a stunt like that again,” he countered. “Or hadn’t you thought of that?”
“Oh, I had, all right. But I know from experience that a lonely, frightened child isn’t rational. I don’t suppose you took the time to ask her why she ran away from us?”
When he didn’t answer immediately, Stacy continued. “I’ll tell you why I think she did it. She didn’t want to leave me and the dogs and go home. Mark and Candace’s house may be wonderful—I hope it is—but if it’s not the kind of place where Melissa grew up, nothing we say or do is going to make her feel instantly right about living there. Adjustment takes time. And patience.”
“Are you through?”
“Unless you want to hear more,” Stacy said with a sigh. “Look, Mr. Payne. I’ve been in Missy’s shoes. I know what it’s like to be torn from everyone and everything familiar and plunked down in a place where the adults are either too strict because they don’t know what else to do, or too lax because they want to be your best buddy. Neither approach works. Missy needs a loving, self-assured parent. Not a jailer. And not a peer in an adult body.”
Graydon cleared his throat. “You were orphaned?”
“Yes. I thought you knew.”
“No. Mark never mentioned it.”
“Probably because he didn’t think anyone in your family would care,” she said flatly. “I was brought up in foster homes from the age of ten on.”
“Did you ever run away?”
Chuckling, Stacy nodded, even though he couldn’t see her doing it. “Oh, boy, did I!”
“Why?”
“What difference does it make?”
“To you and me, none. To Missy, maybe a lot. I want to understand where she’s coming from, what’s making her so skittish.” He paused, waited. Finally he said, “Please?”
For some reason it was harder for Stacy to confide in him than it had been to bare her soul to the six-year-old. “I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning would be good.”
She imagined she heard a trace of wry humor in his voice and it stopped her. “This isn’t funny.”
“I never said it was. Look. I know Missy’s gotten attached to me but I don’t know what to do about it. I have to go to Saint Louis next week on business and I don’t want to leave without at least trying to help her cope.”
“Will you be gone long?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“Because even if you explain the reason for the trip to her, she’s going to think you’re not coming back, just like her daddy. Especially if you’revague about your plans. If you give her definite information and then stick to it, she’ll find the whole concept easier to accept.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. The other thing you might do is telephone her at a prearranged time each day. It’s the uncertainty that’s the hardest. Kids live in the present. They have short attention spans and little patience. You and I can look ahead, be willing to wait for what we want. Missy’s lost every routine she used to rely on for stability. She needs new anchors, new daily habits to give her a sense of being able to predict a calm, happy future. Provide that and I think you’ll see a big change in her.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’d never looked at it quite that
Similar Books
