We finally pulled into the driveway of our home at about eight o’clock at night. Even though I hated my home, I was glad to see it. Well I was until I saw Jack come out of the house to help us unload the camper. As he reached out to say hello and hug me, I began to feel nauseous. His touch was never appropriate. 
Even when it looked harmless, it felt dirty and wrong. Every moment of it full of malicious intent and thought. I just wanted to get into the house, take a bath in my own tub and sleep in my own bed. I did not want to think about being stuck in the house with a monster again. I did not want to think about survival or strategies my next move. I just wanted to rest. I would deal with it all in the morning. Once my mind and body had regained its strength.
The next morning as I opened my eyes, I stretched out to take in the full comfort of my own bed. Two weeks of sleeping in hotels, motels or the back of the camper made me miss the comforts of my own pillow and blanket. Today I was going to see the dentist to see what could be done to fix the damage that was done by my stupid attempt at humor. I was relieved at the thought, hoping for an end to the agony I had been in for the last five days. Anything for the pain in my mouth to stop.
Once the dentist examined me, he explained to my Mother that I would need a lot of reconstruction done to my mouth. I had broken eleven teeth, five of them very badly broken. So much so that they we exposing a portion of the nerve. He wanted to get to work on my mouth right away. He explained how it would take approximately four sessions, each about five hours long, over the next ten days to fix. I instantly agreed and begged her to agree as well. I wanted it fixed now. It was July 19, only eleven days until my 12th birthday. I was having a back yard birthday party at the house this year. I did not want to look like an extra in a horror film in front of my friends and family. Plus there was a bonus to having the dentist start immediately. Jack would leave me alone until after my birthday. It was not much but it was something. A ten-day extension until he would rape me again.
My Mother agreed and the dentist began step one of his plan that afternoon. My Mother was told that she could return a few hours to pick me up. After she left, the dentist froze my upper and lower gum lines. His assistant gave me a little white pill to take, she said it would make me relax while they where doing the surgery. Well let me tell you… did it ever make me relax. I was laid out in the dentist chair like a zombie with a square retractor keeping my mouth open. I drifted in and out of sleep for the four hours I was there. My Mother arrived promptly to pick me up. As she did, the dentist gave her a prescription for me. I was to take antibiotics and painkillers. He stated that he did a lot of aggressive work in my mouth today and that may cause me to have quite the headache once the freezing wears off.
Once we were home, she took me to my room and helped me get settled into my bed. I was still a little groggy from the dentist. I crawled into bed and reached for the remote for my TV. My Mother handed it to me and then asked me if I was hungry. She thought it might be better for me to try to eat something while my mouth was still a little bit frozen. I was hungry. I nodded yes to her before she left my room. Shortly she returned with some chicken broth, chocolate pudding and my meds. After enjoying my supper, I slept sound for the rest of the night. Not waking even once.
I spent the majority of the following nine-days either being put back together or healing. I ended up having a great deal of alone time. Something I was not use to at home. Jack was not one to leave me alone. Unless he was angry. Which I could see he clearly was not. Therefore, this behavior was out of the ordinary for him, but somehow I knew I would pay for the silence and I knew it would be soon. I was healing faster than the dentist expected I would. I had planned to keep that from Jack but he was the one who picked me up from my last appointment, so the dentist told him about my prognosis. Once he heard the news, he immediately started to make plans to have me all to himself. He proceeded to tell me that we would need to find a way to get my Mother out of the house now that I was pretty much healed.
Jack asked me to encourage my Mother to go out to Bingo the following night. I did not want to. The next day was July 30th, my birthday. We were not having my party until the 31st but it was still my birthday. As I heard him speak the words, a lump formed in my throat. I grasped for the words to say no to him and to beg for just a couple more days. Jack could see that I was uncomfortable with the conversation. As he did I could see the anger growing in his eyes. He would not tolerate any form of defiance from me. When his anger erupted, he reached over and grabbed my mouth in his left hand. Squeezing just enough to bring tears to my eyes. Even though my mouth was still practically frozen, I could feel his hand tightening as he told me that I had had enough time off! It was time that I took care of him and if I refused, the pain in my mouth would be the least of my worries!
Brave Enough by Dawn Marie 
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