- Anna’s Story -
A few years ago now in my block of flats where I live, a new tenant moved into one of the vacant flats [ground floor], they never caused any trouble to start with, very quiet and seldom seen by me.Over a period of time I learnt they - [Anne and Richard] were a young recovering pair of drug addicts and both were ‘tagged’. They were know to the police, they were know to the Social Services, they had had many appearances in front of the Magistrates for drug and drug related offences, they had been sentenced with many forms of punishments, community service etc. they had been allocated a council flat which was their last chance to go straight and get ‘clean’.
On a shopping visit to the local shops in passing I met up with Anne and Richard for the first time, they seemed prepared to engage me in conversation, no problems there for me for I will talk to anyone. I found them to be most congenial and happy. On one occasion they met up with me on their landing, I suspect they had been waiting for me to return from a shopping trip and invited me into their flat for ‘a cup of tea’, reluctantly I agreed. Yes, reluctantly for me its just not my way to get to close to my neighbours. It was abundantly clear that they had made a special effort to entertain me and prepared everything in advance, tea, biscuits and sandwiches. It was very noticeable their flat had just a few items, an old settee, one out of date TV, one chair, [no carpet on the floor], cold with no heating. The kitchen, one very old cooker, no fridge or freezer. Curtains, a couple of old moth eaten blankets. I also notice that everything was scrupulously clean, no smells. You may not be aware that for some places you visit your flesh crawls and no way would you drink anything let alone eat anything. I had no reluctance for that visit. They told me that I was the only one person who would talk to them and that all the other tenants had ignored them.
Over the following months I learnt a lot about Anna and Richard, I spoke to the local beat policeman, the local care social worker, the council, a few of the supposedly care in the community charities, all of them reluctant to give me any information or to help them in any way. It seemed to me they had just ‘given up’ - so be it. Sorry, not good enough, for me, here was a young couple trying desperately hard to reform their lives and getting no support from the authorities who were supposedly their to support couples like this
Horror of all horrors, one morning I saw the door of their flat completely smashed in, being concerned that some terrible event had happened phoned the local police station only to be informed that they, the police had forced an entry at 0600-hrs to the flat to arrest the occupants. It transpired that Anne was released on ‘ a no charge’ as no way was she implicated in the charge of burglary and assault by her partner Richard. [being held in custody and eventually got sentenced to three years].
Anna.
Her story and history as I understand it:
She is a very pretty young lady, 24-year old- [that’s two years ago now], 5-foot three-inches in height, very slim. possible under weight, very long hair - [mousey colour reaching down to her buttocks when tied in a pony tail - OK I know I’m a sucker for long haired girls]. Complexion, face, a little bit spotty, I put this down to her life style but clean in her personal and hygiene habits.
Over the many months after she was left by her self [her then partner Richard being incarcerated] she told me many home truths about her short life.
At the age of 16-years she left ‘home’ because of the abuse she received from her mother and sisters and the abuse she received from the many ‘boy friends’ her mother had.
When she came to Bristol she met up with organisation who specialised in way ward females and given a job in one of their many outlets, there she met with Richard, unfortunately for her she didn’t know that he came from a family of trouble makers and it wasn’t before long that he was trying to prostitute her ‘services’ for money to support his drug habit. She told me she never did and I believed her.
Many occasion I would have a tap on my front door late at night to find Anna there in a very distressed state, many reasons for this, sometimes she hadn’t eaten for three days, she was cold and lonely, she had no money, she was being harassed by the authorities, being harassed by the police, it seemed that her troubles were never ending for her. On these occasions I would feed her, allow her to have a bath, listen to her.
I formed a special ‘bond’ between her and me, a father and daughter bond, instinctively she seemed to know this, although on two occasions she did offer her female services to stay with me for the night as for some small payment. On one occasion I know my resolve was taxed the limit, Anna was very proud of her long hair and on one nights visit she asked if she could wash her hair and would I help, no problem with that. much to my surprise she stripped off her blouse and lent over the sink. Me washing her hair with shampoo, drying with the hair dryer, combing and then brushing, what man wouldn’t given those circumstance have taken advantage, I must admit it taxed me to limit, I did get excited but I didn’t disgrace myself - no regrets.
There’s many stories I could write about Anna and her troubles, the troubles she had with the friends of Richard, smashing all her windows in, the three months she slept rough, being to scared to return to her flat, the lack of community support. No one wanted to ‘help’ her. The night her flat was broken into, the time she was brutally sexual assaulted, not raped, the time I took her to the hospital, the supermarket visits, the doctors visits, police visits.
I admit that I was heart broken when I learnt that she was gone, she had vacated her flat with out any notice to any one, I felt why on earth did I bother, no gratitude, no small word of thanks, no thanks for all of my Christian work, the thoughts, actions I had done for her not that I wanted for her to bow and scrap with thanks, just some sort recognition for the good deeds I had done.
Imagine my surprise on Christmas Day when I opened my mail and presents - [Note: I don’t open anything until then] there was a letter and a card from Anna, Wow - fantastic. The card, not one of the Woolworth’s fifty in a card box for 50-pence type but a card with meaningful words in together with a number of kisses from Anna.
The letter, in her hand writing [ink] three pages long, she opened up her heart to me telling me how sorry she was that she hadn’t said good bye to me when she left and a thank you for all the help I had given her for getting her life back together.
She tells me that she is in a partnership with a honest and sincere partner who is prepared to let bygones be bygones, has gainful work as a waitress, is studying at the local tech college for a qualification. She said that on a number of occasions she had tried to contact me but couldn’t get an answer from my flat.
What better Christmas present could anyone get other then that. - to know you have made a difference to some ones life?
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