On my 17th birthday, my mother wanted to treat me so we went to a restaurant we’d never been to before. It was really something special and a little upscale.
When the waitress came to take our order, I was surprised to see that she had ugly bruises and cuts, all over her arms and her wrists. It was evident that she hadn’t done this to herself. Mum, with a little shake of her head, gave me a clear sign that it was none of our business. She believes it rarely pays off to get involved with something that doesn’t concern you.
The girl was probably in her late teens, pretty, if a little thin. She was polite and efficient when she took our order, but I could tell by the signs of stress on her face that she was in trouble. Unfortunately, the area she’d been given to look after in the restaurant included a table at which a loud, very elderly lady was seated at.
The waitress was taking the lady’s order when she looked at the girl’s arms and said very loudly and very rudely “you shouldn’t be working with arms in such a disgusting state! You’re serving food you know! She went on to bark at the girl, “if I was your employer I’d have you sacked on the spot!”
It was so embarrassing for the waitress as well as everyone else in the restaurant. The poor girl just stood there, completely humiliated. Everyone was watching, waiting to see what would happen next. I’m ashamed to say that no one got up to come to the poor girl’s aid, including us. But, I was so angry! I almost jumped out of my seat wanting to smack the rude customer across the cheek! However, I could see by the look on the girl’s face that this was not the help she needed right then. If I’d done that, it would probably have made matters worse for her.
Still, I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I called the girl back over to our table and as subtly as I could, I asked her if there was anything I could do to help her. She was clearly distressed. Smiling nervously, she told me that there was wasn’t anything I could do to help. She was desperate to avoid getting into trouble at work, because if anything happened to make her lose her job, which was her only source of income, it could do her more harm than good if her boyfriend should find out.
Without thinking, I gave the girl my telephone number and told her if she ever needed any help that she was to get in touch with me straight away. She thanked me politely, then hurried away to get on with her work. The rest of the meal went by without any further incident although I felt a little uncomfortable when Mom and I left the restaurant without having helped the girl.
I’d almost forgotten about the whole incident when a week later, I suddenly received a text from an unknown number. The text read, “Hey, remember me? I’m the waitress from the restaurant. I’m sorry it took so long to get in touch but a lot’s been going on.” I was so surprised to hear from the girl, but I was pleased she’d gotten in touch. Perhaps NOW there was something I could do to help.
I responded to her text and it wasn’t long before we spoke on the phone and she told me a whole lot more about her life. I discovered she had a baby daughter and to my horror, but sadly not to my surprise, I discovered she was in a relationship with a violent boyfriend. She’d been scared to leave him, despite him treating her very badly. She was afraid that he would not only harm her, but also the child if she ever plucked up the courage to leave. Going back home wasn’t an option as her family had disowned her when she became pregnant. They wanted nothing to do with her or her daughter. She didn’t even have any friends that were in any position to help her. After a long conversation, I made her promise to get in touch with me again if she was ever in distress.
One night, about a week after I’d received her initial text, she called me. She was in a flood of tears and very distressed about something. Through the sobs, she told me that her boyfriend’s violence was getting worse and he had hit the baby this time. Although she was very upset, she didn’t want me to help her right then. She just needed someone friendly to talk to.
I tried to think of how I could make things better for her anyway. We ended the call with me feeling awful. I felt I had to do something as I couldn’t help feeling that it was down to me to help her turn her life around.
Then, I had an idea. It was a little bit crazy, but it just might work. So, I called her back and told her, “I have a plan. You will hire me as a babysitter which means that you’d HAVE to bring your daughter to my house so it won’t be suspicious. Then, once you drop her off here, you can go back to your house to pack up your things. Choose a time of day when your boyfriend won’t be there. You won’t be going back there alone. My Dad will go with you. He’s a big guy. Not only him, I have two brothers just as big as my Dad. With those three to watch over you, you’ll be protected if your boyfriend suddenly turns up.”
The next day, after she dropped off her daughter with me, Dad and my brothers went with her to her house to help pack her things. Unfortunately, the boyfriend turned up unexpectedly, but there was no way he was brave enough to tangle with Dad and my brothers. He was a typical bully, but when he had to deal with someone who wasn’t weaker than himself, he was a rotten coward. The young mother packed her things and left. The plan had worked brilliantly. It wasn’t easy for her to get away from her controlling and violent boyfriend, but together we did it. Except now she was homeless.
However, we had plenty of room and we decided she would live with us for a while. At least until she could find somewhere new and safe that she could move into. It was a joy having her and her baby living with us for a while, and she soon got back on her feet. She eventually found a safe place that she could afford to move into. Finally, she could be independent and in control of her life.
Oh I know what you’re probably thinking. What right has a seventeen-year-old girl got to poke her nose into someone else’s business? However, I couldn’t have just sat there in that restaurant that night. I HAD to help her and now look at the outcome! Not all down to me I know, but I felt I played a little part in helping the girl get out of a terrible situation and take back control of her life. We should ALL do what we can to help others that are vulnerable and in a less fortunate position than we are. It’s absolutely the right thing to do in a civilised society.
To this day we’re still friends and keep in touch regularly. I’m glad I did what I did and I would do it again. What would you have done?
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