CPS (Elusive Retrospection)

 "You have less than six months," Alissa Frank said. This was the strangest case she's worked on since CPS hired her. "What are you planning?"

As per protocol, Alissa takes the kids in her care out once a month to the local coffee shop so she can check their progress.

"I'm moving," Amanda said, "I don't like being here. I still get too much attention. You would think people would move on after a couple of years."

"Well, you are an anomaly," Alissa responded, "You know if you stay here and since you are still a ward of the state, you will get your education for free. We can get you into V-Tech, easily."

"I considered it," Amanda said, "but I make enough on my book and most of the stuff I know about programming I learn online."

"How are you getting online?"

"I used the library until my royalty check started coming in. Then Margaret finally lets me use their internet."

"Well," Alissa said, "There's that anyway. So where do you plan on moving to?"

"California. I already checked out the apartments there. One of my online friends suggested a place that's reasonable and within my budget."

Alissa stared at Amanda. This level of a maturity is usually a sign of a child having to grow up early. But most kids don't have this type of direction in life. Alissa felt like she was talking to a well-adjusted adult.

"Well, you know," Alissa said, "that book royalties will fizzle out and you won't have an income. You are going to want something to fall back on."

Amanda thought as she sipped her coffee.

"I'm writing another one," Amanda said, "And this guy has been helping me out getting them published.

"This guy?" Alissa asked, "The same guy you met in the hospital?"

"Yeah," Amanda said, "We've been skyping, although he lives only a few hours away.

"Have you told your foster family?"

"No," Amanda said, "I don't think they would like him."

Alissa nodded.

"It's not that I don't want to," Amanda said, "but he doesn't seem to have a religion and my foster parents, well…" Amanda trailed off.

"Does it bother you?" Alissa said, "I mean their beliefs, that is."

"Not as much as it seems to bother them," Amanda said.

"How so?" Alissa asked, a bit confused.

"It seems it's their belief that if they don't berate themselves enough, they'll go to some eternal punishment," Amanda said sadly. "I don't think they're ever happy. Mr. and Mrs. Risner put themselves down all the time. It's odd, they rarely cut each other down to their face but they have a lot of complaints when they think the other isn't listening."

Alissa blinked. She always viewed the couple as self-righteous bigots. It didn't occur to her that they could be as hard on themselves as they are on everyone else.

Alissa had her own experience. Her mother was a narcissist and her father was a sociopath. Both would use religion as a means to control her and her siblings. Her father would use it as an excuse to torture them.

It's why she became a social worker in the first place. It's also why she was an atheist.

It didn't occur to her that not all religious people are psycho but they're suffering their own internal torment.

"Do they cut you down?" Alissa asked finally.

"No," Amanda said, "I get all kinds of compliments on how easy I am."

"Good," Alissa said. "At least there's that," she thought.

 

Background pic courtesy of Pixabay

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