3 months later

Melanie turned away from her mother, unable to watch her. They had cried so much. Why, why this family? Why did it have to be torn apart? She tried to hold her mother, but Julie Parker, unable to bear anymore pain had pulled away, as if burned by her daughter’s touch.
“Momma” Melanie whispered
“no more” her mother had whispered back, “I can’t bear anymore”
“momma, don’t be mad at me”
“I’m not mad at you Melanie sweetheart, I’m mad at the FBI, I’m mad at Ann but most of all I‘m mad at-” The Carters. Melanie hated Jane and Bob Carter for doing this to her family. She never knew hatred till this moment. She would leave tomorrow with a lawyer to meet the Carters. Her soon to be family. Her parents had fought and fought, but the law stated, since Melanie was 16, the Parkers had guessed her age wrong, she was no where near able to make the decision, therefore, must abide the law and live with Jane and Bob Carter in California.

Melanie watched the lawyer pack her final bag in the trunk. She turned to her parents, this was it, the final goodbye. Her parents had cleaned up for the first time in days, as if they remember the way they looked, her father had shaved, and her mother had made the effort to dress nicely, as if to make things normal, like she was sending Melanie to summer camp.
But she wasn’t. This was the end of being the mother, time for her to let go of her baby. Melanie fell into her fathers arms.
“Daddy” was all she said. Her father held her for all he had, his eyes filling with tears of loss and pain.
“I love you Mel, don’t ever forget that, you’ll always be my little girl”
“I won’t. I love you too daddy” she said, not wanting to let go. Eventually they pulled apart, Melanie turned to her mother
“Momma, I love you”
“I love you to Melanie, show them we were good parents to you, and always know, no matter what, you never let us down, I love you Melanie, I love you” her mother sobbed. Melanie eventually had to pull back from her. Clutching her purse to her chest she climbed into the long, black sedan that was to take her away from the people she loved the most. With a final look at the people who raised her, she climbed in as the lawyer started the car. She leaned her head against the window, looking at her parents as long as she could as they drove off down the street, tears streaming down her face
“I love you” she whispered as they slipped out of site.

2000 Sparkie

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