Chapter 20: Fourth Of July

"What a glorious day we have for the Forth of July," Peg Kelleher said happily.

"Yup," agreed Jim. "It's a scorcher." He was firing up the grill to barbecue. His oldest son emerged from the house. "Hey, Warren!"

"Hey Dad. Mom."

"You going to walk over Sophia's to get her?"

"Nope, her Mom offered to drop her off."

"Great," said Jim. "So, what are the plans today?"

"Well, first we appreciate your great grill technique," Warren said. Jim laughed. "Then we're going to hang out, probably watch the Sox. Later, we head up to the Kenney's for their Big Barbecue Bash. Lots of people coming to that one."

"Sounds cool." A car pulled up in front of the house. "Sounds like that's your lady, Warren." Warren went out in front of the house.

Sophia and Warren were still exchanging kisses, but Ellen Kovach went around the back of the house. "Hello, you're Warren's parents?"

"Yes, we are," said Peg. "I'm Peg Kelleher, and this is Jim."

"I'm Ellen Kovach, Sophia's mother." They exchanged handshakes. "Listen, I was wondering if I could talk to you two sometime, preferably when the kids aren't around."

"Actually, I think that would be a great idea, Mrs. Kovach," Peg said.

"Please call me Ellen."

"OK, Ellen, we're Peg and Jim."

"Whenever you'd like to arrange this, just let me know."

"Actually," smiled Peg, "I think we could do it now. Are you free for a few?"

"Yes, I am. My other two kids are with their father. But what about Warren and Sophie?"

"I've got a plan for them. HEY, WARREN!"

Warren and Sophia came around the back of the house. "You bellowed?" Warren said amusedly.

"Yes, I did. I need more Coke. You and Sophia mind taking a little walk?"

Warren looked at Sophia, who smiled and nodded. "Sure. I need some cash, though."

Jim reached in his back pocket and took out his wallet. "Bank of Jim, at your service," he quipped. Warren took the fiver and saluted. "Back in about twenty-don't burn the chicken wings before I come back, OK, Dad?"

"Wouldn't hear of it."

They walked out the driveway, headed towards the store. Peg and Ellen took a seat at the picnic table, while Jim kept his eye on the grill.

Peg took a deep breath. "Let me start. There's one thing you need to know. I found out that Warren and Sophia are sleeping together."

Ellen just smiled. "I know."

"You KNOW?"

"I've known for a while."

"I must say, you seem remarkably not upset about it."

"I'm not, not all that much. But I'll get back to that, because this all ties in together."

"OK," Peg said warily.

"First off, I overheard a conversation between those two kids. They do not know I overheard them, and it's probably best to keep it that way. But I wanted to discuss it with you. The gist of the conversation was that you all seem concerned about their relationship, and how serious it is."

"I am. We are. It seems dangerous. They're so young. I can't help but worry that they are setting themselves up for quite a fall."

"And if I were in your shoes-if Warren were my child-I'd probably share those feelings."

"But you don't."

"No." Ellen took a deep breath. "What do you know about Sophia before she met Warren?"

"Not much,"admitted Peg. "I've surmised that her previous relationship was a violent one, but that's all I know."

"OK," Ellen took another breath. "I am probably betraying Sophia horribly with what I'm about to tell you, but it is important that you know. It's also important that you realize what kind of a young man-and I used the word 'man' deliberately-your son is."

"Go on."

"First of all, I'm not overly worried about Sophia sleeping with Warren for a lot of reasons, but one of them is that Warren is not her first. I'm not sure how many, but there's at least three that I'm almost positive about. I'm not sure exactly when, but I'm pretty sure she lost her virginity before her thirteenth birthday."

"She was TWELVE?"

"I think so. And I am pretty sure that none of her sexual encounters were entirely voluntary. I don't know where the line between coercion and rape is-especially with a twelve or thirteen year old-but the scum she had for boyfriends back then were certainly skirting that line, if not crossing it. Especially considering that I'm pretty sure that all of them, not just the last one, were hitting her."

"By the way, you must know-but I'll tell you anyway-that the non-voluntary thing does not, in any way shape or form, include Warren. I know for an absolute fact that he did not coerce or force her. In fact, I also know that their first time was arranged, completely, by Sophia-and how she pulled that off is a delightfully romantic story that makes me wish I was fifteen again-but I'll let her tell that one if she's so inclined." Even Peg smiled a bit at that.

"If you had asked me, six months ago, to predict my daughter's future, I would have bet money that I would have been attending her funeral before I attended her high school graduation." Peg and Jim gasped, and looked at each other. "Not only was she having less-than-voluntary sex with guys who hit her, she was on drugs. She was drinking. She was flunking out of school. She was a miserable wreck when she was in the house. She had the self-esteem of a slug. And, when I looked into her eyes, I didn't see a fourteen-year-old girl. I saw a thirty-year-old woman-and it was a thirty-year-old woman who had been beaten down, hard. I was watching my oldest daughter slip over the abyss. And I was powerless and clueless to help her."

Peg and Jim were listening raptly now. Ellen took another deep breath. "I had Sophia when I was eighteen. I thought I was in love. Unfortunately, the man I thought I was in love with turned out to be more in love with the bottle. And when he drank, he got violent-towards me, and sometimes towards Sophia. He left when Sophia was three. Thank God, because I couldn't gather up the courage to leave him. And I saw Sophia, drinking, getting beat up by men-and I collapsed. I was powerless. I didn't know what to do. I thought I had lost her. For good."

Ellen had been looking down as she said this-now she looked up, a slight smile on her face. "Now, look at her. She quit drugs. I think she might still have the odd beer at a party, but I haven't seen her drunk in months. She actually brought me home a report card with all B's and one C-I though I'd faint." They all chuckled at that. "She believes in herself. She has a boyfriend that truly loves her and treats her like a princess. If she's having sex, it's because she wants to. Best of all, despite the fact that she's in an advanced relationship for her age, I look into her eyes and I see a fifteen-year-old girl. A happy, healthy, fifteen year old girl. If the price I have to pay for this miraculous transformation is that she's got a boyfriend who, in her words, pushes every button she's got and has turned her into a raging sex kitten, well, I think I can live with that." Peg and Jim couldn't help but laugh.

Peg looked at Ellen. "I teach high school, at Wilkins academy. I've seen some kids slide down into the abyss. It's very rare for them to come back as far as Sophia evidently has. How did this happen?"