Talia arranged for Granny to spend some time at a retreat with her best friend for the weekend. After waving the ladies off, she dashed back into the house and tried to decide where to start. Mum and Dad worked all their lives, but they never had a hot red cent to show for it. As soon as their paychecks were cashed, they squandered the money away on weekend getaways and ridiculously expensive outings and parties with their friends.
That was the reason Talia's collective Grandparents filed a petition for full custody of her. When the family judge asked why they felt her parents couldn't care for the child, they were brutal.
The child was constantly being neglected. There was no mealtime or bedtime structure for her. They would find her unwashed and dressed in the same clothes for days on end.
She was always hungry and thirsty. She wasn't allowed to make any sort of noise, lest she be screamed at by one or both of them.
The last straw came just a few days before Talia's third birthday. Grampy had come to check on the little girl because her parents weren't answering the phone. The house was utterly filthy. Leftover food was left lying on the sideboards. Dirty clothes were piled high everywhere.
He found Talia licking spilled sugar from her fingers and crying.
"I'm hungry, Grampy! I'm hungry! I'm hungry!"
"It's all right, Sweetie. Grampy will take you out for a cheeseburger in a minute, okay? Then, we'll take you home with me for tonight, and Granny will bathe you and read you a story. Would you like that?"
She nodded, still crying, and lay her head on his shoulder.
Grampy somehow managed to pick his way through the piles of unwashed clothes and bedding, and trash. It wasn't until he came out of Talia's bedroom from packing her clothes and a few toys that he found them.
Mum and Dad were slumped half on the sofa, half on the floor in the sitting room. You could smell the alcohol on their breath from a mile away! Grampy kicked hard at something on the floor and shouted at them.
"GET UP, NOW! BOTH OF YOU!"
They staggered to attention, still hungover from their latest party. Mum squinted to focus. Dad just groaned pitifully.
"LOOK AT THIS FILTH! HOW LONG HAS TALIA BEEN LIKE THIS?"
They tried to mumble an excuse, but Grampy didn't wait for it. He simply carried Talia out of the house and slammed the front door behind him.
That night, after they'd put her to bed, Grampy and Granny decided to contact their lawyer.
Mum and Dad didn't even object. "Just take her, then." They muttered.
Talia snaps back to reality, and a thought comes to her. Does she still have access to their old bank account? Praying she'll remember the password, she presses the continue key.
It worked!
The amount doesn't add up.
To be continued.
