Young girl gone missing

What a week - starting on the ubiquitous Tuesday of course!

Got a phone call from Sarah & Charlie, the police had just been to visit them - searching for a missing girl - our friend Jessie! They phoned me to let me know that the police may be on the way to speak to me too as they know we are friends. Jessie! Could not believe it - such a lovely girl, 16 and has been friends with us and the kids for years, one of the most well grounded, nice people I know. Jessie used to come and ride with Sam - she used her horse as transport and would sometimes ride down to visit us - if she felt like sleeping over then we just popped her horse into a spare field. She spent a weekend with us trout fishing and we are all very fond of her. So, I jumped in the car and went to find out what was going on - nobody in her house.. so left a message.

The next day, I went around and spoke to her mum - Jessie had been found, at the boyfriends mothers house (who had spoken to the police and J's mum and said she was not there). What a mess. J's mum had spent the whole day with social workers etc and Jessie was now staying with friends up the road.

Mums story - Boyfriend a thoroughly bad character, mixed up with Nigerians, drugs, housebreaking etc - she had got a court order to prevent him coming near Jessie. Did not like the people Jessie had gone to stay with - not married, she apparently could not cope with her own children so why did she now think she was capable to looking after Jessie. Jessie had become a problem child about 6 months ago (blamed on boyfriend) and spent a lot of time with these other people, had become abusive towards her mother and last week mom had hit her with a cane. Jessie ran away. Mum had been studying courses at Chruch, head of several task groups etc - all taken away form her last year when Jessie told the church that she never had any time for her.

So now Jessie was staying with the people up the road - at least she had been found and was safe!

The next day (Thurs) Sam and I decided we were going to go to line dancing at the Walkerville showgrounds (got to do something about my expanding waistline!) and we invited Jessie to come as well. She had gone home so we picked her up there.

He story: My mum beat me up, twice - I have bruises all over me. The boyfriend USED to be a baddie but has been in rehab and is now getting a job, buying a car, living with his mum until he gets on his feet - very nice boy according to her. She has no intention of going to live with the people up the road, they are not going to adopt her or keep her, she just needs a break away from her mum. The boyfriend was training to be a pastor at the church but can't contine now because of the restrating order J's mum has against him, so he can't go to church if Jessie is there.

I asked her if she would have run away if she had not been beaten - No. Says her mum never has any time for her - always at Church.

Very sad. I have told her that if she ever needs any time out or wants to talk to come along whenever she feels like it.

Anyway - we all enjoyed the Line dancing - lots of heel and toe stuff, pretending to whirl a lassoo etc! All 3 of us enjoyed it (my calves hurt!) and I've invited Jessie to come with us each week. I think we did quite well with a few bumbles here and there in the middle of each dance! Got very hot - there are soem moves that Sam knows from modern dancing and there are some hip moves very reminiscent of belly dancing - maybe just not as pronounced.

Thie morning I had more childish drama but not from my own children!

Sharon phoned to say could I look in my car as Chad only had one shoe - nice to know this happens to other mums as well as me! Nothing in the car - oh dear, Chad locked himself in the bathroom and refused to go to school!

I dragged out an old pair of Michaels - size unknown. Michael is an 11 and Chad is a 6. Never mind, picked Chad up at the corner - wearing one school shoe and one black tackie - Michaels shoes were far too big - like Donald Duck flippers! But, he went off OK when we got to school - luckily uniform inspection is on Monday - otherwise he would have got detention!