I immediately rushed upstairs and found Emily looking at the drawing while going through Allison’s box — the little box where our daughter kept her spending money.
“There’s no way,” Emily said, showing me the drawing. According to Allison’s artwork — which depicted Catherine taking our daughter’s pocket money — the box was almost empty now, a few dollars folded into the corner.
“Do you think she would do that?” Emily asked, her eyes wide.
“What else would Ali spend all her money on?” “Only one way to find out,” I said. rushed downstairs, Emily right behind me, and found Catherine ready to leave, her handbag on her shoulder.
“Open your purse,” I demanded. “How dare you?” Catherine exclaimed, looking to Emily for help.
“Do it, Catherine,” I said. Reluctantly, Catherine opened her purse, and there was Allison’s pocket money.
“I can explain,” she said. “You’d better,” Emily said, her voice icy.
“I needed to be compensated. I told you that on the first night, and you didn’t listen. So, I took money from Allison, thinking that you left it with her for me,” Catherine said.
Emily’s mouth dropped.
“You willingly took money from a child? From your own grandchild?” Emily spat. “Did you know that Allison refuses to talk about you?
She never speaks about whatever the two of you get up to.
Did you tell her not to say anything?” Emily said. Catherine sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Yes.
I told her not to say anything,” she confessed. “Get out,” I declared.
“Leave this house and never come back.” Catherine desperately looked to Emily, who refused to make eye contact with her. “You heard Lucas,” Emily said.
After that, we sat with Allison and reassured her that she could tell us the truth.
She told us about how Catherine found her box when she put Allison to bed on their first babysitting evening. She told me not to say anything,” Allison mumbled.
Emily and I decided to take our daughter to therapy, just to make sure that she was okay, mentally.
We didn’t know what damage this ordeal could have done to her.It’s been a few weeks and Allison is back to her cheerful self. And we’ve promised her that she will never see Catherine again.
