Ultimate Sacrifice (Pt.5)09:41 Mar 14 2013
Times Read: 630
So, my enemies from within the Clan structure of the Vampire Community had managed to plant, for lack of a better word, a spy in my home. Now, I will be the first to admit that becoming a mother had mellowed me out a-LOT, but not enough to let that go. I had been known for being fierce during my active time as The Baroness but, when it came to my son and the sanctity of my home, my former fierceness paled in comparison. I made quick work of ridding my home of it’s now *very* unwanted guests and my family and I agreed that staying in that town was no longer an option if we wanted to live any semblance of a normal life. The town was too small for us to disappear there.
I was determined that my past would not touch Daniel, or influence him in any way. He would have the chance to make his own choices in that respect, in time. As far as I was concerned, my job was to nurture and protect him until such time as he could make those decisions for himself. But there was no damned way I was going to let anyone else choose that life for him, and I wouldn’t allow any outside forces to influence him in that direction either. So, we packed up and moved to a much larger city in California and our lives grew quiet again.
Years passed. For reasons that are not relevant to this…”document”, it fell to me to make a choice about where and with whom my son would live as he finished out his childhood. Before I comment any further on that, I have something to say.
I have, and have always possessed, a powerful command of the English language, particularly where vocabulary is concerned. In other words, finding the right thing to say has never presented much of a problem for me. But as I stood in the empty lobby of my lawyer’s office, after learning that I had lost custody of Daniel and that where he went was a decision that I had to make…..Well, both now and then, there are no words to describe what I felt. The knowledge that Daniel was lost to me was so devastating, so overwhelming to my entire being, that my body literally could no longer support me.
As I collapsed to the floor, my head was swimming and I vaguely remember thinking that this is what it must feel like to pass out. But I was not even granted that mercy, the mercy of, even just a small escape into unconsciousness. No, I was conscious for every brutally agonizing moment. The grief that consumed every fiber of my being, the shock that battered my mind…the indescribable depths of despair and loss that I felt in that moment made the loss of Jessie and Ray seem thoroughly insignificant.
I forgot how to speak. I couldn’t breathe. Some unknown, unseen part of my body was dying; slowly and torturously. I think that the only thing that allowed me to survive that moment was the knowledge that Daniel still needed me, even if it was to let him go. There was no comfort to be had, no advice to guide me. My only company was the inescapable, mind-searing...depths of black despair that consumed me and which wracked my body with sobs that exploded outwards throughout my body, starting from deep within my achingly empty womb. There is simply no other way that I can describe what that moment was like for me. Of all of the things that I have been through, of all the decisions that I have had to make, the decision to let my son go was the single hardest thing I have ever had to do.
So, I had to choose. I had three options available to me.
1) I could continue to fight the custody battle, which my lawyer assured me that I would lose. If I chose that path, I would have no say in where Daniel would be sent and it would be a very strong possibility that I would never see Daniel again. That was unacceptable.
2) I could allow Daniel to stay with the couple who had him already, in which case, Daniel would almost certainly be adopted. The couple had always been very nice to me during the custody battle, but my instincts told me that if I chose to let Daniel stay with them, that in very short order all visitation would stop and I would never see my son again.
3) I could send Daniel to my dad and his wife. I would have no guarantees that they would keep their word about allowing me to maintain contact with Daniel, but at least I would know where Daniel was, even if they moved away, and my chances of continued visitation with my son were much greater if I was dealing with my dad than anyone else. Plus, I knew from experience what type of upbringing that Daniel would have with my dad, since I had grown up with him too. As for the rough patches that I went through with my dad, I could only hope that everything I’d heard from my step-sisters was true, namely, that my dad had mellowed out a lot since I had been a kid.
So, I chose the lesser of all evils and had Daniel sent to my dad. That was eight years ago and, looking back with hindsight, I have no doubt that I made the best possible choice for Daniel. I was able to maintain regular contact with my son and, in the last few years I’ve been able to be there for Daniel as he Awakened on his own. It was actually watching the inevitability of Daniel’s Awakening that acted as the catalyst for my own return to the Vampire Community. But that, dear readers, is another story.
To Be Continued…..
COMMENTS
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imagesinwords
14:06 Mar 23 2013
I don't think it would be torture. A lot of people have that view, actually. I think waiting to die is torture- no one knows what really happens when you're dead... rather you have a lingering spirit or are really *done*, forever... nothing left. We have a 'feeling', but even then- we have sensational minds that think and feel things that aren't really true all the time.
I love Mick St. John's quote from Moonlight, "When you live forever, it's disappointing how little humans change. Technology, though, it always gets better. If I hadn't become a vampire, I would have missed out on the Internet, TIVO, World of Warcraft... and GPS."
I know personal loss all too well- I get that it would happen over and over if I were immortal, but I'm not really escaping it living a normal lifespan either. Life is not tortuous to me in any way. Even with loss- it is massive because the experience was so great.
supernova
14:07 Mar 23 2013
That last sentence. I absolutely agree!
vampyrebeast
17:10 Mar 25 2013
Awesome journal entry. I agree with images on this one.
Slender
19:48 Mar 28 2013
I can understand, but personally I do not agree. For I fear death much more than the chance to live forever more.
I would rather take on the temporary pains, griefs, sorrows, and wounds in life. Than to risk the end, for I do not know whether I continue on, as another entity, or if my spiritual flame truly smothers out.
This is merely my opinion on the matter however, and to each their own.
charskiss
05:42 Aug 21 2013
I'm watching.