Antonia Rojas

In the Absence of Georgia Antonia Rojas

IN THE ABSENCE OF GEORGIA Chloe notices that her mom is bleeding and rushes to the neighbors. Her mom is 8 months pregnant and has lost too much blood. Georgia dies on the operating table. Chloe is left with six years of memories of her mom. Will this be enough of a foundation to sustain her for the rest of her life? In less than a year, her father marries a woman who is tormented by voices, sees shadows, and screams damnation at Chloe and her siblings. The step mom tells Chloe that her mom did not love her, and that she abandoned her because she was a bad girl, but Chloe remembers the pain in her mom's eyes, the blessing she bestows on each child as she leaves for the hospital. Chloe remembers the funeral. Chloe is told that if she speaks about the abuse, she and her siblings will be separated and put in orphanages. Chloe will never see her brother and sister again. Chloe cannot undo the fact of being the "other woman's child." Chloe greatest fear is that she will be cruel, hateful, and vindictive, because that is what surrounds her life. Chloe lives with the shame of not being worthy of love, because if your mom abandoned you who else could love you? Georgia's death, puts Chloe in the hands of a cruel step-mom. What can a six-year-old child control? One day she discovers her guardian angel, "Big Mama". Her angel reminds her everyday, "Georgia is your mom, and she loved you with all her heart." The six years of memories become her lifeline. Through this journey, Chloe is touched with the compassion of teachers, neighbors, and friends. They are like pieces of a quilt bringing hope, love and courage into her life. Will trust become part of this quilt? Perhaps trust can be the piece that will hold the shattered pieces together.