Mona > Recent Status Updates

He’s right. I have always stuck up for people in trouble. And where has that gotten me? I went to prison because I stuck up for a friend in trouble—I kept her from being raped but then went too far and gave up ten years of my life.

The boy’s parents were very wealthy, and they weren’t about to let me off the hook for killing their pride and joy, even though their pride and joy was a rapist. A good lawyer might have been able to get me off, but I only had the public defender, and he wasn’t a very good one. I was found guilty of manslaughter and served ten years in a women’s prison.

I know right away when I was last truly happy. Two years ago, in Croatia, with Alex Nilsen.
But there’s no finding my way back to that, because we haven’t spoken since.

إِنَّا عَرَضۡنَا ٱلۡأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱلۡجِبَالِ فَأَبَيۡنَ أَن يَحۡمِلۡنَهَا وَأَشۡفَقۡنَ مِنۡهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومٗا جَهُولٗا (72)

Maybe there are things I don’t know about my husband, but I know for sure that he is a good man. He has proven that to me time and time again. And even if he weren’t, I still don’t think he would cheat on me. He wouldn’t dare.
I am scared of you, Millie Accardi.
And he should be.

إِذۡ تَلَقَّوۡنَهُۥ بِأَلۡسِنَتِكُمۡ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفۡوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيۡسَ لَكُم بِهِۦ عِلۡمٞ وَتَحۡسَبُونَهُۥ هَيِّنٗا وَهُوَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَظِيمٞ (15)

It means I have finally achieved the normal life I always dreamed of. The life I’d do anything to get.

She could have saved herself a lot of trouble. Instead, she made an incredibly bad judgment call. She underestimated an extremely dangerous person.
Me.
And she paid the ultimate price.

“because you’ve helped other women before. And I want you to know, it’s appreciated. We see some bad stuff in here, and sometimes we get to the victims too late.”
His comment hits home. I have done everything possible to keep it from ever being “too late.” And no matter where the future takes me as a housemaid or a social worker I’m going to keep right on doing it. “I… I do the best I can with the resources I have.”

It’s maddening how certain he seems that I will call him. If there’s one thing he should know about me, it’s that I am capable of taking care of myself. Sometimes a bit too well.

Enzo hasn’t said much. That’s typical for him though. I’ve never met such an intense listener. I often appreciate how he makes me feel so heard. But at the same time, it drives me nuts when I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

But in the back of my head, there’s a voice telling me that maybe I should be scared. That it would be a grave mistake to underestimate Douglas Garrick.

But every molecule in my body is crying out that I have to try to help this woman now. I would never walk by a man in a subway who needed help. Or a woman who was being stabbed to death outside my window. I can’t allow this to happen under my nose.

“So that doesn’t say much good about the human race, if nobody was willing to enjoy beautiful music because it meant they might have to help a person in need.”
The professor is still looking at me, so I feel like I have to say something. “At least fifty people stopped. That’s something.”
“Very true,” he says. “That is something.”

Wendy does not want my help. She wants me to stay out of it. Mind my own business.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been very good at that.

Now I realize there’s another side to him.
Although isn’t there another side to everyone?

Her definition of “important” may differ from mine. For me, “important” is graduating from college and getting that social work degree. I’m not sure how a pedicure could be that important. I mean, it’s still the tail end of winter. Who’s even going to see her feet?

قَالُواْ بَشَّرۡنَٰكَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلۡقَٰنِطِينَ (55) قَالَ وَمَن يَقۡنَطُ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ (56)

وَلَا تُعۡجِبۡكَ أَمۡوَٰلُهُمۡ وَأَوۡلَٰدُهُمۡۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَتَزۡهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمۡ وَهُمۡ كَٰفِرُونَ (85)

وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَقُلۡ سَلَٰمٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمۡ عَلَىٰ نَفۡسِهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَةَ أَنَّهُۥ مَنۡ عَمِلَ مِنكُمۡ سُوٓءَۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٖ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۦ وَأَصۡلَحَ فَأَنَّهُۥ غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ (54)

وَلَا تَتَمَنَّوۡاْ مَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ بَعۡضَكُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٖۚ لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٞ مِّمَّا ٱكۡتَسَبُواْۖ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٞ مِّمَّا ٱكۡتَسَبۡنَۚ وَسۡـَٔلُواْ ٱللَّهَ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٗا (32)

قُلۡنَا ٱهۡبِطُواْ مِنۡهَا جَمِيعٗاۖ فَإِمَّا يَأۡتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّي هُدٗى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ (38)

وابتسم ابتسامة واسعة . . وواصل : دعوني أقدم لكم مساعدي في المبارزة . . الأستاذ سناب . . والذي أخبرني أنه يعرف القليل ان المبارزات . . ولكن اطمئنوا . . سوف تجدون أستاذكم سليما في النهاية ؟

أَلَمۡ نَشۡرَحۡ لَكَ صَدۡرَكَ (1) وَوَضَعۡنَا عَنكَ وِزۡرَكَ (2) ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنقَضَ ظَهۡرَكَ (3) وَرَفَعۡنَا لَكَ ذِكۡرَكَ (4) فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلۡعُسۡرِ يُسۡرًا (5) إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلۡعُسۡرِ يُسۡرٗا (6) فَإِذَا فَرَغۡتَ فَٱنصَبۡ (7) وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَٱرۡغَب (8)

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا مَآ ءَاتَىٰهَاۚ سَيَجۡعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بَعۡدَ عُسۡرٖ يُسۡرٗا (7)

وَمَا يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ (19) وَلَا ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَلَا ٱلنُّورُ (20) وَلَا ٱلظِّلُّ وَلَا ٱلۡحَرُورُ (21) وَمَا يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَحۡيَآءُ وَلَا ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰتُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُسۡمِعُ مَن يَشَآءُۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسۡمِعٖ مَّن فِي ٱلۡقُبُورِ (22) إِنۡ أَنتَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ (23)

وصفق بيديه.. فاندفعت بعض الحبال من الهواء.. وقيدت (هاري) بإحكام.
وقال (كويريل): «إنك تتدخل كثيرًا فيما لا يعنيك.. وتدور في المدرسة هنا وهناك..مثل يوم الهالووين.. عندما كنت ذاهبًا لأنظر إلى الشيء الذي يحرس الحجر».

ولكن (سنايب) ناداهم مرة أخرى، وقال: «كن على حذر يا (بوتر).. لو قمت بالتجول ليلًا من جديد، فسوف أتأكد شخصيًّا من فصلك.. أتمنى لكم يومًا جميلًا جميعًا

أنا متأكد أن هناك أشياء غير فلافي تحرس الحجر، ربما تعاويذ شديدة القوة.. يمكن أن يكون (كويريل) قد صنع تعاويذ مقاومة للسحر الأسود.. يحتاجها (سنايب)؛ حتى يستطيع الدخول....!».
قالت (هرمايني) محذرة: «إذًا أنت تعني أن الحجر سيكون في أمان ما دام (كويريل) مستعدًّا لـ(سنايب)».
قال (رون): «سيكون قد اختفى يوم الثلاثاء القادم».

.. لن تعطينا هذه المرآة المعرفة، أو ترينا الحقيقة..كثير من الرجال ضيعوا حياتهم، والبعض أصابهم الجنون.. ولم يعرفوا، إذا كان ما تظهره حقيقيًّا أو ممكنًا! فسوف تنقل المرآة غدًا إلى مكان آخر.. لا تحاول البحث عنها.. لا تجرِ وراء الأحلام وتنس أن تعيش الحياة!