Where Has Mummy Gone?: Part 1 of 3: A young girl and a mother who no longer knows her

Where Has Mummy Gone?: Part 1 of 3: A young girl and a mother who no longer knows her
Cathy Glass

The true story of Melody, aged 8, the last of five siblings to be taken from her drug dependent single mother and brought into care.When Cathy is told about Melody’s terrible childhood, she is sure she’s heard it all before. But it isn’t long before she feels there is more going on than she or the social services are aware of. Although Melody is angry at having to leave her mother, as many children coming into care are, she also worries about her obsessively – far more than is usual. Amanda, Melody’s mother, is also angry and takes it out on Cathy at contact, which again is something Cathy has experienced before. Yet there is a lost and vulnerable look about Amanda, and Cathy starts to see why Melody worries about her and feels she needs looking after.When Amanda misses contact, it is assumed she has forgotten, but nothing could have been further from the truth…

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Copyright (#u2e8cf083-3ace-535d-99cc-a30e5fe161f4)

Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

HarperElement

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First published by HarperElement 2018

FIRST EDITION

Text © Cathy Glass 2018

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

Cover photograph © Kristina Dominianni/Arcangel Images (posed by a model)

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Cathy Glass asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008305468

Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008305499

Version 2018-09-26

Contents

Cover (#uf2781c70-cdf7-54ba-88c6-ee38b5ba6e47)

Title Page (#u731e9fab-15f6-5f3c-a844-f86c302e902a)

Copyright (#u3d768ae2-30dc-5616-b215-1916afc5bc9e)

Acknowledgements (#u066c6dc3-6500-51e3-997e-852fa7850d99)

Chapter One: Familiar? (#uf6f61b99-e434-5c06-8dab-4135bca68e25)

Chapter Two: Safe and Happy (#ua11cb7fe-fa43-5fd2-b866-16820a0c567d)

Chapter Three: Mummy Needs Me (#ua3cb5af6-8836-5d2c-8cc6-eb683cefd041)

Chapter Four: School (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five: Amanda (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six: The Way Home? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven: Lost (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight: Difficult (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine: When Can I See Mummy? (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten: Snow Angel (#litres_trial_promo)

Moving Memoirs eNewsletter (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#u2e8cf083-3ace-535d-99cc-a30e5fe161f4)

A big thank you to my family; my editors, Carolyn and Holly; my literary agent, Andrew; my UK publishers HarperCollins, and my overseas publishers, who are now too numerous to list by name. Last, but definitely not least, a big thank you to my readers for your unfailing support and kind words. They are much appreciated.

Chapter One

Familiar? (#u2e8cf083-3ace-535d-99cc-a30e5fe161f4)

I was sure I’d heard it all before …

The child I was being asked to foster had been badly neglected for years by her single mother, who was an intravenous drug user and alcohol dependent. The social services were going to court later that morning to bring the child into care. Melody was eight years of age and had been sleeping on an old stained mattress on the floor of a damp, cold basement flat with her mother, and they were about to be evicted. She hadn’t been attending school, and despite the social services putting in support, there was never any food in the cupboards and she and her mother were often hungry, cold and dirty.

‘She is also very angry,’ Jill, my supervising social worker from the agency I fostered for, continued over the phone. The referral from the social services had come through her.

‘The mother is angry?’ I asked.

‘Yes, and Melody – her child – is too. She tried to kick and thump the social worker when she visited yesterday and threw something at her when she began talking to her mother. The social worker will take a police officer with her when she removes Melody, assuming the care order is granted.’

‘Is there any doubt?’