The most difficult times for us were when we ran out of electricity in the afternoon. It was still sunny, but by the time we got to the shop it was pitch black. One day, when we were sure that she wasn't coming back, we got some money and went to the phone-box down the road. We called my Grandmother and she immediately came over. I had to explain everything to her, the phones, the phone calls... Everything. I also had to explain everything to the police,therapists,and all my family and family friends.
     About three weeks went by and I was about to start school again, when we got a call from her. She apologized over and over again, and said she was happier in Newcastle. She asked to talk to me and Alex, dad didn't let her, and frankly i wanted nothing to do with her. She filed for custody and dad had to go to court pleading not to let her have us. Which was decent, as a lot of people would have just left us. Especially as Alex was a 'Special Case'. He had massive problems, and thought (thinks) that if people get him things they love him, and if they don't get him things, they hate him. This is all because my mother gave him food to shut him up, and he believed that she 'loved' him because she did this. Anyway, the court didn't give custody to her, but the judge set times and dates for us to talk and visit. The calls, at first, went well. But she did not want to talk at the weekends as it was(as she put it) 'her time with Ian'. So we had to go to court again, it cost us thousands and thousands of pounds just to set times, that she never kept.