Chapter 10 - Building Walls
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The renovation took six months.
It was grueling work.
I was on-site every day at 6:00 AM, dealing with permits, contractors, and supply chain issues.
Audrey stopped by whenever she could, usually bringing coffee and lunch.
One Tuesday, she found me arguing with the electrician about the backup generator placement.
After he left, grumbling, she handed me a sandwich.
“You’re terrifying him.”
“He wanted to put the generator near the main water line. It’s a hazard.”
“He’s a professional, Dad.”
“I’m paying him. He does it right.”
She laughed, sitting on an overturned bucket.
“You’re in your element.”
“I like things built properly.”
I sat next to her.
The space was coming together.
The walls were up. The secure doors were installed.
“It looks good,” she said quietly.
“It’ll be safe.”
She looked at the reinforced glass in the intake rooms.
“I keep thinking about the women who will walk through those doors.”
“They’ll be scared.”
“I know. But I want them to feel secure the second they cross the threshold.”
“They will.”
She looked at me.
“Did you feel secure when you built my childhood home?”
The question caught me off guard.
“I tried to make it secure.”
“But Mom got sick anyway.”
“Yes.”
“You can't protect against everything.”
“No. You can't.”
I watched a crew installing drywall.
“But you can build a place where people know how to survive the things you can't protect them from.”
Audrey nodded slowly.
“That’s what this is.”
“Yes.”
“A survival school.”
“Let’s call it a sanctuary.”
May you like
She smiled.
“Sanctuary works.”
