Laughter at Dawn

Jo Ellen Capps-Layne 

Abigail (Abby) Thornton is an intellectually disabled young woman who suffers from an undiagnosed psychiatric condition. Abby resides in several foster placements where she was abused before coming to live at Greenway Developmental Center. At Greenway, she suffers from hallucinations, which cause her to harm herself and others, while the Center’s Director, Belle Farthing, spends every waking hour trying to rid herself of Abby.

Abby’s rollercoaster ride escalates from fire to murder to strangulation. When a court case lingers, Abby’s psychologist, Sally McGraw, is her advocate and defender. She and the social worker, Christine Connelly, have Abby take legal action against the State of Virginia for not providing her with the placement she needs.

The plot focuses on the injustices done to Abby, the political power plays of the staff, the sexual indiscretions of the staff, and the sympathetic support and reactions of the few staff who care about her.

“Several mentally retarded ladies hovered in a far corner of the room, faces ashen and lips quivering. Several more were plastered along the walls as if trying to fade into the cinder block. Many pairs of eyes bulged in shocked horror and disbelief.” 

“Sally tiptoed to the door of the staff station. She overheard Nurse Smoot requesting an ambulance STAT. Sally waved her arms to get the nurse’s attention. As soon as Nurse Smoot hung up the phone, she dashed to the door and threw it open. It banged against the cinder block wall as it ricocheted toward her.”

“Abby’s social history stated her natural mother had abandoned her in their one-room apartment when she was three weeks old. That landlord had found her screaming at the top of her lungs when he was following up on a complaint by an irate neighbor. The landlord immediately called Social Services and demanded they remove the riffraff from the premises.”