Overheard

Last night I tried to read a book while waiting to pick up my 11 yr old and his friend from football practice, but I couldn't help overhearing a conversation between the lady sitting next to me and the lady sitting behind me on the bleaches. First lady says she's going to Applebee's to watch Monday night football after this because her cable has been cut off. She got her new job just in time to pay a bunch of bills but hadn't gotten around to that one. Lady behind makes sympathetic comment.
First lady says that it was so bad last winter that if it weren't for the casinos, her kids wouldn't have had Christmas. The casinos picked her family to receive Christmas gifts and a tree and food. Her soon to be ex husband had run off with all her money - the $1400 she had just deposited in her bank account. Second lady makes surprised comment.
First lady then tells how her soon-to-be-ex got mad because he thought she had a friend and locked her kids (they had a different dad) in their rooms, and threw her around the living room and then went to kitchen for the broom and broke three of her ribs. Lady behind makes men are jerks comment.
First lady then talks about how she is a new woman now he's gone, how she really does have a friend now, but how she'd live with a guy but never get married again (as if marriage were the problem). Then she turned her attention to her son and yelled at him to tackle some kid.
What do you do in a situation like this? Turn to this lady, hand her a card for the battered women's shelter, tell her how to get help for her and her kids before she gets into a similar situation with her new friend? I didn't want to admit I was eavesdropping, nor do I know of any battered women's shelters here. Instead I pretended to read and gave thanks that I have a loving husband, our bills are paid, and our kids don't rely on the casinos for Christmas. I hate the idea of the casinos, I'm afraid I might get cooties if I go in one, but they do foot the bill for a lot of good work around here, including this sports league, the charitable gifts, a city park fun day with free food and bouncies, lots of the rebuilding after Katrina, etc.
Today is the feast of the Archangels. Even though they are supposed to be the guardian angels of popes, may they watch over those kids who have to hear their mother have her ribs broken by a man who's not their dad.