East Metro. Jessica Schaffhausen stays in motion every day with support, kindness and "a lot of good from people. By Pam Louwagie. In the middle of the night, wide awake in the dark, Jessica Schaffhausen wrestles with the nightmare of her reality.
She forces away the chilling memories of how her three daughters died, of her ex-husband the murderer. Think of the good, she tells herself. Remember all the joy the girls brought to the world.
It used to be unthinkable that she ever could live without her daughters: A couple of years ago, her youngest, Cecilia, asked innocently, "What would you do if I died? Jessica promised her that she wouldn't, not for a long, long time. The jury's decision means he will go to prison, and that makes her feel safer, she says, knowing he won't be able to hurt her or anyone else she loves.
She tries not to think of him, focusing instead on remembering her spunky, imperfect daughters. In her first interviews since the July 10 killings, Jessica said she hopes the rest of the world can do that now, too. She can hear Amara, the bespectacled budding scientist, announcing already in kindergarten that she "preferred nonfiction" books. At age 11, Amara watched MIT lectures online, engrossed herself in an algebra book and perfected the chemistry in meringue to top her homemade lemon pies.
She proudly presented report cards filled with A's, seeking her mother's praise. Jessica can see Sophie, artist brush in her 8-year-old hand, always messy with ink, paint or chalk, concentrating so intently on the paper in front of her.
