An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

Schroff recalls more of her father’s wanton abuse of her mother, Marie. A single missed dentist appointment prompts Nunzie to hurl liquor bottles over the heads of his wife and two young daughters. A neighbor calls 911 because of the noise, and the police arrive to investigate the domestic disturbance. Schroff’s mother attempts to leave her abusive marriage for the first time. With her children in tow, Marie goes to her parents’ home, only to be told by her mother that a woman’s place is with her husband. Tearfully, Marie returns to her abuser.

Their final unplanned child, Steve, brings temporary peace in the household, but it is short-lived. Money becomes tight, and Nunzie begins drinking more. As often as possible, Schroff escapes to friends’ houses, sleeping over whenever she’s invited. One sleepover is cut short when Annette calls Schroff at her friend’s house and says she needs to come home, quick. Schroff enters the house to find her mother curled up in a ball on the floor, her father kicking her. For the first time, Schroff forcefully stands up to her father, screaming that she will stop him, call the police, or do whatever is needed. Although she doesn’t succeed in getting her mother permanently free from her bad marriage, Schroff cites that as the day she finally grew up.