Lindsey was sitting on the couch reading a book when the phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” Beth called from the computer room just loud enough for Lindsey to hear but not loud enough to wake Stu napping upstairs.  “Hi Harvey.  Everything okay…”

Lindsey turned the page.

“What?!”

Lindsey dog eared the page when she heard the alarm in Beth’s voice.

“Lindsey turn on the TV…”

The urgency of the command snapped Lindsey into action.  She dropped her book and grabbed the remote.  The screen flicked on as Beth entered the living room.

“Oh my…” Lindsey gasped.

“God,” Beth finished and dropped the phone.

The television station was flashing images of breaking news.  Film taken early that morning showed a shirtless, barefoot, and shackled Dylan being escorted into an brick government type building with a State Trooper on each arm.

“They couldn’t call us?  We were only there the day before yesterday.  Couldn’t they warn us it was gonna be this fast?” Lindsey asked in disbelief tinged with fear.

The spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office flashed on the screen to make a statement.

Beth said, “Lindsey, turn up the volume.”

Lindsey blindly pressed a button on the remote and the channel changed instead,  “FUCK ME!”

Before she could turn back, the picture cleared to show a different perp walk.  Jan Cornway, the minister’s wife, was being lead by the elbow by Officer Charbonnier.  She was shuffling along because of the shackles restraining her hands and feet.  Behind her was another shuffling prisoner with a jacket covering his head.

Beth sat heavily on the couch next to Lindsey.  She pried the remote out of the girl’s shaking hands.  Beth inched up the volume of the television in order to hear the report. 

“…the suspect’s husband had this to say,” the reporter’s voice over stated before the image switched to a nearly hysterical Reverend Cornway standing on the steps of his dilapidated church.

“My wife has been falsely accused by a deeply disturbed individual bent on revenge.  And, the antichristian demigods at the DA’s office are only too willing to be of service in the unjustified persecution of my family.  At the DA’s direction, Storm Troopers…I mean, State Troopers swooped down on my home this morning while I was attending funeral services.  They accosted my wife and cruelly chained her in front of my two youngest children.”  The camera focus broke for a moment to swing to the little blonde girls standing at their father’s side.  Their eyes were red and swollen from tears.  “When my son tried to defend my wife, he was beaten and handcuffed.  The actions of the overzealous state police are more reflective of kidnappers than law enforcement.”

Lindsey had tears streaming down her cheeks, “They can’t be…, look at them, six or seven, no more than that.  They’re just kids.  Why would the cops  do it in front of them?  Don’t they know how scary it is to watch your Mom get arrested?  What a stupid…?”  Lindsey’s comment was cut off by the slamming of the front door. 

“MOM!”  A demanding voice shouted before stomping feet made their way into the living room.

Lindsey’s eyes went wide with the site before her.  Nikki, in the flesh, hugely pregnant, and furious, strode into the room.  The woman’s finger started shaking at Lindsey before the mouth engaged but when it did, it wasn’t the least bit pretty.

“So, this is the Cunt’s mistake.”

Beth stuttered in shock, “Nikki d…d…don’t…”

The irate woman didn’t miss a beat as she turned on her mother, “Mom, have you completely lost your mind or what?  You’re wrecking our family and for what?  Some low life like her?  You’ll toss our family under the bus for street scum.”

Lindsey couldn’t move.  She stared at the woman before her and wondered why she had envied her.  Nikki had all the advantages Lindsey didn’t yet she was just as frightened and angry as Lindsey.  Perhaps she was even more so.  Lindsey realized in very few moments just how spoiled Nikki was.  Envy quickly turned to resentment.

“They arrested Daddy.  He called us for help.  From jail, Mom, he’s in jail.  And, Harvey said he couldn’t help because he’s YOUR fucking lawyer.  Mom, this is really serious shit here.  Call Harvey and tell him to help Daddy.  You’ve had your drama.  It’s time to check back into reality and forget being some freakin’ Auntie Mame to Daddy’s little test tube baby over there,” Nikki’s cheeks were getting red.  “Send her back to the gook’s house and lets take care of family business.”

“Now Nikki,” Beth tried to get a calming word in but she was too slow.

Lindsey stood and said through gritted teeth, “Watch your mouth!  Don’t you talk about Mrs. Ng like that.  And, I ain’t no test tube baby.  Dad,” Lindsey nearly spat the word back at her, “left his money on the dresser but forgot the condom.”

“Like Hell!  Your whore of a mother sank her teeth into him at his weakest moment.  She got him so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing.  She probably poked a hole in the condom herself so she would get knocked up.  Did you know he got friggin’ Chlamydia from the skanky bitch?”

“Serves him right,” Lindsey hissed.

“I knew.”  Beth’s voice rose quietly amid the shouting.  “I knew because he gave it to me.”

Nikki went silent.  Her hand went around her belly as if to protect the child within.  “Mom, no.”

“Oh, yes.  He gave me crabs at one point too.”  Beth look up to her daughter and said, “I know this is hard for you to hear, Nikki, but your Dad has demons.  It wasn’t one time or one hundred times.  It was hundreds.  And, it wasn’t one prostitute but as many as he could afford.  I love him but…,”

Nikki lost it.  “BUT?  There’s no ‘but’ Mom.  There can’t be.  You’re just saying all this stuff because of her.  What shit did she tell you?  ‘Cause she’s a liar, Mom, she’s a God Damned liar.”

“Are you that fucking stupid?”  Lindsey shouted back.  “Dear old Dad gots issues…”

“Girls, lets stop the shouting,” Beth pleaded in vain.

“You punk-ass-little-snot-bitch-faglovin’-hoochiesniffin’-wannabe, if I wasn’t pregnant I’d kick you a new hole,” Nikki threatened.

Lindsey smirked, “Pleeeasse, the only way you’d get the best of me is pregnant.  That’s the only way I’d hold back.”

“Lindsey, try to calm down,” Beth could see the situation starting to spin out of control but had no idea how to reign it back. 

“Such a toughie,” Nikki mocked.  “Right, that’s why you ended up needing Daddy’s and Grampa Stu’s blood because you’re such a hard ass.  What were you hemorrhaging from the hands?”

“Well, I’m a lot harder than you.  A rich pussy like you wouldn’t last one night in juvie.  Your mouth’d talk your lily white ass into something it couldn’t deal.  Like to see what you’d do when somebody tapped your butt with a broom stick after lights out.”

“Lindsey,” Beth was horrified by the sudden revelation and pulled herself to her feet but Lindsey stepped away; out of reach.

“OH BOO FUCKING WHO!”  Nikki taunted.  “Such a sob story.  I ain’t buying it.  And, I won’t have it around me or my baby.  Mom, you need to pick.  Me or her.  You can’t keep acting like this is the new age Brady Bunch or something.  It’s me or her.”

Beth grabbed her head with both hand and sobbed, “There’s no contest here, Nikki…”

“Beth?”  Lindsey asked but had already formed in her mind that Beth had chosen between Nikki and herself.

Nikki gloated over the stricken look on Lindsey’s face, “Alright punk, you heard her, so get out!”

“No, wait, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” Beth tried to explain what she meant but it was too late.

Lindsey turned on her heel and headed for the back door.  Beth was going to go charging after her when she heard a low groan.  Turning back to Nikki she saw the woman cringing in pain.

“Nikki are you alright?”  The back door slammed as soon as the words were out of Beth’s mouth.         

*        *        *

Lindsey used a burst of her waning strength to pound on the door.  She leaned against the jam and waited.  Her clothes were drenched in sweat and covered with dirt.  Her body was clammy and her cheeks were bright red.  She was gasping for breath.  Lindsey was trying to summon the energy to start to bang on the door again when Mrs. Ng finally opened it.

“Oh, my good girl.  We so worry.  Come in, come in, sit,” the woman said in a mix of English and Vietnamese. 

Lindsey shook her head no before she could find her voice, “No, only need my key.  Forgot my keys.  Key please.  Put the charge on next month’s rent.  Thanks.”

“Lindsey, come in, sit, have dinner.  Mrs. Pretty been by.  We all worry.  You been gone for hours.  Please come in,” Mrs. Ng said.

“Walked.  Took time,” Lindsey panted her reply. 

Lindsey knew if she didn’t finish this quickly she would have no chance of getting up to her room.  She wanted to be in her room.  She needed to feel safe.  She wanted to hide from the world again.

“Mrs. Pretty cry.  Really scared.  Frannie drive bus all around looking.  Mr. Patrick have to make excuses for him.  Big cop from Commonwealth worried too.  Come in.  We call them.  You sleep on my sofa bed.  You stay with me.  No rent.  You fix fan string when you get better,”  Mrs. Ng kept talking trying to get Lindsey to agree.

“MY KEY!”  Lindsey finally demanded.  “Rent’s paid up.  Give me the key or I’ll bust the door down!” 

Mrs. Ng went silent.  Her head nodded.  She walked over to the lock box to retrieve the spare key.  She returned to the door but didn’t look Lindsey in the eyes.  She held the key out for her to take.  Lindsey grabbed it and staggered off toward the garage.  Her awkward steps kicking up clouds of dust. 

“You don’t care then,” Mrs. Ng shouted after her.  “Frannie worry.  Driving bus around for you.  He in big trouble with the man.  You don’t even care if he afraid for you?  Mrs. Pretty cry all day.  Been here and back and here and back.  And, she be back again.  You let her keep cry?  Police got better to do than look for selfish girls, you know.”

Lindsey stopped in her tracks.  She took a deep lungful of air and it made her light headed.  She squeezed her eyes shut hoping not to faint.  The moment passed and she was able to answer but not turn around.

“Mrs. Ng, I’m sorry.  I need to go to bed.  Need to sleep.  Would you call them, tell them I’m home and safe?  Please?”

“Okay, fine.  You come down for dinner later?”  Mrs. Ng decided to press her luck. 

“I’ll try,” Lindsey made no promises before starting off again to the garage. 

She entered the steaming hot stairwell and immediately started to sweat.  Lindsey knew better than to look up.  The height of the stairs would set her off on one of her dizzy spells.  Instead, she dropped to her knees on the first stair and placed both her hands on the third step.

“Right knee up,” she said as she put the limb on the second riser.  “Right hand up,” she said as she put her hand on the fourth riser.  “Left knee up,” she said as she put the left knee next to the right.  “Left hand up.”  She stopped and panted for a moment.  “Only fourteen more to go.  Right knee up…”

 

TBC