“Aunt Renee, we're hungry,” Gary said.
“I guess you should have thought about that before you decided to make it snow with my forty-five dollar scented powder, hmm?”
She sat at her vanity and used her blow dryer to get the powder out of her hair, but all it did was make it look gray. Too bad she couldn’t trust the kids alone long enough for her to shower. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. She threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and brought the children their pajamas. “Change into these.”
They stopped spreading around the white goo they had on the rags to eagerly put on the pajamas. “Can we eat now?” Alyssa asked.
“Let's get some of the powder out of your hair. Gary, you wash your hands while I work on your sister's hair.” He did as he was told while Renee blew what she could out of her niece's hair. Then she worked on Gary Junior. All three of them looked like they had gray hair now.
For dinner, she opened a can of Spaghettios and gave them each one of the grape juice boxes Char had supplied. They practically inhaled their food, having worked up quite an appetite.
She racked her brain to think of somewhere she could take them to get them out of her apartment. Her place couldn't take a few more hours of them. Neither could Apple, who was no doubt hiding somewhere.
She turned on the computer and searched local movie listings. Ten minutes later, she threw two packets of gummy snacks into her purse, loaded the kids in the car and headed for the movie theater.
The eight-plex was crawling with kids. It was opening night for the new Disney flick so every child in Orlando seemed to be running through the theater. She took both her charges to the ladies' room with her to lessen the chances that she'd have to take them during the movie. They got on the end of the line.
“I hate going in here,” Gary whined. “Why can't I use the men's room?”
“We've already been through that. Stranger danger, remember?” She nudged him into a stall. “Besides, neither of you can be trusted.”
“I can go by myself. My mom lets me.”
“Well, I'm not your mom.”
Another woman with a little girl in tow stared at her as if she was a monster. But she didn’t care.
“That whole family has gray hair, Mommy,” the woman’s daughter said.
The mother shushed her and took her to the sink to wash her hands.
Gary left the stall. “I won’t go in here. I want to use the men’s room.”
Renee twisted the collar of his Spiderman pajamas in her hand and bent down so she could get close to his face. She smiled big and spoke quietly through her clenched teeth. “Listen to me, little boy. You have made my life a living hell tonight, so you better chill out, do what you're told and enjoy the movie. Got it?”
He tried to move his face away from hers. “Got it.”
A fiftyish lady looked accusingly at Renee. She shot the woman a don't-start-with-me look and the woman turned away. They waited an eternity for Alyssa to come out of her stall.
Finally, they left the ladies room and found theater four. The previews had already started, so it was pitch black inside. Renee pulled the children behind her as she walked up the steps and found three empty seats. They had to climb over a dozen people to get to them.
Four more previews played before the movie started.
Gary elbowed Alyssa.
“Stop it,” Renee whispered to him.
The movie started—a live action film about a handicapped boy who yearned to play baseball. Renee found herself getting into the movie, even shedding a few tears. About half way through it, Gary elbowed her.
“Quit it.”
“Aunt Renee?” He tapped her arm.
“Shhhhh,” a voice from behind them said.
“Aunt Renee?” he said again.
“Gary, you need to be quiet.”
“Shhhhh.” The voice was more insistent now.
A few minutes passed before Gary Junior again started elbowing her.
“What is it, Gary?”
“It's Alyssa.” He tipped his chin in her direction.
Renee looked past him to Alyssa's seat. But there was no Alyssa. Her heart skipped a beat. “Where is she, Gary?”
“Shhhhh.”
“I don't know. I was watching the movie. When I looked over, she was gone.”
She grasped his shoulders pulling him toward her. “When? When did you notice she was gone?” Oh, God. This couldn't be happening. Why hadn't she sat between them?
“Jeez, you're hurting me.”
She let go of him, took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. “Gary, when did you last see your sister?” She tried to keep calm.
“I don't know. A few minutes ago.”
“Shh,” the voice behind them said again.
Renee turned around. “Will you please shut up? My four-year-old niece is missing.” She got down on the floor to look under the seats as best she could in the dim light. Her neck began to ache even with the protection of the collar.
“Alyssa? Alyssa, where are you?” she whispered. She stood up and scanned the perimeter of the room. Grabbing her purse and Gary Junior, she bolted from the theater. In the hallway, she found a pimple-faced teenage boy wearing a maroon theater uniform.
“You have to help me. My four-year-old niece is missing. She's about this high.” She held her hand above her waist. “Alyssa is her name and she’s got braids in her hair. And it’s gray. Her hair, that is. Like ours. She's wearing pink pajamas. Please call the police. I'm going to search the ladies' room.”
The teen ran toward the lobby as Renee pulled Gary with her and frantically searched the bathroom. She crouched down looking under each stall. But there was no sign of the child. Dragging Gary behind her, she stalked into the men's room.
“Lady in the bathroom,” she called. Two men standing at urinals turned around, both wide eyed. She got on her knees to search again. Still no luck, but she did confirm that men are pigs. Her hands felt like they were caked with dried urine from touching the floor. She had to stop to wash them.
She ran from the men's room and nearly slammed into the pimple-faced kid. A dull pain settled in her lower back.
“Ow,” the kid complained, rubbing his shoulder.
“Are they coming?” She rubbed her sore neck.
“Yeah, they're on the way. We've posted employees at all the exits in case someone tries to leave with her.
In case someone tries to leave with her.
The words reverberated in her mind, sending shockwaves through her. Her heart beat a mile a minute.
An older man approached her. “Ma'am?”
“Yes?”
“The police are on their way. I'm the manager. My name's Aaron. We've had this type of situation here before. And I'll tell you we've always found the missing child. They're usually hiding somewhere. My grandson used to play that game.”
Something clicked in Renee's mind. She turned to Gary Junior who was staring at a movie poster on the wall as if all was fine and well.
“Gary?”
“Yeah?”
“Your mom said something about Alyssa being over hiding. What can you tell me about that?”
He shrugged. “I don't know. She sometimes hides in the middle of racks at stores where mom takes us to buy clothes. Junk like that.”
Renee looked at the manager. “Aaron, when you've had this sort of situation before, where have you found the children?”
Aaron held his double chin in his hand and stared up at the ceiling. “Let me think. Okay, we found a couple in bathrooms. We found one in our party room.”
“Where's that?”
He led her to a door marked Private. He pulled it open to reveal another door. They entered the room as Aaron switched on the florescent lights. Three long tables were set up end-to-end and about two dozen chairs were placed upside down on top of the them. Renee and Aaron bent down and scanned the area under the tables. Still no Alyssa.
There was a knock at
the door, then it suddenly swung open. The pimple-faced kid came in, holding Alyssa by the hand.
Renee ran to her niece and hugged her. She picked her up so she could look the child in the eyes, even as her back protested. “Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you.” How could she convey the danger Alyssa could have found herself in?
Alyssa's lower lip started quivering, then the tears began flowing.
Renee set her down. “Where were you? You know the police are coming and if you don't tell me where you were, I'm going to let them take you to jail.”
The child's eyes grew wide, as did Aaron's and the teenager's.
“I was…I was playing a trick on you. I went hiding.” She sniffled, then popped her thumb in her mouth.
“I found her in the store room,” the teenager said.
“Someone must have forgotten to lock it on their way out, Miss. I'm very sorry.” Aaron ushered them out of the room. “I'll go let the police know we've found her. They should be arriving any minute.”
Two uniformed officers strode toward them as they returned to the hallway. Aaron told them they'd found the child.
Renee was disappointed to see that neither officer was Joe. She mentally smacked herself for her selfish thought.
It was after nine when she arrived back at her apartment with the children. Being a fan of containment when it came to childcare, she ran a bath and had both of them get in the tub together. She posted herself as sentry on the toilet seat and instructed the little angels to wash-silently.
With her cordless phone at her side, she read a magazine, afraid a book would monopolize her attention too much. At nine-thirty, she finally allowed them to emerge from the tub, wrinkly but clean.
She marched them to the couch, then assumed her position in an easy chair across from them. Having no more energy or patience, she succumbed and called Char's cell phone. “Come get your children, now. I can't even begin to tell you all the damage and embarrassment they've caused tonight, let alone sheer panic. You'll find them hog tied on my balcony”
“But the party's not over, Renee. Can't you put them to bed? I'll bet they're exhausted.”
The devil inside her resurfaced. “If you ever want to see them alive again, you'll leave that party right now and come get them. If Gary's so enamored with the senator, let him stay. But one of you needs to collect them right now.”
She hung up the phone and checked the clock on the DVD player. Turning the TV to the Disney Channel, she stayed put as they watched television. She was not taking any chances until she was absolved of any and all responsibility for their safety.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only half an hour, Char arrived alone to collect her urchins. Renee told her of their exploits as her sister wrung her hands.
“As God is my witness, my dear sister, I will never again baby-sit for these little darlings. Are you sure Satan didn't pay you visits about nine months before each of these kids were born?”
Char scowled. “That's a horrible thing to say. Lots of kids are…mischievous.”
“That word doesn't even come close. I will be expecting you tomorrow to finish cleaning the mess they made of my bathroom.”
“Okay, okay, I know they really put you through the ringer tonight. I'm sorry about that. And I will take care of your bathroom, I promise. But I wish you would think about something for me.”
Renee raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Please think about why every time you speak to me it's with animosity. You're always ready to attack me or tease me. What did I do, Renee?”
“Mommy, Mommy, Gary hit me,” Alyssa whined.
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“In the car-now,” Char growled. “Think about what I said, Renee. I'll see you in the morning.” She took her children and left.
Renee was never so happy to see any guests leave. But she had to admit, her sister's parting words bothered her. Char was right. She hardly ever spoke a kind word to her only sister.
She tried to remember a time when their conversations were civil. Her mind jumped back to when Alyssa was a baby, when Gary Junior was born, Char's wedding, high school graduation.
In her mind's eye, she saw the two of them as teenagers, laughing, having sleepovers in each other's bedroom. They used to be such good friends, where had it all gone bad? She realized the problem lay with her, not Char. Yes, her sister could be annoying. But she wasn't so bad. Char was never mean to her, never did her wrong.
Then the epiphany came. And with it came the shame. It was plain old, ugly envy. It had started when Char had announced she was pregnant. Renee vividly remembered her sister revealing her condition at a family barbecue. Gary had recently made partner at the firm and they'd sold their starter home and bought the massive Victorian one they now lived in. Char was wearing a pink and white, checkered skirt, looking all thin and gorgeous. Gary looked like the happiest guy in the world.
But Renee's world was crashing down around her. She'd graduated with her bachelor's degree that May. In June she told her parents she wasn't going to law school, after all. Her boyfriend, Jamal, whom she'd assumed she would eventually marry, had just that week broken up with her, telling her he was in love with one of her roommates. It was the worst time in her life. And one of the best times in her sister's.
So, while there was no denying that Char's children were little monsters, Char herself wasn't that bad. A little annoying. Well, maybe a lot annoying. But she didn't deserve all the crap Renee was dishing out. Problem was, Char’s life was still perfect. And Renee’s was anything but. She was being pulled in too many directions and inevitably, she’d go the wrong way.
But there was one thing she knew she had to do, knew it was the right thing. She resolved to be nicer to her. And she'd tell her that-as soon as Char restored her bathroom to its pre-powdered splendor.
* * * * *
“Lord, Renee, it's a good thing my stomach virus came on when it did. Could you imagine if your niece and nephew had pulled a stunt like that here, with me, and then I got sick like that?” Cleave popped a grilled shrimp into his mouth Friday evening. “I wouldn't have a house left.”
She go shuddered as she glanced around his perfectly ordered your dining room. “My thinking was to get them out of my apartment so they couldn't do any more damage there. Also, I wanted to keep them occupied so their devious little minds wouldn't think of any other bad things to do. Unfortunately, Alyssa was not to be entertained.”
He covered her hand with his. “We could have handled them together. We can handle anything. We make a great team, you and me. Speaking of…”
She took back her hand and stood. “I'm going to clean these up.” She picked up her plate and went to take his.”
“Hey, I'm not done with that.” He grabbed her wrist. “And I'm not done with you, young lady. I want an answer. Throw me a bone here, Renee. At least tell me you'll move in.”
“I can't do that.” She sat down. “Cleave…I want to be with you. But something is holding me back. I don't know what it is, but I can't make any decisions until I work out some stuff in my head.”
“That's ridiculous.” He shoved his chair back and stood, towering over her. Muscles around his jaw ticked. “I'm through waiting. I've been very patient, but I'm done now. It's time to shit or get off the pot. I’m not getting any younger. I'm ready to make this commitment to you. To commit to whatever you will—living together, marriage, whichever.”
Blood pounded in her ears. She had to be honest with him. “I'm not the one who wants it. You are. Only you. We've just known each other a few months.”
He looked as if he'd been slapped. “How do you feel about me?”
“I…I like you. You're the most generous man I've ever met. I love that you find me so attractive and that you treat me so well. But I'm not in love with you. Not yet. It could still happen, but I can't force it.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?”
/> Much as she’d tried, she hadn’t yet gotten the zing with him she’d experienced with Joe. “Is it too much to ask for you to slow down and let me catch up?”
“I'll try. All I can tell you is, I'll try.”
On the drive home she wrestled with her conscience. It wasn’t fair to Cleave to keep seeing him when chances were diminishing day by day that she’d ever fall for him. But somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped her feelings for Joe would fade away and be replaced by love for Cleave.
Joe. She’d given in to calling him twice in the last week. She had to quit it. But hearing his voice, even if it was just a recording from his phone, was comforting. Hell, she’d become intimate with his voicemail but it had to stop.
Once more, that’s all.
She dialed the number. “Please call me, Joe. Please give me another chance. I know you won't, but if there's anything in your heart left for me, please call me.”
She drove the rest of the way in silence, reliving her conversation with Cleave in her head, over and over, her windshield wipers providing the rhythm for her thoughts.
Falling into bed a little while later, her mind strayed back to Joe. What was he doing now? Did he have a new girlfriend? She doubted it. It had taken him so long to recover after his fiancée, she knew he was a man who would take his time getting over her.
Her chest ached, knowing she’d caused him pain. She just prayed his wasn’t near as awful as her suffering. She didn’t think she’d ever get over him.
* * * * *
Dr. Hillard's office was modestly furnished, with two slip-covered love seats and several inexpensive lamps. Renee filled out an information sheet with her address and insurance information. After a five-minute wait, a nurse called her name and led her to a private room.
When the doctor came in a few minutes later, Renee was surprised that she appeared not much older than her. Her thick black hair was streaked with a few gray strands and hung halfway down her back.
She smiled warmly as she sat on a rolling stool. “So you have a lump, huh?”
Wrong Way Renee Page 22
