Firestone

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  Honey gave them a slow nod.

  “He isn’t taking his sleep meds so he can hear Maggie when she wakes up,” Honey said.

  “Did he get her last night?” Valerie asked.

  “Sure,” Honey said. “He went to sleep with me but was up when she woke up. Val and I decided not to meet last night because the living room was kind of ripped up. Anyway, he didn’t wake me. He fed her and changed her in the middle of the night, and made breakfast for me this morning.”

  Honey nodded.

  “He hasn’t slept more than four hours a night since his injury,” Honey said. “I mean, the meds conk him out, but that’s not really sleep. And he’s been a lot more tired than he was this morning. The sleep thing, it’s one of the symptoms of his brain injury. I mean, he woke up to say ‘hi’ to me and then went back to bed!”

  “We were both just saying that things are odd today,” Valerie said. “Delphie feels excited, not terrified, to have Ivy and Keenan. Mike’s headaches are gone, and he wants to have another baby.”

  “Mike?” Honey asked. “What about ‘How can you bring a child into this evil world?’”

  “I know!” Valerie said.

  The women looked at Sandy.

  “So?” Valerie asked.

  “So?” Sandy replied.

  “What happened with you?” Valerie asked.

  “I remember my mom, Andy,” Sandy nodded. “I had dreams last night, all night, about her. And Seth and . . . how much they love me and how much they loved each other and . . .”

  Sandy’s eyes welled with tears.

  “I feel . . .,” Sandy gave a slight shake of her head, “ . . . loved.”

  Sandy put her hand over her heart.

  “Fairies wouldn’t have done that,” Sandy said. “How could they have known?”

  “Who knew about my hands and Mike’s headaches and Delphie’s fear and Sandy’s mom?” Honey asked.

  The women looked off in the distance for a moment.

  “Jill,” they said in unison.

  “But how?” Valerie asked.

  “No idea,” Sandy said.

  “I think we should just look at this as a gift and not question it too much,” Delphie said.

  The women were silent for a moment.

  “Why?” Sandy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Delphie said. “Just seemed like the right thing to say.”

  The women laughed.

  “There you are!” Charlie came into the laundry room. His voice was raised with desperation. Sandy took Rachel from Valerie. “Ivy just called. She’s at the bus station. You said you were going to . . .”

  “Let’s all go,” Valerie said.

  Charlie looked from one smiling face to another.

  “Good idea,” Delphie said.

  “We can take our huge car, and . . .” Sandy was out almost up the stairs when she turned, “Charlie can you . . .”

  Charlie was right behind her with Honey on his back. Valerie carried Honey’s wheelchair up the stairs behind him.

  “What?” Charlie asked.

  “Nothing,” Sandy said.

  “Do you think Ivy will like us all being there?” Delphie asked.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Charlie said. “I mean, this morning, she was furious at her aunt and talking about getting high and heading back out to the street. But just a minute ago, she was like ‘I’m here to start my cool new life.’ Then she babbled on about going to the Marlowe school and whatever. I asked her if she was high and she was like, ‘High? What do you mean?’ Like she’d forgotten she’s actually an addict. So . . . I don’t really know, but I would, so let’s go.”

  At the top of the stairs, Charlie set Honey in her wheelchair. Sandy gave Delphie a knowing look before running upstairs for her purse.

  “Do you think everyone got . . . fixed?” Honey whispered to Valerie.

  Valerie shook her head and shrugged. Honey nodded.

  “Do you wish you could walk?” Valerie asked.

  “Sure,” Honey said. “But if I had to pick, I’d pick being able to use my hands over anything else. I haven’t been able to even change Maggie’s diapers. Now I can really care for her and MJ and my house. Hell, I can do laundry.”

  Valerie smiled. They waited a few minutes before Sandy raced back down the stairs. They followed her to the car. When they got there, the kids were waiting. Everyone wanted to pick up Ivy. Valerie ran back for the keys to Jill’s new SUV. They filled two cars with people and headed out to welcome Ivy to her new life.

  Looking up at the Castle before driving off, Sandy saw Jill looking down at them. She blew Jill a kiss and Jill waved.

  Only Jill could have picked just the right thing to wish for everyone.

  Sandy smiled and wondered what other wishes had come true today.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Saturday—4:32 P.M.

  “Now, you’re sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Rodney asked Yvonne. They were sitting in his truck across the street from Jeraine’s old condo.

  “You are very sweet,” Yvonne smiled. “But I’ve got this.”

  “There’s no shame in having me there,” Rodney said. “I can stay with you until Dionne comes.”

  Yvonne smiled at him.

  “I’d bet we could come up with something to do,” Rodney grinned.

  Yvonne leaned over to kiss him.

  “I’ve got this,” Yvonne said. “I can do it. It’s a good test to see how my memory is doing. There’s no down side. If I forget, Dionne will be right there to remind me. If I remember, I will know that my memory is really better.”

  “Fair enough,” Rodney said. “What are you supposed to do?”

  “What do you mean?” Yvonne looked confused. “About what?”

  “You’re going to the apartment to . . .” Rodney started. He glanced at her. By her look, she was teasing him.

  “I am going to meet the IRS man or woman and give them the keys to the apartment,” Yvonne nodded. “I don’t even have to go in. I just have to give them the keys.”

  “Why isn’t Jeraine doing this?” Rodney asked.

  “Jeraine is working,” Yvonne said. “Somebody famous . . . Did he ever tell us who?”

  “One of those naked women singers,” Rodney said. “I saw her saunter into the house.”

  “Oh . . . Do you think . . .?” Yvonne started.

  “I think that Fin terrified Jeraine into lifelong fidelity,” Rodney said.

  Yvonne laughed.

  “You ready?” Rodney asked. “’Cuz I can always come in with you. No shame in that.”

  “I got this,” Yvonne said. “You go on. You’re due out at Limon for dinner with one of your young men. That boy needs help and hope.”

  Rodney gawked at her. Yvonne nodded.

  “How did . . .?” Rodney started.

  “Wrote it on my hand,” said Yvonne.

  She held up her hand for Rodney to see. He laughed. She opened her door and leaned back to him.

  “Love you, Rodney.” Yvonne kissed him.

  “You know, I could . . .”

  Laughing, Yvonne got out of the car and closed the door. She waved as he drove off. She checked her watch before walking across the street. She had twenty minutes before Dionne came to pick her up. She, Dionne, and Maresol were going to meet Delphie’s niece, Anna-Marie, or as she liked to be called Ivy. Smiling, Yvonne stepped into the underground parking garage. She stopped walking for a moment to get her bearings in the cool, dark of the garage.

  “The elevator is on your left.”

  Jeraine’s voice in her head told her where to go. She smiled at her memory. She walked past a line of expensive cars before turning toward the elevator. She saw what looked like a pile of clothing sitting next to the elevator. Jeraine had said there was sometimes weird stuff there and to just ignore it.

  She pressed the elevator button before remembering that the problem was that the elevator code had already been changed. Jeraine didn’t have the code, and the IRS
didn’t have the keys. She nodded to herself. That’s why Yvonne was standing here today. She glanced around the area. No one was around. She looked down at her jeans. No one was going to care if she sat down next to this wall while she waited.

  She went around the blob of clothing and sat down a couple feet away. She was there only a minute when she heard a small voice.

  “Hello.”

  After the last few days, Yvonne expected a fairy or something equally other worldly. She looked over at what she thought was a blob of clothing. A tiny brown forehead and eyes peered out at her from under a thick coat. Surprised, Yvonne blinked.

  “Hello,” Yvonne said.

  She wondered why this child was here. Never having been around rich people, she reasoned that maybe he was waiting for his limousine or nanny or something very posh.

  “What are you doing here?” the child asked.

  “Waiting,” Yvonne said. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m waiting too,” the child said.

  Yvonne nodded because she figured as much. She’d heard that rich people didn’t really care for their children. Just another thing to own. It was just a shame.

  “Would you mind if I wait with you?” the child asked.

  Yvonne heard his southern accent.

  “I don’t mind,” Yvonne said. “You look cold.”

  “I’ve been here a long time,” the child said.

  Yvonne held her arm out and the child scooted over to her. The child had a grocery bag with tattered clothing in it. When he got close, Yvonne could smell his dirty diaper. She looked down at the child.

  “I’m sorry,” the child whispered. “I smell.”

  Yvonne was angry, no furious. Who would leave a child sitting in its own filth?

  “How long have you been here?” Yvonne asked.

  “Well . . .” the child said. “The taxi dropped me off . . . and it was dark. I took the red eye to Denver from Atlanta.”

  The boy nodded as if his words told her exactly what she’d asked. Yvonne didn’t really know what he meant. She just knew he’d been there a long, long time.

  “I tried the elevator but it doesn’t work. I just waited.”

  “Why are you here?” Yvonne asked.

  “I’m ’sposed to stay with my daddy now,” the child said.

  “And who is your daddy?” Yvonne asked. Furious, she began to think of all the ways she was going to torture this father.

  “J’raine,” the child said.

  Chapter Two Hundred and Eight-one

  . . . and . . .

  “He used to be a big star,” the child said. “But now he’s just a broke-ass negro. He married some nappy-haired whore who destroyed his life. That’s what my mommy says.”

  Yvonne reeled back with surprise. The brown eyes blinked at her.

  “It’s true.” The brown eyes nodded. “My mommy’s on TV. She said as long as he wasn’t gonna pay for me, she was moving on. She told the TV I had to go. The TV people went to the airport with my mommy and me.”

  Even though she was really angry, Yvonne gave the child a sweet smile. The elevator dinged and slid open. Surprised, they both turned to look at the elevator. When no one came out, Yvonne decided it must have been one of Abi’s “interventions” in her life.

  “Let’s go upstairs and warm up,” Yvonne said.

  She picked up the child and he leaned into her. The child was slight and small. She was sure he wasn’t much older than three years, which just made her angrier. She carried the child onto the elevator. She smiled when she noticed that the button to Jeraine’s floor had already been pushed. Closing her eyes, she said a silent thank you to Abi and to whomever else had intervened on her behalf. In a few minutes, they were standing in Jeraine’s old, empty apartment.

  “But . . . but . . . where’s my daddy?” The child’s voice rose with hysteria. “He’s not here! What am I going to do now?”

  “Your daddy is my friend,” Yvonne said. “He’s a good man, who’s trying to take back his life.”

  “He is?” The child’s voice filled with wonder. Then the child scowled. “Are you one of his whores?”

  Yvonne laughed.

  “I’m more like one of his mothers,” Yvonne said. “Now, let’s turn up the heat and get you warmed up. I’ve stayed here before . . . Let’s see. The thermostat is over here.”

  Smiling at her recovering memory, Yvonne turned the heat up to eighty degrees.

  “And the bathroom’s in here,” Yvonne said.

  Yvonne carried him to the master bathroom.

  “Do you want some help?” Yvonne asked.

  “If you’re one of my daddy’s mothers then that means you’re my grandmother,” the child said.

  Yvonne flipped back the hood of the child’s jacket to see a slight boy’s face. His eyes held a kind of depth of soul that came from being very lost and very alone.

  “Would you . . . I mean . . .” The boy’s eyes filled with tears.

  “I’d love to help,” Yvonne said. “I haven’t had a baby in a long, long time. Would you do me the honor of letting me help you clean up a bit?”

  “If you want to,” the boy’s voice was vague, clearly imitating something he’d heard. He gave a vigorous nod.

  “I do want to,” Yvonne said.

  She went to the tub and turned on the water. She noticed a worn scrap of soap sitting in the soap dish. There weren’t any towels, but she figured that would be all right. She helped the boy peel off filthy layers of clothing. When the tub was partially full, she set the grimy child in the water and partially opened the drain. She left the warm water on while she scrubbed him down with a handkerchief from her purse.

  This child hadn’t been clean in a long time. He didn’t say a word. His eyes were like tiny soldiers watching over the fort of his body while she worked. When his skin was tinged pink and glowing, she drained the dirty water, rinsed off the tub and the boy, and turned the warm water on to fill the tub. She dropped in a few drops of lavender oil from the bottle Delphie had given her the previous night.

  She sat down on the toilet and called Dionne.

  “Can you stop for diapers?” Yvonne asked. She turned to the boy. “How old are you?”

  “Four and a half,” the boy said. “But I don’t need diapers. Just at night.”

  “Good to know,” Yvonne said. “Why don’t we get some just in case?”

  “Okay,” The boy nodded.

  “Diapers for a small four-year-old boy,” Yvonne said. “And bring some bath towels?”

  “What’s going on?” Dionne asked. “You okay?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Yvonne said.

  “We have Pull Ups here at the clinic,” Dionne said. Yvonne heard her friend closing cabinets. “I’m on my way.”

  “Did you call my daddy?” the boy asked.

  “I called your grandmother,” Yvonne said.

  “Oh,” the boy said. “Is she the prostitute?”

  “No, that was me,” Yvonne said.

  “You’re the filthy prostitute?”

  “Yep,” Yvonne said. “Just like you were the filthy boy. We both got cleaned up.”

  The boy seemed to like that idea. He splashed the water, and Yvonne laughed. She ran to the elevator and sent it down to the bottom for Dionne.

  “Now hush,” Yvonne said. “I have to make an important call.”

  The boy nodded. Yvonne called Tannie’s best friend Heather’s house.

  “Mrs. Smith!” Heather said. “Are you on your way to get Keenan?”

  “Are we picking up Keenan too?” Yvonne asked.

  “Risa’s here to facilitate his transition to the Castle,” Heather said.

  “Risa is your social worker?” Yvonne asked. “The one who works with the state and isn’t too stupid?”

  “Right,” Heather said. “Good remembering.”

  “I was wondering if Risa could come over,” Yvonne said.

  “What happened?” Heather a
sked.

  “Just another lost boy coming home,” Yvonne said. The little boy watched her with intent interest.

  “Where are you?” Heather asked.

  “At Jer’s old house,” Yvonne said.

  “The condo?” Heather asked. Yvonne heard Heather say something in the background. “We’ll be right over. Risa has to call the police.”

  “You’re coming too?” Yvonne asked.

  “I’m an emergency placement,” Heather said with pride in her voice. Yvonne smiled. “If you’ve found a lost boy, then I will probably get to have him here until everything is settled. You’re about five minutes away. Do you need Blane? Otherwise, he can stay here with the kids.”

  “The child seems healthy,” Yvonne said. “Just hungry.”

  “I’ll bring something,” Heather said. “We’ll be right there. Send the elevator down.”

  Yvonne smiled and hung up the phone. She nodded to the little boy.

  “What?” the boy asked.

  “Everything’s working out perfectly,” Yvonne said.

  “For who?” The boy’s sour tone made Yvonne give him a long look.

  “You,” Yvonne said.

  “You sure?”

  “I am,” Yvonne said.

  The boy gave her his first real smile.

  “Now settle back and rest,” Yvonne said.

  The boy nodded and lay back in the tub. He sat up again.

  “What?” Yvonne asked.

  “I just want to see you,” the boy said. “You’re the angel who saved me.”

  “Angel?” Yvonne smiled.

  “I was praying and praying, like they say in church, for a nice person to help me.” The boy nodded. “And you showed up. You’re my angel.”

  “Well, thank you.” Yvonne smiled. “There’s going to be a lot of people here soon. Probably the police too.”

  “The police?” the boy asked. “Do I have to go to jail?”

  “No,” Yvonne laughed. “But I’ll tell you what.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll be right here with you the whole time,” Yvonne said.

  “Like an angel?”

  “Sure,” Yvonne said. “Now rest.”

  The boy nodded. After a few minutes, he started to play in the water. He gave each of his hands voices and they swam through the water. The two of them were so caught up in his play that they didn’t hear the elevator come up to the condo. When the door opened, they both yelped with surprise.