Pick-me-up
Page 51
*****
The week finished quickly and with more developments. Her dad remained in jail. His case was to be heard within the month. They couldn’t afford a lawyer, so they had to use the court appointed one. Katelyn heard her mom leave many messages for the lawyer, but rarely heard the phone ring in reply. Either way, best case scenario, Katelyn understood that her dad was not going to be home for a long time. If the judge followed the rules, her dad was looking at five years.
Kayla and Jacob were back at the house in the evenings by the weekend. Jenny had supposedly started a stocking job at a department store in Ames. Her mom agreed to watch the kids again since it was second shift. So, that meant Katelyn had to watch them. So far, Jenny had picked up the kids on schedule in the mornings. Secretly, Katelyn was glad to have them back to fill up the silence of the house.
Katelyn’s mom bought her a new cell phone to replace her broken one. Katelyn accessed a string of voice messages. Katelyn shook her head as she deleted one insult or threat after another from Tim.
Katelyn’s mom showed her the local paper that listed Tim’s arrest and charge: assault in the first degree and illegal use of a schedule II drug.
Sunday night rolled around. Katelyn’s stitches itched. Her rib and tailbone were still sore, but healing. Her black eye wasn’t as swollen and she could mostly cover it up with makeup. Still, she couldn’t face going back to school. Katelyn pictured the looks her classmates would give her, the questions the teachers would ask, the rumors Maci would start, and the amount of work and tests waiting to be made up.
“Mom, you have to call me in.”
Her mom took a loaded inhale and then seemed to soften. “Katelyn, you have to go back.” Her voice was firm, but also held sympathy.
“Mom, I can’t do it.” Her mom didn’t say anything, but looked at her with quiet eyes. Katelyn’s voice caught. “I don’t fit there. No one’s there for me and they’ll all know about Tim. Mom, you don’t know what it’s like. They’re mean. And, and . . . it’s stupid. I don’t need any of that shit anyways.”
Her mom didn’t change position, but seemed to grow firmer in her expression. Katelyn recognized the look and tried a new path of logic. “I missed all the exams. I’ll probably flunk everything this quarter anyway.” She saw her mom’s eyes shift in calculation. “It’s too much, Mom. I’ll never get caught up.”
“I’ll help you, Katelyn.” Katelyn turned to see Kayla standing just outside the kitchen where she and her mom were leaning against opposite counters. “You can be in my school, Katelyn. Everyone gets a gold star.” Katelyn had to smile at her niece’s idea and act of kindness. It took a moment for her to realize Kayla finally pronounced her name correctly.
“I want to see you graduate, Kate.” Her mom pushed off from the counter and stepped up to her. She stopped directly in front of Katelyn. Katelyn lowered her head in submission. But, her mom reached out and lifted her chin. “Just once. At least once, I want to have a daughter graduate, have a daughter walk across that stage.” Katelyn thought she saw her mom’s eyes watering. “I want you to cross that stage.”
Her mom’s arms circled her shoulders and pulled Katelyn to her. Kayla joined them, grabbing one of each of their legs. Small parts of Katelyn’s body protested in aching pain, but she knew those were just temporary. Katelyn could handle pain. So, she let herself be held by a mom that rarely trusted her own touch and a child still full of trust. Katelyn put one arm around her mom and reached the other down to cup the back of Kayla’s tangled hair, completing the circle.