It wasn’t exactly true I hadn’t seen her in ten years. She had stopped by the Christmas when I was seven. She’d breezed into the apartment with two huge foil-wrapped boxes. One gold. One red. One for me. One for Tracie. Tracie had run off to our room, but I’d torn into mine eagerly. When I got the box open, there was the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen. Sky blue with little white flowers, lace—yards of it. But it was for a little girl, a girl a lot younger than seven.
Caroline didn’t even notice. After she’d left Dad and Tracie were sad, but I was fine. Except for my dress being too small, which was a bummer, I didn’t really care about Caroline coming or going. She was a stranger by then. Tracie tried to explain that because she was my mom she should’ve known what size I was, but I still didn’t get why it mattered. At least, not until I was older.
Tracie had called a PTT after Caroline left and spent her time writing the famous pact that she made me sign. I’d called PST then too, because back then I pretty much wanted to be just like my sister. Times had certainly changed.
As I pulled my torn comforter tighter, I wondered if it was just a coincidence I’d called another PST right after Caroline reappeared. I forced my mind to go blank. I’m not sure how long I sat like that, but at some point a pounding on the front door snapped me back to reality.
I grabbed my jeans off the floor and pulled them on, then crept out to the hallway. The knocking got louder and more intense. Whoever was there rang the doorbell a couple of times in between knocks. Had Tracie forgotten her keys? Too bad. The witch could stay locked out until Dad got home. I smiled to myself until a man’s voice yelled through the door, making me jump.
“Police! Open up!”
Chapter 16
Two RCMP officers stood on the porch, looming over me.
“I swear it was just my sister,” I said, answering their question about what had happened for the third time. “She startled me and I screamed into the phone.”
“Why didn’t you pick up when your friend called back?” asked the male officer.
“I was fighting with my sister,” I explained, hoping he had siblings and would understand. “She wouldn’t let me near the phone.”
Okay…that was only half true. But she probably wouldn’t have let me answer it even if I’d tried. I was going to kill Amanda for calling the cops.
The female officer had her back to me, checking out the parking lot, while he fired more questions at me. “Where is your sister now?” he asked.
“Out. I don’t know exactly.”
I noticed the officer’s name engraved on his badge. Trampas. “You alone here?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Mind if we take a look around?”
My mouth went on autopilot. “Do you have a warrant?”
He smiled. “Is there a reason why I need one?”
“I guess not,” I said, moving out of the way. “I just thought I was supposed to ask you for one.”
He grinned wider. “Not necessary in this case, unless you won’t let me inside.”
“Oh.”
The officers stepped into the apartment, cautious, peering around corners. It was weird, like a movie or something. I looked around for the TV crew. Wouldn’t that be cool to be on that show Cops? I’d really love it if they dragged Tracie away in cuffs yelling “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do nothing.”
“I’m Jane Marley,” said the other officer, shaking my hand. “What’s your name?”
“Suze. Susan Tamaki.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “We’re just going to make sure everything’s okay, all right?”
I nodded.
“You wanna show us around, Suze?” Officer Trampas asked.
“Okay.”
I was glad there was a woman here. I would’ve been uncomfortable letting a couple of men into the house, even if they were from the RCMP. They’d said Amanda called, but it didn’t mean she really had. They knew her name, though. And she was a busybody, so I believed them. I showed them around the entire apartment. They even checked out the closets, the shower and under the beds.
“What are you looking for?” I asked them.
Officer Trampas said, “Someone you’re afraid of could be hiding and you might be too scared to tell us. We want to make sure everything’s copacetic.”
“Oh.” I wondered what copacetic meant. Probably fine or something. I’d look it up later.
“How old are you?” Officer Marley asked.
“Thirteen.”
“Are you usually home alone?”
“Not always.”
What was she getting at? I was old enough to stay home on my own. Until I started junior high I’d gone to AJ’s after school, but last year, everyone had decided I could stay here until Tracie got home from hockey, and AJ had gone back to working full-time.
“Where’s your mother?” asked Trampas.
“I don’t know.”
He stopped looking under the couch. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I live with my dad.”
“Oh. Right. Where’s your dad?”
“Work. Sabin’s Sporting Goods.”
“Well, Susan,” Officer Marley said, “everything seems to be in order here.”
“If you’ve told us everything,” Trampas added.
I was starting to panic a little. What did they want from me? Where was Tracie, anyway? Why didn’t she come home and explain? Then I heard the front door bang open. Whew—now she could back up my story.
“Suze?” Dad called from the entry hall. “Are you okay?”
I sighed. Great. Just great. “Yeah, Dad. In here.”
“Amanda called me at work,” he said, hurrying into the living room. He grabbed me in a bear hug. “Did something happen? Why is the RCMP here?”
Oh, God. I was going to kill her. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Dad asked, looking at the officers.
“Your daughter was talking on the phone to her friend when she screamed, yelled ‘help,’ and then hung up. The friend got worried when she called back and no one answered, so she dialed 911,” Marley explained.
“Why’d you scream?” Dad asked me. I could tell he already had an inkling.
My whole life is so embarrassing. “Tracie. She startled me.”
The look Dad gave me was totally different from what I expected. I thought for sure I’d be in huge trouble, but it was worse than that. Instead of mad, Dad looked exhausted. And disappointed. Definitely disappointed.
“Well, I think everything’s under control,” he told the police. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you for checking on her.”
He walked the officers to the door and I slipped away to my room. This was great, really fantastic. If Dad was disappointed in me now, just wait until Tracie told him I was going out to dinner with Caroline tomorrow night. Yeah. This was going to be some weekend.
^^^
Dad had to go back to work and he didn’t get off until ten, so he gave me five minutes to grab my stuff and then drove me over to AJ’s, where he dumped me off for the night.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
Is this where I should tell him I’m going out with Caroline?
“Dad, I’m really sor—”
“I need to get going.”
“Yeah, okay. Sorry,” I said, climbing out of the car.
He’d called AJ while I was packing my bag, and she was waiting on the porch like she thought I might run away or something. I guess she didn’t know there wasn’t anywhere in the whole world I’d rather be than with her and Uncle Bill at that moment. The farther away from Tracie I was, the better.
I expected AJ to be really grumpy, but instead she made my second-favorite dish, veggie lasagna and garlic brea
d, and was super friendly. This didn’t actually relax me, though. Instead I was wary, waiting for her to lose it or lecture me, or something. And then it occurred to me maybe she wasn’t aware of my suspension, or the fight with Tracie, and the RCMP’s little visit. I didn’t know what Dad told her when he called, so I wasn’t really sure. When I finally decided to bring it up, though, I knew she’d heard because she shook her head.
“Haven’t you had enough drama for one week, Suze? Do we have to discuss it at the dinner table?”
“Uh, no. Definitely not,” I said.
“Because seriously, I’ve had plenty of turmoil at my job.”
She went on to tell us all about a co-worker who got in trouble for selling homemade tamales in the lunchroom and how management didn’t want her bugging the rest of the employees, except everyone wanted to buy her food because it was so good. Now there was a big battle going on between management and the employees, and the union might even get involved.
I’d pretty much stopped listening by that point. It didn’t seem that exciting compared to my own life. But I was glad AJ was talking. Especially since, for once, I wasn’t the one she was upset about.
After we cleared the table, AJ asked me if I wanted to take a bath in her private bathroom. Uncle Bill had to use the one in the basement because he was a slob. I jumped at the chance because she’s got this beautiful claw foot tub. We only have a shower in our apartment and AJ’s got big fluffy towels and bubble bath too.
“Yeah. Can I?”
“You may,” she said, correcting my grammar. Usually I ignored her when she did that, but now that I was in Honors, I should probably try to talk better, so I made a mental note of it. “May I?”
“Yes, you may,” she said, smiling.
“Thanks.”
It wasn’t until I’d gotten the temperature perfect, and I was soaking deep in rose-scented water that I realized I forgot to lock the door. The reason I knew that is because AJ walked right in.
“Hey, I’m in here,” I reminded her.
“I know. I want to talk to you.”
“How about after my bath?” I asked.
“How about now.”
Only it wasn’t a question. Too bad I didn’t realize until too late that the offer of a bath was actually her way of trapping me so we could talk. I bet Tracie never would’ve fallen for it.
“I hear you’ve rescheduled dinner with Caroline for tomorrow night.”
“Tracie’s got such a big mouth.”
“It wasn’t your sister. Caroline called your dad. He has custody, you know. She has to clear those kinds of plans with him first.”
“Oh.”
“So…there are some things you need to know about her.”
“Finally,” I said. “No one tells me anything.”
AJ had been pacing ever since she came into the bathroom and she didn’t stop now. “First of all, and I’m not saying this to turn you against her, but she can’t be trusted.”
“What do you mean? Like she’s a compulsive liar?”
“Not exactly.” She ran her hand through her hair. “Not at all, really. But she says she’ll do one thing, and then she doesn’t always come through.”
“Like be our mom?”
“Exactly. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“In what way?”
“Keep in mind this is only one dinner. That’s all. She’s not necessarily coming back into your life for good. Be cautious and—”
There was a light tap on the partially open door and Uncle Bill stepped into the bathroom. “Jenny? What’re you telling her?”
“Hey! I’m in the bath!” I reminded them both.
“We’re having a little talk,” AJ told him.
“Hello?” I said. “I’m not a little kid anymore. Can I have some privacy?”
Uncle Bill covered his eyes with his hands. “In a minute, Suze. Now, what were you and your aunt talking about?”
“Nothing,” AJ said before I could answer.
Uncle Bill turned toward her voice, his hands still over his eyes. “You know, I wish you all would stop trying to turn Suze against Caroline before they’ve even had a chance to talk.”
I was only half listening as I frantically tried to move what was left of the bubbles into strategic locations.
“No one’s trying to turn Suze against Caroline. She’s done a pretty good job of it herself, if you ask me.”
“No one did ask you, Jenny.”
“If you’re just going to talk to each other, could you do that somewhere else?” I asked.
Uncle Bill, still covering his eyes, turned toward me. “Suze. You should go out with your mom and decide for yourself what kind of a relationship you want with her.”
“If you want a relationship,” AJ added.
“Great advice,” I said. “But I’m in the bath here. Could we talk about this later? Please?”
“In a minute, Suze. I want to make sure—”
“Bill, I’m not trying to poison Suze’s mind,” AJ said. “But she needs to be careful.”
“Okay!” I practically screeched at them. “If I promise to be careful and have an open mind, will you both get out of here?”
Uncle Bill felt his way along the counter and sat down on the fuzzy toilet seat cover. Great. Make yourself comfortable.
“Listen, Suze…” he said. I sunk as low as I could under the water, one hand across my chest and the other trying to cover my girl parts. Why couldn’t anyone in this family remember I was thirteen, not seven? “I want you to know that in spite of what the rest of this family thinks of Caroline, she does love you—”
“I never said she didn’t,” AJ said.
“And,” Uncle Bill continued, “she knows she made some mistakes. She’d like a chance to fix things if she can.”
AJ lunged forward and grabbed Uncle Bill’s arm, as if suddenly realizing what I’d been saying all along. “Bill! You shouldn’t be in here while Suze is in the bath!”
He snorted. “I’ve got my eyes covered. Besides, I’ve seen Suze naked her whole life.”
“Well, she’s a teenager now! Get out.” She hoisted him up by his arm and led him toward the door.
“I’m going. I’m going. But Suze—give Caroline a chance, okay? She really needs it at this time of her life.”
With that bit of wisdom, AJ shoved him out the door and closed it behind her. As they walked away, I heard her say, “Yeah, well, the girls could’ve used her over the last ten years, but it didn’t suit her schedule, did it?”
Her schedule? I sunk down into the tepid water. From now on I was going to stick to showers in washrooms with locked doors.
If AJ or Uncle Bill thought that little conversation was enlightening in any way, they were wrong. I was more confused than ever. I did know one thing, though. If Caroline was half as crazy as the rest of my family, we’d get along fine.
Chapter 17
On Saturday night, Caroline and I were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Douglas Street, but her car had seat warmers and a great stereo, so I didn’t mind too much. She’d picked me up at AJ’s and all the so-called adults in my family—Dad, AJ, and Uncle Bill—had hidden behind the curtains to peer out, while I picked up my backpack, a borrowed sleeping bag, and Caroline’s gift basket and ran down the steps to the driveway. After dinner, she was dropping me off at Amanda’s for a sleepover.
Caroline had gotten out of her fancy car to come up and say hello, but when she saw me, she looked relieved that she didn’t have to and got back into her car pretty fast. We drove without saying anything for a while.
As we waited for some people to cross at a red light, Caroline broke the awkward silence. “I’m sorry to bring you all the way across town,” she said, “but downtown’s the only part of the city I’m familiar with.”
&n
bsp; “Didn’t you grow up in Victoria?” I asked.
Caroline gave me a sideways look as she drove the car forward slowly and then finally to a stop in front of a crowded parking lot. “Well, yes. But I meant the restaurants. A lot changes quickly in that business.”
“Oh.”
A young guy in a blue jacket came around and opened Caroline’s door. She climbed out of the car, her short skirt creeping up. The guy took her place in the driver’s seat and smiled at me.
“Hi,” I said, smiling back at him.
“Ummm…hello.” He sat there, staring at me in a politely vague sort of way. Caroline rapped on my window. I pushed the button, and it slid down.
“Get out, Susan. He wants to park the car.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
I climbed out. How dumb could I be? I knew he was the valet, but I thought I was supposed to ride along and wait for him to open my door. Why did my dad even let me out in public?
The restaurant was tiny, crowded, and smelled spicy. Couples snuggled at intimate tables, candlelight casting a warm glow in their eyes. The place reeked of money. I hoped Caroline had brought her gold card.
“I have a reservation,” she told the guy behind the podium. “Caroline Walker.”
Walker? Who was Walker? One thing I knew for sure about Caroline was that her maiden name was McIntyre. I knew because I had a Grandma and Grandpa McIntyre when I was little and they were her parents. They both died right before Caroline split, and no one in my family ever talks about them.
Also, I had done a lot of Google searches on both Caroline McIntyre and Caroline Tamaki, but so far I hadn’t found anything. No wonder. She was obviously using an alias. I wondered if that was so Tracie and I couldn’t find her if we tried. If so, it had worked.
“Right this way,” said the host or maître d’ or whatever you call those people in a fancy-schmancy place like that.
At the table, he pulled out Caroline’s chair, and she sat down gracefully. I tried to slip into mine quickly to avoid mishap. Instead I bumped the table so hard the glasses clinked against each other, wax slopped over the candle and extinguished the flame, and two or three forks clattered to the stone floor. I dove under the table to pick them up and clobbered a waiter with my elbow. In my defense, he did appear out of nowhere. It was like one of those stupid old movies. Only we didn’t suddenly fall in love. Would Caroline miss me if I stayed under the table?
A Month of Mondays Page 10
