The Guilty Generation

by Pat Simmons

  “And we’ll help her.”

  They were silent until Kami looked at her mother whose eyes were also misty. “As long as there are males here, she won’t come.”

  Thunder shook their house at the same time Kami’s phone rang. She climbed over her mother to reach for it. The number was unrecognizable s she answered it.

  “How soon can you give me a ride?” Victoria sounded scared.

  A sense of peace descended upon her that it was her classmate at the same time dread crept up her spine at the notion she could be in danger. She gave her mother a thumbs up. “Give me your location and we’re on our way.”

  “We?” Victoria asked hesitantly.

  “My mom and me.”

  “I told you, I’m not staying in your house—”

  “You’re not. You’ll be safe at Grandma BB’s house. She owns a gun.”

  “And I’ve got a knife for protection,” Victoria let it be known.

  Lord, please let them get along, Kami silently prayed.

  When Cheney told Parke she and Kami were leaving for a rescue mission, he scowled.

  “I don’t like the idea of my favorite daughter and my favorite wife on the road in this bad weather, even though I know Victoria needs help. Even Pace decided to stay here and not go back to the campus tonight,” Parke said, coming out of his man cave, their oldest son on his heels as Cheney grabbed her car keys off the counter. “The police could probably get to her faster.”

  “And do what, place her in another foster home.” Cheney shook her head. She didn’t have time to argue with the love of her life as she kissed his jaw. “For the record, I’m your only wife.”

  “And I’m your only daughter,” Kami chimed in. Her eyes seemed to plead with her father to understand. “But right now, Victoria should be the favorite and most important person to be concerned about, Dad.”

  Folding his arms, Parke’s jaw was set.

  “The plan is to make sure Victoria is safe. She won’t get in my car if you’re inside. We’ll be careful on the road and take Jesus with us.” Not granting him any more time to protest, Cheney took their umbrellas from the hall closet. She and Kami braced for the rain as they raced to her car in the driveway.

  “Hurry, Mom. I’m afraid for her.” Kami shivered.

  As an employee for the local phone company, Cheney knew downtown St. Louis well. They were about twelve miles away from the AT&T Toll Building that was among countless other tall structures. By day, it was a busy area. At night, there was an illusion of being deserted, but there was always evil lurking nearby. It wasn’t a safe place for a woman, young girl or anybody who couldn’t fend for themselves. “Lord, keep us safe in Jesus’ name. Amen,” she said and Kami dittoed.

  Cheney started the engine and headed toward North Florissant Road to exit on I-70. Minutes later, she glanced in her rearview mirror. A vehicle was gaining speed behind her. Blinking, she recognized the SUV and snickered. “Your dad’s following us.”

  Kami turn around, then sighed. “I love my daddy.”

  “Me too. I see two heads, so Pace is probably with him.” She doubted her younger sons could be pulled away from the television.

  Glancing out the window, she mumbled, “He’s the best brother, too—sometimes—when he’s not trying to boss me around.” She faced Cheney. “I pleaded with him to go on to Tuskegee, but he said he was okay with going to Wash U for a semester or year to make sure I was okay.”

  “Pace is like your father. Once he makes up his mind, it’s a done deal. We tried to talk him out of changing too when he first told us his plans.” Cheney shook her head, smiling. She loved the family God gave her. “That is the best example of love.”

  The rain seemed to drop in sheets. Cheney’s phone alerted her to flash flood warnings in certain areas. To drive any faster would put them in danger. She prayed as she was sure her husband behind them was doing, then voice activated a call to Grandma BB’s number.

  When her friend answered, she and Kami greeted her in unison. “We volunteered your services.”

  “It’s going to cost both of you,” the matriarch griped. Grandma BB never asked too many questions up front. If there was any scheming going on, she wanted in.

  Cheney exchanged a knowing glance with Kami. “We know, a case of black cherry soda. Seriously, we’re out in this storm to pick up Kami’s friend, Victoria, and she needs a place to stay.”

  “She needs somebody beat up or pistol-whipped?” Grandma BB didn’t hide the excitement in her voice.

  Kami giggled while Cheney shook her head and said, “A warm bed will do for tonight. Details coming.”

  “Humph. That’s all. Okay, I’ll leave the light on for you like I’m Motel 6.”

  “Thank you, Grandma BB,” Kami yelled from the passenger seat.

  After ending the call, Cheney slowed to exit on Tucker Boulevard. She shivered, thinking about a young lady wandering in the area at night. The rain had slowed down, but the evidence of flooding was at corners where the sewers couldn’t keep up. “It’s dark around here.” She approached Olive and 19th Street, straining her eyes. “Do you see her, baby?” When Kami said no, Cheney advised her to call the number back.

  Kami did. Finally, Cheney heard a girl’s voice. “Hey. Where are you?”

  “Hiding behind a building near 20th Street.”

  “Come out. We’re in a white Ford sedan.” Kami leaned forward, peering through the windshield. “There she is!” She pointed.

  Cheney abruptly pulled to a curb, and Victoria ran to the car, opened the door, and hopped inside. She was drenched. “Hi Victoria. I’m Mrs. Jamieson. We’re going to get you some dry clothes, hot food, and a bed.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  When she turned the corner, so did Parke shinning his headlights into the vehicle.

  Startled, Victoria whipped her neck around and looked out the back window, then became frantic. “I think someone is following us.”

  “That’s my dad and brother to make sure we’re okay,” Kami explained.

  “I said no men. Let me out.” Her eyes widened in fear as she reached for the door handle to bolt from the moving car.

  “It’s okay, honey. We’re taking you to Grandma BB’s house, and they’ll be heading home.”

  Victoria seemed to consider whether to trust what Cheney was saying was the truth. She closed the door but not before giving them a warning look.

  The rain had almost stopped as Cheney exhaled. Her adrenaline had kicked into high gear to get Kami’s friend as fast as possible. “Thank you, Lord.” She heard Kami mumble the same.

  Cheney’s thoughts drifted to the night she picked up a frightened little four-year-old girl who had been rescued from an unsafe environment. Little did Cheney know she would eventually adopt Kami. Back then, Grandma BB had been her support system, then Parke.

  When she turned on Benton Street, her husband blew his horn and veered in the other direction to their home on Darst. She tapped hers back.

  She parked and looked in the backseat and smiled. Victoria was asleep.

  Kami reached back and nudged her. “Wake up. We’re are at my grandma’s house. When Victoria stirred, she jumped, disoriented as she looked around.

  Grandma BB had the front door open before they got out of the car. “Get in here, chile. You’re soaked. Can’t be getting sick on my watch.”

  Victoria craned her head into the house before crossing the threshold.

  “Mom, can I spend the night so Victoria won’t be alone?”

  “She won’t be alone. She has me and Silent Killer.” Grandma BB hmphed.

  Victoria’s eyes widened, and Cheney answered before she asked. “That’s Grandma BB’s dog. He’s a good watch dog. He won’t let anybody hurt you.”

  “Got that right.” Grandma nodded. “My other bodyguards, Chip and Dale, won’t be staying here as long as I have a houseguest, so come on back, Tori. I warmed you up some stew.”

  “It’s Victoria,” the gi
rl corrected.

  Cheney groaned. The girl would soon find out nobody challenged Grandma BB on anything, especially nicknames. It would be a losing battle.

  “Look, Victor, either you’re either hungry or not,” Grandma BB said defiantly as she led the way to the kitchen.

  Pulling Kami aside, Cheney whispered, “Keep an eye on your grandma while I go home to get you and Victoria some clothes.

  Parke and Pace were waiting for her when she entered the house. “Is she okay?” her husband asked.

  “She’s with Grandma BB.” Cheney gave a tentative smile. “If their personalities don’t clash, Victoria will be fine.”

  Her husband and son exchanged glances. They both were probably thinking the same thing.

  “I know.” Cheney shrugged. “Grandma BB is going to test her, but something tells me Victoria is a fighter, and she’s not going to back down when our friend tries to get her way.”

  “I hope you’re right, Mom,” Pace said.

  “Me too.” Cheney wasn’t up for anymore rescue missions tonight.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kami woke Friday morning in her home-away-from-home bedroom at Grandma BB’s house. She glanced at the other twin bed. Victoria was in a deep sleep, judging from a faint snore, but she was safe and that’s all that mattered. Throwing the covers back, Kami stood, stretched and as quietly as she could, crossed the room to gather her things for a shower.

  “I’m not asleep,” Victoria said.

  Startling Kami, she whirled around, patting her chest. “You scared me.” She rested her hand on her hip. “Well, you sounded like you were asleep to me.”

  “My body needed the rest—” she sat up and stretched—“but my mind is always on guard. It has to be.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened to you, but you’re safe now.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be safe again,” Victoria said sadly. “We’ll see.”

  What could Kami say to give her some hope? When God didn’t answer, she kept quiet. She peeped out the second-floor window. It was still raining, but not as heavy as the previous night. They scrambled to shower and eat. Since her parents had dropped off her car that morning, Kami drove to school.

  “Thanks for last night,” Victoria said during the ride, “but this don’t make us cool.”

  “You sure about that?” Kami grinned. “The first thing we need to do is press charges against your foster dad.”

  Victoria gave her an incredulous look. “First, there is no we and second, I already did that, which is why I’m on the run, not only from him, but from being dumped into another foster home.”

  Having once been in a foster care situation, Kami couldn’t comprehend why Victoria was having so much drama. They arrived in no time. Before getting out, Kami turned to her classmate. “We don’t need to be cool. Like last night, me and my family wanted you safe. Plus, it would be kinda neat to find out if we’re related too.”

  Victoria didn’t seem to share the same sentiment, because she got out of the car without saying a word.

  “You can’t get rid of me,” Kami yelled after her.

  Stopping in her steps, Victoria glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe, I won’t try.” She smiled for the first time since Kami had met her. Yep, Jesus and me are going to tear down your walls.

  Surprisingly, the school day went smoothly. She didn’t have any up close and personals with Tango or Tammie. Since it was Friday, Kami stayed over Grandma BB’s again. They ordered pizza. While Kami watched television with Grandma BB, Victoria preferred to stay in the bedroom and read. A couple of times, Kami went upstairs to check on her.

  “I’m not going to climb out the window and run away.” Victoria gave her a pointed look.

  “Stranger things have happened.” Kami closed the door, but without catching a glimpse of a slight smile on the houseguest’s face.

  Victoria didn’t seem as guarded when they woke Saturday morning to sunshine. After preparing a big breakfast, Kami was able to coax Victoria to join her and Grandma BB in the sunroom. Silent Killer had taken a liking to Victoria and posted at her side so she could pat him.

  “That mutt is a traitor,” Grandma BB fussed at the dog.

  He whined and put his head down.

  “I needed a dog like this.” Victoria scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Maybe he could have protected me.”

  “Let me get a hold of those suckers.” Grandma BB cracked her knuckles then cringed. “I saw on the news where a man was arrested for sexual assault on a minor who was in his foster home. You didn’t name names, but I figured that was him or another jerk who needs to be neutered like the animals they are.”

  Her family was ready to defend Victoria, and the Jamiesons planned to pack the courtroom whenever the foster dad went before the judge.

  “Every time I tell, the next foster home cycle begins. I’m so sick of being bounced around. Sick of it,” she repeated and shook her head, not looking at them. “In four years, I’ll age out of the system, and no one will have to worry about me.”

  “You don’t need to be in a system, if you have family,” Kami spoke up.

  Victoria gave her a side-eye. “You know how I feel about family.”

  Determined to get her way, Kami gave her a counteroffer. “What if it’s my family? Let’s take the DNA test to see if we’re related.”

  “And if I’m not,” she challenged, “then where does that leave me?”

  “With a permanent place to stay—I guess,” Grandma BB feigned an attitude, but everyone knew the woman enjoyed entertaining company.

  “Or with the Jamiesons,” Cheney added, announcing her presence as she opened the back door. “You’re kind of stuck with us.”

  “Hey, Mom.” Kami stood and hugged her. Cheney rewarded her with a kiss, before offering one to Grandma BB, then Victoria, even though she stiffened from the gesture, seemingly uncomfortable from the affection.

  “Okay, I’ll take the deoxyribonucleic acid test,” Victoria said.

  “Saying DNA would have been sufficient. Showoff.” Grandma BB winked. “You’re fourteen-years-old and a junior. Why are you even in high school?”

  “It’s a place of escape,” she answered. “The foster family has to send me to school if they want to keep me. It’s all about getting the monthly checks for babysitting me.”

  “You’re too smart for that environment,” Grandma BB fussed. “Get your GED and get a jump on college courses.”

  “For what? To do what? I’ve got a past that won’t let me move to the future.”

  “No,” Cheney insisted. “You have a strong future because of your dark past.”

  Tell her the brightness of My light confuses and overpowers darkness, God whispered John 1:5.

  “Victoria, God just spoke to me. He wants you to know He is the light, and He shines brighter than the sun, and the darkness of this world can’t overpower it,” Kami said, giving her best interpretation.

  “God said that to you for me?” Victoria looked doubtful. “I wish He had been with Me and talked to me like that.”

  “No matter what, sweetie, the timing of God’s blessings, healings, and rescues is perfect,” Cheney explained. “It’s because of the sinful nature of man these heinous acts are done to innocent people, but God’s Word is a promise. One thing’s for sure, revenge is the Lord’s and He will repay to all those that harmed you. It won’t be pretty.”

  There was a knock on the back door to the sunroom, and a more polished version of Tammie stepped inside with her entourage from school. What was going on? Now, this girl had crossed the line. “You followed me here? What’s your problem?”

  “Hush, chile. It’s payday.” Grandma BB wiggled her way out of her chair and shuffled out of the room, leaving all eyes on the new visitors.

  What? Who’s getting paid and for what? Silent Killer didn’t make a move. Didn’t he sense a threat? The dog didn’t stir from Victoria’s side. “What’s going on here? Now you’re stalking my family?”<
br />
  When Grandma BB reappeared, Tammie smarted off. “The name’s Sandi with an ‘i.’” Do you want to tell her?”

  “Tell me what?” Kami demanded. She glanced at her mother who seemed just as confused before eyeing Sandi with an ‘i’ and her grandmother.

  “Sandi and the crew are actors I hired to go undercover at your high school as bodyguards for your protection.”

  “What?” Kami and Victoria said at the same time as her classmate stood.

  “Since I didn’t know you were having problems with misfits at school—” Grandma BB squinted, “—you should have confided in me, but anyway—and because nobody took up my offer to send Chip and Dale as your bodyguards, I took matters in my own hands. I planted undercover security detail at your school for your protection,” she boasted and rested one leg over a knee and allowed an old pair of Stacy Adams shoes to dangle from her feet. “It was either that or me strapping.”

  Kami closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

  “Grandma BB,” her mother spoke up, “even though your intentions were good, it would have been nice to let Parke and me in on your covert mission.”

  “Covert?” Kami said and faced Grandma BB. “They were overkill and one step away from being bullies themselves.”

  “Bullies?” Grandma BB squinted at Sandi. “My instructions were to assimilate not intimidate.”

  Sandi shrugged. “You wanted us to make sure nobody bothered your granddaughter. Becoming crazy like the other troublemakers was the only way to keep a low profile while keeping Kami under surveillance.”

  Kami fell back in her seat in disbelief. “Give her a bonus. She put on an award-winning performance.” To that Sandi beamed. “Then fire them for annoying me.”

  Cheney and many of the other Jamiesons sat in the courtroom, praying that everything would work out for Victoria’s restoration. After three weeks of living under Grandma BB’s roof, she stood before Judge Selma Wright along with her social worker, concerning her request to live where she felt safe and out of danger.

  Grandma BB’s charitable contributions to the community were well documented, so were her run-ins with the law, which included harassment and unlawfully discharging a firearm. Parke did his best to restrain her to keep Grandma BB from adding to the rap sheet. With each birthday, she became more of a daredevil, releasing her fury on anyone suspected of wrongdoing with no fear of jail time.