Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “Why?”

  “Because I have a mutation against AIDS,” Jill said.

  “Jake told me this morning. They want to experiment on you,” Blane said.

  “And the babies,” Jill said.

  “Of course, we’re not going to let them,” Valerie said.

  “I’ll do everything in my power, that’s for sure,” Blane said. “Do you know what the long term prognosis is?”

  “No one knows,” Heather said. “They’re tracking the patients but it hasn’t been that long.”

  “We’re willing to do what we can,” Valerie’s voice was smooth and cool. “But you have to agree to get the treatment.”

  “Doesn’t sound like I have anything to lose,” Blane said. “What do I have to do?”

  “I’ll set it up with the doctors,” Heather said.

  “There’s an app so we know when each other is in labor,” Jill said. “You’ll get prepped for surgery when Val’s close.”

  Blane nodded.

  “Then we’ll do it for me,” Honey said. “And Jill’s last.”

  Blane’s eyes became moist. He looked away from them to keep his emotions in check. Valerie touched his hand and he turned to look at her.

  “Thank you,” he said. “For the first time in a long time, I feel like I have hope; like I might even see Mack graduate high school.”

  The mothers’ eyes welled with tears.

  “Can I bring you anything?” the waitress asked.

  “Let’s celebrate,” Blane said. “I’m buying. What do you think ladies? Milkshakes to go with you pie?”

  Valerie and Honey cheered. Not willing to be left out, Mack joined the cheer.

  “Milkshakes all around for my mothers,” Blane said. “And my baby Mack.”

  Heather hugged him.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Thursday afternoon – 2:15 P.M.

  “Ok, I just have to change,” Sissy said to Sandy. “Then you’ll take me, right?”

  “You have to hurry,” Sandy said. “Ivan’s already waiting for you. He wanted us there ten minutes ago.”

  “I know! I know!” Sissy said. “I was late getting off work and…”

  She ran past Noelle, Teddy, and Nash. Everyone in her family was there to see her dance. Except Rachel, of course. Rachel was at daycare. But everyone else would be there to see her shine. Today was her big day.

  “Just go,” Sandy said.

  Sissy hopped in the shower. Today was Sissy’s big break. Mike’s grandfather had come all this way from Russia and wanted to see her dance. While she knew he hadn’t come just for her, his visit was all Ivan had talked about for the last month. They had practiced and practiced and practiced. Every little thing had to be perfect because, as Ivan said, one good word in the right ear from this man and her future as a prima ballerina was set. Seth had told Sandy to wait until he was home, but Mike’s grandfather wanted to see her today.

  She toweled off quickly. Standing in the mirror, she smiled at herself.

  Today was her day!

  She was going to shine!

  And her future would be…

  Out of the corner of her eyes she saw something on her chest. Sissy screeched at the top of her lungs.

  What were those?!?

  Overnight, two blobs had grown on her chest. They weren’t there last night. But today, her big day, these bulbous growths had appeared.

  Her eyes cast around the bathroom until they landed on her Dad’s old straight razor. Sandy was teaching Charlie to shave. The razor would work perfectly to get rid of these globs. With swift motions, she slashed at the dream wreckers.

  “Sissy no!” Sandy yelled. Small but strong, Sandy grabbed for Sissy’s forearms. Sissy fought with her.

  “Nothing’s going to stop me on my big day,” Sissy waved the razor around trying to cut off her breasts. She caught the edge of Sandy’s forearm before Sandy caught hold of Sissy’s flailing hand.

  “Help! Someone help!” Sandy screamed.

  “Oh my God,” Noelle said from the doorway. “Daddy! Nash! Charlie! Help!”

  Charlie reached Sissy first. He wrenched the razor from her tight grasp and threw it into a corner. While Sandy struggled to keep hold of Sissy’s wrists, he grabbed her from behind. The force of his movements combined with his weight and they hit the floor. They slid across the tile until his back hit the wall next to the toilet. He wrapped his legs over hers and held her arms back in a physical restraint. Sissy howled like a caged animal. Sandy pressed her hands over Sissy’s largest wound.

  “Oh my God,” Aden stood in the doorway. “Noelle call 911. Nash get the first aid kit gauze and bandages. Teddy help Sandy with the bleeding.”

  Teddy gave him a look of sheer panic.

  “I know she’s naked,” Aden said. “Just don’t look.”

  Aden shoved a towel into Teddy’s hand and nudged him toward Sissy. Teddy put the towel over one of Sissy’s wounds and his hand over the other.

  “But it’s my big day!” Sissy screamed. “I can’t miss my big day!”

  “Shh, Sissy, shh,“ Sandy smoothed her long wet hair. “We never get just one big day. Everything is going to be all right.”

  “Come on Sis,” Charlie said. “Breathe with me. Like we learned in treatment.”

  Nash ran in with bandages. Seeing there was no way to intervene, he stood in the doorway with Noelle. As she was cold, Noelle moved closer to him. He put his arm around her.

  “I don’t want to breathe! I want to get these things off me so I can be a ballerina!” Sissy said. “I want to be a ballerina. I can’t be a ballerina like this. All I ever wanted to be in my whole life was to dance. Now, I can’t.”

  “I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” Charlie said. “You can be a ballerina.”

  “You’re safe, Sissy,” Sandy said. “Everything is fine. Let’s breathe with Charlie.”

  “But…”

  “This is your eating disorder talking, Sissy,” Aden kneeled down in front of her. “You’re at that crazy place. You have to fight it.”

  “She didn’t eat this morning,” Sandy said.

  “I haven’t seen her eat in a couple of days,” Noelle said.

  Aden held Sissy’s head between his large hands. Sissy’s eyes flicked back and forth like a trapped animal.

  “Look at me, Sissy,” Aden said. “This is your eating disorder talking. You’re a beautiful young woman who will be a gorgeous prima ballerina one day. You know that in your heart. Listen to your heart.”

  “You know that Sissy,” Charlie said.

  “You already are a ballerina,” Noelle said from the doorway. “You’re an amazing dancer.”

  Sissy’s eyes blinked then blinked again. The screaming panic her head began to ease. She heard Charlie and Sandy counting breaths. She saw Aden’s face. His brow was furrowed with worry but his eyes were kind. She tried to look away but he held her head in place.

  “I can’t do it,” Sissy whispered.

  “Yes, you can and we’ll help,” Aden took up the breathing exercise. “Deep breath. Sissy, do it.”

  Sissy took a deep breath.

  “Count with me,” Charlie said. “One, two, three, four. Let it out – one, two, three, four.”

  At the last out breath, Sissy began to sob.

  “I love you, Sissy,” Sandy said. “Just as you are.”

  “They’re here,” Nash said.

  Aden kissed her forehead.

  “We’re going to get out of the way,” Aden said. “But we’re right here with you every step of the way.”

  The paramedic’s hand covered Teddy’s hand. He nodded and Teddy moved out of the room. Noelle hugged Teddy with one arm while still holding onto Nash with the other.

  “Is she going to die?” Noelle whispered.

  “Of course not,” Delphie said from the hallway. “Come on. Let’s make some cookies for everyone while this is settled.”

  “But…?” Noelle looked back at the bathroom.

  “Let them handl
e this,” Delphie said.

  The second paramedic bandaged the wound on Sandy’s forearm and went to work on Sissy.

  “How is she?” Aden asked.

  “She’ll be just fine,” the paramedic said. “When her emotion wears off, she’ll be in a lot of pain. Did she do this to herself?”

  “She has an eating disorder,” Aden said. “We keep track of what she eats but it sounds like she slipped this week.”

  The paramedic nodded and quickly set up an IV.

  “Suicide?” the second Paramedic asked.

  “No,” Sandy said. “She has an eating disorder.”

  “She’s done this before?” the first paramedic asked.

  “No, never,” Sandy said at the same time Charlie said, “Yes.”

  Surprised, Sandy’s head jerked to look at Charlie.

  “You can let go,” The paramedic put his hand over Sandy’s.

  “She used to cut herself,” Charlie said. “About five years ago.”

  “We can stop the bleeding,” the second paramedic said to Aden. “But if it was my daughter, I’d call a Plastic Surgeon and have him do the stitches. That way, you’ll minimize the scars.”

  “You can let go,” the first paramedic said to Charlie. “She’s sedated.”

  “Charlie?” Sissy slurred. “Don’t go. ‘K?”

  “I won’t leave you,” Charlie said.

  “Oh my God! Sandy look at your arm,” Sissy said. “I’m so sorry!”

  “Don’t worry,” Sandy said. “We’ll go with you. Tomorrow morning all of this will just be a memory.”

  “We have everything bandaged,” the second paramedic said to Sandy. “Why don’t you find her something to wear?”

  Nodding, Sandy went into Sissy’s room to find some sweats.

  “Sir, we can take her out on a stretcher,” the paramedic said. “But with the stairs…”

  “I’ll carry her,” Aden said.

  Sandy came in with underwear and sweats. They got Sissy dressed and then Aden carried her down the stairs to the ground floor. Charlie and Sandy trailed behind him. The paramedics loaded Sissy into the ambulance, Charlie and Sandy got in.

  “We’ll meet you there,” Aden said. “I’ll pick up Rachel.”

  Sandy gave him a sad wave and the paramedic closed the ambulance door. Aden turned to go back in when he ran into Sam.

  “How did you…?” Aden asked.

  “Delphie found her cell phone. She called me,” Sam said. “You can go. Delphie says she’ll only be there a few hours. There’s an excellent plastic surgeon available.”

  Sam gave Aden keys to the Lipson Construction extended cab truck he’d just stepped from.

  “The plastic surgeon is dating an ER doc,” Sam said. “Very hush, hush. But Delphie says Sissy needs to meet her. The kids are making cookies with Delphie. She called Jill and Jill’s picking up Rachel when she gets Katy.”

  Sam patted Aden’s shoulder.

  “It’s hard to believe we’re all so interconnected,” Sam said. “But there’s no doubt that we are. Go ahead, son. We’ll be here when you get back.”

  Sam walked Aden to the truck. He waved to Aden as the truck left. Humming a tune, Sam went into the Castle to help make cookies.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and EIGHTY

  Father

  Thursday afternoon – 6:15 P.M.

  “What happened to your face?” Bumpy asked his son, Jeraine, as he walked into his living room. He kissed his wife, Dionne, and squeezed his pregnant daughter, La Tanya’s shoulder. “Son? I asked you a question.”

  “I have a gig on Saturday,” Jeraine said. “I have to grow out my beard so they can style it.”

  The room became absolutely still and silent. No one dared move.

  “Style it?” Bumpy’s eyebrows went up with surprise. “Style what?”

  Tanesha suppressed a giggle. Her laughter was infectious and everyone laughed.

  “This is serious business,” Jeraine’s words were defensive, but his voice was filled with laughter. Covering his mouth with one hand, La Tonya’s husband Ben tapped Jeraine’s arm with the back of his other hand. “It’s really your fault.”

  “My fault?” Bumpy’s eyes did the indignant parent blink.

  “Diddy gets his beard done in a new style every day,” Jeraine sniffed. “If you had a better beard, I wouldn’t have to grow it out for days ahead.”

  “Diddy’s father was a pusher who died on the streets,” Bumpy said.

  “Your point?” Jeraine raised his eyebrows.

  Bumpy put his head back and laughed. He held his arms out. Jeraine hopped to his feet to hug his father. When they pulled back, Tanesha saw tears in Bumpy’s eyes.

  “Nice to see you son,” Bumpy said. “You clean?”

  “Am I here?” Jeraine asked.

  Bumpy laughed and hugged Jeraine again.

  “Nice to see you, Miss T.” He held his arms out for Tanesha. Tall and slender, she felt engulfed by Bumpy’s bear hug. He kissed her cheek.

  “Are they staying for dinner?” Bumpy asked Dionne.

  “Jer is,” Dionne said. “Tanesha needs some help.”

  “Anything,” Bumpy said. “What can I do?”

  When the big man’s steely eyes turned to Tanesha, she blushed and looked away. Jeraine put his arm around her.

  “You remember Mitch Delgado?” Dionne asked. “His daughter wants desperately to be a ballerina.”

  “Sissy?” Bumpy asked. “Seth’s talked about her dancing. He says she’s very talented.”

  “Dad,” La Tonya said. “She’s getting big.”

  La Tonya gestured to her own ample chest.

  “You remember how curvy Patty is,” Dionne said.

  “Sissy has an eating disorder. Bad. She almost died last year,” Tanesha’s eyes filled with tears. “She’s been starving herself to keep from having curves like her mom. She told Sandy she’d rather die than not be a ballerina. She…”

  Jeraine hugged her when she broke down.

  “She tried to cut her breasts off this afternoon,” Dionne said.

  “Good Lord,” Bumpy said. “How is she?”

  “They stitched her up and she’s at home,” Dionne said.

  “I’ll drop by after dinner,” Bumpy said.

  “Tanesha asked if I would go to assess her,” La Tonya said. “They’re concerned maybe there’s an underlying mental illness that they missed at the eating disorder clinic.”

  Bumpy smiled with pride at his psychiatrist daughter.

  “Seth’s coming home,” Dionne said.

  “Of course,” Bumpy nodded.

  “We were at the hospital, Dad,” Jeraine said. “And I remembered that you’ve met Misty Copeland, you know the prima ballerina for the New York Ballet.”

  “She’s a curvy ballerina,” Dionne said.

  “I met her through Rodney,” Bumpy said. “Miss T, did you ask your Dad?”

  Tanesha shook her head against Jeraine’s chest.

  “Here’s what we’ll do,” Bumpy said. “We’ll have dinner. La Tonya and I can go visit with Sissy. Seth would want me to do that anyway. I’ll call Rodney and we’ll see if we can’t get Misty Copeland to give Sissy a visit. How’s that?”

  “Sounds good,” Dionne stretched up to kiss her husband. He smiled.

  “If it’s all right with you, sir,” Tanesha said. “I’d like to go to the Castle now.”

  “Of course, of course,” Bumpy said.

  “They’re waiting for me,” Tanesha said.

  “We’re not the kind of people who stand between a person and what’s on their plate,” Bumpy said.

  “How can we help?” Dionne asked.

  “I think you already have,” Tanesha smiled.

  “Son?” Bumpy nudged Jeraine. “Why don’t you take her? We’ll wait dinner for you.”

  Jeraine nodded. He put his arm around Tanesha and led her to her car. Tanesha had pulled so far into herself that Jeraine kept silent during most of the drive. He parked in fr
ont of the enormous house on Race Street.

  “We should get a house like this,” Jeraine joked. “Big, beautiful, and…”

  “I like the house by my Gran’s,” Tanesha said.

  Seeing how upset she was, Jeraine didn’t continue his joke.

  “We’re doing a walk through with Jake and Jill tomorrow right?” Jeraine asked.

  Tanesha nodded. He stroked her face and she looked at him.

  “What’s got you?” he asked.

  “Self loathing,” Tanesha said. “Sissy has everything I wanted as a kid. She’s white, pretty, talented, smart, she even has a loving family. I mean, her Dad’s dead and her mother’s crazy, but she has Sandy and Aden. I would have given an arm to have that or even someone like me who cared. But all of that stuff I wanted so bad... inside she feels like I felt.”

  Moved by her words, Jeraine could only look at her. Tanesha was lost in thought. He touched her chin. She gave him a soft smile.

  “I’m going to do something about this in my life,” Tanesha said. “And you’re going to write a song to help people with it.”

  “If you say so,” Jeraine said. “I think I’m going to be pretty busy with school.”

  “Maybe the best way for you to help people is to keep making music,” Tanesha said.

  Not willing to defend her statement, she gave him a peck on the lips and left the car. Surprised, he watched her go through the gate. She waved at the door and disappeared.

  It had never occurred to him that he might be able to make music and have Tanesha in his life. He gladly gave up music to be with her. She was all that mattered to him.

  What if he could have a whole, full life with her and have music too? His father had never been able to do it. When Jeraine was in treatment, Bumpy had attended a few of his therapy sessions. His father had told the therapist of his own struggles with sex and drugs while he was a touring musician. Bumpy’s choice was to have a family and a medical practice over his music career.

  But Jeraine wasn’t his father and Tanesha was not his mother.

  He stared at the door she’d disappeared through for another moment. Shrugging, he made a U-turn and headed back toward five points. Stopping at Seventeenth, he felt his hands tap against the steering wheel. His mouth hummed a tune. By the time he reached his parents’ home, he had the hook. If he wrote a song for Sissy, it would sounds something like...