by Tim Tingle
“That is so unfair!” Audrey said.
“But that’s the way it is.”
They moved on to the Egyptian section, and saw huge behemoths of granite, and wondered how such huge statues were removed from Egypt, particularly back in the 1800’s, when huge lifting machines were not around.
“I’m surprised they didn’t try to bring a whole pyramid back here!” Drew said. He spoke too soon. They rounded the corner and saw three huge blocks of limestone. The sign said they were representative blocks from the biggest Pyramid at Giza. “I guess they’re going to bring it over piece at a time.”
In the middle of a large room, they saw a tour group gathered around a big rock. Drew inched into the crowd and listened to the guide, and came back excited. “Hey Dad, it’s the Rosetta Stone! Come look how big it is! I’ve heard about it, but I never knew it was that big!” As the tour group moved on, they were able to see how big it was.
“This was a valuable find, because the same text was written in three different languages. For the first time, linguists were able to figure out the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and another unknown language, because one of the three languages was Greek.”
From the Egyptian section, they went to the Central American Mayan displays, which was what Audrey was really interested in. She took them from display to display, telling them all about what they were seeing, without looking at the signs, because she already knew what everything was. Travis saw many relics that had been featured in National Geographic over the years, like sacrificial knives, and burial masks, and was thrilled to be seeing them in person.
In spite of there being so much to see that was of interest, Travis was easily burned out visiting museums. After awhile, everything started to look the same, and he knew it was time for him to go. It was almost 12:30 anyway, he was going to have to get to Piccadilly Circus by two. He took Drew and Audrey to the in-house sandwich bar, where he bought them lunch.
“How long is your book signing going to last, Dad?”
“I don’t know. That was one question I didn’t think to ask. I assume it will last a couple of hours. I should get back to the hotel by five or so. If you guys go somewhere before I get there, leave me a note in the room.”
“Okay, Dad. Are you leaving so soon?”
“Yeah, I need to be there a little early I guess, to get set up. By the time I ride the subway, I should be there by 1:30.”
“Well, have fun!”
“Yeah, right!”
As he left, Audrey commented, “Your Dad doesn’t seem as thrilled as I thought he would, about his book signing.”
“Well, the ones he did back home were a waste of time. He said he didn’t sell any more books than he already would have. Dad is not really a people-person.”
“Really?”
“At least that’s what my Mom says, and I guess she knows him better than I do.”
“Are you through eating?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then let’s go check out the Aztec section!”
“What’s the difference between the Aztec and the Maya?”
“The Aztec were a lot more bloody! They sacrificed a thousand people in one day.”
“Cool, let’s go!”
19
Back home in Alabama, Janice got a phone call at 7:30 a.m. She jumped to answer it, because she thought it might be Travis calling from England. But she was disappointed with who it was.
“Hello?”
“Janice?”
“Yes, who is this?” she asked, though she had a pretty good idea.
“This is Penelope.”
“Oh.” Janice replied coldly. She started to just hang up on her. “I don’t have much to say to you, Penelope.”
“I don’t blame you. I was awful last week when I called you! I’m really sorry that I dragged you and Travis through all that mess.”
“So what do you want now?”
“I called to apologize, mostly. I do appreciate the fact that you were trying to help me, and I’m sorry I didn’t behave better.”
“Well, yeah.”
“You see, I was off my medication, and when I get off my meds, I get a little crazy.”
“You sure did! What kind of medication do you take?”
“I don’t know. I can’t pronounce those big words. All I know is that when I take them, they do me a lot of good.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that you are back to normal.”
“I got the feeling that you were mad at me when you left me at Logan’s.”
“Yes, I was very upset with you!”
“You had a right to be, but I’m better now.”
“Where are you living?”
“I went back to Vance. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t have left him to start with, but like I said, I was off my meds.”
“You said some pretty ugly things about Vance. Are you sure you want to go back to him?”
“I already have. Well, actually that’s not true. I am living in Vance’s house, but Vance is not here.”
“Where is he?”
“In the county jail, on drug trafficking charges. After that scene at your place, the cops raided his house and found the drugs, just like I said they would. He’s been in jail ever since.”
“So does Vance even know that you are staying at his house?”
“Probably not. But hey, it’s better than living on the street! When he gets out, . . . if he gets out, I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, the power is on, and the bills have been paid, so why not live there? If I had asked him, he would probably agree. I’m like a house sitter, until he gets back.”
“If he gets back?”
“Yeah. The other reason I called was to see if you still have my Bible, and those other things I left in your car.”
“No, I don’t. When you left like you did, I didn’t know what to do with your things, so I chunked most of them out in the Logan’s parking lot!”
“Oh no! Even my family Bible?”
“Well, no, not your Bible, and a few other things, but only because I didn’t see them until I got home. I didn’t want any of your things here, because I didn’t want to see you here ever again.”
“So that means you still have them?”
“No, I said I didn’t want you here, so I took them to your dad’s house and left them.”
“You did what! I really wish you hadn’t done that! I don’t care about the clothes, but that Bible is a keepsake!”
“Sorry, but at the time, I was angry with you, and I didn’t want any of your things in my blazer, and that was the only thing I knew to do with them!”
“I’ve got to have my Bible! I have to get my Bible back!”
“Then just go over there and get it”
“I can’t do that! He won’t let me leave, if he catches me there!”
“Maybe Vance will go get it for you, when he gets out of jail?”
“Humph! Vance? Are you kidding? He is scared shitless of my Dad! But he ought to be. Dad has already threatened to kill him!”
“Do you think he really would?”
“Yes he would! He hates Vance! Dad would just love the chance to kill him with no witnesses around! He would say it was ‘self defense’!”
“Did your Dad really rape you?”
“Of course he did! Everything I told you before is true! And no, I don’t want to go to the police and press charges! It happened, it’s in the past, and that’s that! I hate that part of my life, but nothing I can do will ever change it! I hate that you took my Bible over there, because that means I’ll have to go get it!”
Janice started to ask, why bother? It was obvious that she had not read the Bible in many years, and certainly didn’t follow its teachings. Why
take a risk, if it was useless anyway. She had to bite her tongue not to say it. Instead, she re-phrased it.
“Why not buy another Bible, and let him keep that one?”
“Sentimental reasons. That was my Mother’s Bible. When she died, my Dad locked me in my room, so I couldn’t run off. That was about the time he started raping me every day. Sometimes twice a day. In between the abuse, I found comfort in reading that Bible! Another Bible just wouldn’t be the same.”
I would think THAT Bible would bring back BAD memories, Janice thought. Let’s see . . . Penelope’s mother was also her grandmother. Her mother was also Bob’s mother. Penelope’s daughter is also her Dad’s daughter, which makes her daughter also her sister . . . Who would WANT a sentimental item that represented this sick, perverted, dysfunctional family? “I guess your Dad wants it for sentimental reasons too?”
“Probably.” There was silence over the phone, as Penelope considered this. Finally she said, “Well, I guess that just gives me all the more reason to go get it! He doesn’t need it like I do! But if he knows I need it, he’ll never give it back! If I had a car, I would drive down there and get it! But I don’t have a car. And Vance’s Yukon has been impounded by the cops. I don’t feel like confronting my Dad either!”
“Why do you have to confront him? Doesn’t he go to town sometimes?”
“Yes, but I don’t know when!”
“Does your Dad lock his house when he leaves?” She asked the question, because there were many residents of Arlington County who still did not lock their doors.
“Does he lock his house? He didn’t used to, except to lock me in!”
“Why don’t you go over there when he’s not home and get your Bible? He would probably never know it was gone.”
“Yes, I could do that, but I don’t have a car, remember? And I have no idea when he would not be home. I sure don’t want to go there while he’s home!”
“Why don’t you do something like this: Call him up on the phone and say something like, ‘Dad, I want to sit down and have a serious conversation with you, but it needs to be in public. Meet me at Bates Park at one o’clock.’ And at one o’clock, while he is at the park waiting on you, you will be at his house getting your Bible. Would that work?”
“It sounds like it might work. If you don’t mind taking me to his house to get it?”
“No, I don’t mind. I feel like it is my fault anyway, for taking it over there. But after I do this for you, we’ll call it even! Don’t call me with your problems ever again!”
“I promise, I won’t!”
“Okay, when do you want to do this?”
“How about this morning? Are you busy?”
“Not until this afternoon.”
“Then let’s do it this morning! I’ll call my Dad and tell him that I want to meet him at ten this morning. That’s an hour from now. If he agrees, I’ll call you back and tell you to come get me. We can wait at the Quick Stop Convenience Store, because it’s within sight of his driveway. We can see him when he leaves.”
“And after he leaves, I’ll sit out front and watch for you, in case he comes back for something. I’ll blow my horn to warn you.”
“Good, that will work. I’ll call him, and then call you right back.”
“Okay.”
Janice hung up and went to the kitchen to do a few dishes. She had just run the sink full of hot water, when Penelope called her back.
“It worked! He’s so eager to see me, that he wanted to go there right away. I told him I had a few things to do first, but I would be there by ten!”
“Good! And while he’s waiting at the park for you, we will be at his house getting your things! Goodness! I need to leave now, to come get you, don’t I? I’ll be right there!”
She hung up the phone, and went to get dressed to go out. Her heart was up-lifted, because she could help someone. She said she would never help Penelope again, but she couldn’t resist.
Penelope hung up the phone, and immediately began worrying that something could go very wrong. But the plan was set, so she was going through with it.
20
At nine o’clock, the same time Janice went to pick up Penelope, Miranda was leaving her house to pick up Lennie for his doctor’s appointment at UAB. She hated to leave her house while the tile guys were there to tile the inside of her swimming pool, but she had promised to take him.
Sitting in his driveway, she was impressed with how clean and dressed up he was, as he came out the front door. “Well, well, Mr. Kellerman, don’t we look nice?”
Lennie’s smile faded, and he replied, “I’m not Mr. Kellerman! That was my Dad! I’m Lennie Kellerman.”
She forgot that he was sensitive to that. “Right, I forgot. You look nice, Lennie!”
“You look nice too, but then, you always do!”
“Why, thank you, Lennie!”
“And you smell okay too.”
“That’s good to know. Fasten your seat belt, we’re getting on the interstate to make better time. Did you bring the address for this clinic we’re going to?”
“Uh-huh. It’s right here.”
“Have you been there before?”
“No.”
“Okay, I know that part of town. We can find it easily.”
As she drove, Lennie rattled on and on about whatever popped into his head, during the 35 minute drive to Birmingham’s Southside. He’s just like an 8 year old kid, Miranda thought. He talked about his pet turtles, his favorite TV shows, his favorite foods, his least favorite foods, the neighborhood dogs, a bird he saw catch a lizard, he was all over the map. He brought up nothing of mature content. Nothing that a normal 35 year old man would talk about while riding in a car with good looking 35 year old woman, which surprised Miranda. She was used to men slobbering all over themselves around her, but not Lennie. That just reinforced her suspicions that his level of retardation was quite extensive. He was a kid, mentally, and the sad part was, he would probably never advance beyond that level.
That was bad, because she yearned to talk to someone who was mature, and understanding of someone her age. Someone who would understand her wants, needs, and desires, and able to fulfill them.
But then again, that was good, because he apparently had none of the normal male 35-year old sex drive, of a man facing ‘mid-life crisis’. That was the impulse that caused men his age to do stupid things when a woman was within a mile of his territory, to prove his ‘manliness’. Lennie was, quite simply, a kid, stuck in a 35 year old body. She wondered if that was confusing to him, or if it caused him problems, but from what she had seen over the past few months that she had known him, it didn’t bother him a bit. Every day was just another day to an 8 year old kid. Nothing more, nothing less. He accepted life as it came to him. As long as he was that way, she would count her blessings. She knew all too well that men had a sexual ‘on’ switch, and once she turned it on, it was hard to turn it off. Lennie appeared to have a faulty switch.
When they arrived in Southside, she followed the address until she came to the Cancer Treatment Center at UAB, which was a big shock.
“Lennie, do you have cancer?”
“Not that I know of. What is cancer?”
Boy, had she opened a can of worms! She didn’t want to get into a long explanation of what cancer was, so she just replied, “It’s a sickness.”
“You mean like the flu?”
“Yes, something like the flu.”
“I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m sick. I have headaches sometimes. My doctor said for me to come here for some tests.”
She parked on the street, and fed two quarters into the parking meter, and they went inside. “You are supposed to see a Dr. Thomas, and according to the directory, Dr. Thomas is on the third floor, in the Neurology Department.”
/> “You’re good with directions, Miranda! I never would have found this place.”
“Well, if you have to come back a second time, you’ll know where it is.”
“I hope I don’t have to come back up here again. This is too far!”
They signed in, and sat down to wait, and the nurse called his name immediately. Miranda got up to go with him.
“Are you a family member?” the nurse asked.
“No, but I’m a close friend.”
“We really shouldn’t let you in, unless you are a family member. That is our policy.”
“But he doesn’t have a family!”
“Mr. Kellerman, is it okay with you if she comes with you?”
“I’m not Mr. Kellerman! That was my Dad before he died! My name is Lennie Kellerman!”
“Okay Lennie, is it okay for this lady to come with you?”
“Sure it is!”
“Can I speak with you privately?” Miranda asked the nurse.
“Yes, right this way.”
“Stay here, Lennie. I’ll be right back.”
Around the corner, Miranda said to the nurse: “Look, Lennie has no family, and no close friends. He is mentally retarded, and lives by himself in my neighborhood. He trusts me, and I need to go with him to make sure he doesn’t panic. He does that in strange places, and around strange people. He really needs me there with him.”
“Well, I suppose it’s all right. It’s just that the doctor will be discussing his private medical condition with him, and he is entitled to his privacy. We can leave that decision up to him.” They returned to where Lennie was waiting, and the nurse asked him.
“Lennie, do you mind if she goes back and sees the doctor with you?”
“No, I don’t mind! I want her to go with me!”
“Then I guess it’s all right. Follow me this way, Lennie.” She took them to an examination room, and told them that the doctor would be right in.
“You fixed it up so you could come with me, didn’t you, Miranda?”
