Last Chance Family

by Hope Ramsay

  “You think Charlene bought me some time?” Dave asked.

  Angel laughed. “I just heard from one of the volunteers that Mike Taggart carried Charlene off last night. Obviously Flo hasn’t yet heard that bit of gossip. But I am thinking that, when the good church ladies are finished with Sunday services, they will get busy and soon everyone will be wondering why Charlene bought you but went home with Mike.”

  Dave shook his head. “I’m not ready for this.”

  “I know that.”

  “No, you don’t understand,” Dave said with some urgency. “I’ve known I was different since I was like thirteen. I don’t want to be different. So I’ve tried to live a straight life. I’m still trying.”

  “That doesn’t work, you know. And in the meantime you are not doing any of the women you date any favors.”

  “I haven’t dated any women recently. The truth is I’m not attracted to them.”

  “Of course you’re not.”

  “Look, Angel, maybe this is easy for you. But it’s not for me. I am attracted to men but I don’t want to be. I don’t want to live my life as a gay man.”

  “Sometimes you do not get a choice.”

  “Maybe so. But I do have a choice about coming out. I can’t imagine anything that would hurt my parents and sisters more. They are all pretty religious. I’ll lose them if I come out, and I love them. My family is more important to me than anything. I can’t do that to them.”

  “So you torture yourself instead? That makes no sense. I am sure your family loves you. Give them a chance to show it. I think they deserve the chance to love you for the way you truly are. I’m not guaranteeing that they will not walk away. Sometimes that happens. But more often, you discover that your family has always known. That they have been waiting for you to be honest.”

  “Daddy is not like that. He’s a deacon in the church back home. This will destroy him.”

  Anger boiled through Angel. Why did it have to be so hard? Dave was not the only person who had stayed in the closet because he was afraid of losing his family. Angel had heard this story so many times. And sometimes it was true. Sometimes parents disowned their children because they couldn’t accept the truth.

  He pulled in a deep breath before he spoke again. Dave didn’t need his anger. He needed so much more than that. Angel leaned in. “Dave, I want to tell you something important. A while ago, Miriam Randall told me that my soulmate would be a veterinarian. And shortly after she said this, I broke up with my boyfriend and moved here. And then you came to town. I believe in Miriam Randall. And she says that me finding love with a vet is part of what she calls ‘the Lord’s plan.’ So you should take that as a sign. You need love to live a full life. So if your biological family can’t love you for what you are, maybe you need to make a new family of people who can.”

  Anger and a killer hangover were two things that didn’t go well together. If he stayed he might say something that would hurt Dave. Dave had to work this out for himself. So Angel stood up and threw a couple of dollars on the table for his coffee.

  “Think it over. And when you are ready to be loved for the person you truly are, call me. I will be there for you.”

  “So tomorrow, after camp, we’ll be packing up your things and moving you to the parish house,” Mike said, using every skill he’d ever learned as a poker player to keep his voice and his face calm and neutral. It wasn’t easy.

  Rainbow’s big amber eyes were dry. And in some weird way the fact that she wasn’t crying made this explanation of what was about to happen all the more difficult.

  And damned if her big solemn eyes didn’t remind him of Angie.

  Of course the situation was entirely different. He wasn’t a scared, hurt kid anymore. He was a grown man, with the chance of a lifetime waiting for him in Vegas. And while he might have wanted to find a way so that Rainbow could keep her cat, the tragedy of losing Tigger paled in comparison to what she would be getting. Tim and Andrea would make sure she grew up right. And Mike would make sure she never wanted for anything her heart desired.

  Except for Tigger. “I don’t want to move into the parish house,” Rainbow said. And the frown on her face suggested that a tantrum might be only moments away.

  “It’s called a parish house. That’s what they call the place where ministers live. And you are going to live in the parish house because Pastor Tim is going to become your dad.”

  Rainbow continued to stare daggers at him. And damned if the cat didn’t join in. The animal was sitting on Rainbow’s lap, and they were all on Martha Spalding’s ugly green velour couch.

  The cat’s half-lidded, slightly creepy stare seemed to suggest that Tigger understood perfectly where she was going tomorrow morning—and it wasn’t the parish house. It was actually a place where she was likely to perish. And at the hands of humankind.

  A wave of guilt percolated up through him. He’d tried so hard to find the cat a home. But there wasn’t a soul who wanted or needed another cat. The only person he hadn’t asked was the girl next door. And things being what they were, he was not about to initiate any kind of conversation with Charlene. Charlene was best left in the past.

  “Okay, it’s time for bed,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t fix this situation. Rainbow would just have to live through tomorrow. She’d forgive him one day. He was giving her a good life.

  Rainbow hugged Tigger to her chest.

  “You know the rules,” he said, his heart breaking for her. “Tigger sleeps in the office.” Every part of him wanted to let Rainbow take the cat into her bedroom one last time. But that would only make the parting much more difficult tomorrow morning.

  Rainbow bent over her cat and whispered something into the animal’s ear. Maybe it was good-bye, because she put Tigger on the floor and headed off to her bedroom.

  Mike didn’t know what to make of that behavior. Had she come to realize that tantrums didn’t work? Or had he utterly broken her spirit?

  Two hours later, he was still worrying about that question while Sports Center played on the television. His ringing telephone pulled him from his dark thoughts. It was nearly ten o’clock. Who could be calling at this hour?

  He checked the number, hoping it might be Charlene, but it wasn’t. The call came from Chicago, but he didn’t recognize the number.

  He pushed the connect button. “Mike Taggart.”

  “Oh, Mr. Taggart, I’m sorry to call so late. My name is Norah Blake, and I think you have my aunt’s cat.”

  “What?”

  A warm laugh came over the line. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re confused. Ms. Sanger from the Chicago Department of Social Services contacted me just a minute ago. Do you know her?”

  “Uh, yeah, she’s Rainbow’s caseworker.”

  “Rainbow. I can hardly believe it. How is she? She must be five or six now.”

  “You know Rainbow?”

  “I do. She’s one of my aunt’s strays.”

  “What?” Mike put his beer down on the table and used the remote to reduce the sound on the television.

  “Mr. Taggart,” the woman said, “my aunt was once a registered nurse before she suffered a back injury that put her on disability. She made it her business to look after people. She took in strays. Sometimes they were cats, but most of the time they were neighborhood kids whose parents didn’t give them what they needed. Rainbow was someone she looked after. She was pretty much Rainbow’s babysitter and caregiver from the time that baby came home from the hospital until Angie broke up with Deon and moved away. I guess Rainbow was about four years old or something like that.”

  “Uh, Ms. Blake, did people call your aunt Miss Mary?”

  “Yes, they did. She was always Miss Mary at church. And the kids in the neighborhood always called her that. Why?”

  “I think Rainbow remembers her.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that. Actually it’s kind of amazing. She was such a little girl when they moved away.”<
br />
  “So I’m still confused,” Mike said. “Why did Ms. Sanger get in touch with you?”

  “Oh, she figured out that Rainbow’s cat is my aunt Mary’s kitty, Tigger. I’m not sure how she figured it out. Something about the rabies tag on Tigger’s collar. And then she found the nursing home, and someone there gave her my number.”

  “Well, thanks for calling. I’ve been wondering about Miss Mary. It’s been quite a mystery, and Rainbow’s explanations have been vague.”

  “Uh, Mr. Taggart, it’s more of a mystery than you think. Ms. Sanger said I needed to call you and tell you the story. You see, a few months ago, my aunt was attacked in her home. She suffered a blow to the head, and was in a coma for a while. She passed about a month ago. Anyway, when we found her, the apartment was locked, but her cat was gone. As you can imagine, we searched high and low for Tigger, but we never found her.”

  “Why didn’t you check with Rainbow’s mother? Or with some of the neighborhood kids?”

  “We did check with the neighborhood kids. And the neighborhood watch, and eventually her attacker was identified as one of those stray kids she used to take in. He’s a troubled boy with a drug problem. Apparently he came to Mary’s apartment looking for money and she argued with him. He gave her a shove, and she fell because her back is not right. She hit her head and fractured her skull. And then I gather Tigger scratched him. He told police he got so angry with the cat that he threw her out the window. It’s a four-story drop to the sidewalk. So, naturally, we thought Tigger had died, even though we never found her body.”

  “But you said Rainbow lived next door. Why didn’t you—”

  “No, you don’t understand. This was about four months ago. Rainbow hasn’t lived in my aunt’s neighborhood for at least a year.”

  “How far away did Rainbow move? Angie was living on the South Side when she was murdered.”

  “Mr. Taggart, that’s why I’m calling. When Ms. Sanger told me where Rainbow was living, I couldn’t believe it. My aunt lived north of the city in a middle-class neighborhood that’s a good fifteen miles from where Rainbow and Angie moved. I can’t explain how the cat got from one place to another. I can’t even understand how the cat knew where Rainbow had gone. But it’s a miracle.” Norah Blake’s voice wobbled a little bit.

  Mike didn’t really believe in miracles. There had to be some rational explanation. “Maybe Rainbow came back to the old neighborhood for a visit and found Tigger,” Mike said, but the moment the words came out of his mouth a shiver worked its way up his spine.

  “I suppose that’s the only rational explanation. Maybe you can ask her. But the thing is, getting that call today from Ms. Sanger was like a gift, you know?”

  “Uh, Ms. Blake,” Mike said, “would you be interested in having the cat back?”

  The woman on the other end of the line let go of an audible sigh. “I can’t ask for the cat back. Ms. Sanger told me how much Rainbow loves Tigger, and clearly the cat loves Rainbow back.”

  “No, you don’t understand. Rainbow is about to be adopted by her uncle, and he’s allergic. I need to find a home for Tigger. If you want her back, she’s yours.”

  “You mean it? Really?” There was a note of relief in Norah Blake’s voice. “I’d be happy to pay for the airfare to have her flown back here. I checked with the airlines, and you can do that, you know. I got your email address from Ms. Sanger. I’ll make the arrangements for Tigger, if someone can deliver her to the airport in Columbia.”

  “That’s not a problem. I’ll be heading up there in a day or two.”

  “Good. We can finalize the details by email. Mr. Taggart, you have no idea how glad we are that Tigger is still with us. She’s a wonderful cat, as I’m sure you’ve already learned.”

  “Yes, she is,” he said. The lie came easily to his lips.

  CHAPTER

  26

  At five-thirty on Monday morning, Charlene got tired of revisiting the mistakes she’d made on Sunday morning and finally gave up trying to sleep. She wandered into her kitchen to start a pot of coffee. A faint glimmer of purple lit up the eastern sky. It would be dawn soon.

  The moment she got out of bed, Winkin’, Blinkin’, and Nod came tumbling into the kitchen after her, looking for their morning handout. She opened a pouch of cat food and divided it into three bowls. She fed Winkin’ and Blinkin’ separately from Nod because the boys were bullies, and Nod had only just learned the joys of solid food.

  Charlene had just poured her first cup of the day when she heard Mike’s voice coming from the front landing. “Rainbow, what do you think you’re doing?” he shouted.

  She looked through the kitchen window just in time to see Mike grab Rainbow by the arm and give her a little yank backward. Tigger, who was riding on the little girl’s shoulders, took that moment to make her escape. She jumped and took off down the steps toward the parking lot.

  “Let me go,” Rainbow cried. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.” The child turned on Mike and started punching him in the chest.

  Adrenaline rushed through Charlene. And in the next moment, she found herself on the front stoop not entirely certain how she’d arrived there.

  Mike and Rainbow occupied the landing, and Mike had Rainbow’s shoulders in a viselike grip that looked so tight it had to be bruising the child. Rainbow had stopped punching him, but now she seemed to be determined to get away from him.

  Charlene stopped thinking. She needed to help them both right now. She needed to stop their pain.

  “What happened?” she said in her calmest voice, the one she reserved for panicked animals.

  Neither of them responded.

  She touched Mike’s shoulder. “You’re holding her too tight, Mike. What happened?”

  Mike blinked and looked over his shoulder. Something changed in his gaze. “She tried to run away.” He relaxed his hold on the child a tiny fraction.

  Rainbow took that moment to twist out of Mike’s grasp. She raced down the stairs, a backpack bouncing on her back.

  “No!” Mike and Charlene spoke as one. Mike took off after her, and Charlene followed in her bedroom slippers.

  Rainbow ran as if her life depended on it. Mike was right on her heels, but the little girl dashed off the curb between two parked cars and then darted out into the lane right into the path of Ned Payton’s Malibu.

  “Stop!” Charlene screamed at both Ned and Rainbow, but neither of them heard. She watched in horror as the Chevrolet’s front bumper connected with Rainbow’s leg and knocked her to the ground with a sickening thump. Ned wasn’t going very fast, and he stopped almost immediately.

  Rainbow wailed the moment she hit the ground. The pain in that scream knifed right through Charlene.

  What had she done? Her interference had ended in disaster.

  She stood frozen on the sidewalk, unable to move forward.

  She should have kept her distance. She had no part in Rainbow’s life. What made her think she could give Mike advice? What made her think she belonged in this family?

  She held her breath as Mike fell to his knees, cradling the little girl’s head.

  By this time, Ned had gotten out of his car and had called the EMTs. Ned was upset. He kept saying “I didn’t see her,” over and over again, in a shaky voice.

  Lights winked on. Neighbors came out of their apartments.

  “Tigggerrrrrrrrr!” Rainbow screamed. Over and over again.

  Mike looked up, lines she’d never seen chiseled into his face. “Charlene, the cat ran away. We need to find it. Fast. Can you help?”

  “Of course. Oh, Mike, I’m so sorry I shouldn’t—”

  “Just find the damn cat. I can’t stand to hear her calling for it that way.”

  She wanted to rush to his side, because he looked so scared and alone crouched there beside the child.

  She held back. She’d created this disaster.

  “Charlene?”

  “Uh, yeah. I saw her head down t
he stairs, but where did she go after that?”

  “I don’t know.” He pointed vaguely toward the commons. “That way, I think. This is all my fault, Charlene. I told Rainbow that Tigger was going to her new home today.”

  “You found her a home?”

  He looked up at Charlene, his face gray in the morning light. “I planned to take the cat to the shelter. But then I got a call last night from Chicago. Charlene, I know who Miss Mary is. Tigger belonged to her. And the cat is going back to Miss Mary’s niece in a couple of days. The cat never belonged to Rainbow.”

  A frisson of anger boiled through Charlene. “You told Rainbow the cat was going to the shelter?”

  “I had to tell her the truth.”

  “For goodness’ sake, all you had to do was ask me. I would have taken the cat gladly. Rainbow could visit her anytime she wanted.”

  For a moment, their gazes caught and clashed. Oh, heaven help her, she was such a fool. Didn’t the guy understand how many people in this town stood ready to help him, if he just made the right decision?

  Apparently not. And like as not, Mike Taggart, loner and gambler, would never learn that lesson.

  An hour and a half after the accident, Timmy came striding into the waiting room of the orthopedic wing of the Orangeburg Medical Center. “How could you have let this happen?” he said in a censorious voice.

  “I didn’t expect Rainbow to try to run away with the cat,” Mike replied. He’d been sitting in the waiting room for half an hour, since the orthopedist on call had arrived, and they’d moved Rainbow from the emergency room to prep her for surgery.

  “You’re not serious. I thought you planned to take the cat to the shelter,” Timmy said.

  “I did. This morning. But I made the mistake of telling Rainbow what I was planning and why. And then I got a weird call last night. Apparently the cat never really belonged to Rainbow. The niece of the cat’s owner called me, and we made arrangements to send Tigger back to Chicago.”

  “You told Rainbow you were taking the cat to the shelter?” The incredulity in Timmy’s voice hit its mark. He was the second person this morning to give him crap for his decision to be honest.