The Word Game

by Steena Holmes

  Katy stood up and slowly reached out for Rachel’s hand.

  “I do have to ask one more thing, however,” Rachel said as they shook hands. “Back to when you and Keera sneaked out of the basement to hang out with the boys, what was the reason for that?”

  Katy stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “We just wanted to see what they were doing.”

  Tricia nudged her daughter.

  “Fine. Keera likes Brandon, okay? She wanted to see if he’d kiss her.” Her daughter held that defiant look on her face again as she looked up at Tricia and then Rachel.

  “Keep going with this attitude, honey, and we’ll be having a discussion at home after school,” Tricia warned her.

  Katy had the decency to look away.

  “Katy, every time you give me attitude over a simple question, do you know what it tells me?” Rachel, once again, had a patient look on her face. The woman must do yoga in the mornings to retain this calmness.

  “What?”

  “That you’re keeping something from me.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “Are you?”

  “She said she wanted to see if a boy could kiss like a man. But she didn’t mean it. She’s never been kissed before.”

  “So why did she say it?” Tricia asked.

  “She was just trying to show off, Mom. Some of the other girls were talking about getting kissed by boys, and she didn’t want them to know she’s never been kissed before.”

  Tricia’s eyebrow rose. “Have you?”

  Katy snickered. “As if. Boys are gross.” She adjusted her backpack on her shoulder. “Can I go now?”

  “Thanks for coming in, Katy,” Rachel said. “Do me a favor? Keep this conversation to yourself, especially with your friends in class, okay?”

  The look on Katy’s face was priceless, and Tricia tried not to laugh. She may be only eleven, but sometimes she had the attitude of a teenager.

  “Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Rachel obviously caught the meaning behind her daughter’s look. “Thanks for coming in.” She walked them to the door and opened it.

  Once Katy left the office, Tricia didn’t quite know what to say as she packed up to go.

  “She’s not usually like that.”

  “She was nothing. You should see some of the kids I get in my office. And we’ve placed her in a sticky situation.” Rachel glanced behind her. “That was really hard for her. She’s a good friend not only for wanting to keep Keera’s secret but also for telling it. You should be proud of her.”

  “I am. I spoke with Myah last night,” she began to say, before glancing inside the office and catching Sandra staring at them.

  “I’d better go,” Rachel said quietly. “Please, remember what I said yesterday on the phone—everything has to stay confidential. We’ll do our best to keep quiet on our end, but this is a very serious matter. We’ll try to keep a tight lid on it, but Eddie Mendez is a big name in our town.”

  Tricia sighed. “I know.”

  “You’ll need to excuse me . . .” Rachel raised her hand to greet someone behind her, and for a moment, Tricia thought it might be her sister, but when she turned, she didn’t recognize the woman.

  “Thanks for coming so quickly. Please, come in.”

  Tricia pulled out her phone.

  I’m here when you need me, she texted to Myah.

  Meet me at Mom’s after, she sent to Alyson. They could discuss things over her mom’s strudel and coffee. All of this brought back a lot of memories, and it was time to clear the secrets between her and Aly. She rubbed her wrist at the thought.

  Years ago, she’d hid a part of her life from her sister, and at the time, it seemed like a good idea, but now . . . after all of this, she wasn’t sure.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  IDA

  “Thanks for helping with the boys this morning, Mom.” Tricia stood at the door, coffees in hand.

  “That’s what I’m here for.” Ida grabbed her coffee from her daughter’s hand. “It’s starting to get nippy out there. The boys need new hats and gloves.”

  “We have lots. I just need to dig the totes out of the basement, something I should have done weeks ago, I guess.” Tricia unwrapped her scarf and set it and her coat aside before she followed her mom.

  Ida knew she was blessed to live so close to her grandchildren, and she never wanted to take that for granted. She only wished Alyson would let her help as often as Tricia did.

  “How was the meeting today?”

  “Depends on who you ask. Katy was . . . different. She surprised me with how she acted toward Rachel.”

  “My Katy?”

  “Yes, your Katy.” Tricia rolled her eyes. “She’s ten going on thirteen and has the hormones to prove it. I don’t remember being like that at her age.”

  Ida chuckled. “Oh, honey, not only were you like that . . . you were worse. There was a reason why your father took your door off its frame, don’t you remember?”

  Tricia shuddered. “Then don’t be surprised when I start shipping her over here every so often.”

  “Oh no you don’t.” She loved her children and grandchildren, but she would not be that kind of grandmother. “I didn’t do that with you, and you won’t do that with her. That’s what being a mom is all about.”

  Tricia sat down at the table and sighed. She looked miserable, and it broke Ida’s heart.

  “It was hard, Mom. Harder than I expected it to be,” Tricia said. “I’m proud of Katy for telling the truth, but I know it was hard for her to break Keera’s trust too. I just hope this doesn’t hurt their friendship.”

  Ida reached across and laid her hand over her daughter’s wrist, which she noticed was bare. Where was her bracelet?

  “It’s going to be okay,” she said.

  Tricia moved her arms, dropping her hands into her lap and sighed. “Is it? Aly has her meeting this morning. And then it’s Myah’s turn. The police are going to get involved. We all know that.” She cleared her throat. “When I was leaving, this woman arrived and came right in to Rachel’s office. I think she was from Child Protective Services. It’s getting serious.”

  “Of course it is.” Ida nodded. “And Myah and Keera are going to need you now more than ever. So be there. We’ll be there for her too.”

  Tricia sank back in the chair and sighed.

  “Why don’t you send your sister a message to drop by? There’s some strudel left over from last night.” She had to hide it from Gordon this morning so he wouldn’t eat it all.

  “It’s a wonder I’m not five-hundred pounds with the way you feed me.” Tricia pretended to groan, but Ida knew better. Like father like daughter. Her strudel had always been one of Tricia’s favorite dishes. “And I already did.” She gave Ida a cheeky smile, and it warmed Ida’s heart.

  Ida puttered around her kitchen cleaning it up and setting the strudel on a plate. She also grabbed some healthier muffins that she kept in the freezer to defrost for Alyson.

  Her gaze kept going to her daughter’s bare wrist, and she remembered something she’d picked up as a Christmas gift, but maybe . . . maybe she’d give it to her today.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said as she made her way to her craft room. She moved a few piles of wrapping paper and gift bags and eventually found what she was looking for.

  “What are you doing?” Tricia stood there in the doorway. “How can you find anything in this room?”

  “I know exactly where everything is. And you shouldn’t be in here.”

  “Why?” Tricia chuckled. “Are you embarrassed to actually have a room that isn’t spotless and organized?”

  Thankfully, Ida heard the teasing in her daughter’s voice.

  “Oh, Scher dich weg,” she said. Be off with you. “Go on, get.” Ida forced her daughter out of the room and back into the kitchen, where
she handed her the little gift box.

  “What’s this?” Tricia hesitated as she glanced at the box.

  “Just a little something I found for you, that’s all. Nothing special. But,”—she waited as Tricia unwrapped the bracelet from the tissue—“I noticed you weren’t wearing your bracelet today, so . . .” She let her voice trail off, not sure how to finish the sentence. Tricia’s scar on her wrist was another thing from the past they didn’t talk about.

  “The clasp broke on me. I think it got caught on something,” Tricia said quietly as she gazed at the brown leather cuff bracelet where the words strength courage love were etched on a beautiful band. “This is so pretty, Mom. Thank you.”

  Ida reached out and gave her daughter a hug before she took the bracelet and wrapped it around her wrist. “I thought of you when I saw it.” She smiled up at Tricia and knew her love for her daughter filled her very being. “I’ve never known someone with more strength, more love, and more courage than you. Ever.”

  Ida patted her daughter’s hand and walked back toward the kitchen table.

  “Mom,” Tricia called out. Ida turned around. “Thank you. For everything. But you know it wasn’t your fault, right?”

  Ida’s hand came up and brushed the air. “It’s nothing. A mother likes to buy her daughters gifts, that’s all.” She didn’t like getting overly emotional about these things. And despite what Tricia said, they both knew it was her fault. She should have seen, should have noticed . . . should have protected her daughter better. Ida understood Alyson’s deep need to protect her daughter. She understood all too well.

  “Wasn’t it Oprah who said ‘Love is in the details’?”

  Ida’s gaze tilted upward as if recalling a memory, but then a very small twitch began to show at the corner of her mouth. “Well, it was someone obviously wise. Although, I like to think I was the one who said it first.” She struggled to keep the smile off her face, but as Tricia’s eyebrow arched, she couldn’t help herself.

  “Now, tell me what else is bothering you. How can I help?” Ida reached over and placed her hand on one of Tricia’s and squeezed.

  Tricia weighed her words, knowing her mother wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “We have a lot of secrets in our family.”

  “Tricia.” Ida didn’t need her daughter to say anything else. “Some secrets are best left alone. Let it lie. Leave it in the past. Please.”

  Her daughter shook her head and tears fell from her eyes. “I can’t. Not anymore.”

  “Why? Why now?”

  “Because of Keera.”

  “Keera is a child. You’re an adult. There’s a big difference.” Ida grabbed a dishcloth and began wiping down her counter.

  “I was only a few years older than her, and Aly was her age.”

  Ida scrubbed hard at the imagined stain. She did not want to talk about this. Why did Tricia have to dredge all of this up now? Wasn’t it enough that they had to go through this with Myah?

  “This is going to be hard enough on your sister. You know how she is at this time of the year. Why bring back painful memories when you don’t have to?”

  “Don’t you think it’s hard on me too?” Tricia’s voice broke, and Ida buried her head even more. “Mom, look at me. Please.”

  Ida slowly looked up and saw the desperation on her daughter’s face. She dropped her cloth and rushed over, enveloping Tricia in her arms.

  “I know it’s hard on you. But you’ve always been stronger.” Ida kissed Tricia’s forehead.

  Tricia held out her wrist and pushed the leather apart until her scar was visible. “I’m not strong, Mom. I just know how to bury my pain.”

  “No, no. You don’t bury. You dealt with it. I know you did. You never needed me. You were always so strong. Reminded me of my own Mutter. So strong.” Despite all the hardships growing up, her own mom never cried, never broke down.

  Tricia started to laugh while she cried at the same time. “The strong one is Alyson. I realized that last night. She knows who she is. She was the one who noticed Keera, Mom. Alyson did. The one we thought weak. The one we keep trying to protect.”

  “Then we did a good job.” Ida straightened. She didn’t understand what Tricia was saying. There was no comparison between the two girls. Alyson always lived in the past, letting it control her.

  Tricia didn’t say anything, and Ida wasn’t sure what she’d said that was so wrong.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  MYAH

  Late Monday morning

  Myah kept her hand on Keera’s back as they made their way into the school and to the main office. They sat there, in the most uncomfortable seats imaginable, while they waited for Rachel.

  Myah wasn’t too familiar with Rachel, despite her being good friends with Alyson.

  “I don’t want to do this, Mom. I really don’t. Please? Can you just tell her that it was all a mistake?”

  “I can’t, Keera.” Myah rubbed her arms to ward off a chill.

  This wasn’t the first time Keera had asked this of her. It broke her heart to hear the fear in her daughter’s voice, but it also made her more determined to make sure her daughter got the help she needed.

  “Keera?” Rachel stood there, dressed smartly with her hair pulled into a bun. She smiled. “Myah, thanks for coming in.”

  Myah nodded and followed Rachel down the hallway and into her office. She held Keera’s hand all the way, hoping to offer her daughter some reassurance.

  She halted when they came to the open door. She’d assumed it would be just them, the three of them in this meeting.

  “Myah, let me introduce Sandra McAdams, our school board trustee. And this is Ms. Jacobs, from Child Protective Services.” Rachel clasped her hands tightly in front of her and waited while Myah stood rooted with Keera at her side. “Do you want to come in and sit?”

  “Of course.” Myah forced a smile on her face as her daughter glanced up with fear in her eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered.

  “Keera, thank you for coming in. I spoke with your teacher already, so she knows you’ll be slightly late to class.”

  “She knows I’m in here?” Keera’s eyes grew wide, and her gaze dropped down to her hands immediately after she spoke. “Does she know why?”

  “Don’t worry. What you say in here is strictly confidential. All she knows is that we’re meeting in here with your mom.”

  Keera bit her lip. “Okay.”

  The social worker stepped forward and sat in one of the empty chairs, and then Rachel sat in the other.

  “Keera, my name is Debra. I’m from Child Protective Services, and the reason I’m here is because I try to help keep kids safe and make sure no one is hurting them. I know it’s not easy being here, and you’re probably really scared, but I just have a few questions to ask you, okay?” The social worker sat at the edge of her chair, her hands folded over her knee and smiled.

  “Can you tell me a little about your sleepover at Katy’s house Friday night?”

  Keera’s face scrunched up. “Like what?”

  Debra uncrossed her legs and smoothed a hand over her knee. “Like things you did, games you played . . . anything like that.”

  “We watched a movie then some videos, had a dance-off, and then went to sleep. Stuff like that?”

  Debra nodded. “Stuff like that is perfect. I was at the dance recital. I thought you were very good.”

  Keera cocked her head slightly. “You were?”

  “I was. I know a few girls who were up there with you. I could tell you’ve been dancing for a long time, but it probably helps that your mom is a famous dancer too, right?”

  Keera nodded. “And Eddie too.”

  Debra kept her attention solely focused on Keera, but Myah noticed a subtle shift to her posture, almost as if she needed Keera to bring up the subject of
Eddie and not the other way around.

  Please let this work, Myah prayed. She needed Keera to open up, to admit that something happened.

  “That’s right. Eddie was your mom’s dance partner before they married. So he’s been in your life for a long time, hasn’t he?”

  Keera nodded.

  “Have you always gotten along?”

  Keera shifted in her seat and frowned. “No. He’s not really at the top of my favorite list, you know? I was glad when my mom asked him to leave.” She peeked at Myah out of the corner of her eye, and Myah sighed.

  “Is this true, Mom?” Debra turned toward Myah, an interested look on her face.

  Myah nodded. “It was something Keera and I talked a lot about. Her and Eddie . . . they never really got along, and that’s not what I wanted for Keera. So before we separated, I made sure Keera was okay with it.”

  “And you were?” Debra asked Keera.

  Her daughter nodded.

  “Do you see much of Eddie now that your mom left him?”

  Again, her daughter nodded, but this time her movement was a bit jerkier.

  “He’s been asking to see her more and more,” Myah mentioned.

  Debra’s lips pursed together. “Is that right, Keera?”

  Confused, Myah looked toward Rachel, who only shook her head. Then it clicked—Debra probably needed to hear it from Keera, without any help from her. Myah sighed and sat back in the chair.

  “He’s been wanting to take me for breakfast and teach me some new dance routines.”

  “Do you like spending time with him?” Debra asked.

  Keera remained silent.

  “When he teaches you the new dance moves, are you guys alone?”

  “It’s okay, honey,” Myah said quietly.

  Once again, she’d let her daughter down. They shouldn’t have been in this situation to begin with—she should have protected Keera more, seen the signs, refused Eddie any access to her the moment he left the house.