The Ring

by Florence Osmund

  “What call?”

  “On Monday afternoon. You spoke with Mom’s doctor.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Natalie, has there been anyone there with you since you moved in?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, I’m sure.”

  “And you’ve been answering the phone when it rings.”

  “So.”

  “Then you took the call. Maybe you weren’t sober.”

  “I’ll have you know I haven’t had one drop of alcohol since I found out I was pregnant.”

  “No drugs either?”

  “That’s different.”

  Paige tried to remember some of the advice she’d read in the how-to-understand-an-addict articles. “Look, I’m on my way to this rehab place in Evanston. I’m almost there. I have to go to my office afterward, but then I’m going to come there. We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “About you. I have to go. See you later.”

  “What do you intend to do about your opiate addiction?” Paige asked Natalie when she arrived at the house later that day. “You’re pregnant. You’ve got to do something…for the baby’s sake.”

  “The baby’s fine. I’m the one with the problem.”

  “You’re wrong, Nat. Those drugs go into your bloodstream and right into the baby’s. He or she is at risk.”

  “I’m not that far along.”

  “You’re showing, for God’s sake. You’ve got to be at least five months.”

  Natalie shrugged.

  “I’ve read up on it. All sorts of things could happen to the baby—going through withdrawal after birth, convulsions, seizures, stunted growth. Is that what you want for your baby?”

  “So I’ll stop. No biggie.”

  “You can’t stop, and you know it.”

  “I can if I gradually taper down.”

  “You don’t know how to properly wean yourself. Only a trained professional can determine that.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve done it before. Plenty of times.”

  “And apparently that didn’t work, because here you are, still on them.”

  “What do you care anyway? You never gave a damn before.”

  “It’s not that I didn’t care before. It was that—”

  “Don’t give me your stupid bullshit. You never cared about me.”

  “That’s not true, Natalie.”

  “Right.”

  “You need to see a doctor right—”

  “I can’t afford a doctor.”

  “You can’t afford not to see a doctor. And don’t worry about the money. I’ll pay for it. Or Mom will. One of us will cover for you when it comes to medical.”

  “How do you know Mom would pay for it?”

  “Because I talked to her.”

  “You told her I was pregnant?”

  “Yes, of course. We needed to—”

  “That’s my business, Paige. Not yours. If I want your help, I’ll ask for it!” Natalie rose from her chair and headed toward the stairs to the second floor. “I knew this was going to happen. Stop meddling in my affairs!”

  Paige gave her sister some time to cool down before she went to her room and knocked on her door.

  “Go away!”

  She ignored her demand and didn’t wait for an invitation to enter.

  “I just wanted to say that as much as you probably don’t believe this, I am here for you. I’m on your side. The only thing I won’t do for you is enable your drug and alcohol use. I care about you, Natalie, and I care about your unborn baby. I have the name of a specialist doctor in the area who said he could see you right away. Think about it. That’s all I ask.”

  Receiving no response, Paige left the room and settled into one of the living room chairs. She had failed to reach Natalie. Maybe she would have better luck with Leland.

  “Are we still on speaking terms,” she asked him on the phone. Silence. “Leland, are you there?”

  “Give me a minute. I’m thinking about how to answer your question.”

  “I’m sorry about dinner. It was clear that I had one thing on my mind and you had something else. I guess that should teach us that we need to be more sensitive to each other’s…”

  “Other’s what?”

  “Needs.”

  “Why did you hesitate with that word?”

  “Because I’m not sure about yours.”

  “Can we start over?” he asked.

  “Please.”

  “You’re on. I will be sensitive to your needs…as of this very moment. But you might want to take advantage of it because I don’t know how long it will last.”

  She chuckled. “You still have a sense of humor. I like that.”

  “How’s your mom and Natalie?”

  “They transferred Mom to a rehab facility. She’s doing okay. Natalie, well, she has her share of problems, as you know. I’m trying to help her.”

  “But she’s not a very willing recipient, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Don’t give up on her, Paige.”

  “I won’t. Can we pick up where we left off talking about my father?”

  “Dinner then?”

  “Lee.”

  “Okay. I forgot. Where did we leave off?”

  “You said something about a teddy bear, to check the teddy bear.”

  “Oh, right. He’d met this woman from India when he was in the service. He didn’t go into all the details of his relationship with her, but at some point she sent him a bunch of precious stones.”

  “Now you’re just teasing me.”

  “I’m not. She sent him a bunch of stones concealed in a stuffed teddy bear and told him to hold on to them until she could either come to the U.S. to claim them or send someone to do it for her.”

  “What kind of stones?”

  “Other than calling them precious stones, I don’t think he said. That, and that they’re worth a small fortune.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “I’m only telling you what he told me.”

  “Natalie and I looked all through Mom’s house for a teddy bear but didn’t find anything.”

  “If you do, remember who told you about it.” He laughed. “Like I should get a share of the take or something.”

  “Fine,” Paige said without much thought. “Now, I wonder if I have to worry about these two guys breaking in someday to try to find it…if that’s what they were after.” Or maybe they already have.

  “Natalie told me they asked if they could have your dad’s ring, for sentimental reasons.”

  “That’s why they said they were here.”

  “The part about the ring could hold some truth. Ryan said the woman—I can’t remember her name, it’s been too long—told him to take one of the stones and have something made out of it for himself, which he did. He had the ring made.”

  “Could her name have been Qudrah?”

  “Yes. That might be it.”

  “So that’s how he got the ring?”

  “That’s what he told me.”

  “That’s not exactly how the two guys who came here told it. Could these stones be stolen, do you know?”

  “I don’t think so. She told him she had inherited them.”

  “This story seems incredible.”

  “Your father got around.”

  “What else do you know about him?”

  “Not much, but some wild things did happen at the casinos once in a while. I remember one time he went there with $500 in his pocket, ran it up to over twenty grand, and then lost it all on a single bet at the roulette wheel.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Well, alcohol was involved.”

  “How come you never told me this stuff before?”

  “In case you don’t know, there’s a male code of silence for some things.”

  Chapter 36

  “What ever happened to my teddy bear, Mom?”
Kayla asked Jessivel. “I haven’t seen it since we moved out of Nana and Poppy’s.”

  “I have no idea. Aren’t you a little old for that?”

  “I still like it. Reminds me of Poppy.”

  “Is that who you got it from? I forget.”

  “You don’t remember? I saw it in Poppy’s suitcase one day and started playing with it. I figured since he had given you that Care Bear when you were little, this one must have been meant for me. You don’t remember him looking all over the house for it?”

  “Not really.”

  “I hid it in my closet until I thought he forgot about it. And I never played with it when he was home.”

  “Well, there are still a few bags of stuff I never unpacked. It’s probably in one of those. They’re in my closet.”

  Kayla came out minutes later hugging the blue-eyed, dark-brown bear wearing blue-and-white-striped pants.

  “That old thing needs to be washed. Throw it in the hamper next time you think of it.”

  Kayla examined the bear. “Looks okay to me.”

  “Just put it in there. I’m going down to the laundry room tomorrow.”

  “Whatever.”

  Jessivel mulled over what Cassandra had said about getting to know Paige better and understand her motives before discounting her. Since none of the job leads had panned out, maybe the time had come to do it. She called her.

  “Yes, Jessivel, how can I help you?”

  Her tone was cold and formal. Not the greeting Jessivel had expected or desired.

  “Um…I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing.” As soon as she’d said it, she knew it was wrong, as they didn’t have that level of relationship.

  “I’m doing well. And you?”

  “I’m okay. Looking for a job. Do you know of anything?”

  “No. I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  “I kind of lost my job at The Busy Bean.”

  “Yes, I heard.”

  “When I lost my temper at you.”

  “Mm-hm.”

  “So, you talked with Audrey about it?”

  “She apologized for your behavior.”

  “I’m glad she did that. I apologize for it too.”

  “All is forgiven.”

  Jessivel didn’t know how to turn the conversation into a more friendly one that might lead to Paige offering to help.

  “Okay, then. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye, Jessivel.”

  “You must have enough money by now for an apartment,” Jessivel said to her mother over the phone later that day.

  “I’m staying put for the time being,” her mother whispered.

  “But what about me and Kayla? Don’t you care about us?”

  “Of course I do. But you’ve got an apartment. So, what’s the matter?”

  “Are you kidding? This place is horrible! That’s what’s the matter. And I don’t have a job, and—”

  “Mrs. Perlman’s neighbor is looking for a nanny/housekeeper. I could put in a good word for you.”

  “No way.”

  “What kind of a job do you want then?”

  “A stupid barista job, I guess.”

  “And with that attitude, I’m sure you’ll find just the right thing.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You know what you have to do, Jess, but you don’t seem willing to do it.”

  “Kayla misses you.”

  “I miss her too.”

  “When’s your next day off?”

  Her mother didn’t respond right away.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “I have tomorrow off.”

  “Can I pick you up?”

  “For what?”

  “To see us. Go to lunch or something.”

  “Okay. Pick me up at eleven.”

  Jessivel hung up hoping she’d have a better chance in person changing her mother’s mind about getting an apartment. That would solve everything—a place to live without having to work her ass off in a job she hated. And if she lived with her mom, she could go out to a bar or somewhere without CPS getting involved. She could even get a part-time job to contribute something.

  The next day, Jessivel had Kayla put on a dress that her mother had given her for her birthday two years previous and then spent time forming Kayla’s hair into cute pigtails. When she finished, Kayla looked in the mirror.

  “Mom! I haven’t worn my hair like this since I was five.”

  “And Nana used to love it when you did.”

  “So?”

  “So…we’re having lunch with her today.”

  “So?”

  “I want you to look extra nice.”

  “I look stupid. I’m taking them out,” she said yanking on one of them.

  “Leave those in! At least until after lunch.”

  “And this dress is stupid too. It doesn’t even fit me,” she said while pulling it in all directions.

  “It looks fine. And it’s only for lunch.”

  “This is so bogus. Why do I have to look like a baby?”

  “Because Nana likes it. That’s why.”

  “Why don’t we have lunch where she lives? I want to see the mansion.”

  “Because we’re going to a restaurant, that’s why. Now go get that little pink purse she gave you and let’s go.”

  “I’m not carrying that thing!”

  “Why not?”

  “It has Hello Kitty on it. She gave it to me when I was three.”

  “It wasn’t that long ago. Go get it.”

  “I’m not carrying it!”

  “Fine. Let’s go then.”

  They entered the car and Jessivel said to Kayla, “Now I want you to act like a perfect little princess when we’re at lunch. Whatever she says, go along with it. Tell her she looks nice. Tell her you miss her. Ask her when we can all live together again. Like a real family. That’s it. Like a real family.”

  “In her room at the mansion?”

  “No, that would have to change. Remember how we all lived in our house before? You want that again, don’t you?”

  “Sure. I guess. But I don’t see what’s wrong with where we live now.”

  “For God’s sake, don’t tell Nana that. Tell her you want to go to a different school, a better one.”

  “But I like my school.”

  “There are better schools, Kayla. You deserve a better school.”

  “I’m getting all A’s and B’s on my next report card, and I have a new best friend.”

  “You can do the same in a better school.” She studied her daughter’s hair. “Straighten the left one. It’s too low.”

  “I hate these things,” Kayla said rolling her eyes and tugging at the already-droopy pigtail.

  Jessivel pulled up in front of the huge house where her mother resided and for a fleeting second felt like laying on the horn. But she didn’t.

  “Where should we go?” Jessivel asked her mother after she got into the car.

  “How about Cassie’s? I’m in the mood for their bread bowl soup.” She turned around to face Kayla in the back seat. “What are you doing in that old dress? It’s way too small for you.”

  “Told you so,” Kayla snapped at Jessivel.

  “And pigtails? What, are they “in” for older girls now? I’ll never get used to these new fads. Well, they look hideous, to be honest.”

  “Mom made me wear them.”

  “And you’re going to keep them in. They look cute,” Jessivel said.

  “What’s wrong with you, Jess? Do you send her to school like this too?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the way she’s dressed. We did it for you, you know. You bought her that dress, and you used to love her hair like that.”

  “Right…when she was little. Maybe you should check out what the other girls her age are wearing, how they fix their hair. Get with it, Jess.”

  “Yeah, get with it, Mom.”

  Jessivel pulled into the restaurant parking lot feeling defeated. Once they were ins
ide and seated, she made her pitch.

  “You look tired, Mom.”

  “I do? I feel great. Never felt better, in fact.”

  “I think she works you too hard. Takes advantage of you because you live there.”

  “Not really.”

  “What do you do in the evening? Stay in your room?”

  “I keep busy.”

  Jessivel tried without success to get Kayla’s attention to give her a cue to pipe in with what she had told her to say earlier. “Kayla and I miss you.” She gently kicked Kayla under the table.

  “Ow!”

  “Kayla, keep your voice down. Tell Nana how much you miss her.”

  Jessivel knew Kayla’s eye roll would diminish anything she would say afterward, so she saved her from the embarrassment and spoke for her. “We both miss you,” she told her mother.

  “Of course, I miss you too. We’ll have to do this more often. I was thinking about something you said the other day, Jess, about your living situation.”

  That got Jessivel’s attention.

  “You said Paige is in real estate. Owns her own business. I wonder if she could help you out with that. She must know of places that become available before anyone else. Or maybe she even owns some properties. You know, siblings help each other. I’m sure there would be something you could do for her in return. How well have you gotten to know her?”

  More of the same advice she’d heard from others—something Jessivel didn’t care to hear again.

  “I don’t know her that well, Mom.”

  “Who’s Paige?” Kayla asked.

  “Never mind. No one you know,” Jessivel said.

  “She’s your mother’s half-sister, Kayla. Your aunt. Didn’t you tell her about this, Jess?”

  “No…I didn’t.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Nothing. It’s adult stuff,” Jessivel said, shooting her mother a what-are-you-doing? glance.

  “I’m almost thirteen you know.”

  “Make it to eighteen, and you can call yourself an adult.”

  “I’ll never be able to call myself an adult looking like this.”

  “Will you shut up about the dress and your hair?”

  “Lower your voice, Jess. People are starting to stare,” her mother said.

  “People are staring because I’m almost thirteen and have these lopsided pigtails on my head,” Kayla claimed.

  Jessivel leaned in and said, “Look, Mom. I’m going to lose my apartment soon if I don’t find work, and there’s nothing out there for me. Are you sure you won’t consider moving into an apartment or a house so we can all live together again?”