Believe Like a Child (41 page)
R
emo wasn’t in much better spirits the next morning when he woke up. Lucy picked up the vibes immediately. “What’s wrong, Remo?” she asked. “Did something happen?”
He looked at her with deep affection. “No, Luce, I’m just in a bad mood this morning. It’s something to do with work,” he lied.
Relieved that he wasn’t annoyed with either her or Alessa, Lucy went back to eating her eggs. She was very caring and perceptive for an eleven-year-old. It was only natural that she should be so. After all, she had been exposed to a lot in her short time on earth. Ebby had always told Alessa that Lucy was a special kid. She was smart, funny and had strong instincts.
Shortly after breakfast, Hannah called to talk to Remo again. He could tell from her voice that she was more settled than she had been the night before. He figured his father had talked to her about her rude behavior. Hannah promised Remo she would do her best to be kind to Alessa, but added that she still wasn’t happy with his ‘situation’. He considered this a progress of sorts, even if it wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for from her. He understood that what she really meant was nothing would change. His mother was only promising to be kinder to Alessa in an effort not to lose her son. Still, he had to give her a chance to try.
When he returned to the kitchen, Alessa and Lucy were washing the breakfast dishes.
“I was thinking that we needed a vacation,” Remo remarked. “When I was a kid, we used to go to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. I thought we could plan a summer trip. What do you guys think about that?”
Lucy was instantly charged at the thought of a vacation. “I think it sounds great!” she chirped. “What do we do there?”
Remo laughed. “We go to the beach, silly! We can get boogie boards and ride the waves. It’s so much fun. So what do you think?”
The two of them looked to Alessa for approval. Alessa had never been to North Carolina. The furthest she had ever gotten was Atlantic City, which she had visited with her grandmother when she was a little girl.
She smiled at them. “Okay, fine, but Remo and I need to discuss how we’re going to pay for this trip first.”
Remo gathered her up in his arms. “Don’t you worry,” he reassured her. “I have it covered. My contract with my company is up and I can ask for a bonus to sign on for another three years. It won’t be a problem. If they refuse, I’ll find another place to work, where they will gladly give me a signing bonus. My company knows I can leave any time I want to. I happen to be very much in demand, ya know. They also know my clients will move to wherever I go so they can continue to work with me.”
Alessa frowned at him. “Oh, good. A great therapist and humble too!”
“It’s settled then. We can go see a travel agent today and find out what they can offer us. We’ll book our air tickets and rent a condo—hopefully, one right on the beach!”
Lucy jumped off her chair. “We’re going on an airplane? I’ve
never
been on an airplane!”
Alessa’s faced was shrouded in worry. “Neither have I. The thought makes me a little nervous.”
Remo’s face puckered as if she were crazy. “There’s nothing to worry about. Flying is easy and it only takes about an hour by plane to get there from Philly.”
They piled into the car later that afternoon and went to a travel agent. They had decided to go away for their vacation over the week of July Fourth. The agent had found them a two-bedroom condominium at Station One on the beach. Remo wanted this to be a very special experience for Alessa and Lucy. They were in high spirits when they arrived back at the Outside Inn. Lucy flew out of the car in her eagerness to announce to some of the residents that they were going on vacation. For her, it was as if Christmas was never going to end and she loved every minute of being a part of their family. It warmed Alessa’s generous heart to see her that way.
Later that evening, Ebby went over to their apartment for dinner. Alessa had made chicken franchise, a new recipe she had whipped together herself. The four of them polished off the meal and after Alessa and Ebby had finished the bottle of wine they were drinking, they moved to the living room. Remo and Lucy went off to read in their respective bedrooms, while the two women sat and talked. Alessa gave Ebby a blow-by blow account of Hannah’s behavior at the Christmas party. She told her about the fight Remo had had with Hannah and eventually finished by sharing their vacation plans. Suspecting that Remo’s mother was determined to be judgmental and would probably never change her mind, Ebby was cautious in her advice to Alessa. She fought off the impulse to suggest that Alessa tell her mother-in-law to go fuck herself, because she knew that Remo’s feelings were involved as well and didn’t want to worsen an already prickly situation. She encouraged Alessa, instead, to take her husband up on his suggestion and not attend any more functions where Hannah would be present.
Alessa looked saddened by the advice. “I feel bad, Ebby,” she confessed. “I think I should be with my husband when he visits his parents. Besides, I am always happy to see Patrick. He has been very nice to Lucy and me.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Ebby agreed hurriedly. “But if you continue to subject yourself to Hannah’s nastiness, you’re going to have to learn how to blow her off and not take things personally. Otherwise, you’re not helping anyone.”
Alessa agreed and finished with, “You know I can’t stand that fucking bitch, right?”
Ebby laughed. “Well, she treats you like shit. So I’m relieved that you feel the way you do. Just because you have to eat shit doesn’t mean you have to become shit.”
The two women laughed and hugged each other.
Ebby turned serious. “Alessa, I need your help with something,” she said. “A couple of days ago, I had a teenage girl come to the shelter. We think she’s about sixteen years old. We haven’t been able to get her to open up and talk to us. She was in pretty bad shape when she turned up at our doorstep. She had definitely been beaten and judging by the way she was dressed, we are pretty sure she was into prostitution. The thing is, she won’t really talk to any of us. Normally, after a couple of days, we can get them to open up, but this one just sits and cries. I was wondering if you would come by the shelter tomorrow and give it a try.”
Alessa was touched that she had been asked for help. “Of course I will,” she assured her, “but she might not talk to me either, Ebby. I’m willing to give it a try, though. What time should I be there?”
Happy that Alessa had agreed to help, Ebby said, “Let’s meet tomorrow at ten a.m.”
The next morning, Alessa was both excited and anxious as she headed to the Eliza Shirley Shelter. She wanted so badly to be able to help the girl. Yet, even though she had gained a lot of confidence over the past two years, the moment a fresh challenge presented itself, Alessa always doubted herself and her capabilities. Ebby knew differently, though. She knew Alessa was the only person who could come even within a shot of breaking the girl’s silence.
A
s Alessa climbed the steps leading to the entrance of the Eliza Shirley Shelter, she remembered the first time she had gone there under very different circumstances and was grateful to be returning to the place to provide someone help instead of seeking it herself. The staff was delighted to see her and after she had greeted each of them in turn, she went into Ebby’s office.
Ebby looked up from her desk. “You ready?”
Alessa took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m ready,” she said. “I don’t want you to come with me, though. Just tell me where I can find her.”
Ebby was surprised, but pleased as well that Alessa was so decisive about her approach in handling the girl.
Alessa found the teenage girl alone in the day room, sitting on a small love seat with her legs drawn up against her chest and her forehead resting on her knees.
Approaching her cautiously, so as not to startle her, she came to a halt a few feet away. “Hey,” is all she said.
The young girl looked up. Tears were streaming down her face. “Hey,” she responded.
Alessa approached the love seat and asked, “Can I sit here with you?”
The girl said indifferently, “Doesn’t matter to me.”
Alessa had no way of knowing that the exchange between them in that first minute, brief though it was, was more than what the staff had been able to get out of the girl in the four days she had been at the shelter.
“I’m Alessa,” she said. “I lived here for a short time a couple of years ago. I had to get away from this asshole that was making me fuck everything with three legs. He was a scary dude, but I was safe here. Are you staying here now?”
Curious, the girl looked up. “Yeah, why?”
“I was just wondering, is all. What’s your name anyway?”
The girl looked at Alessa with disdain and a hint of wariness. “Why? You writing a fucking book?”
“I wish. But no, I’m not writing a book. I’m just trying to be friendly. If you don’t want to talk, then fine. Fuck it,” Alessa answered nonchalantly. She got up from the sofa abruptly, secretly irritated with the girl.
The girl sensed her annoyance. “No, wait!” she said. “My name is Regina.”
Alessa turned to face her. “Okay, Regina. Well, I’m going to split now. Nice talking to you.”
Regina jumped up from the love seat. “Look, man. I’m just scared. I didn’t mean to be a bitch, okay?”
“Okay, whatever. But you know, most people who come here are scared. I mean, if you’re here, the odds are good that your life is pretty fucked up. It’s not like this place is home to movie stars and athletes. So why
are
you here?”
Regina sat back down on the love seat. Alessa sat down next to her.
“If I tell, that motherfucker will kill me,” Regina said. “I just need a few days to hide so that I can get the fuck out of Philadelphia. You know what I mean?”
Alessa rested her head on the back of the love seat. She let out a big sigh as she stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, I know what you mean… unfortunately.”
Regina looked at her and tears began spilling from her eyes. “I don’t know
what
I’m gonna do! I’m so scared all the time! I hate myself!”
Alessa rolled her head sideways so she was facing her. “We’re all scared sometimes, Regina. It ain’t like you’re alone. When I came to this shelter, I was sure the guy—I don’t know what to call him, really, he was sort of my pimp, but really my girlfriend’s brother—was going to kill me. Anyway, he was pounding heroin into his arm like crazy before I split. Motherfucker! I hated him! I was scared, scared shitless. I had no idea what I was going to do. I couldn’t ask my family for help, because they were just as bad as the asshole I was running from. So I came here. They helped me here, Regina.”
“Yeah, like how? How did they help you?” the girl asked, and Alessa noticed the first glimmer of hope in her voice.
Alessa sat up straighter. “They talked to me a lot about what was going on. They contacted the local cops to let them know that that monster was looking for me. It was mostly the talking that helped. They seem all straight and shit, but they know what’s going on with people like us.”
Regina leaned in closer, feeling a connection with Alessa from the moment she had said, “People like us.” It made her feel less isolated from the world.
Alessa focused hard on her and dove in. “So what’s your story? What happened to you?”
Regina hesitated, silence hanging in the air like a dark cloud. Finally she spoke. “I was taken three years ago. I was walking home from school and this van pulled up. Someone grabbed me and shoved a needle in my arm. When I woke up, I was in some kind of old basement. There were other girls and boys there too. We all had a chain on one ankle that was bolted to the floor.”
Holy Christ!
Alessa thought.
Now how the fuck am I supposed to respond to this?
“Who were these people?” she asked, trying to remain calm. “Did they do anything to you?”
“I don’t know who they are, really. But after a while, they gave me new underwear and then…” Her voice trailed off and she seemed to close down, as if she were afraid someone other than Alessa would overhear her.
Alessa moved closer and put her arm around the girl. “It’s okay, Regina,” she said soothingly, “you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. Okay?”
Regina clung to her. “I’m just scared is all. I’m really scared. They know where my family lives. I’m afraid they’ll kill them.”
Alessa talked the girl into having lunch with her. She filled the empty silence with her own story about being homeless and how she had met Lucy. Regina never asked her how she had become homeless or got into prostitution. She just listened intently, trading her own dark world for Alessa’s, even if it was just for a short time. For the first time in three years, she had found a way of escaping her private demons for a while.