Believe Like a Child (43 page)
R
egina was so nervous she puked twice before the police arrived at the shelter. After talking with her for over an hour, the police detective who was questioning her told Alessa and Ebby that they were in the process of contacting her parents. Less than an hour later, Regina’s parents, Cliff and Beth, arrived at the shelter. Alessa and Ebby watched the tearful reunion, both feeling content about having been able to make a difference. Despite the tiny glimmer of hope they’d struggled to keep alive, Regina’s parents had feared she was dead. As they hugged and kissed the daughter they hadn’t seen in three years, the love and warmth they all had for each other was obvious. Alessa knew how lucky she was to be so loved and wanted by her family.
Cliff and Beth hugged and kissed Alessa too, after they heard about her role in getting their daughter back to them.
“We will never forget you,” Regina’s mother told her gratefully.
Alessa felt a bit embarrassed over the fuss they were making, but understood that this was an emotional moment for them. It wasn’t often that a child, missing for three years, was returned to her parents. They would all have a lot of healing ahead of them. The city assigned a social worker to help them get through all the hard discussions that would enable the family to recover. Cliff and Beth were briefed on what had happened to her so there would at least be an understanding that she would be emotionally traumatized for a long time.
Meanwhile, Remo had been waiting in the staff break room. Alessa joined him after Regina had left with her parents.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said, as she came in. “How did it go?”
Enjoying the feeling of victory, Alessa said, “It went very well. Her parents were a little intimidated when they heard she had been a sex slave for the last three years, but Regina is strong and actually pretty rational. I’m sure they will all be just fine.”
Remo gave her a bear hug. “Good. Now let’s go home. You need a little time to process all of this too. Ebby told me that Regina mentioned Dauphin Street. That got you upset, right?”
Alessa hugged him tighter. “Yes, it did. Everything about that hellhole scares me. I just panicked a little bit.”
With his arm securely around her, Remo guided her out of the shelter. On the drive back home, they talked about Alessa’s fears. Remo assured her there was nothing to be afraid of. It was such a shady part of town, he said, it was hardly surprising that they were able to keep those kids captive without anyone coming to know.
“What about the other kids?” he inquired.
Alessa told him the Philadelphia Police Department had undercover cops already working on it. They had been watching a couple of drug dealers over the past three months and had a pretty good idea where the house might be located. The police had, in fact, seen an unusual number of men of different ages and from different walks of life entering one particular home on a regular basis. The police had assumed these visits were drug-related, but now suspected they might have something to do with these kids who are being held captive.
The next couple of days at the Outside Inn were quiet. The phone rang on the third evening after Regina had returned to her parents. It was Ebby.
“They busted the house on Dauphin Street,” she said. “They arrested fourteen men that the police believe were buyers and sellers of these kids. Alessa, they rescued twelve children between the ages of seven and eighteen from the house. All those kids are free now. It’s just an incredible ending! It’s what makes my job so rewarding. With your help, Regina saved
twelve
other kids today!”
Alessa was happy to hear about the rescue. She ran into the living room, bounced into Remo’s lap and relayed the news. He too was genuinely happy for all the kids and their parents. It was a great ending to a horrific ordeal and he was proud that Alessa had been a part of bringing it all down.
In the weeks that followed, Alessa was glad to return to her normal routine. She was back in school and loving every minute of her education. Things at the Outside Inn were working well. They managed to make it through a winter that had brought a lot of snow and kept them extra busy on the weekends, providing food and drink to the many homeless people throughout the city. It was a peaceful time for all of them. Spring was a welcome change from the slow winter months that had passed. Lucy was all fired up about their approaching vacation, while Alessa was excited that she would finish college in September. She was already thinking of where she would work, once she got her bachelor’s degree.
Regina visited with them two Saturdays a month. They would spend the day at Clark Park, a short distance from the Outside Inn, where they interacted with the homeless. Cliff and Beth knew how close Regina was to Alessa and believed the outings would be good therapy for her. The girl had started to heal and often talked to Alessa about how happy she was to be back with her family.
“Not once did they make me feel ashamed or responsible for all the things that had happened to me,” she told Alessa one Saturday afternoon, while handing out soft pretzels to the homeless. “They keep saying that they are just grateful that I have come home. I didn’t realize how much I had missed them, until now.”
Alessa was proud of the progress the girl had made. Remo and Ebby, for their part, were proud of the woman Alessa herself had become.
By early May, Lucy and Remo were talking constantly about their trip to Wrightsville Beach. They both wanted to rent a jet ski and go on the ghost walk of Wilmington, North Carolina. Other than that, the plan was to spend time on the beach and enjoy dinners out. Alessa just sat back and let the two of them enjoy planning everything. She was perfectly content doing nothing and didn’t want to invade their turf and stake a claim on their shared exhilaration. By mid-June, however, she had joined in the excitement of going on vacation. They were leaving in two weeks and were all pumped up by a sense of anticipation, but the intensity of Lucy’s enthusiasm was hard to match.
The morning of the trip arrived. The child was up at the crack ass of dawn, getting a shower and packing her carry-on bag for the flight. Even though Remo had explained it was a very short flight to Wrightsville Beach, Lucy insisted she needed to take along at least three books and some snacks for the plane ride.
As they boarded the plane that morning, they were all brimming with excitement. And just as Remo had said, the flight was over in no time at all. In Wilmington, they rented a car from the airport and covered the distance to Wrightsville Beach in a quick fifteen minutes. They entered their rented condo at Station One and Lucy immediately ran out on the balcony off the living room.
The balcony offered a panoramic view of the ocean. Directly below them was a swimming pool for Station One guests. Remo, Alessa and Lucy gazed at the people strolling on the beach and lazing in the sun. There were kids on boogie boards and families playing volleyball and football.
Lucy just about came out of her skin, as she turned to the two of them. “Can we go to the beach now?” she asked, barely able to contain herself.
Remo smiled at her indulgently. “How about if we unpack first? Then we can put our suits on and head down to the beach?”
Lucy darted in like a rocket to find her bedroom and unpack her suitcase. An hour later, they were sitting on the beach in chairs Remo had rented for the week. It was an incredible first day and Alessa felt as though she were leading someone else’s charmed life. She had never been surrounded by so much beauty and happiness. The ocean was vast, the sound of the waves soothing and she was with the two people she loved most in the world. That night, they went to the Oceanic for dinner and ate out on the pier, where a band was playing live music. Lucy ate the cupcake of the day, a chocolate affair, topped with chocolate icing, and proclaimed it to be “the best cupcake anyone had ever made”. Afterward, they strolled barefoot on the beach. It had been a great day and Alessa realized blissfully that she had a whole week of great days ahead of her.
Wrightsville Beach was a great little town. The people were friendly and everyone seemed happy there. Remo, Alessa and Lucy rented bikes, one morning, and rode them up and down the small island. They shopped at the local grocery store within walking distance of their condominium and ate pizza at Vito’s. Alessa had a feeling she’d never had before, a feeling of complete freedom. As they participated in different enjoyable activities that week and Remo reminisced about his own childhood, Alessa realized how much fun she had missed out on as a kid and envied him for it. She was, however, enormously pleased that Lucy was getting to enjoy her childhood the way Remo had enjoyed his own.
They loved the jet skis and the ghost tour was fun, especially since it was topped off with ice cream at Kilwin’s, where they made their own waffle cones in the front window. People stood in line and Lucy told Remo, “I think we picked the right place. Look at all the people waiting to get ice cream!”
Remo reveled in watching the two of them in such a relaxed and happy frame of mind. They were great together. Each of them understood and loved the others deeply, not because they had to, but because they really wanted to. They spent July 4
th
watching fireworks on the beach in front of their condo.
The fireworks lit up the sky and were reflected in the water below. Remo had never felt so much love for another, as he did during that week. Having the two of them in his life was the greatest gift anyone could ever have given him, he thought.
On their last night there, they dined at Osteria Cicchetti, an Italian restaurant in Wilmington that had a warm ambiance and great food. Later, they walked across the parking lot to Boombalatti’s, where they made the best homemade ice cream any of them had ever tasted. Lucy was in heaven. She was having the greatest time of her life; they all were.
The next morning, a little wistful that their vacation was over, they vowed to each other to return the next summer. They arrived home on Saturday and Alessa called Ebby, as soon as she got in, to tell her about the vacation. Remo and Lucy remained on vacation time. They both took naps that afternoon and when they got up, insisted they were still on vacation. So they all went out to dinner.
They relived the past week over the meal and stopped for ice cream on their way home. It had been a truly magical week for all of them.
Lucy told them over ice cream, “Do you realize this will be the first year ever, since I was born, that I can actually write about my summer when I go back to school? You know, teachers always make you do that and I had just been making stuff up. Now I can write about it the way it really was, just like the other kids do.”
Alessa hugged the child tightly. “You’re a great person, Luce. I love you very much, more than anybody in the world.”
Lucy threw her a mischievous grin. “Even more than Remo?”
Alessa became very serious. “Yes, even more than Remo.”
Remo pretended to be offended, but quickly said, “Who in their right mind wouldn’t love you the most, Lucy? You’re the best person we know.”
Brimming with contentment, Lucy reached up, hugged them both and yelled out, “Group hug!”
They all put their arms around each other and laughed.
Back home, Lucy was tucked into bed and Alessa and Remo went into the living room to have a glass of wine.
“Remo, I can’t thank you enough for this past week,” Alessa told him. “It was the best week of my life. I’ve never felt so good. It was the most amazing first vacation ever!”
Remo moved closer and kissed her deeply. “And you are the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I love you. I love you both.”
T
he next year flew by and before they knew it, it was July and they were celebrating Alessa’s twenty-third birthday at the Devil’s Alley on Chestnut Street. Lucy was beside herself with glee, when her burger came out with onion rings stacked on top and filled with French fries. Ebby joined them and it was a quiet, but fun evening. Before dessert was served, Regina and her parents joined them too. It was all Alessa could have wished for. The rest of the summer flew by and before they knew it, they were getting Lucy ready to go back to school. She was excited about turning thirteen and Alessa was planning a party at their apartment with her friends from school.
A week before the Lucy’s birthday, Cliff and Beth drove Regina down as usual to Alessa’s apartment so she could spend Saturday with them. Alessa, Lucy, Remo and Regina walked down to Clark Park to meet the customary mix of students, families and homeless people. It was eighty-two degrees and sunny, unusually warm for mid-September in Philadelphia. Alessa and Regina sat on a bench, while Remo and Lucy walked around the park, handing out soft pretzels and juice to the homeless.
It had been a whole year since Regina returned to her parents. She had evolved so much, both physically and mentally, that Alessa found her completely transformed. They had remained friends and she was pleased with the girl’s rapid progress. They talked about a boy in school that Regina had a crush on. The girl was nervous about dating anyone in her school, since they all knew what had happened to her, but couldn’t help sharing with Alessa her feeling that this particular boy was different. He was kind of a “geek”, as she put it, but was always very pleasant to her and treated her with respect. He was, in fact, one of the few kids outside her close circle of friends who talked to her as though she were just a regular teenage girl.
Then, without warning, Regina’s entire body language changed in mid-sentence. Alessa saw that she was distracted and tense.
“What’s wrong, Regina?” she asked, alarmed. “Why do you look so scared?”
The girl could barely speak. She was whispering now, as if she were afraid of being overheard. “That woman over there, by the black car, is the one who used to feed us in the house where they had kept me locked up.”
Her heart thudding, Alessa followed her gaze and almost threw up. The woman Regina had been referring to was someone she knew, someone she had loved. Thoughts raced through Alessa’s mind, Regina must be mistaken. How could this be? Alessa found it impossible to believe.
There, standing next to a black Mercedes, was Tasha, Harlin’s sister and her only friend from the time she had lived in North Philadelphia. Alessa froze. She felt as if the world had stopped spinning. Everything around her seemed to have gone dead silent.
She felt Regina tugging on her arm. “I’m scared, Alessa. I want to leave right now.”
“Me too, sweetie,” Alessa replied gently. She panicked as she scanned the park, her eyes wildly searching for Remo and Lucy, but unable to see them anywhere. Just before she lost complete control over herself she spotted the two off in a remote corner talking to people. Alessa pointed out where Remo and Lucy were and urged Regina to run to them and tell them to go back to the Outside Inn immediately and call the police. “Tell the police you saw a woman from the house on Daulphin Street. Do it! Do it now!”
Having got the girl safely out of the way, Alessa stood staring at Tasha. If she really were the person who had fed the kids being held in the basement of the house from where Regina had fled, surely Harlin had something to do with it. Even from a distance, she could see that Tasha looked worn out and ragged. Life had not treated her well over the past five years; that much was clear.
Alessa started to move away from where Tasha was, but stopped short as she felt the cold metal of a gun against her neck. Remaining out of her field of vision, the gunman ordered her to turn and walk toward the street. Alessa obeyed, heading for Tasha and the Mercedes, quite aware by now that the man with the gun was one of Harlin’s boys.
As she approached her former friend, the girl who had helped her escape from her prison just five years ago, Alessa was desperate to reach out to her and plead for help once again.
“Tasha,” she cried out, “what’s going on? What’s happening?”
Tasha seemed nervous and wired, acting as if Alessa hadn’t said a word, as she slid into the car’s passenger seat.
The gunman opened the back door and snapped, “Get in, bitch!”
It wasn’t until Alessa leaned down to get into the car that she saw the man sitting there. Harlin stared at her grimly, his expression one of pure venom. It was clear that his rage against Alessa for fleeing his clutches had not subsided. The realization that she was in grave danger wrenched from her gut a small, involuntary whimper. Harlin reached over and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her face to within inches of his own.
“You thought you would fuck me over and I would forget?” he snarled. “You stupid, fucking bitch! Because of you, I spent five years locked up. Then you turn around and have my house busted! Do you know how much money you cost me?”
Alessa feared she would lose control of all her bodily functions, as she fought hard against the sheer terror that threatened to overwhelm her.
Harlin pushed her away from him. “See my boys over there? The ones next to your faggot husband and those dumb kids you been helping?”
Alessa looked back into the park and noticed two of Harlin’s boys standing not ten feet behind Remo, Lucy and Regina. Her heart was beating, as if she had just finished running a marathon.
She gulped in the car’s stale, smoke-filled air and begged, “Please, Harlin. I’ll do anything you want me to. Just leave them alone. They have nothing to do with this.”
“I don’t give a fuck ‘bout what you say!” he sneered. “All I know is, you ruined my life and now it’s payback time.”
He tapped the driver’s seat from behind and as they pulled away, Alessa turned to look back at Remo, Lucy and Regina with panic and fear. From the frantic look on their faces, she could tell they were looking for her. She watched in horror as Harlin’s boys began walking toward them. Then the car sped off and all Alessa could visualize was her world crumbling to pieces. During the drive back to North Philadelphia, not once did Tasha turn around to look at Alessa. As if in a drug-induced coma, she kept her eyes fixed on the view from the front window.