Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 (14 page)

Lizzie nodded. She looked over her
shoulder.

“
Do you think…?” Lizzie
asked.

The outside waiting room door opened. Pushed
by Ava, Seth rolled through the door in a wheelchair.

“
Sorry, I’m late,” Seth
said. “I’m not getting around very well.”

“
Oh Daddy,” Lizzie hugged
him. Sandy leaned over to hug him.

“
Where’s Rachel?” Seth
asked.

“
She’s at her first day at
school,” Sandy’s eyes became big. “I stopped off to feed her but
she seemed happy there. So… Anjelika’s with her.”

“
Did you work today?” Seth
asked.

“
No appointments. Clean up
and organize day,” Sandy said. “Jake sent Pete with a crew to clean
and paint everything. What a mess! I can’t tell if who make a
bigger mess, the serial killer or the police.”

“
Police,” Ava said. “Hands
down.”

“
She’d know,” Seth
said.

“
I’m supposed to call
later to see if I can start seeing clients tomorrow,” Sandy said.
“Seth, you smell like the piano room.”

“
I had to wrench him
away,” Ava said.

“
I haven’t played in more
than a week,” Seth said. “I think that’s the longest time I’ve
gone…”

“
Since I learned to play,”
Sandy and Lizzie said together.

“
Or the last time you were
shot,” Lizzie said.

“
Or broke a limb,” Sandy
said.

“
Or…” Lizzie
started.

“
I always say that?” Seth
asked.

Laughing, Sandy and Lizzie nodded their
heads.

“
Listen I don’t need to
stay,” Ava said. “I’m just here to help Seth get
around.”

“
You can stay,” Lizzie
nodded. “Two cops in the room might help me figure out whom to
pick.”

“
I’m glad to help,” Ava
smiled.

As if on cue, a dark haired woman opened the
inner door.

“
Lizzie!” the woman said.
“I’m glad you’re here. Sandy how nice to see you!”

“
Lee, this is Lizzie and
my father Seth O’Malley,” Sandy said. “And his fiancé Amelie
Alvin.”

Lee’s eyebrows furrowed. She looked from
Seth to Ava.

“
Are you Detective
O’Malley from the papers?” Lee asked. “I recognize Ms. Alvin from
photos after your… assault.”

“
We work for the Denver
Police,” Seth smiled.

“
Nice to meet you,” Ava’s
eyes shifted to Lizzie. Lizzie gave her a look that seemed to say,
‘I told you she was like this.’ Ava smiled.

“
Seth is only a few days
out of the hospital,” Sandy said. “But we wanted to come to meet
the families. Lizzie’s due in less than a month. I know these
families would like to start planning.”

“
Yes, yes,” Lee said.
“Please come in.”

Standing, Sandy helped Lizzie up and they
followed Lee into a hallway. Ava pushed Seth behind them.

“
I have the families in
these three rooms,” Lee said. “I thought you could spend a few
minutes with each of them and we can talk in between.”

“
We go between rooms?”
Seth asked.

Lee nodded. Nervous, Lizzie backed up until
she was standing next to Seth and Ava.

“
It’s like the
interrogation rooms,” Ava mumbled to Lizzie. Lizzie
smiled.

“
This is the Hendersons,”
Lee said. “You remember them, Lizzie? They live in Castle Pines.
They go to Saint Francis in Castle Rock. I thought you’d like to
see them first since you liked them so much.”

Lee opened the room door and went in.

“
They’re perfect,” Lizzie
muttered. Sandy put her hand on Lizzie’s arm.

“
Why don’t you go in
first?” Sandy asked Seth. “Break the ice.”

“
Of course,” Seth
said.

Ava gave a little wave and wheeled Seth
inside.

“
Are you all right?” Sandy
asked.

“
Nervous,” Lizzie
said.

“
Why?” Sandy asked again.
“This is your choice.”

“
It doesn’t feel like it,”
Lizzie whispered.

“
Why?” Sandy whispered
back.

Lizzie shrugged.

“
This is your choice,”
Sandy said. “If you don’t like these families, we’re out of here.
We can easily go to another agency. Your Dad’s not going to put up
with crap. I’m not either.”

Lizzie hugged Sandy.

“
Let’s get this part over
with,” Sandy said.

Lizzie nodded. Sandy opened the door and
helped Lizzie inside. A middle aged former beauty queen sat next to
a salt and pepper haired man with the look of a second husband.
There was a sullen teenage girl in skin tight jeans and heavy
makeup at one end of the table. A blonde, almost too handsome
teenage boy sat next to her. Sandy spotted a five or six year old
coloring in the corner of the room. The man was talking to Seth
about his music when they had entered. When Lizzie sat next to
Seth, he held out his hand. She took his lifeline. Sandy sat down
next to Ava.

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson sat down and Lee made
the introductions.

“
You’re Sandy, right?” the
sullen teenager asked.

Horrified that the girl had spoken, the
Hendersons gave her a stern ‘shut up’ look. Mrs. Henderson put her
hand over the girl’s hands. The girl sneered at her.

“
I thought I recognized
you,” Sandy gave the girl a bright smile. “You’re one of Charlie’s
friends, aren’t you? Tink, right?”

She gave a jerk of a nod.

“
Tiffanie,” Mrs. Henderson
said. “I didn’t realize you knew, Mrs. Norsen.”

The girl scowled at her mother and looked at
Seth.

“
You’re O’Malley
right?”

Before he could respond, she pulled a St.
Jude medallion from under her shirt. Ava, Seth, and Sandy reacted
with a mixture of horror and sorrow for the girl Charlie called
Tink.

“
Thanks,” she said to
Seth.

“
My pleasure,” Seth
said.

In an effort to wrench the conversation away
from the out of control teenager, Mr. Henderson cleared his
throat.

“
While I’m sure you have
questions for us,” Mr. Henderson said. “We have a few questions for
you. They are deal breakers for us. Do you mind?”

Lizzie shook her head.

“
Have you used drugs or
alcohol at any time in your pregnancy?” Mr. Henderson
said.

“
No,” Lizzie
said.

“
Do you have any proof?”
Mrs. Henderson asked. “I know it sound horrible, but we were told
no drugs and alcohol by the last girl and…”

Mrs. Henderson nodded her head toward the
little girl coloring. Horrified by his mother’s implication, the
boy got up to sit with the child in the corner. Mr. Henderson shot
an angry look at Lee, the counselor.

“
I don’t lie,” Lizzie
said. “Would that work?”

“
What are your other
questions?” Seth asked.

“
We hate to ask,” Mrs.
Henderson looked at her husband. “But Lee doesn’t have any
information on the father.”

“
Before we get down the
road and regret it,” Mr. Henderson said. “We want to know. Is your
baby white?”

Surprised, Sandy fell back in her chair. Her
head jerked to look at Lizzie who flushed bright red. Seth looked
angry. Ava squinted at the man.

“
Is this is of great
importance to you?” Ava asked.

“
Vital,” Mrs. Henderson
said.

“
The Hendersons can
provide your child with every opportunity, Lizzie,” Lee said. “They
only want a child to love.”

“
A white child,” Lizzie
said.

The interview deteriorated from there.
Before they left, Sandy was able to slip Tink her card under the
table. The girl smiled and squeezed Sandy’s hand.

The next family’s story was similar to the
Hendersons. They’d adopted previously through Catholic Charities.
As if they were shopping for cars, they felt didn’t get the child
they’d hoped for. But, Sandy couldn’t find anything wrong with the
child they had adopted. Lee fluttered around the family in
embarrassed anxiety as if she was trying to make it right. Lizzie
was so uncomfortable that Sandy and Seth did most of the
talking.

They got to the third room and found it
empty. Lizzie broke down.

“
Let me go ask,” Lee
marched off.

“
Ava?” Seth asked. “I
think there’s a sticky right there?”

In the middle of the table was a yellow
sticky note.

“
We went to the
playground. Come and get us when you’re ready.”

“
This way,” Sandy pointed
down the hallway to a glass door. “We saw it when we were here
before.”

“
Older kids play while
their adoptive parents evaluate them,” Lizzie said.

Sandy pushed open the door. After the
stifling uncomfortability of the last conversations, she welcomed
the fresh air and bright sunlight. She pointed toward the
playground. Colin Hargreaves swung Katy’s best friend Paddie in a
baby swing. Julie sat on the swing next to him.

“
Can we just watch?”
Lizzie asked.

Oblivious to their audience, Paddie cheered,
“Higher!”

Colin glanced at Julie and she nodded. He
swung Paddie higher and higher.

“
He’s too little for the
baby swing,” Lizzie said.

“
It’s so he’ll stay in,”
Seth said. “We used to do that with Julie Ann. You remember that
she liked to go really high.”

Lizzie glanced at her dad.

“
Col?” Julie asked. “What
if…?”

Letting Paddie swing, Colin kneeled down to
hug Julie.

“
That’s my family,” Lizzie
said.

“
You’re sure?” Seth
asked.

“
I know it,” Lizzie
nodded.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and
SIXTY-FIVE
Fair

Wednesday mid-day – 12:30 P.M.

Charlie hopped off the bus and ran down
Colfax to Race Street. Cursing Valerie’s fame, he rushed through
the procedures at the gate. He slammed the gate and jogged though
the parking area to the side door. Breathing hard, he looked around
the living area for Anjelika. Hearing laughter, he rushed into the
kitchen to find Delphie and Anjelika drinking tea over a plate of
Sandy’s scones.

“
Would you like a scone?”
Anjelika asked. “Sandy made orange scones for our studies this
afternoon. You don’t mind if Delphie has one do you?”

Charlie shook his head. Unsure of what to
do, and not wanting to endure Anjelika’s wrath, he waited for what
felt like forever before Anjelika said good-bye to Delphie.

“
You seem excited to get
to work today,” Anjelika gave Charlie a wry look.

“
Did you get them?”
Charlie asked.

“
Get what?” Anjelika
asked.

“
My scores,” Charlie’s
impatience seeped through his words. “You know, what we’ve been
working on forever and ever?”

“
We’ve had your scores
since Monday, Charlie,” Anjelika blinked.

“
Ugh,” Charlie leaned back
and groaned. Anjelika smiled at him.

“
Sandy picked up your
evaluations after her last client,” Anjelika said. “She brought
them to me when she went to breastfeed Rachel.”

“
And?” Charlie
asked.

“
Why are you so impatient
today?” Anjelika asked. “You know a man’s…”

“
Greatest gift is his
patience,” Charlie said. “Yes, I know.”

“
And?” Anjelika
asked.

“
I’m not very patient
today, ma’am,” Charlie said.

“
Why is that?” Anjelika
asked.

“
Because… well…” Charlie
looked away from her for a moment. Looking back, he spoke in a
flurry of words. “I was at work this morning, you know at Lipson,
and I was talking to a guy about the pick-up basketball game I play
at the Twentieth Street Gym. Dad played there for like forever. He
used to take me when I was a kid. I started playing there when I
was at home, you know, with Mom. I even went a few times when I was
on the streets. There was a guy who would pay for me to get in
because he liked to have ‘good people’ to play. He’d come and get
me from Sixteenth Street. Now I play every chance I can – on the
weekends, at night, mid-day if we have a job downtown, whatever. I
just play pick-up so…”

“
The one you’re planning
to go to this evening when we’re done,” Anjelika injected into the
stream. “Yes, I remember.”

“
Right, Jake got me a
membership there, at Twentieth Street, you know the rec center
downtown, where I play,” Charlie said. As if he was Noelle,
Anjelika’s words only served to punctuate his steady stream of
words. “So this guy I was talking to, he’s really into high school
basketball and… well… He said that Regis Jesuit won state the last
three years in a row and that George Washington has a good team and
so does East. I mean, I always figured I would go to East, you
know, like Jake or Machebeuf like Sandy, well and Steve and Mike
and Jill. I
am
Catholic, well, sort of Catholic. Sissy’s more Catholic than
I am but she wants to go to East in the fall, I don’t know why, and
she can go anywhere she wants. So…”