Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 (6 page)

“
It told her she would die
the next day, which she did,” Delphie said. “I said her life of
pain and sorrow, and I assure you she’d led a life of pain and
sorrow, would pass. She would be safe and loved. Just before she
left, I touched her hand and told her that her daughter loved her.
She nodded as if she’d heard me but I think she was already
gone.”

“
Then what did you do?”
Noelle asked.

“
I called Celia and
cried,” Delphie said. “She came right away and we ate an entire
carton of chocolate ice cream. The next day, Sam found my mother.
She’d died in a filthy rent by the day motel where she’d clearly
lived for a long time. There was evidence that she paid for the
room through selling her body. Sam paid her motel bill and buried
her next to my father in Leadville. Sam and Celia… They are my
amazing family.”

“
Who’s your amazing
family, Honey?” Delphie asked.

“
MJ, of course, Sam, Jake
and Val, now Jill and Heather and Tanesha, Sandy, and Bambi, and…”
Honey flushed. “So many people. When I lived in one of those
horrible motels, I never thought I’d have even one person to love
or to love me.”

“
I know,” Tanesha said. “I
lived in those places out on East Colfax, Honey, before my gram
came and got me. My amazing family started with Gram and Heather,
then Jill and Sandy and now…”

Tanesha held her arms out to include the
entire room.

“
I had an amazing mom,”
Valerie said. “But I would never have survived the years after she
died without Delphie and being mad at Dad and Jake and Mike
and…”

Her big hazel eyes filled with tears. She
shook her head.

“
It doesn’t mean that it
doesn’t hurt,” Anjelika’s Russian accent sliced through the air.
“It hurts a lot.”

“
It’s hard to admit, but
when it comes down to it,” Heather said. “You’re really better
off.”

“
I’ve been so worried,”
Noelle said. “You keep talking about ‘moving home’ and… I don’t
want to lose my sister. I have everything I want! A great Mom, a
big sister, two big brothers, a nice boyfriend and my Dad. I don’t
want you to leave. I don’t want Charlie to leave. Nash has been
really upset about it. He won’t tell you but we’ve talked about it.
A lot.”

“
Would you give up being
Noelle and Nash’s sister to have your Mom back?” Delphie
asked.

“
You don’t understand!”
Sissy said.

“
We do,” Delphie said.
“That’s the problem. We feel the same longing you do. I love my
mother. I still do. But all I can do is love her.”

“
I love my mother,” Honey
said. “She really sucks at being a mother. But I love her
anyway.”

“
That’s all you have to
do,” Tanesha said. “Love her.”

“
Can you love your mother
and let her be who she is?” Delphie asked.

Sissy closed her eyes to escape the women’s
concerned faces. She gave a slight nod and Noelle cheered. Delphie
kissed her cheek.

“
Can I have some
chocolate?” Sissy asked.

“
Of course,” Valerie said.
“Would you like me to make you a plate?”

“
No, I’ll get it,” Sissy
said.

She jumped up from the couch. She stretched
her limbs and wiggled her shoulders. One at a time, the women
hugged her. Noelle took her hand and showed her the chocolate cart.
Sissy had just filled her plate when the boys came bursting into
the room. While she watched, the chocolate cart was demolished by
the locusts named Charlie, Teddy and Nash.

“
Can I have some of
yours?” Charlie held a fork out to her chocolate
strawberry.

“
No!” Sissy batted at his
fork with hers. They got into an instant fork war. Noelle joined
her defense.

“
On guard,” Nash
said.

Within moments, the kids were laughing and
playing a fork sword war. Charlie had Sissy’s plate of chocolate in
one hand while keeping Sissy away with the other when Sandy and
Aden came into the suite. Sandy and Aden were hugged and chatted
with as they walked across the room. When Sandy went to get Rachel,
Aden snatched the plate of chocolate from Charlie’s hand.

“
I do love chocolate,”
Aden said. He picked up a strawberry and ate it.

“
That’s mine!” Sissy
said.

“
We passed three carts of
food coming in this direction,” Aden said.

A knock at the door brought the food.

“
Listen you guys,” Aden
said to Sissy and Charlie. “Before Sandy gets over here, I thought
maybe we could talk. Sandy’s so heart broken, I’d hate for her to
have to tell you.”

“
It’s Ok, Shi-dai,”
Charlie said. “Jake told me.”

“
Delphie told me. I don’t
like it.”

“
I hate it,” Charlie said.
“But I can’t change it. I mean, I can give up everything I have now
to try to be with her but… Jake told me to give him one reason why
I’d do that. I thought for the whole horse ride back. I couldn’t
come up with anything. We went to this cool cave where you’re
supposed to let go of things. I let go of Mom there. It was hard
but… Sam and Jake and Mike were… amazing.”

“
I always wanted exactly
what I have now,” Sissy said.

Aden hugged Sissy and Charlie.

“
But I want some chocolate
too,” Sissy said.

Aden gave her back her dessert plate. Before
Charlie could steal it, Aden pointed him toward the other food
carts where Teddy and Nash were swarming. Charlie jogged over.

“
You’ll tell me if you
want to talk more?” Aden asked.

Sissy nodded. She sat down on the couch with
Noelle. Together, the girls had almost polished off her plate when
Sandy came back with Rachel. Before Sandy could say anything, Sissy
began updating her about her amazing day with a movie star. Noelle
ran to change into her bathing suit and Sissy joined her.

“
So that’s it?” Sandy
asked.

“
For now,” Aden said.
“We’ll have to watch them. And the trial…”

“
Let hope she doesn’t go
to trial,” Sandy said.

“
We’re going back to
change,” Tanesha said. “Come to the pool with us,
Sandy.”

“
I have to study,” Charlie
said. “Mrs. Anjelika and I can watch Rachel.”

“
You’re sure?” Sandy
asked.

“
I’d like to,” Charlie
gave an impish smile. “Rachel’s my family too.”

Sandy hugged him. She changed Rachel’s
diaper and put on a tiny one week old short suit. It was a little
big, but Rachel looked really cute. She rocked Rachel to sleep.
When she came out, the kids and Aden were at the pool and Anjelika
was quizzing Charlie on his vocabulary. Sandy kissed Rachel’s cheek
and set her in the bassinette next to Charlie. Charlie put his hand
out to rock Rachel’s bassinette but never looked up. Sandy waved
good-bye but they kept their focus.

Shrugging, she made her way to the pool
where Jill had saved her a seat next to her and Heather. Tanesha
gave her a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

“
Was it horrible?” Heather
asked.

“
Worse,” Sandy said. “We
saw the police cars coming to get her on our way out.”

“
I’ll drink to that,”
Tanesha downed her beer. “You know I’m drinking for
four.”

“
What?” Sandy
asked.

“
I’m not drinking,” Jill
said. “You and Heather are still breast feeding.”

“
Have to keep the
universal balance,” Tanesha said.

“
What’s happening with
Cam?” Sandy asked.

“
Oh girl,” Tanesha said.
“You do not want to know.”

“
She’ll tell us when she’s
drunk enough,” Heather said.

Sandy laughed.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday afternoon – 2:15 P.M.

City Park, Denver

“
Zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo,
zoo.” Paddie shivered from the cold water at the splash fountain.
When his Mom, Julie, covered his mouth with the towel she was
drying him off with Katy took up the call.

“
Zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo,
zoo.” Colin covered her mouth with a towel.

“
What do you think,
Jules?” Colin said. “Should we leave them like this?”

“
Dad!” Paddie squirmed out
of Julie’s grasp.

Running away from Julie and toward the zoo,
he ran right into a man’s legs.

“
Paddie NO!” Katy
screamed.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and
SIXTY
Care
of you

Saturday afternoon – 2:15 P.M.

City Park, Denver

The man grabbed Paddie’s shoulders. Trapped
in her towel and held in place by Paddie’s father, Katy couldn’t
rescue her friend. Paddie spun in place and threw his best punch.
He hit the man in the genitals.

“
You little shit,” the man
raised his hand to slap Paddie.

Katy squirmed to get away enough to help her
friend.

“
You have to let this
unfold,” Colin said in her ear. “We can’t arrest them if they don’t
do something.”

“
But Paddie!” Katy
whimpered. “He’s just Paddie. Without me, he’s…”

Another man stepped over to Paddie and his
would-be captor. Before any of the parents could respond, the
second man picked up Paddie and started to carry him off.

“
That’s my old Daddy’s
father,” Katy said. “Mommy thinks he can’t walk.”

“
Don’t do anything,” Colin
said in her ear.

Katy was too terrified to respond. They
watched the man carrying Paddie meet another man. They looked over
their shoulder and continued toward the Museum of Nature and
Science parking lot.

“
They don’t want Paddie,”
Katy whispered. “They want me.”

“
You and Paddie aren’t the
only ones who can make secret plans,” Colin said.

“
But I can hurt them
really bad,” Katy looked into Colin’s face. Colin looked into
Katy’s worried dark eyes.

“
I thought you could,”
Colin said. “I’ve seen your Daddy move all kinds of things when he
thinks no one is watching. Let’s watch together.”

“
Colin?” Julie, Paddie’s
Mom, said. “They are getting pretty far.”

“
Please wait. We’re going
to get all of them,” Colin said.

“
Col? That’s
my
baby,” Julie said.
“If anything…”

With one man ahead, and two men behind, the
man carrying Paddie moved up the grass hill toward the
sidewalk.

“
Can you make them slip?”
Colin whispered in her ear.

“
I need my hand,” Katy
said.

Colin loosened the towel enough for Katy to
get her hand free. Her fingers imitated legs walking fast. She made
her finger legs slip and the man carrying Paddie fell. Sliding
backward down the hill, the man holding Paddie knocked over the men
following him. Floating on a cushion of air, Paddie giggled with
glee.

“
I bet that hurt,” Colin
said.

The man walking ahead tried to grab Paddie.
Katy made her finger legs fall over. The man fell on his face. He
slid down the hill into the other men.

Paddie ran free. Paddie was running toward
Katy and his parents when a woman rushed down the steps toward
him.

“
That’s my old Daddy’s
Mommy,” Katy said. “Can I?”

“
I think Paddie’s got
this,” Colin said.

With the woman on his tail, Paddie ran
straight into the splash fountain. The water cannons shot into the
air in a random fashion around him. The woman dodged and weaved
around the water.

“
Go ahead,” Colin
whispered in Katy’s ear.

The water cannons under the woman shot up at
the same time. Squealing with laughter, Paddie danced into his
mother Julie’s arms. She was so happy to have him back that she
didn’t care that he was dripping wet. When Katy looked up, there
were some familiar-looking men and women in dark blue suits and
dark sunglasses picking up the bad men. Katy turned off the water
at the splash fountain so that the really big man who was Teddy’s
friend could grab Trevor’s mother. Paddie’s mother kissed and
fussed over him. Paddie shot Katy a sly look. She smiled at
him.

“
But why did they take
Paddie and not me?” Katy asked Colin. “They want me.”

“
They can get money for
Paddie and come for you next weekend,” Colin said.

“
Like a movie?”

“
Like a kidnapping ring.
By taking Paddie, it wouldn’t be obvious they were trying to steal
you from your Mommy and Daddy.”

“
How did you know they
wanted to steal me?” Katy asked.

“
Your Daddy and Mommy said
something to me,” Colin said. “You’re not the only one who’s been
watching.”

“
Oh.”

Katy had worked really
hard to keep her Mommy and Daddy from knowing people wanted to
steal her. She knew it would really, really, really make her Mommy
sad. And that would make Katy really, really, really sad. It just
never occurred to Katy that any
grown
up
would deal with these awful
people.

“
You’ve been thinking
about this for a long time,” Colin said.