by Robin Ray
Chapter 10
New Year’s Eve was a cold and blistery day, frigid enough that the warblers in the spruces outside huddled together for warmth. As it was also raining, James remained inside reading his newly acquired books, watching TV, and making entries into his unfinished graphic comic. Brother, Julius, Kyd and Marlow were downstairs playing cards as usual. Marlow must’ve been winning because he seemed to shout out intermittently more than anyone else. James went downstairs to get something from the fridge to drink and also to greet his housemates. Without missing a beat, they greeted him and kept on playing their game. James went out onto the porch to get a close up look at the wintry weather. He watched as cars whizzed past on the sleek wet streets, sending small puddles of water up on the sidewalk towards unsuspecting pedestrians. Then, looking up the block, he saw in man in dark clothes stumbling as if mired up to his teeth in liquor. As he staggered closer, James could see it was Drew. He was carrying a bottle of wine in his hand, stopping to take a sip every so often. James shook his head as his floor mate approached.
“Hey, buddy,” Drew greeted him. “How’s it going?”
“Looks like you overdid it,” James noticed.
“I’m okay,” Drew belched. “It’s the holidays!”
“Be careful you don’t trip and fall.”
“Eh,” Drew bragged, “I’ve been worse. Me and my liver are still the best of friends.” He held the bottle out to James.
“Want some?”
“No, thanks,” James stated.
Drew downed what was left in the bottle then threw it gingerly into the hedges. James shook his head in disbelief then turned to go inside.
“Wait up!” Drew yelled as he entered the gate.
James stopped at the front door which was already opened in his hand.
“I know that, to you,” Drew burped, “I look like some moonshine-swilling redneck, but
beneath this rough exterior lies a heart of 24 carat gold.”
“Close that door!” someone yelled from inside. “You’re letting the heat out!” James looked at Drew.
“You’re coming in or not?”
The drunken man staggered a little. “I-I’m going for a walk,” he stuttered. “If Brother saw me like this he’d have me kicked out.”
“Suit yourself,” James stated then went inside.
Drew continued walking up the block, at times steadying himself against the nearby shrubs and fences. Later that evening, Julius, Kyd and Marlow went over to a friend’s house to watch the ball drop and indulge in libations members of the church typically frowned upon. James and Brother were sitting in the living room watching the countdown to the new year but
Brother, exhausted from the day’s events, was fast asleep on a couch. James, sipping eggnog and munching on crackers, was deeply focused on the TV screen when he heard a banging noise coming from the back. Getting up, he put on the kitchen light and opened the back door. Drew, standing at the bottom of the short staircase, was carrying a large box of electronic parts and gadgets. If he was drunk, he was doing a good job of hiding it as he barely staggered holding the box.
“Hey,” he greeted James. “Hold the door open, will ya?” James held the metal door open while Drew entered with the box.
“What’s in there?” James asked.
“You’ll see,” he answered as he started walking up the stairs to the second floor.
After James locked the back door, he followed Drew to his room who was taking out items from the box one by one.
“Donation,” Drew explained, “from people I know.”
“What is it?” James asked.
Drew held up a tail boom the length of a guitar’s neck.
“It’s a radio-controlled helicopter,” he stated. “You have to put it together.”
James examined the other items in the box. He saw rotors, landing skids, tail fins, a fuselage and other parts jumbled together.
“Why is everything apart?” James asked.
“I was trying to assemble it myself,” Drew admitted. “Obviously, I failed.” James picked up the shoebox-sized controller and toggled a few switches.
“Where are the instructions?” he asked.
“Oh,” Drew reassured him, “a big boy like you doesn’t need instructions, does he? You’re a pretty smart kid. You’ll figure it out.”
James laid down the controller, picked up the body of the helicopter, fished the main rotor blades out of the box, and snapped them in place.
“See?” Drew beamed. “You have the “know how.”
“This thing is gonna be big once it’s put together,” James noticed. “Where can we fly it?”
“I think there’s enough space in the backyard,” Drew answered. “If not, Green Lake.” James looked at his watch.
“It’s getting close to midnight.”
“Witching hour,” Drew added.
Opening the tabletop refrigerator in his room, he brought out a bottle of white wine and poured himself a glass. “You want one?” he asked the cloud seeker.
“No, thanks,” James answered. “I was drinking eggnog earlier. Now I’m a little woozy.” “Okay,” Drew stated. “I’m just trying to do you a favor since it seems like you don’t have anybody. It was a lot of trouble bringing you this helicopter but I knew you’d enjoy it. I think a little celebration is in order, no?”
James, feeling the pangs of guilt, reached for the bottle and poured himself a glass. Drew stared as the youngster downed half of his alcoholic beverage.
“Not so fast, grasshopper,” Drew cautioned him. “You wanna stay up to watch the ball drop, don’t you?”
“I will,” James stated then drank the rest of the wine.
He laid the empty glass down on a table.
“I’m going downstairs,” he explained.
“Wait,” Drew told him. “Take the helicopter to your room first.”
Nodding, James picked up the large box and brought it to his room. Drew trailed behind with the leftover parts.
“Where should I put these?” he asked.
“Anywhere,” James answered. “I’ll work on it tomorrow.”
He laid the large box down on the ground in a corner of the room, then as he stood up, vertigo overpowered him. Staggering backwards, he caught himself on his dresser.
“Are you okay?” Drew asked.
James, his vision now blurry and hazy, peered at his floor mate. He could barely make out the man before him. All he could see were faded multi-colored lines bearing no specific shape. Seconds later, he fell unconscious on his bed.
Nearly two hours later, James’s body began stirring to consciousness. Weak and still under the influence of some unknown substance, he half-opened his eyes to peer through the darkness of his room. His attempts at trying to get up proved futile as he simply lacked the strength to even move his legs. His arms, he noticed, also felt heavy, as if weighed down with lead. The cold temperature in the room sent a seething chill through his body. Parting his lips, he could see faint wisps of his breath. He then noticed that his pants had been removed, exposing his legs to the cold wintry air. He tried to sit up but then felt a strong arm gently coaxing him back to a supine position. Glancing weakly to his right, he made out the outline of his floor mate, Drew, lying beside him. Much too listless to protest or even shout for help, tears simply welled in his eyes as he laid still in his prison-bed. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep within seconds.
James awakened mid-afternoon the next day as sunlight came peeking in through his windows. Still feeling slightly weak, and now sporting a lake-sized headache, he fought to get up. Noticing his pants were back on, he started wondering whether they were actually off or was it all just a dream. No one was lying on his bed next to him. Seconds later, he started feeling nauseous. Getting up, he stumbled out into the hallway and made a beeline straight to the bathroom where he threw up in the toilet. After washing his mouth and face, he staggered back i
nto his room and sat on his bed. He gazed at the large box on the floor in the corner. Getting up, he looked in it and found it was empty. Turning, he exited his room and headed downstairs. Brother was in the kitchen pouring out a cup of coffee from a coffee maker when James entered.
“Good afternoon, flyboy,” Brother greeted him. “Want some coffee?”
James stared at Brother but said nothing. Then, turning towards the back, he opened the kitchen door.
“Where are you going?” Brother asked. “You look weak. Is something wrong?”
James, ignoring his housemate, casually stepped outside, closing the door behind him. Brother peeked outside at the young man with curiosity. He watched as James, silent as a tongue-less bluebird, paced slowly in the backyard, staring at the ground as if looking for something.
Brother opened the backdoor and walked out to him.
“Listen,” the elder man suggested, “if there’s something bothering you, let me know. I want to help.”
James stopped for a moment, looked up at the sky, then started pacing slowly again.
“Do you need a doctor?” Brother asked.
James continued pacing then, as his housemate watched, simply turned and walked off the property. In the back of the house was an alley which emptied out into cross streets. James, walking to the right, continued past a row of houses and turned the corner. Brother went back inside and called Marion and Rose. When he received an answering machine, he hung up. Grabbing his jacket, he exited the house and went after James.
By the time Brother arrived at the cross street, James was nowhere to be seen. Scores of people were walking up and down the sidewalk as cars zoomed by on the street. Even though it was cold, the glistening sun brought a lot of people outside to enjoy the rare reprieve. Brother walked up the block then, catching no glimpse of his housemate, returned home.
Two days later, James, tattered and dirty, walked into the John Calvin around dinnertime. Drew and Julius were sitting in the living room watching TV while Brother, Kyd and Marlow were sitting at the dining table eating their meal. Julius got up to meet the forlorn young man.
“Hey!” he greeted him. “Where have you been?”
James, head bowed, scratched his chin and said nothing.
“Are you hungry?” Julius asked. “There’s lamb stew inside.”
Brother got up from the dining room table and walked over to James.
“You had us all worried,” Brother told him. “What happened to you?”
Not answering, James simply turned and ascended the stairs to his room.
“You think we should call a doctor?” Julius asked. “He doesn’t look so good.” Brother turned to Drew.
“What happened to him on New Year’s Eve?” he asked.
“Why are you asking me?” Drew protested.
“He was fine before!”
“Don’t raise your voice to me!” Drew warned him.
“So, help me,” Brother promised him, “If I found out you have a hand in this!” Drew leaped to his feet.
“What are you accusing me of, old man!” he shouted. “Just come out and say it!” Kyd got up from the table and walked into the living room.
“Easy,” he cautioned Drew. “Nobody’s accusing you of anything, but you were here with him that night. You must’ve seen something.”
“This is ridiculous!” Drew uttered. “Every time I go somewhere, and end up in places like these, I get accused of something!”
Marlow also got up and walked over.
“To be honest,” he told Drew, “we don’t know a lot about you.”
“What is this?” Drew asked. “Pick on Drew night?”
Putting on his shoes, he stormed towards the front door.
“I think it’s better if you came clean with us, Drew,” Brother cautioned him. “Things don’t look good for you right now.”
“This is bullshit!” Drew yelled as he opened the door. “Ever since I came here, from day one, you guys ganged up on me like I was a leper. I’m calling the church first thing in the morning!”
Opening the door, he went outside, slamming the door shut behind him.
“They should’ve done a better background check on him,” Kyd suggested.
“I’ll look into it tomorrow,” Brother promised. “Maybe one of us should go look after Commoner and see if he’s okay.”
“Ah,” Julius suggested, “let him sleep. He must be tired from wandering around for days.”
Brother stayed up half the night thinking about James’s disappearance. He realized the youngster was becoming a man, but he was still apparently so pale and frail that he needed more supervision. Early the next morning, he went upstairs to see how he was doing.
Knocking on his door, he waited for James to answer. After nearly 15 seconds, he knocked again. Again, he received no answer.
“The kid must still be asleep,” he thought.
Looking to his right, he noticed the door to Drew’s room was slightly ajar. He tapped on it lightly then, very slowly, pushed it open. Drew was nowhere in sight. Returning to the first floor, he entered the kitchen and began making himself a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and wheat toast. As he sat eating it in the dining room, Kyd entered from his room. Already dressed for work, he was hurrying as if running late.
“Busy day today?” Brother asked him.
“Yeah,” Kyd answered as he exited towards the front door. “I’d love to sit and chat, and maybe even enjoy some of that good home cooking, but I’ve been warned about my lateness.”
“See ya,” Brother expressed as Kyd exited.
Seconds later, Julius exited his room and entered the dining room. Also dressed for work in smart, comfortable attire, he wasn’t nearly as in a rush as Kyd.
“Morning,” Brother greeted him.
“Hey,” Kyd asked, “did Drew come back last night?”
“I don’t think so. I looked in his room.”
“How’s the little boy?”
“I tried to wake him,” Brother admitted, “but he’s sleeping like a log.”
“He must really be beat.”
“Are you staying for breakfast?”
“Nah,” Julius answered. “I’ll stop at the McDonald’s on my way there.”
“I’ll see ya later, then,” Brother stated.
After Julius left, Brother finished his breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen and dining room, and straightened out the living room. Bits of tinsel, he noticed, had fallen off the tree and littered the carpet. Taking the broom from a nook near the kitchen, he swept the floor then reorganized the pictures and curios above the mantle. Since he was in Mr. Clean mode, he removed the burners from the stove and used wet rags to spiff the surface up. Then, wrapping the rags around the broomstick, he cleaned as much as he could of the floor between the stove and the refrigerator. After finishing his labors over an hour later, he gazed at his watch. Exiting the kitchen, he went back upstairs.
He knocked on James’s door, but like before, received no answer. When he didn’t hear anything 15 seconds later, he tried the handle. Luckily, the lock wasn’t engaged. Slowly, he pushed the door open.
“Commoner?” he whispered as he entered the darkened room. “Are you up?”
It only took a few seconds till Brother realized the room was empty. He turned and flicked the ceiling light on. The bed, he noticed, was unmade. The shelves, table and desk contained no books. Pieces of graph paper laid on a few surfaces. Brother peered in the chest of drawers. Save for a few t-shirts, there was no other items of clothing in it. He turned and opened the closet. It was as barren as the White House lawn the day after Easter. He then checked the draws in the desk. Like the closet, they were empty. When he pulled the top long draw open, he saw three plastic bottles of meds, picked them up and read their labels. Shaking his head, he pocketed the pills and returned to the first floor where he immediately called Marion and Rose. When Marion picked up, he told her Commoner w
as gone. He further explained the young man had left without his meds during the night but had entered the night before after staying out for two days. Marion promised to let the police know if he didn’t return. In the meantime, she said she’ll call in sick from work and drive around the city looking for him.
She spent the next couple of days scouring the city in search of her lost charge. With Rose at her side, they drove from shelter to shelter, from soup kitchen to food pantry looking for him.
“Maybe he’s not even in Seattle anymore,” Rose suggested as they walked away from a thrift shop.
“Where would he go?” Marion asked.
“You know how victims of trauma are,” Rose stated. “They appear normal, then when you least expect it, they break. Maybe he went looking for a safer place and time?”
“What do you mean?” Marion asked. “Like when he was young?”
“I’m just guessing here,” Rose admitted, “but he could’ve regressed that way.”
“Okay,” Marion nodded. “So where would he go to feel safe?”
“What was the name of that group home he lived in?” Rose asked.
“Um,” Marion pondered for a moment. “It was up near Bitter Lake.” Rose snapped her fingers as a bulb went off in her head.
“Bright Village!”
“Yeah,” Marion smiled. “Let’s give ‘em a visit.”
Thirty minutes later, the ladies were in the boys’ group home speaking to the director. They learned that Commoner never showed his face there, and at his age, would’ve been ineligible to stay anyway. After they left, they spent a few more hours visiting area libraries and stores he’d be likely to frequent such as those which sold electronic equipment and art supplies. Showing the sales people his photo, they all shook their heads.
“I think it’s time we told the police,” Rose suggested.
After nearly taking almost 30 minutes trying to find a parking spot, they entered the crowded downtown police station and sat and waited to speak to one of the officers.
“I'm glad I’m not bleeding to death!” Rose whispered to Marion.
“Next!” an officer behind the desk called out.
The ladies got up and approached the desk.
“Good evening, Sergeant Burns,” Marion began after briefly reading his ID. “We want to report a missing person.”
“Okay.”
The officer removed a pad from below the desk and grabbed a pen from a can on the counter.
“Who’s the person?” he asked.
“His name is James Thorsen,” Marion answered, showing him a photo, “but he likes to be called Commoner.”
“How long has it been since he was last seen?”
“Four days,” Marion answered.
“He’s about 20 years old,” Rose added.
“About 20?” Burns asked. “Don’t you know? Aren’t you related to this person?” “He’s just a friend,” Marion stated, “but you can kind of say we’re his guardians.”
“Well, are you or aren’t you?” the officer quizzed them.
“We’re friends from church,” Marion insisted.
“Then we have a slight problem,” the sergeant explained. “If his immediate family hasn’t reported him missing, maybe he’s just keeping a low profile. These things happen.”
“But he has no family,” Marion insisted. “Technically, we’re it.”
“Maybe he’s with friends you don’t know about or hanging out with people from his job.”
“He works at our church,” Marion claimed. “We’d know.”
“Listen,” Burns explained, “sometimes people just don’t want to be bothered so they “disappear” for a while. Happens all the time. This guy in town got cold feet at the altar. They found him weeks later living with a cousin about 1000 miles away.”
“He used to live in a house the church rented which we administer,” Marion indicated.
“We’ve known him for years. He’s an introvert. That’s just his nature.”
“We even checked the shelters,” Rose interjected.
“And under bridges,” Marion added.
“Okay,” the officer stated.
He turned the pad of paper over to them.
“Fill in as much information as you can,” he added, “and we’ll look into it.” Rose picked up the pad.
“Does he take medication?” the officer asked.
“Yes,” Rose answered, “but he left the house without them. He was in the air force and sustained some head trauma. He takes meds for anxiety and schizophrenia.”
“In that case,” the sergeant stated, “we’ll make it a priority.” He looked over to his left towards the back of the office.
“Hey, Jackie!” he called out. “Front and center!”
An officer in his late 20’s appeared from the back. Handsome and stout, he looked like he could be a model for a men’s magazine.
“What’s up?” he asked Burns.
“Jackie,” he began, this is…”
“Marion,” Marion answered. “This is Rose.” “Hi,” Jackie greeted them.
Sergeant Burns picked up James’s photo and gave it to the young officer.
“This is Commoner. He’s a missing person. Make a couple of copies and distribute it, will ya?”
“Sure thing,” Jackie answered then left.
“Don’t worry,” the sergeant told the ladies. “We’ll find him.”
The Seattle Police, in the course of their typical patrol day, kept a sharp lookout for the missing man. They hit every spot known to the homeless, including illegal encampments in the city’s numerous greenbelts. One night, as Jackie and his partner, Officer Ryan, were leaving a fast food restaurant in the SODO area, a homeless man around 60 years old approached them.
“You have to come!” the stranger bellowed. “He’s dying!” “Who’s dying?” Ryan asked.
“Somebody!” the man claimed. “I don’t know his name!”
“Okay, okay,” Jackie told him. “Calm down.”
“Show us where,” Ryan commanded him.
The old man motioned for the two officers to follow him a few yards to the rear of the restaurant and up a wooded trail. There were no lights where they trod. The trail was as dark as could be. Instinctively, the officers removed their flashlights and put them on.
“Do you live up here, old man?” Jackie asked the stranger.
“Sometimes,” he answered and they wound through the thick underbrush.
After a few minutes, the man stopped and pointed to the base of a tree.
“Look!” he shouted.
Jackie and Ryan shined their lights in the direction of the pointing. Near the jutting roots of an old maple they saw someone huddled beneath swaths of clothes and blankets.
“Hey!” Ryan shouted. “Are you okay?”
When the officer received no answer, they walked towards the blankets and carefully pulled the top back. The unconscious man underneath, James, was not only weak and pale but he had the pallor of death all around him. All of his books laid scattered around him.
“We’d better call an ambulance,” Jackie sighed.
James was taken to Harborview Hospital a few minutes later where he was admitted for hypothermia and pneumonia. Marion and Rose were notified, but when they went to the hospital, were denied entrance to the ICU as his condition was grave. Standing outside of his room, they saw him lying in bed with IV’s of fluid and pints of blood dripping into his arm. A nasal cannula was attached to his nostril and hooked up to an oxygen tank.
“My goodness,” Rose whispered to Marion, “he looks like a ghost already.” Marion shook her head.
“What are we going to do, Rose?” she asked her friend.
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
James stayed in the hospital for nearly two months. His stay in ICU lasted about two weeks and the rest of his time was spent recovering on a med-surg floor. Marion and Rose visited as often as they could, assur
ing him all his books were safe. They brought him chocolates, candies or anything else he requested. When he was well enough to be questioned, the ladies asked him if something happened between him and Drew. He simply shook his head and said no. They didn’t believe his answer and, with the church’s backing, evicted Drew from the John Calvin. They promised James, that, in the future, they would screen their clients better.
When he was released, Rose went to pick him up as Marion was busy with a church function which she couldn’t leave. After two months in Harborview, James was anxious to leave. The staff treated him well and the doctors were respectful, but restlessness started getting the best of him. Rose informed him that the church’s elders found a new maintenance man. James explained he didn’t mind as he was in the market for a different type of job anyway.
After being back at the house for two days, he started making his employment rounds, inquiring if they needed help at supermarkets, bookstores, and fast food restaurants. A manager at a Burger King told him that they might be looking for help at the animal shelter just north of downtown Seattle where her sister worked. Taking her advice, James hopped on a bus and headed the few miles south to the center located on a busy thoroughfare between the Queen Anne and Magnolia neighborhoods. He met with the manager of the shelter, Lisbeth, as she fed some animals in the back.
“So, tell me,” Lisbeth asked, “why do you want to work in an animal shelter?”
“I love all animals,” he answered. “I’m a hard worker and you’ll never see me calling in sick for frivolous reasons.”
“Have you ever hurt an animal?”
“No,” he answered.
“That’s important,” she stated. “We’re charged with protecting these creatures.”
“I can do that.”
“I’ll be honest with you,” she told him, “I’m a little reluctant to hire you because your official ID says your name is James, but you want to be called Commoner?”
“Is that a problem?” he inquired.
“No,” she answered, “it’s just…weird. Seems out of place, if you ask me.”
“You can call me James,” he stated.
“Okay James,” she responded, “let me go inside and check your references and I’ll let you know.”
After checking his references, he was hired on the spot. The manager informed him the job was only part-time but he stated he didn’t mind as the house he lived in was subsidized and he was recuperating as he’d just left the hospital anyway.
Starting work the very next day, they taught him how to transfer the animals out to clean the pens, walk the dogs in the back of the facility, check in lost and unwanted animals, which types of food to feed them, and the animal adoption process. A quick learner, his fellow employees came to respect and trust him. Although he didn’t talk much, he quickly made friends with those around him, engaging them in light conversations about space flight and other fancies he had.