Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “We can’t know the answer to why life is unfair,” Charlie nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Because we live in the present and the question is about everyone’s present at and all of time.”

  “Very good Charlie,” Anjelika said. “You need to improve your reading. You know this.”

  “It’s still not fair that my inability to read as a result of my difficult life screws up my future,” Charlie said.

  “It is very difficult,” Anjelika said. “And very human. We all have challenges in the moment that we must overcome. This is yours. Whether it’s fair or not, we will have to leave to someone else to decide.”

  “Fine,” Charlie said.

  “Fine?”

  “Fine.”

  “There are some obstacles…”

  Having heard her say this before, he continued the next part of the conversation.

  “I will not be able to overcome. I can change course.” Charlie smiled.

  “Like a boat tacking against the steady wind,” Anjelika said. “Letting go in the moment to hold onto your final destination.”

  “So what can I do?” Charlie asked. “I only have a month before school starts.”

  “Sandra spoke to Aden about your scores.”

  “So everyone knows I’m a retard?” Charlie’s face turned bright red.

  “Don’t use that word,” Anjelika said. “It is an insult to everyone who hears it.”

  “Everyone knows I’m stupid?” Charlie asked again.

  “You are not stupid, Charlie,” Anjelika said.

  “Fine, I’m not stupid,” Charlie said. “Everyone knows?”

  “Your soon to be step-father knows that you struggle with reading,” Anjelika said. “It may surprise you, but it was not news to him.”

  “Fine,” Charlie said. “And?”

  “You may not be able to play for Regis this year,” Anjelika said. “We’ll have to look at their admission requirements. But you might be able to play at another school. Maybe you’ll get their attention and go to Regis next year.”

  “Oh,” Charlie said. “Let go in this moment.”

  “Exactly,” Anjelika said. “Change tack.”

  “What about school?” Charlie asked.

  “Sandra heard that Denver Public Schools has an online program,” Anjelika said. “She spoke with Aden about the program. He is going to call and to learn more. If you do well, you might be able to transfer to Regis next year.”

  “I can’t play basketball online!” The exasperation crept back into Charlie’s voice and Anjelika gave him a stern look. He looked away from her, gained control of himself, and looked back. “What about basketball?”

  “Sandy’s client said you can play any sport at any DPS school,” Anjelika said.

  “Any one?” Charlie asked.

  “Any DPS high school, any sport,” Anjelika said. “Jacob and Aden are talking to schools and will bring the information home for you. There are other sports than basketball.”

  “I really like basketball,” Charlie said.

  “It’s good to do things we aren’t good at,” Anjelika said.

  “Like reading,” Charlie said.

  “Yes,” Anjelika said. “Are you ready to get to work?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you clean up?”

  “At work,” Charlie said.

  “Do you have your glasses?”

  Charlie took his reading glasses from his bag.

  “We are reading The Door in the Wall today,” Anjelika said.

  “Out loud?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes, let’s read it out loud,” Anjelika said. “I’ll start and then you go. We can talk about it one chapter at a time.”

  Charlie nodded.

  “To our dear friend H.R. I know thy works: Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man shall shut it: for Thou hast a little strength and hast not denied my name.”

  “Isn’t that some bible thing?” Charlie asked.

  “Revelations,” Anjelika said. “Go ahead.”

  Charlie swallowed hard and began reading.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Wednesday mid-day – 12:30 P.M.

  “You don’t have to come in with me if you don’t want to,” Lizzie said.

  James Schmidt, Schmidty, Seth’s music agent pulled his BMW to the curb. He’d known Lizzie most of his life and loved her almost as long. She glanced at him and smiled at the look on his face.

  “What did Lupe say?” Schmidty asked what Lizzie’s childhood caregiver had said to her before they left.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Lizzie said. “It’s just that…”

  “What?” Schmidty asked.

  “I don’t exactly have a scarlet A but…,” Lizzie said. “Maybe I should.”

  “I think you’re beautiful,” Schmidty said. “And as usual, you’re doing something wonderful for someone else.”

  “Do you think I’ll ever have a life?” Lizzie asked.

  “I think you’re having a life,” Schmidty said.

  “Of ill repute,” Lizzie said.

  Schmidty smiled. Trying to assess what he was thinking Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows at him.

  “I mean get married, have my own house, a sane life,” Lizzie pushed her old friend Schmidty on the shoulder. “You’re my age and you have all that stuff. Well, not a wife, but… I want my own BMW.”

  Blushing bright red, Schmidty gave her an odd smile.

  “What?” Lizzie asked.

  Schmidty shook his head and unbuckled his seat belt. She put her hand over his and he stopped moving. He looked at her hand then at her face.

  “What?” Lizzie asked.

  “I’d buy you any house you wanted, settle into a sane life, you can have my BMW or any other you want and…” Schmidty skin matched his red hair. “Will you marry me?”

  “What?” Startled, Lizzie spoke before she realized what she’d said.

  Schmidty panicked and opened his door. She grabbed his arm.

  “Why don’t we start with dinner?” Lizzie asked.

  Schmidty nodded.

  “I…” Lizzie blushed.

  Schmidty looked at her.

  “I’ve always thought you were too good for me,” Lizzie said. “I mean, I’m not really your type.”

  “What’s my type?” Schmidty asked.

  “Blonde, big plastic torpedo…” Lizzie gestured to her breasts. “Rich, cheerleader, Jewish.”

  “My only type is you, Lizzie,” Schmidty said.

  “What about all those girls?” Lizzie asked. “Every time I saw you, you were with some pretty…”

  Schmidty nodded and she blushed.

  “I saw you with those girls because you wanted me to be jealous?” Lizzie asked. “You didn’t like them at all.”

  “That’s not true,” Schmidty said. “I’m not that much of a cad. I did like them. I’ve just always liked you a lot more.”

  “I don’t want to be your shicksa,” Lizzie said.

  “Yes, you’ve told me that since we were ten years old,” Schmidty said.

  “What about your mother?” Lizzie asked.

  “What about my mother?” Schmidty asked.

  “What about…” Lizzie waved to her step-father induced pregnant belly.

  “Seems to me like you’re doing what you always do, Lizzie,” Schmidty said. “You’re making someone very happy.”

  “What will your mother say?” Lizzie asked.

  Schmidty groaned.

  “Well…”

  “Why do you care what my mother says?” Schmidty asked. “For the record, my mother has always said I could do a lot worse than you.”

  “That’s not much of a compliment,” Lizzie said.

  “We’re talking about my mother,” Schmidty said.

  “Hmpft,” Lizzie crossed her arms and leaned into the seat.

  “They’re watching from the doorway,” Schmidty said. “They probably think you changed your mind.”

  “Oh,”
Lizzie looked over at the large early twentieth century home. Seeing Colin and Julie, she waved. Turning back to Schmidty, she kissed him on the lips and got out of the BMW. Stunned, Schmidt took a minute to gather himself before he joined her.

  “Dinner?” Schmidty asked.

  “Dinner,” Lizzie said.

  “Please come in!” Julie said.

  Lizzie took Schmidty’s hand and went up the stairs to Julie and Colin’s home.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Wednesday afternoon – 1:30 P.M.

  Pulling up to the storage unit, Sandy swallowed hard. She was going to have to do this alone. Seth still wasn’t walking. Just back to work, Aden was reviewing sites with Jake.

  And there was no way Sissy and Charlie were coming. At least not this first time. No way. No how.

  That meant Sandy was there alone.

  Of course, alone meant Heather, Tanesha and Jill. With Tanesha in the passenger seat, Heather pulled up next to her. Jill pulled in on the other side of her. They didn’t really count.

  She needed someone tough to help her think. The girls were nice and smart and certainly had her back. And no one was tougher than Tanesha.

  But Seth was a police officer. He knew all the ins and outs of what happened to her. Seth wouldn’t be here today.

  Sighing, she dropped her head and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

  “Hey!” She heard Heather greeting someone. Sandy looked up to see Ava stepping out of Seth’s unmarked police sedan. Curious, Sandy got out of the car.

  “Ava!” Sandy said.

  “Seth was devastated he couldn’t come today,” Ava said. “I thought I’d come to see if I could help. I know the forensics team, so we’ll get the inside scoop.”

  “Thanks,” Sandy beamed.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Ava said. “This afternoon is going to suck. No matter what we do, it’s going to suck.”

  Sandy nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Heather, Tanesha and Jill nod. She saw the Agent Angela Montiz, the nice FBI agent from Tucson, and waved.

  “Angie!” Ava said.

  “Amelie!” Agent Angie said. “What a treat! I thought I was only going to see you at pizza last night.”

  “Seth couldn’t make it today,” Ava said. “I wanted to be here with my friend, Sandy. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I’d love your eye on some of this stuff,” Agent Angie said. “You have good taste in friends, Sandy.”

  Sandy nodded.

  “Are you ready?” Agent Angie asked.

  Jill slipped her arm into Sandy’s elbow and Sandy nodded.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY-SIX

  Fresh Start

  Wednesday afternoon – 3:35 P.M.

  “I’ll be right back,” Sandy said.

  She smiled at Agent Angie and Ava and walked out of the storage locker. Jill, Heather, and Tanesha were sitting under a tree in the parking lot. They were going through the boxes the FBI agents brought them. Just starting to feel the babies’ weight, Jill was seated on a makeshift throne of boxes with something under her feet. Sandy’s best friends were dirty and hot.

  And it had only been two hours.

  “I’m going to pump,” Sandy said.

  “Do you want…?” Jill asked.

  “I need some time to think,” Sandy shook her head.

  “Your water, madam,” Heather said. “Got to prime the pump.”

  Sandy smiled. Her breast feeding champion, Heather, gave Sandy a small bottle of water. She drank it down and gave the bottle back to Heather. Heather refilled it from the orange plastic water cooler they’d nabbed from Lipson Construction. She gave the bottle back to Sandy.

  “We’d hug you but…” Tanesha raised her dusty hands.

  Sandy gave her a sad nod. She waved at them and went to Aden’s SAAB. She didn’t usually drive, but Aden had insisted today. He wanted her to be able to get away when she needed to. She told him Jill would be there, but he was so concerned that she took his car.

  Turning on the car to get the air conditioning running, the subtle smell of Aden’s cologne filled the interior. She loved this car. Every time she got in, she remembered their first date. They’d met at the gym and he usually drove a work truck. Noelle had insisted he take his fancy car. She smiled.

  She put up the metallic window screen and the side window shades. She put on her nursing cover and set up the breast pump. She said a silent prayer for Rachel and began pumping.

  Sandy’s mind drifted to the storage locker. When she had stepped into the storage unit, she knew her entire life had been a lie. Her eyes glanced from a lavish ball gown to a gold leaf chair to a bear skin rug. No wonder her mother couldn’t afford glasses for Charlie! She’d spent all her money on this… junk.

  While the ridiculously expensive garbage angered Sandy, the waste made her furious. Ava pointed out a rat’s nest in a pile of hand sewn, hand painted kimonos. Her mother could have paid for Charlie and Sissy’s college two times over with the money she’d spent on just the plush junk she’d destroyed!

  That’s not to mention the wall of boxes filled with… more pricey junk. Heather found three boxes of stage costumes. Too small for her mother, they were clearly created, worn and cared for by someone. Jill thought they must have been Sandy’s biological mother’s clothes. The rush of information was almost too much for Sandy to process.

  She switched off the pump to massage her breasts for a minute. She tried to force her mind to think of her precious little baby who was dependent on her milk. The more she pumped, the more milk was available to help Rachel grow. She took out her iPhone to look at pictures of Rachel from last weekend. She drank her bottle of water and turned on the pump.

  The passenger door jerked opened. Sandy gasped with surprise.

  “Oh sorry,” Leaning on metal crutches, Seth’s head poked into her car cave. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not moving well and…”

  “Sit down,” Sandy said. “Please. I have about five more minutes.”

  Seth carefully put one foot in the car and eased himself into the seat.

  “You should be in the hospital,” Sandy said.

  “Locked ward,” Seth said. “That’s what Ava said.”

  “How’d you get out of the house?” Sandy asked.

  “Maresol went to the market,” Seth said. “I made Dale take me.”

  “In your fancy race car?” Sandy asked.

  “I’m not letting that boy touch my performance vehicle. Are you crazy?”

  Smirking, Sandy waited for Seth to continue. Seth chuckled.

  “We came in his car,” Seth said. “We had to pick up Ava’s replacement car. We stopped by here to surprise Ava.”

  “You convinced Dale to help you get the car and while you’re out you managed to stop over here?” Sandy laughed.

  “Hmm,” Seth said. “Sounds diabolical when you say it.”

  Sandy smiled.

  “Is it so wrong for a man to want to give his girlfriend a vehicle?” Seth laughed. “She needs to be able to get around..”

  “Hmm,” Sandy said.

  As they often did, they fell into companionable silence. Sandy finished pumping. Seth helped her put the bottles into her ice filled cooler. Under the nursing cover, she cleaned up and put the pump away. For a moment, Sandy sat in the car.

  “Do I have to go back in?” Sandy asked.

  “No,” Seth said. “You and the girlfriends can go home. We’ll hire people to go through everything. That’s easy.”

  “When did you start calling Jill, Heather and Tanesha ‘the girlfriends’?”

  “Charlie made a good case for why they’re ‘the girlfriends,’” Seth said. “They are the pinnacle of great female friends – loyal, dedicated to each other, kind, loving, willing to step in at a moment’s notice – with none of the usual petty jealousies and stupidity. I mean Heather’s in love with Tanesha’s summer fling and they worked it out. Who does that?”

  “I see,” Sandy said.
“And I still have to go back in there.”

  “I think the hope was that you would find something we missed,” Seth said. “No one knows your mother better than you do. No one has watched her year after year being her horrible self. You know in your soul that she created, managed, and profited from your abuse and from the distribution of the videos. You’ve told me that.”

  Sandy nodded.

  “So where is it?” Seth asked.

  “Where is what?” Sandy asked. “I’m not even sure what we’re looking for.”

  “I don’t think we’re sure,” Seth said. “Would your mom use physical ledgers or a computer?”

  “Computer,” Sandy said. “Maybe a network of computers. A couple of years ago she was all about the computer network.”

  “Would she network via the Internet?”

  “No way,” Sandy said. “She was too paranoid. She always talked about hackers and she was really pissed when the Patriot Act was passed.”

  “That’s good, Sandy,” Seth said. “If she had computers, would she keep them in this kind of disarray?”

  “No,” Sandy said. “She’d have a climate controlled clean room. She used to work in an HP facility. She knows what computers need. The computer at her house was up to date, latest hardware, software. The room it was in had its own air conditioner. Huh…”

  “Huh?”

  “Oh, it’s probably nothing,” Sandy said.

  “What’s nothing?”

  “I can’t remember when it was, but she was really pissed about computers failing,” Sandy said. “She didn’t sleep or eat. All she did was talk about how our country was failing because of its poor manufacturing standards. It was all she talked about for months. She was furious.”

  “Manufacturing standards?” Seth’s voice rose with doubt.

  “Yeah, I know. Why would she care?” Sandy’s eyes flicked back and forth as she strained to bring up the memories. “Dad was still alive, but sick, really sick. I don’t think anyone knew how sick he was except me, and you, of course. I remember being mad at Mom because Dad was really sick and she was in a rage about something stupid. I wonder if that’s when Dad and Sissy came here.”

  “Probably,” Seth said.