One Among Us

by Paige Dearth

  Mr. and Mrs. Frey sat with their mouths agape. It was worse than they had imagined. While Maggie told the story, the husband and wife cried and moaned.

  “You said people forced you to have sex when you were kept in the prison and at the house. What about Seth? Is that where he caught AIDS?” Mrs. Frey asked, holding her breath.

  “At first, they only took naked pictures of Seth. He was so little, and I guess, for some reason, the sick pricks who were paying to have sex with us didn’t want a four-year-old boy. I’d say it was almost two years later when Seth told me that a man put his pee pee into his butt. He was a mess. I comforted him the best I could. My heart was aching. I begged John William, the man who stole us, to sell me more and leave Seth alone, but he just beat me for trying to tell him what to do. The people who owned us, made the men wear condoms with the girls because they didn’t want us to get pregnant. But it was different for the boys. Max, the older boy who was with us, told Cali and me that they let those disgusting pigs do it without condoms. Max explained that they would be able to sell the girls for much longer than they could the boys. After a certain age, they’d either have the boys work in the business or kill them, depending on how ‘agreeable’ they’d been over the years. Max rebelled, killed some creep, and they killed him for it.”

  Veins were pulsating on Mr. Frey’s forehead. “Was Seth raped more than once?”

  Maggie nodded her head slowly as she looked down at her hands, which were resting on the table. “Yes. There were lots of men. I wouldn’t even be able to guess how many times. I’m sorry. I tried to do everything I could to help him,” she said remorsefully.

  “Now wait a minute, Maggie. This is not your fault. Hell, if it weren’t for you, we might never have been able to see our son again,” Mrs. Frey said assertively.

  For the first time since the Freys had arrived, Maggie felt as if the three of them were all on the same side—the only side that mattered to all of them: Seth’s side.

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two

  It took five days for the paternity test to come back. Mr. and Mrs. Frey drove to Maggie’s apartment with the letter. Of course, they had opened the envelope, so they already knew.

  Maggie was more comfortable with the Freys after their meeting at the Melrose Diner. They visited Seth every night. Now, as the Freys sat on the edge of the mattress, Maggie could sense that they were waiting to tell her something.

  “So, we got the test results back today,” Mr. Frey said in an even voice.

  Seth locked eyes with Maggie. “And?” Seth pressed.

  “It confirms that you are our son,” Mrs. Frey said, trying her best not to scare any of them.

  Seth pushed the covers back as best he could and with a little help from Mr. Frey, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress to rest his feet on the floor.

  “So you’re really my mom and dad?” Seth asked.

  Maggie and Juju watched them, too stunned to utter a word.

  “Yes, Stefano, we are,” Mrs. Frey said.

  Seth nodded. “OK, but don’t call me Stefano. My name’s Seth.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” Mrs. Frey said. “We’ve looked for you from the moment they took you from us. Your father and I love you very much. We want to take you home with us. We want to take care of you.” She looked at Maggie and Juju with gratitude. “Your friends can come and visit all the time.”

  Seth put his hands out, and Maggie helped him to stand. Adrenaline was racing through his body. He had to tell them what he wanted. He already knew that he was dying, and he couldn’t imagine his life without Maggie, Juju or Joey. He steadied himself as he turned to face his parents.

  “Thank you, but I want to stay with Aggie. It’s not like I know you or anything. I mean, I know you’re my parents, but I could never leave Aggie and Juju,” Seth said sadly.

  Mrs. Frey focused on Maggie. “It’s not as if he has a choice. He’s a child, a minor.”

  Maggie gestured for Juju to come over and hold onto Seth. Then she got down on her knees in front of the couple. “Please don’t make Seth do something he doesn’t want to do. I know you love him. He knows you love him, but the only family we’ve ever known is each other.”

  Maggie could hear Seth’s lungs wheezing as he began to cry harder, and she jumped up and rushed back to him, urging, “OK, breathe slowly. In, two, three, four; out, two, three, four.” She gently nuzzled his back.

  “Aggie, please don’t let them take me away,” he cried. “I don’t wanna leave you guys. I don’t care how nice their house is. I just want to stay here with you and Juju.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Frey watched as Maggie comforted their child. Seth was completely at home in the loving arms of this stranger in the cramped, decrepit room they called home. Mr. Frey rubbed his wife’s hand softly. Both of them knew it would be cruel to make him leave now.

  Mrs. Frey rose and put her arms around her son, the son she’d loved, missed, and mourned.

  “We would never drag you away from your family,” Mrs. Frey said, choking back tears. “All we want now is for you to know who we are and that we love you.”

  Seth grabbed onto his mother and hugged her tightly as Mr. Frey stood and joined his family in the first family hug they’d shared in nine years. Mrs. Frey’s emotions were raw, and as she looked from her husband to her long-lost son, she realized that her prayers had just been answered. For years, she’d begged God to be able to hold her boy and tell him how very much she loved him just one last time.

  “I love you, Seth,” his mother whispered.

  “I love you too, son,” Mr. Frey followed.

  “I don’t know if I love you. I don’t really know you, but I think you’re nice people. Especially since you’re letting me stay with Aggie and Juju.” Seth turned toward the two girls. They, too, were crying.

  Maggie wiped her eyes. “Well, I think you two should stay in town. That way we can all be with Seth. You’re welcome to come here and spend time.”

  Maggie looked at the two people who had brought Seth into her life. “I have both of you to thank for bringing this wonderful person into my life. I might have died long ago if it hadn’t been for Seth. He gave me purpose and a reason to want to stay alive. Maybe by having him, you’ve given life to both of us.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Frey knew why their son loved this young, vibrant girl with all of his heart. She was caring and sensitive. She was tender and loving. She was Seth’s mother. As hard as it was to accept, especially for Mrs. Frey, the couple knew that Maggie had raised their son and deserved to be called his mother.

  “Thank you, Maggie,” Mrs. Frey responded.

  “Her name is Aggie,” Seth joked.

  “Yes, you’re right. Thank you, Aggie. Mr. Frey and I would love to stay in town. We want to spend as much time with Seth as we possibly can. You’ve done a magnificent job with our boy, and we will always be grateful for the sacrifices you made to keep him with you,” Mrs. Frey said.

  Juju butted in. She couldn’t take one more moment of all the emotions flying around the room. “Good! It’s all settled then. Seth is staying put, and you two,” she pointed at Mr. and Mrs. Frey, “can be a part of our family.”

  “OK, but let’s start by everyone using first names. Now, let’s see…we have the man of the hour, Seth, and Aggie and…what’s your real name?” Mrs. Frey asked.

  “Juju,” she responded.

  “OK and we have Juju. My husband’s name is Ron, and mine is Juliet,” Mrs. Frey said.

  “I’ll call you Juliet and Ron too, right?” Seth asked, feeling overwhelmed that they’d expect him to call them Mom and Dad.

  Juliet stood tall, even though she wanted to drop to the floor in a heap and weep. “That’s right, Seth. You can call us Juliet and Ron, too.”

  The boy smiled. “Good. Now that it’s all settled, can someone—and when I say someone, I mean Juju—make me mac and cheese? I’m hungry,” Seth said.

  “Oh, now I’m the maid? You feel better fo
r three seconds and you’re trying to boss me around?” Juju joked, tickling Seth.

  Seth started laughing and tried to get away from Juju. Then his laughter turned into an uncontrollable cough.

  “OK, you two. Knock it off. Seth, you get back to bed. Juju! To the kitchen and cook,” Maggie chimed in.

  Juliet joined Juju in the kitchen that was eight feet from the mattress where Seth was settling in.

  “Can I help?” Juliet offered.

  Juju smiled. “Ya already have by not taking Seth away. I know it ain’t exactly what ya wanted, but ya just made the two peeps I love most very happy.”

  Juliet had waited so long to see her son again. She’d imagined finding him and keeping him close to her so no one could harm him again. She had pictures in her mind of spending countless months getting to know him and helping him recover from his ordeal. As she reflected on what she’d imagined and the truth of what she was now living, a spark ignited. It wasn’t how she’d played the movie in her head a million times, but it was something, and it was more real than she’d ever imagined. Her child was loved, and that fact was all that really mattered now.

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three

  Over the next week, Ron and Juliet arrived at the apartment every evening shortly after dark. They sneaked in warm blankets, pajamas, and pillows for Seth, Maggie, and Juju. They brought groceries to fill the two small cabinets in the broken-down kitchen. The girls were grateful for the help and the extra comforts as Seth slipped further away.

  Unknown to Maggie, at the time the paternity test was performed, the Freys also had paid for AIDS testing. Their doctor, who went over the results with them by phone, said that Seth’s CD4+ cell count of less than two hundred meant that his condition was incurable. The disease had won. In addition, their doctor confirmed that Seth had developed tuberculosis. The Freys were confused until the doctor explained that it was common for AIDS patients in Seth’s stage to catch “opportunist infections.”

  “Seth’s immune system was wrecked, which opened him up to different types of illnesses or cancer,” the doctor explained.

  The Freys had decided not to share the new information with Maggie and Juju unless it was necessary. The two young girls, especially Maggie, were drowning in grief. They could see the hard-set lines around Maggie’s eyes and the tightness of her jaw every time she watched Seth without him knowing.

  Maggie would gently slide under the covers with Seth and hold him closely. She would read books to him, and when he was awake, Maggie would tell him stories about her customers at Doubles, exaggerating most of them to make the boy laugh.

  “Aggie,” Seth managed one night, “you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I know that I’m going to die soon, and I already miss you. When I’m gone, you’ll take care of Joey, right? She ain’t got no one who loves her ’cept for us.”

  “We don’t need to talk about this,” Maggie responded.

  “But I wanna talk about it. Sometimes when I’m awake, all I can do is worry that Joey will be left all alone. I figure if you and Joey are together, then you can be happy with each other. Like we’ve been happy together,” Seth insisted.

  Maggie drew in a long breath. She had believed that by not talking about Seth’s fate, it would somehow never become real. Looking into Seth’s sunken eyes surrounded by white, ghostlike skin, Maggie could no longer avoid the conversation. She was overwhelmed with dread, knowing that if she didn’t talk about death, it would come, and she would forever regret not giving Seth the last thing he needed.

  Maggie stroked Seth’s hair. “I promise I’ll take care of Joey. I promise I will miss you for the rest of my life. I promise to always be the best and do the best I can for other people.” A moan caught in her throat, and Seth put his weak hand over hers.

  “It’s OK to cry, Aggie. I’m sad, too. But after I’m gone, I gotta know that everything will be all right,” he said in a weak voice.

  “Everything will be fine,” Maggie said, gulping.

  “Fine how? Tell me, Aggie,” Seth pressed.

  “It’s like I said. I’ll take care of Joey and anyone else who needs me,” Maggie confirmed.

  “But what ’bout you? I want you to be OK, too,” Seth said with the wisdom of a ninety-year-old.

  “Ah, you know me. I can take care of myself,” Maggie said bravely.

  “But if you can take care of yourself, then hows come you still let Rock tell you what to do?” Seth asked.

  Maggie thought about it for a moment. Seth was right. She was twenty years old and had failed to break free from the assholes who controlled her life, her every move. In her pursuit of saving Seth and Joey, Maggie had forgotten to fight for her own life.

  “You’re right, sweetie. I haven’t done enough to free myself of that jerk,” Maggie stated.

  “Then what will you do?” Seth asked, wanting his Aggie to be happy.

  “I don’t know for sure. But I promise that I’ll do everything I can to get away from all of it, including Rock,” Maggie said with conviction.

  “OK, but I’m scared to leave you alone. I’m scared for you, Aggie,” Seth said.

  “Look at you. You’re the one who’s sick, and you’re worrying about me. You don’t have to worry. I’m going to be fine, and I’ll find a way. If I know you’re worrying, it’s going to make me worry,” Maggie told him.

  Seth laughed. “You’re always worried, Aggie.”

  Seth lay back on the pile of pillows. He watched Maggie as she readjusted and started to read him another book. As she read, his thoughts wandered to when he was a little boy in his darkest hours living at the mercy of his captors. Maggie would hold him close after they’d hurt him and hum sweet songs. He would get lost in the vibration of her sound and feel as though nothing bad would ever happen to him again. Even though he couldn’t comprehend death in its truest form, he knew he’d go away forever. Even that thought wasn’t as frightening as being with John William or clients or even Thelma. Seth always found his peace in Maggie’s arms, as he did now, and he came to the realization that he’d been given so much more than he ever knew.

  Maggie left the words on the page and gazed into his warm, blue eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “It’s nothin’. Except that I’m really lucky,” Seth whispered.

  Maggie was startled. Seth had lived such a tragic life. He had suffered so much pain and sorrow. She wondered if perhaps his mind was failing. How could Seth ever think he was lucky? Look what was happening to him…to her wonderful, sweet boy.

  Seth could see that she was perplexed. “Aggie, we were really sad once. But we always had each other, right? You always loved me, right? That’s why I’m lucky. ’Cause I never felt like I was alone.”

  “You’re right, Seth. We’ve always had each other, and we always will,” she confirmed.

  Maggie felt ungrateful listening to Seth. He was right. They’d been lucky to have each other all of these years. With all of the horrors and torment, it was by sheer luck that John William had put them in the back of the van together, where they formed a bond that could never be broken.

  Maggie began to hum as she softly rubbed his arms and shoulders.

  “Just hold me, Aggie,” the boy sputtered.

  Maggie and Seth snuggled on the mattress and, for the next two hours, they didn’t speak. They just held onto each other, feeling a love so pure that they knew they had received the greatest gift: love through the purest of all evil.

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Four

  Maggie awoke to the sound of Seth gasping for air. Startled, she jumped off the mattress, waking Juju with a start.

  “What is it?” Juju asked, her heart racing.

  “It’s Seth. Grab some towels and wet them with warm water,” Maggie commanded.

  Juju called the Freys at their hotel. “It’s Seth. You need to come now,” she said.

  Thirty minutes later, the Freys arrived at the apartment still wearing their pajamas. Juliet rushed
over to the mattress and Ron followed. Maggie moved away from Seth to give them space to sit beside their son. Ron put his arm around Seth’s shoulders as Juliet took hold of his small hand.

  “Oh, God, please. We’ve just found him,” Juliet cried.

  Seth opened his eyes. “Hi, Juliet,” he breathed, and moved his head up slowly to glance at Ron and give him an acknowledging wink.

  By this time, Maggie and Juju were in the bathroom, crying tears of anguish that they didn’t want Seth to see. The last thing Maggie wanted was for him to be scared to die. Juju had gone to Thelma’s while they waited for the Freys to arrive and sneaked Joey out the back door while Thelma was passed out on the sofa.

  “My baby, we’re so sorry,” Juliet offered. “We’re sorry for everything that’s ever happened to you.”

  “Will you guys make sure you take care of Aggie when I’m gone?” Seth asked in a small voice.

  “Yes, of course we will,” Juliet answered quickly.

  “No, I mean you have to really take care of her, just like she took care of me,” Seth pressed.

  Juliet slowed her mind to listen closely to what her son was asking. Maggie was the center of Seth’s universe, and had it not been for her, they might never have seen their son alive again. Seth had been blessed with the presence of Maggie for most of his short life. Juliet finally understood.

  “Seth, we’ll love Maggie just as you have loved her. Your father and I promise you that,” Juliet swore through sobs.

  “Thank you,” Seth said.

  Over the next hour, Seth’s breathing became more labored. He was making an effort to keep his eyes open. Even at thirteen, he instinctively knew his life was just about over and that once he closed his eyes and gave in to the soft, deep sleep that beckoned him, he would never open them again.

  “Juju,” Seth called.

  Juju approached the mattress quickly and knelt beside him.