by T A Ford
She grinned.
“You want to tell me what happened at work today?” he asked.
Her smile dimmed. How could she explain the pencil incident when she didn’t understand the triggers in her head herself? One minute she was packing her things, and the next minute men were dragging her from her cubicle shouting horrible names at her.
“I lost control. It’s my fault.”
“I hear differently,” Rodney said.
“You did?”
“Either way, it did get out of control. I have to fix that. It could have been much worse. You could have gone to jail Dina.”
“I understand,” she said.
“No. You don’t. If you can’t control your temper then I can’t trust you to live alone, or even be alone.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry sweetheart. Be smart. Doctors are not our enemy. What happened to Mama is never going to happen to you.”
“Can I think about it for a while? A doctor?”
“Sure. Don’t worry. This is the plan. You go upstairs and pack everything you need. We taking the party to my house.”
“What about my MDX?” she asked.
“I’ll call a friend to help me pick up your car. Let’s get you settled at my place first.”
“Until we find me a new home?”
“Right, until I buy you a new one,” Rodney winked.
Dina smiled. She kissed his jaw. Then she was up and headed to the stairs. Rodney had done it again. He’d turned crap into sunshine. Life was always better with her brother around.
Rodney shook his head as his sister went up the stairs congratulating herself. He took out his phone. He hesitated at first, remembering his sister’s threat of taking her life, but he loved her too much to not try. He could hear her upstairs talking to herself and singing—she often did so when excited. When he glanced around at how his sister had been living, he realized he was forced to face some cold hard facts. She was more like his mother than he realized.
“Hey bro, did I catch you at a bad time?” Rodney said. “Good. Meet me for a beer? You know the spot.”
He hung up as Dina returned downstairs with two large suitcases. She nearly tumbled with them. Rodney smiled.
“You packing for a sleepover or moving in?” he joked.
“Both!” she said and rushed back upstairs.
“I’ll take it all to the truck.”
“GIVE ME A REDBREAST, neat,” Cue said to the bartender. The man nodded. The pub was a local spot near Piedmont Park. He didn’t live far. He walked to it after his day ended for him from his office. He decided to order the first drink while he waited, and immediately knew it would not be his last. Traffic in the city could be brutal. To his surprise, Rodney strolled into the bar seconds after his last text. Cue frowned at his promptness.
“Make that two,” Cue told the bartender. Cue accepted the drink offered to him and tossed it back. He gave his friend a fraternal hug and sat back down on the barstool. “You got here fast.”
Rodney sighed. “Man, you won’t believe the fucking day I had.”
“Try me?” Cue said.
“Baby-girl...”
“Baby who?”
“My little sister. I call her baby-girl, that’s probably part of the problem. She isn’t a baby anymore,” Rodney said after he accepted the drink. He tossed it down so fast Cue nodded to the bartender to keep them coming. “She nearly got arrested.”
“For?” Cue asked.
“Stabbing her boss with a pencil.”
“Wait... a pencil?”
“Rafael Almada,” Rodney said.
“Wow,” Cue said and frowned. “Didn’t know you stayed in touch with him.”
“We all keep in touch. It’s you who wanted nothing to do with the brothers,” Rodney said.
“With good reason,” Cue mumbled, looking at the glass of whiskey he shouldn’t be drinking.
“He did me a favor. Gave her a job. Took her under his wing. Dina freaked out at work and stabbed him in front of everyone with a pencil.”
“Stabbed him where?”
“Hit him in the arm. Right here.”
Cue shook his head. “Is he okay?”
“Fuck if I know. How does a man recover from a pencil attack?” Rodney asked.
Cue chuckled. Rodney smiled, and so did the bartender. “Crazy shit man. And she’s not getting better.” He stopped laughing. “She’s getting worse.”
“Tell me more about her. You were so secretive when you asked me to check her out.”
“I told you she has Asperger’s. That’s enough.”
“Not really,” Cue said.
“Why not?” Rodney asked.
“I’m sure when she was a child she wasn’t diagnosed with it. Asperger’s didn’t become a thing until a little before 2013. What was it then, when you were growing up?”
“We thought she was just slow. But she was so smart it confused my parents. Then my mother got sick and well... I figured she was like her. When my dad was alive and she was in the third grade the school suggested she be tested. She was diagnosed with autism. After she got older and wanted to go to college, I had her tested. The one and only time she would let me. That’s when they said some shit about autism and spectrums. Doctor called it Asperger’s and we’ve been rolling with it ever since.”
“I understand. Is she very sensitive to light, sounds, and tastes?”
“I guess?” Rodney shrugged. “Don’t put me through it, bro. I’ve answered the questions and checked all the boxes. Except one...”
“What?”
“The mood swings. That’s one thing I don’t get. You should have seen her when I came to get her. I was afraid she had a mental breakdown. Had to carry her from the building. But after I bought her a sundae and got her home and talked to her, she was dancing around with excitement. Barely thought about the pencil incident.”
“Then it’s time bro. You got to give her up. Let me help her.” Cue signaled for another drink. What he really wanted was the bottle, but that would draw unwanted attention to his thirst.
“That’s why I called you,” Rodney said.
“I can get her into a good hospital tonight. I know a psychologist working on a behavioral study he could put her in within a week.” Cue took out his phone.
“Whoa... what the fuck are you doing?” Rodney said, and snatched the phone out of Cue’s hand.
“Getting her help.”
“I’m not fucking doing it that way. No fucking way.”
“Rodney—?”
“No!” Rodney said. “She threatened me today.”
“With the pencil?” Cue asked.
“No motherfucker! With killing herself. She said if I commit her or force her into therapy, she will kill herself.”
“Has she been suicidal before?”
“Hell no, because I don’t give her any reason to be. And putting her in a hospital is the number one trigger straight to crazy town.”
“That’s not how it works,” Cue said.
Rodney handed him back his phone. “Sorry man. Sorry. I’m at my wit’s end. I need you to help her, not lock her up.”
“How the hell do I do that if you won’t let me speak to her?” Cue said.
“I have. I will. Fuck it,” he sighed. “I need to show you something. Can you come with me?” Rodney tossed back the last of the drink. “See it for yourself. Then you’ll understand.”
Cue threw a few twenties on the bar, then got up from his seat and followed Rodney out.
In the car, Rodney played music to avoid Cue’s questions. He didn’t push his friend. He knew him. He was a good guy, but he had some strange issues when it came to his family. Issues he didn’t discuss with anyone. When they were off the expressway and headed through the city again, he turned down the volume.
“Where is she? Are you taking me to see her?” he asked.
“Nah, she’s at my place eating Oreo cookie ice cream and watching Netflix movies,
” Rodney mumbled.
“So where are we going?”
“Hang tight. I’d rather have the conversation when we get there,” Rodney said. He then turned the music back up. Cue respected his request. They arrived at an office building. Rodney pulled up to the guard gate. “I’m here to pick up Dina Erickson’s vehicle and turn in her work badge.” The guard took the badge. He requested identification from Rodney, which he provided. After a phone call he was granted permission to drive inside.
“I need you to drive her truck and follow me to her place.”
“Got it,” Cue said. He was given the keys and dropped off in front of the Acura. Cue used the key fob, unlocked the car, and was greeted by the smell of jasmine. The truck had a soft black leather interior, and was equipped with all the latest technology. He’d never seen a vehicle so clean. It was as if it were still on the showroom floor. The chrome glistened on the dials and switches. The mats had not a speck of dirt or lint. The windshields were crystal clear.
Rodney pulled away from, and Cue followed.
When they arrived at a gated community of townhomes, it was dark. Other residents were arriving home from work. Rodney pulled up on the side of the road next to a town home, and Cue stopped behind him. Rodney got out of the Escalade and pointed to the driveway for him to park.
“This is her townhouse. I own a few properties on this block. I typically buy and sell. I gave her this one a year ago. She lasted here the longest. Before today, the last time I visited inside was about three months ago. She was hanging pictures and making me spaghetti.”
Cue looked over the place and saw nothing strange about it. She had planted flowers along the short sidewalk and hung plants on the tiny porch. The windows had shutters, which were closed.
“I thought everything was fine. But now I know. I want to show you, man. Let you see who she is. See how her mind works.”
“I’ll look around, sure.”
Rodney put his hand to Cue’s chest and stopped him.
“Listen to me bro. She’s all I got in the world. I don’t give a fuck about the money, the women, my reputation. Nothing. She’s it, man. We fix her. But we do it differently. You hear me?”
“I got it,” Cue said.
“I hear they got medication. Lithium and shit. Things that could give her a normal life.” Rodney shoved his hands down in his coat pockets.
“It depends on what’s wrong with her.”
“Right. Let’s figure that out,” he said and walked away.
Cue followed. He didn’t imagine he’d see anything too shocking. Her car certainly was immaculate. But what greeted him was unexpected. The books were everywhere. There were so many he couldn’t see the real layout of the place. In addition to the books, there were the yellow sticky notes she stuck on everything: walls, appliances, doors, nothing went without a sticky note. He plucked one and read it, and then another and another.
“See this shit man. Three months and this happens to her. I don’t get it. Baby-girl isn’t some messy woman. She hates clutter. She cleans obsessively. But this...”
“This isn’t mess,” Cue said. “This right here is a reminder to take out the trash three times a week. And this is a note to remind her to turn on the porch light before she goes to sleep.”
Rodney frowned. Cue looked around. “This here is her safety zone. She notes everything that she probably thinks she’s going to forget. Why is that?”
“You think she is having memory issues? Maybe Alzheimer’s?”
“I don’t know much about her. I’m thinking that this is triggered by something.” Cue looked at his friend. “What happened three months ago?”
“Huh?” Rodney asked, staring at everything as if seeing it for the first time.
“You said three months ago you were here, and this place was fine. What happened?” he asked.
Rodney shrugged. “I got her a job. With Rafael’s firm. But that was six months ago. She got a promotion three or four months ago. Invited me over for a spaghetti dinner to celebrate. Haven’t been invited back in the door since. Man, it’s not the promotion. She’s always had issues.”
“To this extent?” Cue asked.
Rodney looked around the room. “Well, no. No, this is on a whole other level. The memory thing. Now that I think about it. She had to use notes around the house when she was a kid and I was gone to school. I came back and found them. She said she did it to help my mother who had manic episodes. Yea. This looks a little like that time.”
“You said she had an episode at work? What triggered it?”
“I don’t know. She won’t talk to me about it. Just says it’s not her fault. Her coworker told me that she has struggled to fit in. That people found her strange. Probably fucked with her head and confidence. And Rafael is a bitch. He could have said anything.”
Cue walked around picking up books and reading the titles. “Where did she get all these books?”
“She said a library or something. That she rented a truck and picked them up. I know she is constantly in the bookstores. I pay her bills. She could drop $600 on books in a blink. I think she spends close to two grand on books in a month.”
Cue nodded. “I can’t diagnose her this way. I got to get her to talk to me, or a professional. And then I would want to do some tests. Has she had any trauma? An accident, or fall? Anything?”
“Not that I know of,” Rodney replied.
“Then where do we begin?” Cue asked.
“The class. She’s going tomorrow.”
“Not that flamingo shit,” Cue groaned.
“C’mon. She loves that damn place. Go to the class. Get to know her a bit. She starts to trust you, and then we can sit her down and convince her to take the tests. The best way to get someone help is to make sure they are ready to help themselves. Right bro?” Rodney reasoned.
Cue didn’t like the plan. But he understood his friend’s desperation. The place definitely indicated she suffered from some kind of disorder. He just wasn’t sure what, and whether he should worry her brother too soon.
“Okay, man, you win. I’ll do it. I’ll take the class,” Cue said.
Rodney looked relieved. “Thank you.”
“She’s quite remarkable,” Cue smiled.
“I got to find her a new place. One big enough for me to build her a library for all these gat damn books. Trust me, there are more upstairs.”
“Really? Mind if I look around?”
“Yeah, bro, I do. My sister is private, and she doesn’t have much control over her life, cause I run basically all of it. This here is her space. I’ve shared too much already.”
“I get it. How about we get some beers?” Cue asked.
“You still ready to drink? The whiskey has me done for the night. You should be done too,” Rodney said with a hard glare.
“Yea, yea, I am,” Cue agreed and followed him out. He glanced once more at the organized chaos of Dina Erickson’s life. He was more than interested.
Chapter Four
Dance Like A Flamingo
The phone rang. Dina’s eyes opened. She could only sleep in complete darkness. That was why, in her brother’s house, she chose the room with no windows. The flashing light on her phone was like a blaring beacon. She frowned and reached for it.
“Hello?” she groaned.
“Buenos dias!”
Dina smiled. “Hola Marissa.”
“You sound sleep. Shouldn’t you be on your way to work?”
“I quit,” Dina said.
“Que pasa?” Marissa asked.
“It’s a long story. Why are you calling so early?”
“Well I wanted to know if you were coming to class tonight. We got a few new people to sign up late on the website. It’s a full class. Matteo told me to call and make sure you come join us.”
“Of course,” Dina yawned. “I’ll come early. I don’t have much to do. I’m at Rodney’s now.”
“Well bring him too. I’d love to see him again,” Mariss
a said.
“No, he won’t come. But I’ll invite him to my performance. He always comes to those.”
“Good, see you soon cariña.”
“Adiós!” Dina tossed the phone. It was seven in the morning. She’d slept for ten hours. She’d never slept so long. “Rodney!” she called out. She put her hand to her mouth. She didn’t need him or want him. When she was alone and feeling any kind of way, she’d say his name out loud. Why she did it she never really understood. It was like saying his name aloud reset the troubled thoughts in her head. She just felt better after the outburst.
Her door opened.
“Hey? You called me?” Rodney asked.
“Oh? Uhm, no, yea. Hi? You going to your office?”
“Thought I’d work from home. Hang with you today.”
Dina frowned. “Why?”
“You had a rough day yesterday. I can grill some steaks and we can play scrabble?”
“No. Don’t do that. Go to work. I’m fine.”
Rodney flipped the light switch. Dina cringed. She would have to make Rodney change the bulbs in her room and the rest of the house. He walked over to her bed. She put her hand to her brow to block out the brightness.
“You sure you okay? How you sleep? Dreams?”
“I slept fine, I’m great. I do need a favor. I have class tonight. My MDX is at work. I need to get it. I don’t want to do a Lyft. There are weirdos in Lyfts and Ubers who sex traffic you to Jamaica. Saw it on the news.”
“Ah? What?” Rodney smiled. “Never mind. Take my Lexus,” he said. “I got your truck. It’s at your place. We can go pick it up later.” He reached in his pocket and removed his credit card. He tossed it to the bed. “Do some retail therapy. Or treat yourself to a spa day. Promise me you won’t stay in bed today or buy any books.”
“I promise,” Dina grinned.
He walked over and kissed her on the top of the head like she was child and then walked out. He was the best brother. To Rodney she never grew up. He probably thought she was a virgin. He never asked about the men she dated, and when she teased that there were others, he’d go into long tirades and get all upset. It was just his protective nature.
She reached for the credit card and stared at it. She wasn’t about to go spend his money on some shoes or a fancy purse. What she needed was more books. The thought of getting a few new releases on the bestseller list made her smile. She checked her phone to see if her app had alerted her to the anticipated updated list for Oprah’s book club. There wasn’t a title listed that she hadn’t read. She scrambled out of bed and went into the shower. She’d find something exciting to read for the day.