“Watson,” the resource officer finished for her.
“Yes!”
“Claire’s homeless?” Wrinkles appeared on his forehead.
Kaylee looked at her shoes and lowered her voice, the excitement at finding someone who knew Mama C dampened. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“I think I need to hear the whole story. Follow me.” Officer Weyland led her into the office where he leaned on the counter and said, “Lindsay, will you call Mrs. Jones and Ms. Owens to the office, please. Then the three of you meet us in the teacher’s lounge.”
He didn’t wait for an answer, instead leading Kaylee back through the office into a small, dingy lounge. “Coffee?” he asked.
She rubbed her hand absently across her abdomen, trying to decide if coffee would help or make worse the roiling going on inside her. “No, thank you.”
“Have a seat.” He motioned to a plastic chair across from where he stood at the coffee maker. “I have a lot of questions, but we’ll wait until the others get here so you don’t have to tell your story twice.”
Kaylee nodded and sat, thoughts running around in her head like ants with too much caffeine. She stood as the secretary entered with two other women.
“Lindsay, Beth, Sarah—this is Kaylee Burke,” the officer said.
Kaylee reached for Lindsay’s hand and, shaking it, said, “I think we spoke on the phone last week.” The secretary nodded and looked up at Officer Weyland. Kaylee shook hands with the two teachers. They shut the door behind them and all found seats.
Officer Weyland spoke first. “Kaylee here has some news, and some questions I assume, about Claire Watson.”
The only one who didn’t look surprised was Lindsay.
Kaylee reached into her jacket pocket, then stopped. “Can I… Is it okay if I take some notes?”
The others looked at each other, then her, and nodded.
With a quiet sigh of relief, she pulled the notebook and pen out of her pocket and flipped it open to the page she’d written her questions on. She looked up at four expectant faces, sweat broke out on her forehead and her voice quavered a little as she spoke. “Okay…umm…did you all know Mama…I mean, Mrs. Watson well?”
Beth raised an eyebrow when Kaylee slipped and said “mama.” But she answered first. “The four of us were inseparable here at school.”
“And we got together once a month to play Bunko,” Sarah said.
“What is going on?” Lindsay asked. Brow furrowed. “Where is Claire?”
“I’m not sure she wants…actually, I’m pretty sure, positive really, that she doesn’t want anyone to know where she is.” She hurried to continue before the three growly-faced ladies could let her have it. “But I can tell you she’s homeless and has been that way for nine or ten years.”
There was a collective gasp from the women, Mama C’s old friends, then the questions came rapidly and in three different voices. “Is she okay?” “Is she crazy?” “Where is she?” Again.
Kaylee raised a hand, palm forward and waited for the storm to calm. “Can I ask some questions first and then I’ll answer yours as best I can? Please?”
Beth settle back into her chair with a quiet huff. “Fine. But you’d better answer our questions, starting with why you’re here.”
Leaning forward slightly, Kaylee explained again about her thesis before beginning her questioning. “So, what was Mrs. Watson like, before the fire?”
Lindsay and Sara looked at Beth. “You were her bestie, you answer,” Sara said.
With a nod, Beth started. “She was an angel. Don’t get me wrong, she was strict, the strictest teacher of all of us. But the kids loved her anyway. She had a way of getting to the troubled students. Getting to them and forcing all the good in them up to the surface so the bad choked on it.” She shook her head. “It was magical, watching her do her thing with these kids.”
Sara nodded, wiping at a tear leaving a trail of dark mascara on her cheek. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that she’s taken some young homeless kids under her wing.”
Beth laid her hand on top of Sara’s and continued. “And boy oh boy did she love that husband and son of hers. Danny put that woman on a pedestal and she did everything within her power to keep him happy. Their son, Eugene, he was a bright boy. They had him later in life and Claire proclaimed him a miracle from the day she found out she was pregnant at age thirty-seven. He got a scholarship, an academic one, to Syracuse. Would have moved there that fall if…” Lindsay handed her a tissue.
Officer Weyland took over from her. “She loved that boy like no mother before her. Every morning she’d come in and have coffee with me and talk about Eugene. How he wanted to be a scientist and help find a cure for childhood cancer. How he volunteered at the children’s hospitals whenever he had time. She was so proud when he got a full scholarship to Syracuse.”
Kaylee wanted to ask about the fire, but she couldn’t get her voice to work. She pictured the three of them—Mama C, Daniel, and Eugene—celebrating his achievements. How happy and proud she must have been.
“The fire,” Lindsay spoke in a near whisper. “It was horrible. I was here, in the office, when the police came to tell her.” Her eyes glassed over with the memory. “You could hear her screams all the way out in the yard.”
Silence filled the room, except for the sniffling and quiet, choked sobs being released after ten years of being stifled. Kaylee let the tears roll freely down her face until Lindsay handed the tissue box to her. “And after? What did she do after the fire?” Kaylee uttered.
Beth blew her nose, took a deep breath. “She died. Right along with them.” She glanced up at Kaylee, narrowed her eyes. “Oh, her body was alive. But she was just an empty shell. Her eyes grew dull and uninterested. Them dying sucked the soul right out of her. I’ll never forget what she said when I asked her what she was going to do, since she’d spent all the life insurance money on the funerals. I asked her how she was going to live. She said, ‘Doesn’t matter. I’m just living to die now.’”
Voice hoarse, Lindsay said, “She had no other family. The landlord put her up in a hotel. She locked herself inside it for two weeks after the funeral. I don’t think she even ate. She tried to come back to work after. I don’t think she knew what else to do. But her first day back, one of her students came to the office, face pale, and whispered to me that Mrs. Watson was just sitting there, staring at the ceiling, tears falling on the papers on her desk. The kids didn’t know what to do.”
“Then she left,” Officer Weyland said. “Walked right out the front door without saying a word. We never saw or heard from her again.”
Silence engulfed them once more. It lasted until a tall black man burst through the door like Kramer on Seinfeld. He stopped short as he looked from one crying woman to the next, finally landing his gaze on Officer Weyland. “Everything okay in here, Karl?”
“Everything’s fine, Mr. Johnson. We’ll just be a few more minutes, if you don’t mind telling the other teachers to give us some privacy for that long, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yeah,” he glanced around the somber room again, “yeah, no problem. I’ll station myself right outside the door.”
Kaylee cleared her throat. “Well, you answered all my questions without me even asking. What do you want to know from me?”
Beth leaned forward, her eyes drilling into Kaylee’s. “Where is she?”
“She’s…” Kaylee looked down at her hands, wringing in her lap. “She’s in Colorado. She’s helped so many young people get off the streets. But she refuses to get off the streets herself. She won’t talk about her past—I had to turn into an amateur sleuth to figure out what I did.”
“Colorado.” Sara hissed through her teeth. “It’s got to be mighty cold there. Please tell me she at least stays in a shelter.”
Kaylee shook her head. “She won’t. She stays under a viaduct, with her small, protective army of kids. I’ve supplied them all with warm sleeping bags. They have a place for a
fire. She buys them food with the money from her retirement checks.” Kaylee sighed. “She’s the most stubborn person I think I’ve ever met.”
The three women laughed and nodded. “How’s her health?” Beth asked.
Kaylee shook her head. “It was good—up until a few weeks ago. She’s developed a cough. I’ve been bringing her soup and medicine. My roommate’s boyfriend is a resident, medical student, and he got some antibiotics for her, but he said she needs to be in a hospital.”
“Maybe,” Beth looked down at the tissue in her hand, “if one of us…if I could come and talk to her, maybe I could talk her into going to the hospital.”
Kaylee’s voice softened. “She is going to be extremely angry with me for looking into her past. That was the one rule she had when she relented to speak with me—no questions about her past. But I’ll take any help I can get to convince her to go to the hospital.” She thought for a moment. “How about you give me your number? When I get back tomorrow and go check on Mama C, I’ll call you and hand her the phone. Maybe she won’t hang up on you.”
Beth smiled beneath her tears. “That would be wonderful.” She leaned forward and took Kaylee’s hands in hers. “Thank you, Kaylee.”
The weather had changed drastically in the hour she’d spent in the school. Kaylee zipped her coat and wound her scarf tighter around her neck. She turned away from the glass doors and toward Officer Weyland as she pulled her gloves on. “I’d like to get some authentic New York pizza while I’m here. Any suggestions?”
A wide smile brightened his face. “Well Miss Burke, that is something I can help you with for sure!” He pulled a small notebook and pen out of his shirt pocket and wrote as he talked. “Scarr’s is my personal favorite, and it’s not far from here. My wife prefers Nunzio’s in Staten Island, but that’s about a half-hour subway ride from here.”
“Scarr’s it is then.” Kaylee took the paper from his proffered hand and stuffed it into her coat pocket. “Thanks for all your help, Officer Weyland. I’ll be sure to let you know how Mama C is when I get back.”
She stepped out to the sidewalk, wishing she’d remembered to bring her ski hat as snowflakes fell from the graying sky. She sighed and pulled her right glove off so she could punch the address for Scarr’s into her phone. It was only a couple of miles away. She could walk since it wouldn’t be open for a while yet, anyway. She put her glove back on then turned in the direction her map showed and had taken a few steps when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Blayne: Hey, is everything okay
Kaylee pulled her glove off with her teeth and shoved it in her pocket before answering. Yes. I’m just leaving the school. I’m going to get some pizza.
Blayne: Why didn’t you text this morning? You said you’d text me before you left to go to the school
Her lips quirked up into a slight smile at his worry for her. I’m sorry. I realized when I got up that it would be really early in Colorado and I didn’t want to wake you up.
Blayne: I’m homeless and sleeping under a bridge I get up at around 4 every day cause that’s when I start to really get cold Innocent college girl
She pictured him rolling his eyes at her and ended up rolling her own eyes at herself. Sorry, I didn’t think about that.
Blayne: Well enjoy your pizza and call or text when you get back to the hotel safe and sound
Kaylee: I will.
The cold air bit at her exposed hand, and she fumbled to pull her glove back on, promising herself she wouldn’t remove it again until she was seated inside a warm pizza place. As she walked, she kept her head down, staring at the pavement of the sidewalk. She knew it was better to look up and stare your surroundings straight in the face, but it was cold. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was not scared so much, but maybe apprehensive? She’d always thought Denver was a big city, but this…it was unbelievable. Cars honking, people fast-walking down the sidewalks, sirens, construction, no one obeying the “walk-don’t walk” signals. And the homeless. So many homeless people laying or sitting on the sidewalk, in the alleyways, in the alcoves of closed businesses. Cardboard box shelters. No shelter. Worn coats, fingerless gloves. No coats or gloves or hats. It all hit too close to home. And Kaylee wanted to help them, all of them. But knowing that she couldn’t, she just tucked her head and speed-walked, following the directions on her phone. Just like everyone else surrounding her. If you can’t help, then you ignore—is that how it was?
She couldn’t accept that and knew she could help a little bit. She squared her shoulders and lifted her head. An old man in a ratted denim jacket leaned against a streetlight, shivering, a tattered foam coffee cup at his side. She slowed her walk and looked him in the eyes with a smile and a nod as she passed. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly, and he nodded back. She did this each time she saw someone like him on her route, thinking that maybe just being treated like a human being for a fleeting moment would brighten some of their days.
She reached the pizza place just as the owner flipped the “open” sign around and unlocked the door. She sat on a barstool at the counter so she could take advantage of the warmth wafting from the kitchen, and ordered a slice of pepperoni to eat there and two large pizzas to go. She pulled her notebook out and looked over her notes, adding to them as thoughts entered her mind. The smell of pepperoni, melting cheese, and baking pizza crust drifted to her, making her stomach growl in anticipation.
When the guy now working the counter finally slid a plate in front of her, the aroma was like what she thought heaven must smell like. At least the “food” part of heaven.
“Be careful, it’s hot,” the man said.
Kaylee looked at the napkin next to the plate then asked, “Do you have a fork?”
“A fork?” He folded his arms. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”
“N…no. I’m from Colorado.”
“Well, I’ll get ya’ a fork if you want, but around here we fold our slices in half and eat them like pizza was meant to be eaten.”
“Isn’t that messy?”
He laughed. “Only if the pizza is any good. That’s why we give you a big napkin.”
“Okay then.” She shoved her notebook back inside her bag and folded the large slice in half. Cheese and grease dripped out of the front of it as she lifted it to her mouth. Burning her tongue was so worth it. She savored every messy bite, stopping only to drink from the can of soda she’d ordered along with it and to talk to the guy at the counter.
“So, what brings you to New York?” he asked.
Kaylee swallowed the large bite of pizza. “A thesis project. I just needed to talk to some people who weren’t too keen on talking to me by phone.”
He nodded. “How long are you staying?”
“I leave tomorrow. It was a short trip, and I have to get back before this semester starts.” She turned to look out the windows facing the street. “I’d love to come back for a longer visit. Just with…someone else. Not by myself. And I’d prefer to stay in a better hotel,” Kaylee mumbled.
“Well,” he wiped down the counter then wiped his hands on his white apron. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the slice and maybe you can stop back by when you visit again…with someone.” He winked and smiled then moved down the counter to help a group of customers who’d just come in from the cold.
She finished her pizza with a smile on her face as she imagined walking the streets of New York with Blayne. Hand in hand. Stopping to take pictures in front of Time’s Square, the Empire State Building, the 9/11 memorial. Her heart fluttered at the thoughts.
Warmth rushed up her neck as her imaginings were interrupted by the counter guy sliding two large pizza boxes next to her. “Here’s your to-go order. You must be hungry.”
Before she could answer, he hurried off to help more customers. The lunch crowd had arrived in force.
Kaylee bundled herself back up to go out into the cold, then grabbed the pizzas and headed out the door. She retraced her earlier
steps back toward the school, stopping at each homeless person she came across to offer them a slice of pizza. She knew it wasn’t much, but it was something. Like throwing starfish back into the ocean, she thought, remembering a story her grandma had told her when she was young. I can’t save all the starfish, but I can save this one.
By the time she neared the school again, the pizza was gone and kids streamed out the doors. What should I do now? She didn’t want to go back to the wretched hotel just yet—the idea of spending all evening there was not a pleasant one. As long as she got in before dark, she’d be okay.
“Siri, what are some nearby sites I can visit?” Kaylee asked into her phone.
A list popped up and Kaylee zeroed in on one in particular, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It was unlikely that she would be able to get a tour with such short notice, not to mention they were kind of expensive for her small budget, but she could wander through the gift shop and visitor’s center and around the neighborhood. She clicked on the directions and followed the map.
The visitor’s center proved to only make her wish she’d planned ahead and booked a tour. She was able to watch a video about some people who had lived there and the truly rough times they’d faced. She bought a book about the history of the museum, tucking it into her bag while thinking about how long it was going to take her to pay off her credit card. Looking at the time on her phone, she decided she’d have about an hour to walk around the area before it started to get dark, then she’d arrange a ride back to the hotel.
She followed a sign reading “Essex Market.” There were so many shops! She wanted to visit each one and sample the food there, but there were just too many. The pizza she’d eaten before noon was starting to wear off, and she found herself struggling in earnest to make a decision of which of the small eateries to try for an early dinner. Kaylee decided on the Japanese deli, where she got a bento box and a sushi roll.
Under the Viaduct Page 12