Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Six Degrees of Separation

     “Farrah, someone told.”

     “Told what?”

     “That we live alone. This letter is from a social worker. Someone named Peter Shay. He wants to be contacted, or he is going to come by again.”

     “Ya right, who would tell? Who is it really from?”

      “Farrah I am not joking.”

      Wes hustled to every window closing blinds, and locked all three locks on the door. Farrah still stunned just stood and watched Wes look more like a jack rabbit than her brother.
     “Wes we gotta tell Maggie. She will know what to do.”

     “For all I know it was Maggie that told.”

     “You take that back Wesley. You know she would never do that.”

     “Your right, but really what can she do. She is a 70 year old woman. It is not like she knows a judge or the governor who can just walk in here and say, this is fine. There is nothing wrong with a 17 year old raising an 11 year old.”

     “I know Maggie can help, I know she will. I also know that they let 17 year olds raise babies all the time. I am much easier to take care of than a baby.”

     Wes burst out laughing. “You are right, you are much easier than a baby, but I don’t think they see it the same way. I will be sure to use that argument before they split us.”

     Before work Wes went to see Maggie. Farrah played at the playground while they talked. Wes started by showing Maggie the letter.

     “Three days” is all Maggie could muster.

     “Yeah” Wes said.

     “Give me one. I need a couple things from you. Can you find your mom? I need to talk with her.”

     Wes exchanged the information he had been given, and went to Burger Hut. He became a machine at work, a mechanical robot, programmed to take orders, fill orders, and deliver orders. Even with over 100 choices on the menu, it all felt like the same orders over and over again.

     “Wes what is up with you tonight? You were like a zombie, man” Larz his co-worker said.

     “Huh, what are you talking about.” Wes asked.

     “Maaay I taaaake yooour orrrdddeeer?” Larz’ arms rose in the air and hung in front of his body, like a zombie.

     Seeing the long haired hippy dude walk like a zombie at any other time would be funny, just not tonight.

     “Just a lot on my mind.”

    “Oh the man got you down? Damn the man.”

     “HA.” A laugh broke out of Wes. “Yeah Larz damn the man.”

     Fee  Fee and Cha Cha wear not at the shop the next day. A grooming session had been scheduled, so filing took up most of Wes’ 6 hour shift. Wes stopped for a second when he heard crying, or what he thought was crying from the waiting area. Ease dropping was not something he always did, but after filing for 5 hours he could use some entertainment. The noise was muffled, hearing the words were hard even while holding his breath. He pushed the cracked door open with his foot a few more inches. The women standing next to Dana looked really familiar, and she was crying. He watched as Dana ushered her to the waiting area couch. Dana held her. This was a soft side of Dana, he didn’t realize she had. She always seemed as cold and sharp just like the crisp white clothes she wore. Even with the dogs, she didn’t pick them up, and cuddle them. She barked right back at them. Now here she was hugging a women who probably had to cancel a honeymoon trip because her fiancé dumper her.

     “You have to let her make her own choices now. She is an adult” Dana said.

     “She is choosing to kill herself. I can’t let her” the woman said.

     “No she is choosing to live her last days her way. She loves you and she has probably been trying to live for you Iris, and Bocca, and Sage. She turned 18, she can make those choices now. It is now her life. Think about it Iris, if it was you or me, we would have quit after living the first year in the hospital.”

     “Dana, I can’t lose her. Sage lives half way around the world, Bocca runs the damn casino 24-7, and Acacia has become my life. All I do is plan and process charity events for cancer patients, when I am not at her bed side. You say she lives for me, but I live for her, and if she dies, I have nothing. She is my baby.”

     Wes watched as Dana rocked the sobbing mother. The name Acacia sounded familiar, and then it hit Wes as to why this women looked so familiar. Acacia was the girl who left her Freshman year because she had gotten sick. She was a popular girl, so the whole freshman class put together a get well card, and made sure every freshman (including himself) signed it. They had an assembly at the school and presented the enormous card to her mom, this women who Dana was now holding. He never thought about Acacia after the assembly, he barely knew her. He had heard a rumor last year that she had died, but that was clearly a rumor now, but would be true soon enough by the sounds of it.

     Wes finished filing and thought of how lucky he and Farrah had been to not get sick. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if either one of them were to get seriously ill. One other thing that stuck out from the conversation, Dana had had with Iris, was that Acacia could choose to die because she was 18. You had a lot more power when you were 18. He wished he was born 6 weeks early now, because maybe they would let an adult brother raise his sister.

     Maggie knocked on the door that night, and asked Farrah to leave them room.

     “I am not a baby Maggie, I can know about this stuff.”

     “Fine Farrah stay, I have no intention of arguing with you.”

     “I was able to get in touch with your mom. Apparently she is in jail right now. I went down there; she has been in for 5 days so she was sober enough to remember me. I made her write a letter stating that you two are in my care while she is gone. That you two have always been and that she is hoping to go to rehab. I will invite this Peter person to my house. My guest bedroom needs to look like Farrah has been staying there, so bring some of her stuff. I think it will be okay if we say you stay in the apartment as you are almost an adult. So everyone get it.”

     “Maggie you are amazing” Wes said.

      Farrah ran out of the room and straight to her room. “Farrah hun, what is wrong?” Maggie asked. Farrah came out with arms full of clothes and stuffed animals.

     “Nothing, I think this will work.”

     “Me too” said Wes.

      By the end of the next day Maggie had put together a meeting, made sure both apartments were neat and tidy and bake her famous monkey bread.

     Maggie had asked Peter to come to her place. When he showed up, he was dressed in a grey suit, and ugly mustard yellow tie. He was a very thin man, and Wes noticed the balding head. He had to be in his late 40’s maybe even early 50’s.

     “Come on in Peter, I am Maggie, we spoke on the phone.”

     “Thanks for getting back to me. I wanted to talk to each of the kids alone first, if that is okay.”

     “Me first, can I show Peter my room here Maggie?” Said Farrah.

     “Go on, sure go ahead.” Maggie said.

     Wes was amazed at how cute, young and innocent Farrah could be. She skipped off to Maggie’s spare bed room playing the role of happy child to a T. Wes himself began fiddling with his shoe laces, collar, and hair, until Farrah and gave him a thumb up without Peter seeing.

     “Well you have a wonderful young lady here. She talked about what a nice brother you are and I think I know who you are too. You work for my wife Dana. When Farrah told me about the backpack you painted, I knew you were the kid, she almost didn’t hire. Amazing job, I saw the one you did for the shop. So Maggie you said you had a letter or something.”

     Wes heart jumped into his throat and he thought he would choke right then and there. He looked at Farrah and she looked stunned. It was only Maggie who kept complete composure. Why hadn’t Wes put that together? Shay was not like Smith or Jones, it wasn’t exactly a Zaboinski either, but he should have put it together.

     “Yes, I do Peter.”

     Peter’s eyes scrolled down the paper. “I see, I am very sorry to read that your mom has a problem. I think you are very lucky to have Mrs. Paquette here. I think you guys are doing fine and I will be writing that in my report. I will however need to see you once a month for 6 months, and hey I know where you work Wes.”

     Wes did his best believable laugh, and smiled at Peter.

     When Peter left after chit chat and monkey bread, the breath that the held in was finally released.

     “Oh my gosh! Dana’s husband” said Farrah.

     “I know I can’t believe it.”

     Maggie sat back on her couch and holding her chest.

     “I am fine, just in shock. You mind getting me some water and my purse?”

     Maggie began digging through her purse searching for something, when she finally came out with a small pill box. She popped two little white pills into her mouth and began swallowing the whole glass of water.

     “Maggie you okay?” Farrah asked again. Farrah felt like it was something more than just shock.

     “Child you ask me again and I won’t let you watch a program with me tonight.”

     Farrah quieted. Television was a pleasure she rarely got. The cable was one of the first things to go, when their mom started going missing days at a time, then it was the phone, and the power, which Wes sold his guitar to get the power on again the first time. The second time her started at Burger Hut and made payment arrangements.

     Maggie’s idea of good TV was reruns of old black and white shows. The talking horse was something they could all laugh at, and the 30 minutes that life could just pause.

     “I can’t watch Farrah after school tomorrow Wes, I have to see my lawyer. You know, I need to talk to him and make this document legal.”

     “Oh okay. I can ask Dana to be off early.” Wes left feeling very suspicious. Was Maggie the one who called social services? It was always Maggie who would bring social services up. Maggie and Peter seemed to be on good terms, like they knew each other when he walked in. She was calm while Farrah and he had squirmed in their seats. Why would Maggie want to do this? What would be the motive? Did she want custody of Farrah? She always talked about having 10 kids, but Wes never saw them come around. What was happening? Wes knew something was up. Maggie knew she didn’t need a lawyer; Peter had said everything was fine and see you in 30 days, what was Maggie up to?

     “So I guess you met my Peter.” Dana said to Wes as he walked into the shop that morning.

     “Yeah, he seems nice. I wanted to ask if I could get off an hour early to pick up my sister from school. Maggie has an appointment.”

     “Well, I kind of need you late. I am visiting a friend at the hospital this afternoon. Tell you what use your lunch break to go get her, and bring her back here. The dogs are at the daycare and she seems calm enough to stay out of trouble.”

     “That would be great. She will just sit and do homework.”

     “I have 3 clients coming by for packets while I am out, they are filed and labeled in the top drawer that should be all you have to deal with while I am gone. You know what to do if you have a looky-loo, and if you have an actual bite. I am not worried.”

     Wes’ first solo shift went along great. The thought of Maggie kept nagging at him, every time he looked at Farrah. Farrah was reading and doing homework she wasn’t in the way, he just knew Farrah should be with Maggie and Maggie was trying to become Mommy.

      When Dana came back, it was easy to see she had been crying, it was the most disheveled she had ever looked. Even her always well ironed pants wrinkled with despair. During the closing hour however, life had come back into Dana. She spent most of her time with Farrah. She was helping her with homework and talking about cute boys with her. Wes didn’t even know Farrah thought boys were cute.  She never mentioned boys to him. He had to think back to his 6^th grade year to remember; girls did think about boys, a lot. He had been caught twice that year, making out behind the modular.  He remembered feeling like he wished it was a teacher that caught him, not the two girlfriends he had cheated on. Had Farrah been making out with boys and he didn’t even know it? Wes wanted to go ask, and then beat up some punk 6^th grade boys who had ever thought about kissing Farrah. He kept his cool though; he could see Dana had a good effect on Farrah. This is probably what his mom might be like if his Dad didn’t die.

     Dana drove them home, and they pretended to go to Maggie’s apartment until they saw Dana’s car drive out of sight. Then they headed up to their apartment and ate Mac and Cheese with hotdogs. Wes’s added income had made a big difference, in the food budget. Farrah had even made cookies for Maggie, to say thank you for all the meals.

     The month went by quickly Thanksgiving had passed. They spent it with Maggie and ate until they passed out right on Maggie’s couch. They woke up covered in perfume coated comforters. By now even Wes was used to the strong smell, but still worried about Maggie’s intentions. Farrah seemed to be doing good to Wes, she had even started talking about a boy named Jake from school, which made him want to go interrogate this kid.

   November 28^th, exactly 30 days had passed, and just as Peter had promised, he showed up.

     “So, Wes I forgot to ask where you sleep the last time I was here.”

     “Oh, I uh stay in our apartment upstairs.”

     “Alone?”

     “Well yeah, I will be 18 in 2 weeks so, it works out good.”

     “Does Farrah ever stay with just you in the apartment?”

     Oh crap went through Wes’ head 5 times before he answered, “Well yeah, if Maggie has something going on, or Farrah wants to hang out, or you know stuff like that.”

     “Does Farrah stay at Maggie’s more, or with you?”

    “Well Maggie’s for the night time, but she hangs out a little every day.”

     “What about alone? Does Farrah stay home alone?”

     “Not really, I mean maybe for like 5 minutes if she leaves something, but Maggie and I take turns watching her when either of us are busy. Like a few weeks ago Farrah came to the shop with me. Dana and her hung out.”

       “Yeah, Dana mentioned that. Well Wes again I think this is all good stuff. Farrah’s report card looks excellent, she has great marks, and her teacher has great comments. With all the is going on with your mom you would think you guys would be falling apart. That what kind of worries me see. You guys are doing too well for someone in your situation. With all my experience, I know that can mean only one thing. You two are in denial, so I am going to require both of you be assessed by a therapist, if the therapist thinks you need to be seen we will go from there.”

     A therapist, how could Wes get them out of this one, his racing mind searched for an answer but all that came out was, “Okay”. Wes did not like this idea, he wanted les people in the situation. Not more, definitely not people who were going to pry into their personal life and try and find out the truth.

     “Great, I will be in touch and call you to work out a schedule with the Dr.”