CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN | RORY
“That fettuccine alfredo was so delicious!” Haley raved, propping her elbows on the kitchen counter and flicking her eyes towards me as I dropped a stack of dirty dinner plates into the sink.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said flatly. I flicked on the sink faucet and let the gushing sound of water drown out the sound of Haley’s words.
Tonight she had joined us for the fourth ‘family dinner’ in a row and, after suffering through four nights in a row of hosting Haley Scott at my dinner table, there were few sounds I wouldn’t prefer over the annoying, pitchy squeal of her voice. A chorus of chainsaws, for example. Or a Taylor Swift album played at maximum volume, on repeat.
Anything would be better than listening to Haley ramble on and on…
Even though she was quickly burning through the tiny bit of patience that was left in my reserve tank, I had to give her credit, she had showed up when she said she would. And even though I really wished she hadn’t, I knew that it meant the world to Charlotte.
It had been years since we had all done anything even remotely family-oriented together, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make my little girl smile… even if it meant putting up with Haley.
“So… how come you never cooked like this when we were together?” Haley asked now. She leaned over the stove and swirled her finger around in the saucepan.
“What are you talking about?” I glared. “I was the only one who ever cooked.”
“Not like this,” Haley said. She ran her tongue over her fingertip, licking away the white alfredo sauce. Then she winked suggestively at me and giggled. I gritted my teeth together and glared.
If Charlotte hadn’t been within earshot, I would have told Haley that she was disgusting. But since Charlie was just a few feet away, working through her math homework, I kept my mouth shut.
Instead, I narrowed my eyes and said,
“Calm down, it’s just Ragu.”
Haley pursed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent, home cooked meal,” she said.
This time, I couldn’t resist hurling out an insult,
“Oh really? Because I remember reading somewhere that you’ve been doing quite a bit of home cooking lately,” I snarled. Then I lowered my voice and added, “Where did I read that again? Oh yeah… your arrest warrant.”
“Wow,” Haley raised her eyebrows. “That’s really low, Rory. Even for you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re making fun of me for having an illness?”
“Is that what you call it? An illness?” I hissed under my breath.
“That’s exactly what addiction is,” she snapped back. “It’s an illness. I learned that in treatment.”
“Hey Daddy?” Charlie called from the kitchen table. My shoulders immediately untensed, and my head shot towards my daughter.
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
“I need help with this story problem,” she said. “I can’t figure it out.”
“Mommy can help you!” Haley offered. Before I could stop her, she had swooped in to take my place next to Charlotte. I sighed, tossing my dish rag over the edge of the sink.
Haley seemed dead set on going through the motions… but she was still just an actress playing a role; she was my daughter’s mother, but that didn’t make her a mom.
I knew it was only a matter of time before the gig was up, and she vanished all over again.
“All done!” Charlotte announced proudly. She stood up from the dinner table and lifted her math homework triumphantly over her head.
“Good job, kiddo!” I said, offering her a high-five. “Why don’t you go brush your teeth and get ready for bed? I’ll come to tuck you in in a few minutes.”
“Ok, Daddy,” Charlie stuffed her homework into her school backpack, then she shuffled towards her bedroom at the opposite end of the apartment.
“Hey, can I use the bathroom?” Haley asked me.
“Umm… of course. You know where it is,” I pointed over my shoulder without thinking.
“Thanks.”
I frowned as I watched Haley shuffle off, and I felt something stir inside of me; something that felt an awful lot like intuition.
I had spent over half of my life living with drug addicts. I knew all of the red flags and warning signs; I had heard every damn lie and excuse in the book.
Maybe it was nothing; maybe she just needed to use the bathroom, and I was being paranoid.
I stepped silently towards the bathroom door. My footsteps barely made a sound as I moved across the floor, shifting from foot to foot. I paused in front of the bathroom and raised my ear to the door.
Inside, I heard silence. Then… the unmistakable sound of a lighter flicking. I heard it flick once, twice… then the soft whoosh of a flame igniting.
My mouth went dry and my body went numb. I didn’t like Haley, but I had wanted to be wrong about her. I really, truly had.
“Daddy!” Charlotte called from her bedroom.
I stared at the bathroom for a few more seconds, then I turned and walked to my daughter’s bedroom.
Charlie should have been waiting for me in bed, with the covers pulled up to her chin… but instead, I found her standing at her dresser hugging a pink envelope to her a chest. I recognized it right away; it was the envelope that Desiree had left behind.
“Charlie, where did you get that?!” I demanded.
“I found it,” she said innocently, blinking up at me. Then she held it up and added, “It’s from Des.”
“I know that, honey,” I said. “But…”
I sighed, letting my voice trail off. The card had been addressed to the both of us, but I hadn’t given it to Charlie yet. I didn’t want to make things more complicated for her than they already were…
Now, I took the card in my hand and glanced down at the design. Des had drawn it herself in red ballpoint pen and, although her art skills were arguably far more advanced than Charlie’s, the picture was very similar to the one my daughter had drawn for Des, it was the three of us, standing hand-in-hand. Charlie and Des were wearing matching dresses, and there was even a Wii Fit in the background.
Along the top of the card, Des had written,
‘Thank you for letting me be your friend!’
“Daddy,” Charlie sniffled. “When are we going to see Des again?”
“I’m not sure,” I said sadly.
“Why did she stop coming? Is it because of Mommy?”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure how to answer that one, so instead I suggested, “Why don’t you climb into bed?”
Charlotte obeyed, scampering up onto her bed and crawling under the covers. Then she blinked up at me and said,
“I want to see Des again. I miss her.”
“I know, kiddo. I do, too.”
“Can you read me a story tonight, Daddy?”
“Of course,” I said. “But there’s something I have to take care of, first.”
“What is it?”
I pinched my lips together and forced myself to smile. I couldn’t let her know that anything was wrong… at least not yet. She was too young to understand.
“I promise I’ll explain everything someday,” I said. “But for now… can you just trust Daddy?”
Charlotte nodded slowly, and I gave her another sad smile. Then I carried her iPad over towards her bed and handed it to her.
“Why don’t you put the earbuds in and watch a movie for a little while,” I suggested.
“Really?” Charlotte wiggled around eagerly. “Can I watch Frozen?!”
“Whatever you want, kiddo,” I said. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, then I sat up. “Just sit tight. I’ll be back in a little bit, ok?”
“Ok, Daddy,” Charlotte said. She poked the earbuds into her ears and smiled as she gave me a small wave goodbye, then she turned her attention to the iPad screen. I forced myself to walk out of the room and shut the door softly behind me.
I’m doing this for Charlie, I told myself.
I took a deep breath, then I stalked across the apartment towards the bathroom. I assumed that Haley would have enough sense to at least lock the door, but when I tried the handle, it swung right open.
And there she was, splayed out on the tile floor with a rubber band tied around her bicep and a needle sticking out of a fat, purple vein in the crook of her elbow.
“Jesus Christ,” I shook my head in disgust.
“Rory…” she murmured, blinking up at me in a daze. “This isn’t what it looks like…”
“You didn’t even lock the door,” I hissed. “Your daughter could have walked in on you. Is that what you want? Huh? Do you want her to see you like this?!”
“Rory--”
“Get out,” I snapped.
“I’m not leaving!” she started to raise her voice.
I pulled out my cell phone and held it up.
“What are you gonna do?” she chuckled. “Call the cops on me?!” Her voice sounded like a dry wheeze, and she could barely hold herself up.
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I said. “But first…” I pulled open the camera app on my phone and snapped a photograph, perfectly capturing the scene on my bathroom floor.
“Hey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Haley said, raising her voice.
“Keep your voice down,” I snapped. “I don’t want her to hear you.”
Haley glared at me, but she said nothing.
“That picture is going straight to your probation officer back in Boston,” I said.
“You’re such a fucking prick,” she muttered darkly. “Why are you doing this to me?!”
“Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you,” I said. “You need to get help. Real help. If for nothing else, then for our daughter’s sake.”
I tapped on my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart. It wasn’t 911 or the precinct’s non-emergency line. Actually, it was a direct number… and that number belonged to Chief Darren Rogers.
Eleven some years ago, he had taken pity on me when I was just the bastard son of a junkie. I was hoping that maybe he could help me out again now...