Amy
Why won’t he answer the phone?!
And why didn’t I put his office number into my contacts? I try to picture the paper stuck to the fridge with a Hello Kitty magnet, but the numbers are just a blur.
I rub my temples as I slouch over in the waiting room chair, if he ever answers my call I don’t want him to hear poor Maddie’s screams. To be honest I can’t tell if they are from the pain of the stitches, or because the doctor can’t do them without touching her once in a while. For a while, I had cried right along with her outside the door. I manage not to scream out loud, but on the inside, I was wailing.
This was all my fault. She was doing fine her first day of school, she might have had an incident, but it wasn’t her fault. They should have never asked me to come up there, I’m not her mother. It’s a good thing too, because I’m obviously terrible at all this.
Thinking the words, ‘I’m not her mother’ makes me sob again because I realize that’s exactly what I wish I was, and then I sob even harder as I remind myself that even if I was I’d probably fail at it just like I’m doing now.
When I accidently tapped her arm in the principal’s office she flew out of her chair screaming. My first reaction was to hold out my hands in an apologetic gesture, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason she moved away even faster, falling right into a side table that contained a big ugly yellow lamp. A lamp that broke like fine china against Maddie’s little body, cutting open her poor arm.
I almost fainted. I didn’t know I had a problem with blood. Maybe I don’t, maybe it’s just blood coming out of someone I love that’s the problem. I start to rub my temples again.
Right then Marcy busts around the corner, her pointy heels clicking furiously on the linoleum.
“Did you reach him?”
“No, you?”
“No. Can you stay with her, Marce? I have to try and find him.”
“Sure, sure, I’ve got her.”
As much as I didn’t want to go to Club Avenue all those weeks ago, now I’m grateful I know exactly how to get there. After another way-too-fast drive I finally park and run full speed through the parking garage and up to the locked doors of the empty club. Then I start to yell and knock like a mad woman.
A young man finally looks at me through the glass. I can tell he’s trying to discern if I’m about to be killed, or just a looney, so I articulate Rob’s name as clearly as possible while making a cradle motion with my arms. When he registers I’m talking about Mr. Walsh’s kid, the door unlocks and flies open.
“Where’s Rob?”
“He just left!”
“Where?!”
“He forgot his cell phone at home, so he went to grab it.”
I don’t even let the poor kid, who I now recognize as the sweaty bartender from that first night, finish his sentence before I’m running back down the street. At least I know Rob’ll see his phone soon and will be on his way to the hospital. I want to be there when he arrives so I can explain what happened.
Turning the corner into the garage I run right into a body. A body with a very familiar and unsettling smell that sends a sharp pain between my eyes.
“Hey sexy, where’s the fire!”
I don’t have time for this, I run past Cologne man as I try to dig my keys out of my purse.
“Hey, wait!”
Once again, the jerk grabs me by the arm. Some people just don’t learn lessons.
“Let me go! There’s an emergency!” I pull my arm away sharply and keep moving to my car.
“What’s the matter, baby?” I can’t lose him, he’s faster than me and now he’s between me and the Nissan.
“Move!”
“You shouldn’t be driving, I’ll take you.” He grabs both my arms now - way harder this time.
“No, stop!!”
“Where’s your boyfriend, huh?”
“STOP!!”
Although he is scrawny compared to Rob, he is much stronger than me, and he’s pulling me.
Dragging me somewhere I don’t want to go. I hear Rob’s voice in my head. “What would you do?”
I would hit him.
But I need a good angle, I need my arms. I dig deep and fake my fake laugh better than I’ve ever faked it before.
“Oh, okay sure, where’s your car?”
It works. He lets one of my arms go and eases his grip on the other, “Yeah, I got you baby. Right over here.”
“Oh, real quick first- Agh!” POW! “Agh!” POW! “Agh!” POW!
The blows to his face shock him enough to make him back up, giving me a perfect opportunity to do exactly what Rob told me to do at this point.
I kick him square in the nuts as hard as I can. Cologne man hits the concrete and as much as I’d love to watch him writhe in pain, I don’t have time. I make it to my car and lock the door as he’s pulling himself off the ground. His raging blows on the side of my car and string of profanity don’t bother me a bit, I rip out of the parking space at full speed making him jump back to avoid getting run over.
I leave him waving and shouting in my rearview mirror and speed back to the hospital.