“That’s an awful way to grow up. You’re supposed to feel safe in your own home. This may be a difficult question, but do you know if her brother or his friends ever sexually assaulted her?” I had to ask.
“No, I don’t think so. It wasn’t like that. He just loved getting a rise out of her. It was entertaining to him. At least that’s what Layla told me,” Keith explained.
“Well, that’s good then because molestation is a whole other beast. It sounds like her depression likely carried over from her childhood. She needs counseling, Keith. I think you should bring this up and suggest it to her lawyer,” I told him.
“I’m not sure. I know it’s a very sensitive topic for her. I’d hate to drudge up all those awful memories that she worked so hard to bury.”
“But see, that’s a problem. Burying your problems only makes them worse because they fester inside you and become bigger issues in the long run,” I said.
“I guess you’re right,” he agreed.
“Think of it this way. Yes, it might be difficult for her to face, but she needs to face it in order to get better. Ultimately, you need her to be healthier in her mind, so she stops drinking and using drugs. The better her mother is, the better off Faith will be when she’s with her mother. As it stands, Faith should only be having visitation with Layla if another adult is present. You can request that. What if Layla decides to drink or do drugs when she has Faith with her?” I wanted him to think long and hard about this.
“I get what you’re saying. I agree. I’ll speak to my lawyer about this. I’m not sure how happy I am with my lawyer, though. He seems impersonal, and he’s not good with Faith. She doesn’t like him. She cries the whole time we’re with him,” Keith said. “I might have to get you to look after her instead of taking her to the next meeting.”
“She’s going to be a little spitfire, I think. Sure, you know I’ll take her whenever you need me to. Like when you go on a vacation by yourself and relax. Unless you’re dating someone?” I asked. I just realized I didn’t even know if he was.
“Sort of, I guess. I met this girl at the coffee shop in town about a week ago. She’s the sweetest thing. I had Faith with me, and she was running all over the cafe talking to everyone she could, and I was trying to get myself a latte. Cindy is her name, and she works at the theater in town. She runs everything there. Anyway, she took care of Faith for me and settled her down. I think Faith lacks a good female role model,” Keith said.
“You’re probably right, but it wouldn’t be good to introduce Faith to any love interests of yours until it is an established relationship,” I warned him.
“Why not? She’s so young, it won’t affect her,” Keith said.
“That’s where you're wrong, brother. Children are a lot more receptive than they’re given credit for. She is a sponge right now and will soak everything around her up. You don’t want her getting confused,” I said.
“Well, I’ve got Faith a lot of the time, so she’ll have to be incorporated into some of my dates,” Keith argued.
“Nope. Not a good idea. If you’re having a date then I’ll look after Faith on those nights. That way, you can focus on the woman you’re with, and I get more niece time,” I told him, smiling.
“Sounds good to me,” he said and laughed.
“Just remember that you have the best brother ever,” I reminded him.
* * *
I wason my way home from Keith’s when my phone rang. I saw Marilyn’s name scroll across the screen in my car. “What could she want?”
I hesitated before answering it as it was after hours, but then I worried that she might need me for something, so I answered it.
“Hi Chris, it’s Marilyn. I was wondering if you have a few minutes if you would mind dropping over to my place?”
Her voice sounded tired or down, I wasn’t sure which.
“Sure, I can do that. How about half an hour from now?” I wanted to tend to Billie Jean first.
“Perfect. Bring your bathing suit, we can go for a swim and bring Billie Jean too,” Marilyn said.
“That would be great. She’s lonely with me gone all day for work.”
When I hung up, I felt a glimmer of hope that maybe she would act like a human being around me for a change. I doubt she’d ask me for a swim and invite Billie Jean too if this was going to be a negative visit.
When I opened my front door, Billie Jean was sitting on the carpet waiting patiently. She was such a great dog. My friends had told me horror stories of some of the dogs they had. I was lucky she was so well behaved.
“You’re such a good girl,” I told her, and her tail wagged uncontrollably. She walked up to me, and I pet her under the chin, which soon resulted in her laying down to expose her tummy. After a few minutes of a belly rub, she followed me to the kitchen, where I gave her dinner. I went to put my swimsuit on and grabbed a towel. I was hungry but figured my visit with Marilyn would only be about half an hour to an hour tops so that I could get something after.
Billie Jean and I went over to Marilyn’s, and there was a note on the front door to just go in the backyard. When I closed the gate and turned around, I was surprised to see smoke coming out of the BBQ. I ran over to see if everything was okay and found my exasperated neighbor trying to wave the smoke away. I looked down at the charred meat and smiled. “You’re supposed to keep an eye on it when it’s cooking.”
“I know, but I got a call from my sister and got sidetracked.” She put on some new wieners. “I hope you like hot dogs.”