I gave myself exactly five minutes before knocking on their door.<\/p>\n
Part of me still hoped there was an innocent explanation. Perhaps Amber was sick in bed. Perhaps she had asked Bentley to stay home and help with Maddie. Perhaps their water had been temporarily shut off because of a repair nobody had bothered to mention.<\/p>\n
But innocent explanations usually did not require ten-year-olds to stage fake departures for school.<\/p>\n
I knocked softly.<\/p>\n
The reading stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley?\u201d<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you're home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw you come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something moved behind the door.<\/p>\n
The deadbolt did not turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Maddie said loudly from somewhere inside, \u201cMiss Awlene?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Bentley whispered something to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard her,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd I know you\u2019re in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lock finally clicked.<\/p>\n
The door opened only three inches.<\/p>\n
Bentley stared through the gap.<\/p>\n
His face had lost all its color.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou followed me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence sounded far too adult coming from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Amber?\u201d<\/p>\n
His lower lip trembled once before he pressed it flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m telling you I don't believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He started closing the door.<\/p>\n
I put my palm against it.<\/p>\n
Not forcefully.<\/p>\n
Just enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not here to get you in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can't come inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Mom doesn't like people coming in when she isn't here.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not when she was sleeping.<\/p>\n
Not when she was sick.<\/p>\n
When she wasn't there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long has she been gone?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
Maddie appeared behind him wearing pink pajamas patterned with faded yellow stars. Her hair was tangled around her face.<\/p>\n
She was holding an empty plastic cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you, Maddie. We gotta wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to narrow around me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
I pushed the door slightly wider.<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley, does your water work?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
The apartment smelled stale and cool. Not filthy. Not abandoned.<\/p>\n
Used.<\/p>\n
Survived in.<\/p>\n
A pile of children\u2019s clothes lay beside the couch. Several picture books were stacked on the coffee table. A blanket had been arranged into a small sleeping place on the floor.<\/p>\n
Maddie held her cup toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Bentley followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Arlene, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned the faucet.<\/p>\n
Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Not even a drip.<\/p>\n
I tried the other handle.<\/p>\n
A hollow shudder came through the pipe.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
I stared at the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did this stop working?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley rubbed one sneaker against the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouple days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
The light came on.<\/p>\n
That was the only reassuring thing about it.<\/p>\n
Half a loaf of bread.<\/p>\n
Butter.<\/p>\n
A bottle of ketchup.<\/p>\n
A carton of milk.<\/p>\n
I lifted it.<\/p>\n
Almost empty.<\/p>\n
The date printed on the side had passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the food?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed toward a cabinet.<\/p>\n
Inside were three packets of instant oatmeal, half a box of crackers, a can of green beans and one package of dry noodles.<\/p>\n
I turned around.<\/p>\n
Bentley stood protectively in front of Maddie.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2019s coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes finally rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Today was Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Nine days.<\/p>\n
Amber had been gone nine days.<\/p>\n
I looked at Maddie.<\/p>\n
Then Bentley.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been alone here for nine days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The denial came sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2019s coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I recognized the phrase because I had heard adults use it while everything around them was falling apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho has been staying with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandmother?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn aunt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another shake.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father?\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression closed completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lowered myself onto one of the kitchen chairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley wrapped both arms around himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe couldn't breathe right.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes went to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe fell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn there.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice had become almost inaudible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called 911.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy said it without pride.<\/p>\n
As if calling an ambulance for his mother was no more remarkable than taking out the trash.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd took her to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone stay with you afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid the paramedics know you and Maddie were here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom told them somebody was coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said my aunt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have an aunt?\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered.<\/p>\n
I felt cold despite the warm kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she say that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But his eyes moved away.<\/p>\n
He knew something.<\/p>\n
Maybe not everything.<\/p>\n
But something.<\/p>\n
Maddie tugged my sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater.\u201d<\/p>\n
That ended the questioning.<\/p>\n
Whatever mystery surrounded Amber could wait five minutes.<\/p>\n
The children could not.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two are coming next door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley immediately stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom said stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother expected to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope she does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked.<\/p>\n
I softened mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley, Maddie needs water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can get some.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been getting it from my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes widened.<\/p>\n
Suddenly I understood the morning visits.<\/p>\n
The bathroom had never been the point.<\/p>\n
He had been washing himself there.<\/p>\n
Filling his bottle.<\/p>\n
Taking whatever water he could carry back without making me suspicious.<\/p>\n
Maybe even filling containers in the bathroom when I wasn't watching.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much water have you been bringing home?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne bottle at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor both of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
I had to turn away.<\/p>\n
There are moments when anger arrives so quickly it needs somewhere to go. Mine went into my hands. I gripped the edge of the counter until the knuckles whitened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley\u2019s answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you'd call somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey'd take Maddie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Everybody does not know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me with the absolute conviction of a frightened child who had built his whole survival plan around one terrible assumption.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they find kids alone, they take them away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes adults come because children need help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words stopped me.<\/p>\n
Bentley was not arguing abstractly.<\/p>\n
He was terrified of losing the only family member still beside him.<\/p>\n
Maddie leaned against his leg.<\/p>\n
He put his hand automatically on her head.<\/p>\n
That gesture made my decision for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can bring everything you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're not leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're crossing one wall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Mom comes back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll leave her a note.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she thinks we're gone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll sit where I can see the driveway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBentley.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have done enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm supposed to take care of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I have to keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are ten years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
His chin trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those two words nearly undid me.<\/p>\n
I knelt in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing ten doesn't mean you're weak. It means this should never have been yours to carry alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Maddie.<\/p>\n
She was sucking two fingers and clutching her empty cup.<\/p>\n
Finally Bentley whispered, \u201cCan she bring Bunny?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the stuffed rabbit on the couch, one ear repaired with thick blue thread.<\/p>\n
\u201cBunny is absolutely invited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five minutes later, Maddie crossed the porch holding my hand.<\/p>\n
Bentley came behind us carrying two backpacks, the rabbit, three books, a plastic grocery bag of clothes, and the solemn expression of someone evacuating a house during a fire.<\/p>\n
I made him put half of it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can carry things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo can I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re old.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
He froze.<\/p>\n
Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old do you think I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
He considered this.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike sixty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m seventy.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep talking and you're carrying the laundry too.\u201d<\/p>\n
For perhaps three seconds, he looked like an ordinary ten-year-old.<\/p>\n
Then Maddie asked, \u201cMama home?\u201d<\/p>\n
And childhood disappeared from his face again.<\/p>\n
Inside my kitchen, I filled two glasses.<\/p>\n
Maddie drank hers so quickly I had to slow her down.<\/p>\n
Bentley took careful sips.<\/p>\n
Tiny ones.<\/p>\n
Saving water even while sitting three feet from a working faucet.<\/p>\n
I opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not ask whether you ate.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked uncertain.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrilled cheese?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maddie climbed onto a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cCheese!\u201d<\/p>\n
I buttered bread while they sat at my table.<\/p>\n
Bentley watched every movement.<\/p>\n
I made two sandwiches.<\/p>\n
Then four.<\/p>\n
Maddie ate hers in little pieces.<\/p>\n
Bentley waited until she had started before touching his.<\/p>\n
He finished quickly.<\/p>\n
I put another sandwich on his plate without comment.<\/p>\n
This time he did not pretend he wasn't hungry.<\/p>\n
When lunch was over, Maddie fell asleep in my recliner beneath one of Ray\u2019s quilts.<\/p>\n
Bentley wandered toward the bookshelf.<\/p>\n
His fingers stopped on Charlotte\u2019s Web.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know that one?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cRay loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question was innocent.<\/p>\n
\u201cGone three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bentley looked immediately embarrassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't be. He had a good life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled out the book.<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to start?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward Maddie.<\/p>\n
Then the window facing his apartment.<\/p>\n
Then me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
We had read perhaps fifteen pages when my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Doug.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa.\u201d<\/p>\n
His tone told me immediately this was not a social call.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you go into the Collins unit?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked across the room at Bentley.<\/p>\n
He was pretending to read.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can't do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two children alone inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the water is shut off.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then his voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the water's off.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're behind on rent and utilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shut it off?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI followed the notice procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a three-year-old living there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmber hasn't answered calls for over a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she isn't home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't our problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Bentley.<\/p>\n
He was staring directly at me now.<\/p>\n
Every word had reached him.<\/p>\n
Doug continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI filed the eviction paperwork this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
The children had spent nine days trying to survive alone.<\/p>\n
And my own son had just started the process that could take away the only home they were desperately trying to protect.<\/p>\n
I gave myself exactly five minutes before knocking on their door. Part of me still hoped there was an innocent explanation. Perhaps Amber was sick in bed. Perhaps she had … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23688"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23723,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23688\/revisions\/23723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}