Irons (Creed’s Lake MC #2)

The Beginning

Wrenly

“Stay right here, and do not unlock the doors until I come back. I’ll leave the car on so there’s no need to open the windows, especially if a stranger approaches you. I won’t be in there long. Do you understand me, Wren?”

“But I have to pee, mommy.” I had my hands clasped in my lap as I sat in the big people's seat up front in her car.

“You can go in as soon as I get back. Just remember what I told you. Stay here no matter what happens and keep the doors locked. Do not talk to strangers.” She gave me a warning look as she opened her squeaky car door and left me in the car by myself. She didn’t look like my mommy anymore. Her body moved weird sometimes and she was getting really little like me.

I watched as she disappeared behind tinted glass doors then I couldn’t see her anymore. I could see in the windows where people sat at tables and ate. My tummy growled, but mommy promised we would eat soon.

I waited and waited, saw families come and go, but the car started making weird sounds. The cool air stopped coming out, and it got really hot in the car. I didn’t think the car was on anymore.

I knew mommy was going to be mad. My shorts got wet, and they started to smell really bad. I tried to hold it, but I couldn’t do it any longer. I was scared, and it got really hot in the car. I cried, my tears mixed with sweat and made my face wet. The air was heavy and hot, making it harder to breathe.

I waited like a good girl, I always tried to make mommy happy, but sometimes I did bad things and mommy got angry with me. Sometimes I think mommy doesn’t want me anymore. I knew after wetting my pants I would get a spanking.

Sometimes mommy needed my help. I always made sure she got to eat because I knew how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I was a big girl. I went to school and everything until mommy made me leave Uncle Clint. I learned lots of things and I had a friend, but mommy made Uncle Clint mad because of her medicine. He didn’t know her medicine was special and she needed it. I missed Uncle Clint, but mommy needed me with her when she took me away from him and my friend, Travis. If Travis were with us he would know what to do and I was sad because mommy said I wouldn’t get to see him anymore. I missed him really bad, and it makes me cry at night when mommy sleeps and I’m scared.

The more I cried, the hotter it felt, and my tummy started to feel weird. What if mommy needed me? Maybe her medicine made her sleepy again, or she got lost and couldn’t find her way back. I didn’t want to get into more trouble, but I needed to find mommy.

I knew which button unlocked the car, so I pressed it and then opened the squeaky door. I had to find mommy, she was probably scared and needed me. Nobody tried to talk to me as I walked inside the restaurant, and my stomach growled when my nose caught the smell of food, but I had to find mommy. I didn’t see her at the tables, so I found the potty and slipped inside.

“Mommy?” I spoke quietly, but nobody answered back. I didn’t see any feet from under the doors, so I got on my hands and knees then crawled to look for her. I finally saw her sleeping with her feet on the toilet seat and her body resting against the wall. She was sitting on the tank and had something tied around her arm and there was a shot for her medicine on the floor.

“Mommy?” I crawled under the door, and it was one of the big bathroom stalls.

“Mommy, wake up.” I crawled over and touched her hand, but she was cold. “Wake up, mommy. You’re cold and you promised we could eat.” I pulled her hand, but mommy slid against the wall until she fell on the floor. I put my hand on her arm and tried to shake it. “Mommy! I’m sorry, please wake up. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I was scared I hurt her when she fell.

I knew something was wrong, and I needed to make her warm, so I cuddled next to her like I always did when it was a cold night, and we slept in the car.

“It’ll be okay, mommy.” I cried as I tried to make her warm. She was hard and her arms wouldn’t move, like she was stuck the way she was when I found her. I sniffled and cried as I tried to make her arms wrap around me, but then the bathroom door opened, and I tried to be really quiet. I could hear someone peeing then the toilet flush, but then the footsteps stopped, and I heard water running. I tried to cry quietly, but when the water turned off I heard footsteps again, but I hiccupped, and the footsteps stopped. I froze and tried to be quiet, but I saw the shoes, and someone was walking toward us. I didn’t want mommy to be mad because I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, so I held my breath as I laid on the cool tile floor.

“Is everything okay in there?” It was a woman’s voice. I didn’t answer, just tried to stay quiet, but the lady got down to the floor and peeked under the door. I shut my eyes tight as the woman screamed.

Before long, there were lots of people in the bathroom. I cried and screamed as they tore me away from mommy. I over heard someone say mommy must have been dead for hours because she was stiff, and then the ambulance and cops came to talk to me. I heard them say I should have been dead too, because I was in a car for a long time in the Texas heat. They made me ride in an ambulance and wouldn’t let me see mommy anymore. Then they took me to see the doctors and put a needle in my hand. They said I was sick too because I didn’t drink anything all day.

Travis Irons

“Sit up straight and keep your hands on your lap.” My mom gave strict orders. We were having our pictures taken for my brother. Mom forgot him at the grocery store one day or something. Dad said the booby monster took him when I was really little.

I sat nice like mom said but the light in my eyes hurt. I was getting hot from it too. I waited for the camera to flash the picture, but the mean lady and mom wouldn’t stop talking. Then mom started crying so I tried to hold her, but the mean lady said, “cut” and mom made me sit nice again.

My tie hurt my neck, and I hated my black shiny shoes. They hurt my toes, but mom said if I wasn’t good I couldn’t go see my Uncle Tony. He had a lot of friends, and they had really cool motorcycles, but it wasn’t as fun after my friend Wrenly moved away. He played games with me and let me sit on his bike.

“Mrs. Irons, how has life been since your son’s disappearance? You must be busy raising another son while doing everything you can to find the other.” The mean lady asked stupid questions.

“I survive day by day. I wake up every single day hoping it’s the day he comes home. Unfortunately, my husband can’t do all that much to help during the week because he must work, but he’s hitting the pavement every evening and weekend to help as well. Sometimes it feels lonely and scary, while others I just feel so desperate I start at the beginning. Retracing every step, I made that morning and try so hard to remember something new.” My mom was crying again.

“What exactly did happen that morning six years ago?” The mean lady asked.

Mom wiped the tears from her eyes. “I had an infant and a three year old. There were errands that needed ran and I wish every single day I would have ran those errands on a different day. I always wonder if that would have made a difference. We went to the grocery, and I had both my children in the cart. Travis was in his car seat facing me, and Bobby was in the basket sitting as he played with his action hero. When my infant began crying, I had to get the baby sling from the diaper bag to hold him. Bobby was still playing with his toy when I pulled Travis from his car seat. I only turned around for a few minutes as I slipped Travis into the sling and looked over the cereal options. When I turned around Bobby was gone. I ran to find him but it was like he just up and disappeared. The grocery store was packed that day, a lot of people walked by us, but I didn’t hear Bobby cry or anything.”

I began swinging my feet and pulling at my tie.

“Cut!” The mean lady looked down at me. “I’m sorry sweetheart, but you must sit still until we are done shooting. You’re taking the focus off your mother.”

I looked up at my mom. “She’s making you cry.”

“Can’t we shoot this without him?” My dad asked.

“No, we want America to see that it’s not just a mother suffering. We want them to see it’s a whole family.”

My mom squeezed my knee and it kind of hurt. “Travis, do not make us have to stop again. This interview is important in trying to find your brother. You want him to be found, don’t you?”

I nodded real big, because it would be mean if I made my mom cry again. I just wanted to go see Uncle Tony and change my shoes.

“Let’s pick up where we left off.” The mean lady looked at me like she was mad. I tried really hard to sit still, but it took a really long time, and my tummy started growling.

Mom was mad when we left the mean lady’s place. My dad yelled at her because he said she was being irrational, whatever that meant.

As my dad drove me to my uncle’s house, I took off almost all my clothes. I hated the stupid jacket and tie. My shoes were the first to go though. I was trying to get out of the car as soon as it pulled in the driveway. I went to a lot of places, but my uncle’s was my favorite. Sometimes I stayed with my grandma and grandpa, and sometimes I’d go to my aunt’s house. I hated going to my mom’s friend Betty’s house the most. She made me go to bed early and still made me late for school. The worst was when I stayed with my mom and dad. They would forget I was there and sometimes I missed school.

All my mom cared about was Bobby. I saw pictures of him and he kind of looked like my dad. I don’t remember him.

I raced from the car as soon as dad stopped it. I was happy to see my uncle, but he had a sleepover last night and the lady must not have liked her clothes either. She was wearing Uncle Tony’s shirt. I didn’t know why Uncle Tony liked having sleepovers with yucky girls, especially when he knew I was coming over to his house. We had the most fun and he was my favorite person in the whole world.

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a kid.” The woman who didn’t like wearing her own clothes said to my uncle.

Uncle Tony stood at the bottom of the steps in his sweatpants. His hair was sticking up like he just woke up and it was the afternoon. “He’s my nephew, umm…maybe you should get dressed. I’m sorry, but I have plans with Travis today.” Uncle Tony winked at me.

“Oh, well can I see you tonight again?” The weird lady kissed his cheek.

“I’ll give you a call. Like I said, I have plans.” He then looked at me. “Where’s your clothes?”

“I didn’t like them.” I said.

He chuckled. “The Transformers underwear are pretty badass, but go on up and get some clothes on. I’ll take you to get some lunch.”

“Yes!” I pulled my fist down then ran upstairs.

At Uncle Tony’s I had my own room and most of my clothes. It was the same at mom and dad’s, but I didn’t have as much. I also had stuff at grandma and grandpa’s but had to pack when I went to see my aunt and stupid Betty. She had a lot of stupid cats and made my stuff smell bad.

I used to have a friend that lived next to Uncle Tony. Her name was Wrenly, and she moved away with her really weird mom. It happened late at night. I heard Wrenly’s mom yelling at Clint. He was Uncle Tony’s best friend. Wrenly’s mom was really mad and started throwing things into her car. Clint kept screaming that she wasn’t allowed to take Wrenly with her because he wasn’t her uncle but her daddy instead.

Uncle Tony had to go there because he was a cop and tried to help Wrenly. My friend cried as her mommy put her in the car. Clint kept yelling about finding drugs or something in his house. Wrenly left with her mommy and Uncle Tony promised to help Clint show everyone he was Wrenly’s daddy. That was a long time ago and Wrenly never came back.

I found some pants and a top then put them on. When I ran downstairs the stupid girl that wanted another sleepover was leaving. Uncle Tony tied my shoes for me and then we went outside to his truck, but Uncle Tony stopped and put his hand on my shoulder.

There was a police car next door, and another car. Clint ran out of the house, and I saw him open the back door of the car. I got really excited when I saw Clint pull Wrenly from inside, but then he cried and held my friend tight in his arms. I tried to run over to her, but Uncle Tony stopped me. “Not now, Travis.”

I was confused. “Clint’s a wimp now? He’s crying.”

“Even tough guys cry sometimes, Travis.”

I looked up at him and saw tears. “Ewe.”

He chuckled then knelt down next to me. “Wrenly is home to stay, and that makes Clint so happy he can’t control his tears. He is her dad, and nobody can ever take her away again.”