Impatience
Morgan
I paced my room, trying to think of how to find Callie and Addie. A call to Shane’s parents resulted in his dad answering and offering me anal sex, so that call wouldn’t be happening again. His dad was as bad or worse than Shane and I should have known better than to call him. Mom called me down for dinner and I stopped in my tracks when I saw the last person I wanted to see.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Uncle Darren.”
He stood next to my father as they both glared down at me with their huge arms crossed. “I told you to stay away from that trailer park.” Dad growled.
I put my hands on my hips. “Nobody else wants to help me!” I looked at my uncle. “I’ve called you how many times? Something is wrong and if you two won’t help me, then it all lands on my shoulders.”
My uncle narrowed his eyes at me. “You turned in eight families to child services today, so yes, you have my attention. I had to send an officer to every one of those homes with a social worker. You used up resources because children were playing outside?”
I shrugged. “They were too young to play unsupervised.”
They looked at each other then at me. Dad shook his head. “You must think the county has endless supplies of loving families to take each of those children. They don’t, and foster care is no picnic. When social services arrived, those children were in their homes with their parents.”
I looked down at my feet. “But what about the meth?”
“Meth, what meth?” Uncle Darren sounded alarmed.
“The meth dad said is made in the trailer park.” I was still looking down at my feet.
“Me? I never said meth was in that trailer park. I said meth is more of a problem than crack in these parts.” Dad defended himself.
I looked up at my uncle that happened to look just like my dad. They were both tall and very muscular. They always reminded me of Hans and Franz from Saturday Night Live when they stood together that way. “That doesn’t matter anymore, let’s talk about Callie and Addie.”
They were both shaking their heads at me. Sorry, but not sorry. I needed to find Callie and Addie, and I knew mentioning meth to the social worker would catch her attention. Hans and Franz in front of me were of no help so far.
My uncle spoke up. “CPS already had two reports on Addie this week. Being that its been over twenty four hours since she’s been seen, we have began the process of an Amber alert for her. Callie called in at the bar again today and states they are fine, but since Addie is a child and she hasn’t been seen, I can start the search for her. The last time anyone saw her was yesterday afternoon at a store in Clarity. It was reported that she was with a woman fitting Callie’s description, but to be safe we are looking for them.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Thank God.”
Franz of the duo, otherwise known as my dad, gave me a disapproving look. “I think we need to have a little talk about how things work in these parts. This isn’t a Hollywood movie set, Morgan. This is the real world, and I told you to stay out of that trailer park. It’s not because of the other residents, it’s because of Shane and his new buddies. The people that live there aren’t all criminals or bad parents. Just because they are not of the same economic class you were raised in doesn’t mean they are breaking any laws…”
I interrupted him. “Those children were outside alone!”
Dad raised a brow. “Did you take a really good look?”
I shrugged. “Its not hard to spot children when they’re alone playing outside.”
He nodded. “Yet, Melissa Peter’s is their daycare provider. She watches the kids while the parents work.”
I cringed when he said those words. Melissa was a girl in my graduating class that just happened to be really short.
“Sorry.” I couldn’t look at either of them.
“People with dwarfism have to make a living too, Morgan. She’s state licensed and great with those kids. You could get her put out of business by making such reports.” Uncle Darren was obviously annoyed with me.
I was looking down at my big toe which was tracing circles in the carpet. “I’m sorry.”
My dad let out a frustrated breath. “Its not us you need to apologize to, you should call Melissa and apologize.”
My eyes darted up to his. “Really dad?”
“Yes really. You could have ruined her life. Things aren’t the same here as in Hollywood. You grew up here, you should know these things.”
He was right, but still, he freaked me out with all the meth talk. “Fine.” I groaned.
My uncle guided me into the dining room. “Your mom invited me for dinner, and you know how much I love Jenny’s cooking. Let’s eat dinner then I’ll go and look for Addie.”
“Fine.” I repeated myself. I didn’t understand how a missing child wasn’t more important than my mother’s lasagna, but I knew I wouldn’t be getting anywhere soon with my uncle or dad. “I’ll do one better and apologize to Melissa in person tomorrow.”
My dad paused while taking a seat. “Stay away from Callie’s place. Do not approach Shane.” He gave me another warning I’d just ignore.
“Okay, what do you know about Shane? You never warned me to stay away from him in the past. If you think Callie is fine, then why are you so worried about Shane?” He was making me worry even more.
Dad looked at Uncle Darren and he gave dad a nod. Dad looked at me and drew in a slow breath. “Shane has gotten mixed up with a bad crowd a few hours north. They’re a motorcycle gang that are suspected to run drugs from Texas to Chicago.”
“Like meth?” I asked.
Dad shook his head. “More like cocaine, fentanyl, and heroine.”
Uncle Darren caught my attention. “We believe their compound is where Callie and Addie are staying. We are hoping by putting out the Amber alert they’ll check in back here and give us a chance to talk with the girls. Shane is now a biker and he’s not with a good group for any of them.”
I thought of the motorcycles at the general store. “Like the men that live at the lake?”
They looked at each other then at me. “Creed’s men?”
I nodded as my mom walked in with the Lasagna then called for my sister to join us for dinner.
“No, they’re actually a good group of men. They can get rowdy at times, but they don’t mean any harm.” Uncle Darren answered.
My mom spoke up. “Oh Creed. Honey, you have to meet him. He’s a darling young man and he helps the veterans at the nursing home. He is throwing a fundraiser for Lance Smith and his family this Saturday night. The poor young man has cancer, and Creed is trying to raise money for his hospital bills. It’ll start with a poker ride in the early afternoon and end at the VFW hall in Clarity. There’s raffles, live music, and a fried chicken meal planned. We’re going and so should you.” Mom nearly cooed when she mentioned his name.
Indiana festival chicken? That was a hell yeah for me. There was no other fried chicken like the fried chicken sold at local festivals and fundraisers.
“What is the deal with the lake? Mom, you said it’s off limits now?” I couldn’t help being curious.
“Nothing.” My uncle answered. “They prefer their privacy, and they build bikes. Not just for private buyers, but also for movies and music videos. They make a good living off what they build. They’re a group of old buddies of Josh Magnus from his time in the military.”
“You’re saying they’re upstanding citizens that happen to run in a motorcycle gang?” I’d believe it if I saw it.
They all three laughed but dad answered. “I wouldn’t say upstanding citizens, but they do some good in our community. You won’t find them at Mass on Sunday, but they do no harm. They travel a lot, and they do like their privacy.”
“I’m not sure. In LA, a motorcycle gang isn’t exactly made up of law abiding citizens.” I answered.
My dad set his fork down. “You need to learn to be more open minded. I won’t say they are definitely law abiding, but they don’t bring any harm to this town. You truly are judgmental, and we did not raise you this way. I think all those movie scripts are screwing with your head.”
I shrugged. “I call it as I see it.”
“That’s exactly your problem.” He was glaring at me as my sister took a seat next to me.
“You call it as you see what?” She asked.
Mom cooed. “They’re talking about Creed.”
I looked at my sister and she smiled off into space like she was daydreaming. “He’s beautiful.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stay away from gangs.” I warned her.
She laughed. “Gangs? Morgan, they’re all gorgeous veterans. I’d feel safer with Creed and his MC than anyone else.”
“MC?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, they’re not a gang but a motorcycle club.”
“A motorcycle club that happens to live in a compound that’s off limits to people in the town? Do women even live there with them?” Not a gang, my ass.
I heard my dad and uncle snicker, but my sister spoke up. “Valerie lives with them and she’s really nice. She teaches yoga in town.”
“Also, at the nursing home for our healthier residents on the assisted living side.” Mom added.
“Yes, Valerie Bolton. She’s…damn she’s…well she’s gorgeous.” My single and ready to mingle uncle said. He was younger than my dad at just forty one years old.
By the end of dinner, my uncle refused twelve times to take me with him to find Addie. I was left at home to once again sit and wait. Callie never let more than a few days go by without calling me. If she would have just called me and told me she was okay I would have laid off, but she wouldn’t even do that for me. Learning she might not have just been in danger because of Shane’s drunken outbursts but the entire motorcycle gang thing didn’t help at all. As I laid in my bed that night I allowed my fears to take me to dark places. I imagined Callie being tied up and raped by men wearing cuts, while Addie watched and screamed as she cried for her mommy. I also wondered where on earth Shane got a motorcycle. If he earned it while running drugs from Mexico, then why didn’t Callie take that time to leave him? There was no way in hell Callie would have been on board with the idea of raising Addie in a gang. I couldn’t shake the guilt I was feeling over not returning home sooner, or tried harder to get her to come to California. If she was afraid of Shane, she knew I had the money to hire people that could have protected her.
Growing up, Callie was my protector. At times I was teased by the mean girls in school. Not because I was a nerd or because I got too good of grades. Those girls were jealous, and their boyfriends would have dropped them like a hot potato if I took them up on their multiple offers for a date. It was nothing but jealousy, and it got worse when I started dating Tristan. He was adorable and all the girls swooned over him. He wasn’t a hockey player like our most popular boys, he was smart and was in the AV club. His nerdiness was overlooked because of his beautiful brown eyes and gorgeous body. He was popular by default and one of the best guys I ever knew. I’d go to school and there would be posters of me with the most horrible things written on them. I was accused of being a slut, a narc, and even started rumors that I was a lesbian and had the clap. Kids could be so cruel, but Callie always stood up for me. I was popular with the boys, but not so much with the cheerleaders and most popular girls. I had a group of girlfriends, but I was never as close with them as I was with Callie. There were even a few locker room incidents my freshman year during gym class. The worst culprit was a girl named Deanna that was three years older than me. She dated Josh Magnus who was four years older than me. Not long after he graduated, she accused him of rape. I couldn’t remember all the details, but I knew in the end he was not convicted. I didn’t even think it went to trial.
Deanna was a terrible person, but then she graduated and left town. Unfortunately, there was another mean girl ready to step up to the plate, and her name was Bethany. She was almost as bad as Deanna, and she wanted Tristan.
Tristan and I were very close. In fact, we were each others first for just about everything. He was my first guy friend, my first date, my first real kiss off set, and we lost our virginity to each other after junior prom. It was a year later and the night of senior prom when the paparazzi decided to make a trip to Cold Springs. They were following us as Tristan drove the curvy country roads. It didn’t take long before they were trying to drive beside us for a photo and Tristan ran off the road and crashed his car. Tristan already had one foot out the door because of all the attention other boys tried to show me, but the crash was what helped him make his final decision and he broke up with me that night in the emergency room. The next day, the tabloids hit and one of the headlines said I was the victim of date rape and Tristan’s photo was right there with mine. I was heartbroken for Tristan and over the breakup, but I also didn’t blame him. Callie was at my side to try and help mend my broken heart. The crash wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and it took my dad years to finally let me leave the house without him when I was home for visits.
The next day, I did the drive of shame into Melissa’s driveway. I felt so guilty and ashamed of myself. When she answered the door I was not greeted with a smile. It was more like the look of someone putting the puzzle pieces together and realizing I was probably the one who called social services. Melissa was always very pretty, and lit up a room when she flashed that million dollar smile, but I wasn’t that lucky when seeing her for the first time in over a decade. It probably wasn’t hard for her to figure out who called social services on her by the guilt written all over my face.
“Melissa, I am so sorry.”
She crossed her arms as she looked up at me. “What for, exactly?” She wanted me to actually say it?
“I didn’t see you when I drove by yesterday. I should have stopped and made sure the kids were cared for before I made the call to CPS.”
She sighed. “Fine, actually I’m not all that mad. At least someone cares enough to make sure kids are being cared for. Would you like to come inside?”
I was so relieved. “I’d like that, thank you.”
She stepped aside and I walked in far enough for her to shut the door.
“Would you like a drink? I have fruit punch and apple juice.” She offered.
“No thank you.”
She led me to the small living room where we both took a seat. “The children are taking a nap in my spare bedroom. I have about fifteen minutes before they wake up.”
I tilted my head. “All the children are in the same room?”
She was not amused by that question, obviously. I was overstepping again, dammit.
“I only have six today and they sleep on tiny individual cots. The one infant I have is in a baby bed. They’re fine, I assure you. I like having them in there so I can clean the kitchen after lunch without waking them up. So, what brings you back to Cold Springs? I haven’t seen you since graduation night at Steve Henry’s party.” She sat on her small recliner. I took a look around and it seemed the trailer was custom made for a person of short stature with low countertops and a step stool sat in front of the stove. I owned most of the trailers in the park, but I thought I probably didn’t own that one.
“I have taken a hiatus to visit my family, Callie and Addie. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any luck finding Callie.”
She shook her head. “I haven’t had Addie here in weeks. Usually, I’d keep Addie after school. Callie works so hard, and that loser Shane has no business being around children. I never charged Callie because Addie was a big helper, and I knew Callie couldn’t afford childcare. She would usually bring me food for the kids when she got her food stamps at the end of the month. It wasn’t much, but it helped, and I enjoyed Addie’s company.”
“You haven’t seen any of them in weeks?” That gave me no comfort at all.
She crossed her legs. “They’ve been home late at night here and there, but I haven’t actually talked to them. Shane wakes the whole park up when he drives in on that stupid bike at all hours of the night. He always has friends with him, and they look like some rough characters.”
“How was Callie the last time you saw her?” I felt sick to my stomach.
There was still no smile on her face, and she looked very serious. “She had been roughed up again. Shane has only gotten worse over the years but especially worse now that he’s hanging out with this motorcycle gang. One day, I took the kids outside to play in the small kiddie pool and Addie wore her swimsuit. She had bruises on her back. She wouldn’t tell me what happened, but I made the call to CPS. I regret it because they didn’t come until the next day and Shane was home alone. That’s when he took off with them and I haven’t talked to them since. I did see them late at night a few times but didn’t get to talk to them.”
“Their yard is trashed, so I’m presuming it gets rowdy over there at times?”
She nodded. “It has but not every night. While Callie was out working late at night, Addie would be with me and Shane would have parties. I usually don’t keep kids after six in the evening, but Callie is a friend, and I’m somewhat attached to Addie. Callie seemed to have also somewhat behaved differently with time. I could smell alcohol on her when she would come over to get Addie ready for school in the mornings. At some points Addie was with me more than she was with Callie. I’ve decided that Callie gave up and was too exhausted to fight Shane any longer and started drinking herself.”
We talked a little while longer and I left feeling worse than when I arrived. The only good thing that came out of it was maybe a new old friend. She gave me her number when I asked for it, and said maybe we could hang out sometime.