13. Rochelle
13
ROCHELLE
H ow can such a great night change in the blink of an eye? What was supposed to be a great movie night with Frederick and the kids just turned into what I can only imagine is going to be a shit show.
When I hear the chirp of sirens, my stomach drops.
"Did you call the police?" I whisper to Frederick so the kids don't hear me.
"I didn't know what else to do," he whispers back.
I get up from the couch, tiptoeing my way through popcorn, pizza boxes, and candy wrappers. "Hey! We're still watching that!" Walken says when I turn the TV off.
"Kids, why don't you go play in my room? Frederick and I need to have a grown-up conversation." They were pretty into the movie. I don't think they even heard the sirens. I want to keep it that way. They've experienced this crap enough in their young lives.
"This isn't a typical situation for me, and it sounded violent. They were yelling, and I heard things breaking. What if someone got hurt or worse?”
He’s got a point. Still, I close my eyes and take in a deep, frustrated breath. “Frederick, those weren’t just neighbors fighting. That’s Walken and Sigourney’s mom and her boyfriend.”
He has the grace to at least blanche. I’m conflicted, knowing I really can’t blame him. Adults can’t go around destroying their apartments and throwing things at the wall without expecting cops might get called once in a while. I’m not trying to make excuses for the behavior, and I’m definitely not saying Frederick’s the issue for calling it out.
But what the hell is going to happen to those poor kids now?
When the police park and turn their car off, Frederick goes into my room to play with the kids. I head downstairs and crack open the front door of the building to listen in.
I see Caroline conversing with an older officer. She has her hands on her hips and seems annoyed. Terrance and the other officer stand ten feet away, having the same conversation. His arms are crossed over his chest, and like Caroline, he looks annoyed.
I strain to hear both conversations. I catch a few keywords that indicate neither Caroline nor Terrance is pressing charges. Slamming doors, throwing things, and yelling are PG compared to some of the brawls these two have had. Of course, they aren't pressing charges.
I head back upstairs, creeping in as quietly as I can so that the kids don’t notice.
"No, silly. After you make the knot, you have to tighten the loop," I hear Sigourney say to Frederick. I walk to the bedroom, peeking in the open doorway.
"Why do they call it a slip knot?" Frederick asks Sigourney, holding up a hot pink piece of yarn. "It's not slippery."
Sigourney laughs. "I don't know, that's just what it's called. Come on, try again." I look on as Frederick concentrates. His face is filled with determination as he uses the crotchet hook to make a knot.
"Like that?" He holds up his work, showing a proud Sigourney as Frederick looks on.
"That's perfect! Good job. It took me a long time to learn how to make a slipknot."
"Well, I have a pretty great teacher."
Sigourney smiles. Happy tears fill my eyes. I love seeing the kids relaxed and having fun. I know all too well what it's like to be on edge constantly, never knowing when the grown-ups who are supposed to be responsible for you will explode.
Frederick looks up, and we make eye contact. I quickly wipe my tears. Frederick's face has a hint of worry, but he is smiling widely, trying to assure me without words that everything will be okay.
I am startled when there's a knock at my door. Shit, is it Caroline, Terrance, or both? Are they coming to get the kids or asking me if I called the police?
Thankfully, it's not, but my heart sinks when I open it and see Mimi on the other side, her face chiseled and stern.
"I'm here to pick up the kids." Oh, she's in a mood.
"It's nice to see you too, Mimi," I say with forced cheer.
"Could you hurry up and get them? I had to leave work for this." She points toward Caroline and Terrance, talking outside with the police. "And I have a cold." Her voice is scratchy and firm. I glance to my room, where Frederick is still engrossed in his crocheting lesson with Sigourney, who is entirely unaware that Mimi is here.
"If you'd like, the kids could stay here for the night so you can rest. I'd love to have them here. We haven't finished the movie, and I'm sure they would love to see the end."
She looks irritated. "No, Terrance wants them home. Can you go fetch them? I don't have all night."
Fetch them? They're not dogs. I feel immediate anger. I can tell by her face and voice that she couldn't care less if the kids went home. She's just mad that she had to leave work early, and the kids are being punished for being an inconvenience she resents having to deal with. Like they can help it..
I make one final plea, a desperate attempt in the hope that, for whatever reason, Mimi will change her mind. "Are you sure you won't reconsider? Sigourney is teaching Frederick how to crochet, and he's not very good." I laugh. "He could use her expertise."
Mimi taps her pointer finger on her wrist. "I really don't have time for this, Rochelle."
I hang my head in defeat. "Let me get them.”
"Hey, guys. Mimi is here to bring you home," I say as enthusiastically as I can in the bedroom.
"But we want to stay here!" Walken whines. The disappointment on their faces matches mine.
"Yeah, I haven't even shown Frederick how to do a chain stitch!"
"Not tonight," I respond. "I have to wake up early for work tomorrow. But I promise, we will have another movie night soon." I think it’s best if I take the blame. I would rather have them be disappointed in me than mad at Mimi and their already hostile parents.
Frederick helps Sigourney gather the yarn and hooks. "Okay." Their defeated voices and the sadness on their faces break my heart, but I don't want them to see that, so I plaster a fake smile.
"Thank you for teaching me how to crotchet," Frederick tells Sigourney as she puts her jacket on in the living room. "I'm going to practice my knots. Maybe next time I see you, we can make scarves!" Her face lights up, and so does Walkens. Frederick holds his arms open, and the kids go in for a hug.
Seeing how easy he is with them makes the parting all the more difficult. He may not have kids of his own, but he’s a natural. It makes me mush.
"Okay, guys, come on. Mimi is waiting."
"Thank you," I mouth to Frederick. He smiles as he helps Walken with his jacket.
"Finally. I don't have all night." Mimi puts her hands on the kids' backs, nudging them forward. The gesture is not hard enough for me to say something, but it still seems unnecessary, nonetheless.
"Bye, guys. We had such a go–"
Mimi slams the door closed before I can finish.
"She's pleasant," Frederick says. "Are you okay?" I can't hide the worry and disappointment any longer.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It just breaks my heart knowing what those kids are going home to."
We walk to the living room, and I plop onto the couch, exhausted. Frederick begins picking up the popcorn and candy from the floor. "Don't worry about it. I will clean it later. Come sit." I pat the couch, and he is happy to oblige.
"How often does this happen?" Frederick asks.
"Too often," I tell him. "It's always the same thing. One starts screaming, then the other. Furniture hits the walls, and the kids cry in the background. The sad part is tonight's argument was a tame one. Normally, it's a lot worse."
Frederick’s face pinches in genuine concern.
"This isn't the first time the police have intervened. I actually called once." I sigh, feeling a sense of guilt that I could have possibly put the kids in a shitty situation by getting their parents in trouble.
"Do you think they heard what was happening and pretended not to? They seemed pretty into the movie when I looked over."
I shrug. "I hope not, but even if they did hear, they're used to it. I'm sure it isn't difficult to tune it out."
"And that lady? Mimi?"
I scoff. "Yeah, she's a real gem. That's Terrance's mom. She lives with them, but her job as a janitor has her out most nights, and that's usually when the bad stuff happens. I'm not sure she's aware of the seriousness of the situation. Even if she is, I don't know if she would care."
As I sit with Frederick, replaying the night's events, I feel a heavy weight. These heated arguments between Caroline and Terrance are all too familiar. I think back to my childhood and how sad and incredibly lost I was.
Frederick pulls me out of my morose thoughts when he puts his arm around me. "I know it's been a rough night, Rochelle." His voice is filled with empathy. "Is there anything I can do or say that will help?"
"Sitting here with me is enough. Thank you for tonight." I look up at him and smile. Now that he’s here on my couch, I can’t escape how easy I feel with him. How comfortable it is just to talk to him. Somehow having him near feels so regular. It’s like I’ve known him all my life.
"I feel responsible. If it hadn't been for me, the police wouldn't have come." He sounds guilty, but I don't want him to beat himself up.
"No. You’re being too hard on yourself. You did the right thing. If something had happened, we would have felt the weight of that guilt."
"They're strong kids. They will be okay," he tries. “We’re doing the best that we can, right?”
I appreciate him trying to comfort me but to be honest, I don’t see any real solution for Sigourney and Walken.
Before I can say another word, we are interrupted by a knock at the door. What now?