14. Frederick
14
FREDERICK
R ochelle weaves through the mess on the floor to get to the door. "Who is it?" I hear her ask when she finally makes it there. A few seconds later, I hear her open it.
I can't make out who it is, but I hear a man's voice.
"Everything okay?" I ask as I walk to the door with my chest puffed out. Rochelle is standing with a man and a woman who I can only guess are the arguing neighbors and caregivers of poor Walken and Sigourney. I can feel my hackles rise at the sight.
"Yeah, everything is good." Rochelle shoots me a look that clearly suggests I leave them all be, but I won't. I don't trust these people. Duplex, her cat, is all tensed underneath a little table by the front door, telling me he doesn’t trust them either.
"We just wanted to come by and apologize," the woman says, her voice shaky. Her eyes are bloodshot. I have to assume she's been crying, and a part of me feels bad for her. She might be in just as bad a position as the kids, honestly.
"Yeah, we're sorry. It's such a pain in the ass when the police show up." Terrance scoffs, barely making eye contact. "It's so unnecessary. Don't they have anything better to do than to bother a couple who got into a little fight?"
He puts his arm around Caroline, trying to show unity. She cracks a half smile, and I'm not buying it for a second. By the look on Rochelle's face, she isn't, either.
It’s all I can do to keep my mouth shut. What they should be doing is thanking Rochelle for caring for their kids better than they do. Instead, Terrance looks at Rochelle like she did something wrong.
"Did you guys call the cops? I wouldn't be mad if you did. I just want to know. Because if you did, you should know everything is fine. My old lady and I get heated sometimes, but it's nothing serious."
Is he serious?
Rochelle crosses her arms over her chest. She looks angry and responds before I can say a word. "No, Terrance. I didn't call the police. Frederick and I were happily watching a movie with Sigourney and Walken, trying to keep them occupied so they didn't hear the screaming."
My hands turn to fists. I am furious with this guy. He is heartless.
"Have a good night." Rochelle is nothing but polite, even though I know she must be furious.
She smiles, and Caroline is silent while Terrance grunts as he turns his back on us. What an asshole.
"That ‘apology’ was hardly worth the trip here," I gripe to Rochelle after she shuts the door.
She sighs. "They didn't come to apologize. Terrance just wanted to snoop to see if we were the ones who called the police. He couldn't give two shits about anything else."
"Not even a thank you for watching their kids," I observe.
"I don't need them to thank me. Sigourney and Walken thank me all the time, and that means everything to me."
I smile. The way she cares for those kids is admirable.
We get situated back onto the couch. Just as I’m really absorbing how composed Rochelle seems to be in all of this, she buries her face in her hands.
"I'm so sick of this. It's always the same song and dance. A fight breaks out, and they start screaming. Things go flying. Sometimes, it turns violent and the police show up, nobody presses charges. End scene. Every damn time."
"Why doesn't she press charges then? Why let him keep doing it?"
She shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe she's scared or has nowhere else to go. It's hard raising two kids on your own. I think Terrance is the problem. It doesn't seem that Caroline is half bad."
I picture Walken and Sigourney's sweet, innocent faces, and I feel sad for them. I hate that they're stuck living in such mayhem.
"I called the police once, hoping they would do something. A social worker showed up, spoke with Terrance and Caroline for no more than five minutes, and then left. When you have someone unwilling to press charges, there isn't much the police can do. It's infuriating! I don't get our legal system.”
"Are you okay?" I put my hand on her shoulder. Of course, she's not okay, Frederick. What a stupid question to ask.
"I'm just sad. They're such good kids, and they don't deserve to live this way. But until their mother sees that, no one can do anything about it. Mothers are the one person a child should be able to count on to protect them. Not the person making it worse."
I see tears trying to escape her eyes. "Sigourney once told me that she and Walken were sent to foster care a few years ago, and it was bad. She didn't go into much detail, and she seemed traumatized by it all, so I didn't pry for more information. Ever since that day, I have hesitated to call the police anytime a fight breaks out. I don't want to be the reason they have to go back. Foster care can be a cure worse than the ailment."
No wonder Rochelle seemed annoyed that I called the cops. She's been through this before. Things are starting to make sense.
Rochelle wipes her tears and leans in closer. Her voice is tinged with concern as she opens up about her deeper fears. "My biggest concern is that I am terrified they will be split up. If it weren't for that, I would be doing more. I just don't trust the foster system.."
"I understand your concerns. They're valid, and given your own experiences, it makes sense that you are worried. The foster care system is unpredictable." I sound like a blathering idiot.
"It really is. At least this way I can keep an eye on them. And I know they have each other. If they went into foster care, I don't know if I would see them again. I wouldn't be able to help them." Duplex jumps onto the couch and curls up her lap, and she absentmindedly begins to stroke his fur as she speaks.
“Are Terrance and Caroline abusive toward them? If they are, maybe there's a way to prove it, and that's how we can get the kids out.”
“No, thank God.” There goes that idea. “I constantly tell myself that at least they aren't being physically abused. I know that sounds horrible, like I'm making excuses for Terrance and Caroline. Maybe I just need to say that to myself to feel better about the situation. The kids are neglected, and in my head, I know that’s abuse, too.”
I can see how much this pains her, but I feel helpless. In dire situations, I can use money to get my way out of it. That's not going to work with this one. I can't buy the kids out of their apartment.
"I wish there were a way to get Terrance out of the apartment," Rochelle says. "If he was gone, I could help Caroline get on her feet. Things would be so much better if he were out of the picture."
"Rochelle, I don’t know the answer. I know we don’t know each other very well, but that’s not like me. I’m the guy who solves things. I want to do something, but I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do!"
My face is hot. I clench my jaw and fists.
Rochelle takes my hands in hers. "Sh, it's okay. Try to relax. I know it's maddening. But you and I being this upset over it isn't going to change anything. We need to stay level headed."
She pats the back of my hand. Duplex, feeling ignored, loses interest, jumps off the couch, and wanders away. "Trust me, I understand. Do you know how horrible I feel that I live next door to this and have done nothing? It kills me. Every night when I lay my head on the pillow, guilt consumes me."
I don't understand how any of this is okay. How do these people get away with this shit?
"This isn't the first, second, or fifth time the cops have been here. Other residents have called the police on them, and nothing ever happens. Ever."
"They're such great kids," I say. “It’s disgusting that anyone could do this to them. What kind of man acts like that?”
Rochelle just smiles and squeezes my hand again.
Despite the chaos of the evening, she pulls within herself and smoothes it over like butter. I’m sure she’s done this before and dried the tears of the poor kids caught up in this mess more times than she can count. Yet look at her. She never lets it get her down.
"You get along with them really well. I can tell how much they like you," she says.
Even though this has been a whirlwind evening, sitting here with her feels comforting. The way she can calm me down, the delicateness in her voice, the way she holds my hands in hers. Everything about Rochelle is caring, nurturing, and soothing.
"I’m just following your lead.”