Chapter 10 #2
An older man emerges behind her, looking significantly less traumatized but still deeply uncomfortable.
“Yeah, sorry to say, you’ve got a pretty substantial rodent infestation back there.
Looks like they’ve made themselves at home in the wall.
There’s insulation everywhere. As soon as we moved the dresser, it all just…
” He makes a spilling out gesture with his fingers that makes the blonde shudder and clutch at her throat.
“Rats,” she hisses. “God, I hate rats.”
“Oh no.” The color drains from Elly’s face so fast that, for a second, I’m worried she might faint. But almost immediately, color floods back into her cheeks, that particular shade of shame-red reserved for when life jerks your pants down around your ankles in public .
“God, I’m so sorry,” she continues, dragging a shaking hand through her hair.
“I never— I mean, we had a problem once before, under the sink. The people downstairs leave food out all the time, but I thought I sealed all the holes. And the rats have never been in her room before, I swear. I never would have?—”
“In my room?” Mimi squeaks from the middle of the island, catching on to what’s happening. “There are rats in my room?”
Elly stiffens, but her voice is reassuring as she turns to her daughter, “It looks like there might be a few behind your dresser, baby. But it’s okay, they’re in the wall and?—”
“Behind my dresser?” Mimi’s eyes go round as dinner plates. “By my books? Real rats? Not nutria?”
Elly winces slightly. “I’m afraid so, but don’t worry. I’ll call the super and?—”
“But what if they chew on my books?” Mimi asks, her bottom lip already doing that pre-cry tremble that signals tears are coming in fast. “What if they try to get in my bed tonight?” Her voice climbs with each word as her hands ball into tiny fists.
“I don’t want to sleep with rats. I don’t like rats, Mama. They’re not pets, they’re mean.”
“Don’t worry, Meems,” Elly says, soothing voice now in full effect. “I promise, I won’t let them hurt you or your books. And yes, rats do carry diseases, but they’re more scared of us than?—”
“I don’t want rats in my room!” Mimi cuts in, tears filling her eyes. “They have to go now!”
“Agreed,” mutters the female mover. “I have to go, too, Cedric. I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not with rats. Not again. ”
Before Cedric can respond, the woman has darted past Elly and is wrenching open the front door.
“Katy, come on,” Cedric calls as her footsteps pound down the hall.
“You can take the other side of the room! We’re almost done!
” When he realizes Katy isn’t coming back, he sighs.
“Poor kid. Third time we’ve run into rats this month.
They’re becoming a real problem in the city.
” He motions toward the bedroom as he turns to Elly.
“Though I have to say, that’s one of the biggest nests I’ve seen in a while, ma’am.
I can’t believe the kid didn’t hear them crawling around in the walls.
They’re really squirming around in there. ”
“Mama, no,” Mimi practically shrieks. “I don’t want them in the walls or my bed or our house.”
Poor Mimi is on her way to a total meltdown, and I can’t say I blame her.
I’m not a fan of rats, either, not since the night I woke up in my “bedroom” in our kitchen when I was a kid to find a giant rat staring at me from a few feet away.
Mom and I could only afford a one-bedroom, too.
Grant was already off playing in the minors, and I slept in a little partition made of a clothing rack and shelves separating my twin bed from the rest of the space.
Even a decade later, I can still remember the look on that thing’s face.
It was sizing me up like it was considering which of my toes would be the best for snacking on, and didn’t run back under the stove until I’d thrown three pairs of tennis shoes at it.
Mom filled the oven vent with steel wool and rat poison the next morning, but I didn’t sleep easy for weeks.
And that was just one rat, not an entire nest.
Time to intervene before this gets worse.
“Hey, guys, I have an idea,” I say, catching Mimi’s eyes over Elly’s shoulder as she gathers her sobbing baby into her arms. “Hey, Mimi, buddy, don’t cry.
You’re moving in with me, remember? And I don’t have rats anywhere in my building, I promise.
So, why don’t you guys just move in tonight? Problem solved.”
Elly glances back at me, relief written all over her face.
“Really?” Mimi sniffs, tears slowing as she glances between me and her mama. “Can we do that, Mama? Can we move tonight?”
“I mean, if it’s not too much of an imposition,” Elly says, meeting my gaze with a questioning glance. “I know you weren’t expecting us until tomorrow.”
I wave a hand through the air. “Tonight, tomorrow, makes no difference to me. How about we just grab whatever y’all need for tonight—pajamas, toothbrushes, whatever—and let the moving company get the rest tomorrow?”
“I can finish up with the boxes for you,” Cedric says, looking a little guilty for his part in escalating Mimi’s fears into a full-on existential crisis.
“And I know the super. I’ll get him on the horn before I leave.
Tell him he needs to get an exterminator up here tonight.
The longer he waits, the worse that situation is gonna get, and the longer he’ll have to wait to get another renter in here. ”
“That might work,” Elly says, her shoulders slowly easing away from her ears. “Dan doesn’t usually answer the phone right away, but he did say that he already has another renter lined up. Pretty sure they’re supposed to move in next week.”
Cedric grunts. “Yeah, then he’ll be all over it. We’ll have this handled in no time. Rats gone, bags packed, fresh start on lock.” He smiles kindly at Elly. “Go get settled in your new place and rest easy.”
“Thank you,” Elly says, a smile trembling across her lips as she glances down at Mimi, still clinging to her arm. “What do you think, Mimi? Want me to go pack your PJs and clothes for school tomorrow, and we can hit the road?”
Mimi nods fast. “Yes, Mama. Hurry. The rats might smell the leftover pizza and decide to come in here.”
“I doubt it, but stay on the island, just in case,” Elly says, pressing a kiss to Mimi’s forehead. As she pulls away, she turns to me, adding in a whisper, “You okay here for a few minutes without me? If she gets upset again, just holler and I’ll be here in two seconds.”
“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “We’ll be fine. Take your time.”
“No, Mama, don’t take your time, not right now. Sometimes it’s okay to be fast,” Mimi says, making Elly glance back over her shoulder with a soft laugh.
“Got it. I’ll be faster than the wind.” She jogs out of the room, making Mimi sag with relief.
“Thank goodness,” Mimi says, glancing my way as she confides, “Mama always says slow and steady wins the race, but sometimes it’s better to be fast. Especially if you don’t care about winning the race and you just want to get away from something scary.”
“Wise words, kiddo,” I say, holding out a fist for her to bump.
She does, and Cedric laughs. “You two remind me of me and my stepdaughter. Thick as thieves from day one.” His blue eyes soften.
“Now, she’s twenty-five and about to give me my first grandbaby.
” He gives me a friendly pat on the shoulder as he adds, “Enjoy your time with your girls, son. It goes by so fast and then, all of a sudden, you’re sixty and about to be a grandpa. ”
My girls…
They aren’t my girls, not really, but right now…
Well, I’m glad they’re coming home with me, and not just because no one should have to sleep in an apartment with an active rat infestation. Even before Katy ran out screaming, I was dreading saying goodbye.
Now, I don’t have to.
“Oh no,” Mimi says, sitting ramrod straight again. “My stuffed animals! I can’t leave Miss Sparklehorn here with the rats! Or Fuzzy Wuzzy. They’re delicate and magical, and rats hate unicorns.”
“On it,” I tell her, holding up a hand, fingers spread wide. “Wait here. I’ll grab them from your room and see if your mom needs any help.”
Mimi relaxes almost immediately, a smile twitching at her lips. “Thanks, Gee. The rats will be too scared to bother Mama or the animals if you’re there. You’re big and strong.”
I’ve heard similar things from people before, but as I give Mimi a thumbs-up and jog in to join Elly, I realize I’ve never been so glad to be big and strong as I am right now.
Big and strong on the streets or the ice is good and all, but big and strong because it makes a kid you care about feel safe is even better.
“Everything okay?” Elly asks from the closet as I head into Mimi’s nearly full-packed room.
“Yeah, just have to rescue two stuffies Mimi thinks might be rat targets,” I say, seeing the unicorn on her bed and tucking it under one arm. “I just need to know which one is Fuzzy Wuzzy.”
Elly smiles and points to the open box not far from the bed. “The big gray bunny. Should be in that one. He’s one of the ‘good’ animals.”
“Got it.” I locate the bunny easily, then help Elly carry her nearly-packed duffle into the bathroom.
Within ten minutes, we’ve got a duffle bag, Mimi’s backpack and lunchbox for school, a small bonus bag of toiletries, and the stuffies ready to go, and are waving goodbye to Cedric, who promises to lock up behind him.
“Okay,” Mimi announces as she leads the way down the hall toward the elevator, unicorn under one arm and Fuzzy Wuzzy under the other. “We’re all ready to go, and Fuzzy Wuzzy isn’t even nervous.”
“No?” I ask, with a smile. “That’s good.’
“That’s very good,” Elly adds softly beside me. “Fuzzy Wuzzy is notoriously high-strung. Speaking of high-strung…you handled all of that very well. You’ve got excellent dealing-with-scared-kids instincts.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I’m glad I was there.”
“Me, too,” Elly says as we reach Mimi, who’s already pressed the button to call the elevator.
She turns back to me as we wait, asking, “Hey, Gee, is it too cold to swim in your pool at night?”
I shake my head. “Nope. It’s heated. You can swim in December if you want.”
The look of wonder that transforms her face makes Elly and me both laugh. “Did you hear that, Mama? We can swim at Christmas!”
Elly ruffles her hair. “I did. What lucky ladies we are. But only a short swim tonight, okay? It’s only a couple of hours until bedtime.”
“Okay,” Mimi says, slipping her free hand into mine as we wait like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
My chest tightens, then fills, and in that moment, I know nothing will ever be the same.
Because this little girl? I want to be her hero. For keeps.
As we pile into the death trap elevator—me with the duffle bag, Mimi clutching her stuffies, Elly with all of Mimi’s things for school—I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. It feels right to be taking these two home.
I hope my home will feel like home for them too, soon.
And maybe they’ll decide they don’t want to leave for a long, long while.