Chapter 25
It wasn’t till a little past six in the morning that Juliet and Theo pulled into the police station to pick Danica up.
Inside, they greeted the woman at the front desk, who explained that Danica was a “good kid in a bad situation.” She then told Juliet and Theo what Danica had stolen: a fake leather jacket, a pair of earrings (although her ears were not pierced yet), and a bag of red licorice.
“She’s a kid,” the officer on duty said, coming out of the break room with a coffee in a Styrofoam cup.
“She’s a good kid, in fact. I don’t know what came over her. ”
“What about her friend?” Juliet asked, grimacing. “He’s here, too?”
“Does his mother know where he is?” Juliet asked, stricken. She hated the idea of Magnum X’s mother panicking about his whereabouts as well.
“He called his mother last night and explained what was going on,” the officer said. “It’s sort of sweet. I’m calling them Bonnie and Clyde, but I don’t think it will stick.”
“What’s his name?” Juliet asked.
“He can tell you that when he wakes up,” the officer said. “In the meantime, do you want to see your daughter?”
Juliet hugged Theo goodbye, then followed the cop to the back corner room, where she found Danica on a cot, sitting upright, as though she were willing herself not to be tired.
When she saw Juliet, she leaped out of bed and ran into her mother’s arms, where she shook like a frightened rabbit.
When she pulled her head back, Juliet saw herself at Danica’s age: stupid, reckless, and too tender.
She wanted to take all her daughter’s pain away.
But she knew she had to reprimand her, too. Such was the way of motherhood.
“Honey, why did you do it?” Juliet asked, shaking her head.
“I don’t know,” Danica said, her voice breaking.
“But you won’t do it again?” Juliet asked.
Danica shook her head furiously. And then she asked, “Is Chris still here?”
Juliet’s face broke into a smile. “Chris?”
Danica hung back, looking sheepish. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“He’s still here,” Juliet said. “But I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”
“We met, um, online,” Danica said, kicking her foot forward and back.
Juliet felt the watchful eyes of the sleepy officer.
“We can talk about this later,” she said, guiding Danica out into the waiting room, where Juliet signed nearly twenty sheets of paper and prepared her daughter to go.
Meanwhile, Theo woke Chris up, so that Chris nearly leaped out of his skin.
“Who are you?” Theo demanded. But of course, Chris put the pieces together soon enough.
During the brief drive from the police station to the breakfast place on the corner of Blaine Drive and Shelby Lane, not a word was spoken in the car.
Juliet was in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing back at Danica and Chris, who clasped hands desperately.
They looked young but strong in ways that Juliet had never been at that age.
If she had, maybe she could have allowed Callie to love Theo.
That, or maybe she could have allowed herself to love Theo.
That was a more complicated thing, she knew.
It was something she hadn’t allowed herself to fully touch.
Chris and Danica were starving. They ordered omelets, pancakes, and juice, while Juliet and Theo opted for fried eggs and toast. Sunlight poured through the large windows, illuminating their tables and their juice glasses.
With Theo beside her, Juliet felt a sense of warmth and companionship she hadn’t in years.
Alvin had emotionally abandoned her years ago.
Here she was, trying to parent the daughter who’d rather live halfway around the world.
After the juice and coffee arrived, but before the rest of the food was finished, Juliet cleared her throat and said, “Danica, I want to tell you a story. About myself. About Theo. And about my friend Callie.” Slowly, the story unspooled from Juliet’s heart, bringing her daughter deeper into Juliet’s world than she’d ever allowed her.
Slowly, Danica was allowed to see just how delicate her mother was, and just how much her mother wanted to keep her around.
Juliet was a broken person. But she was getting better all the time. Wasn’t that the goal in life? Wasn’t it good to move forward, one step at a time?