CHAPTER TWO
“Marnie, don’t eat that,” said her mother. Marnie put the piece of bread back on the plate and stared at her stepfather, pleading for interference.
“Sharon, let the girl eat for God’s sake. She’s eleven. She’s got time to thin out,” said Hal.
“She doesn’t have time to thin out,” said her mother with a clenched jaw. “She’s my daughter and I’ll do what I want!”
Hal stood from the table and Marnie knew what was coming. Another argument. Her stepfather was great. It was her mother that was the nightmare. Sometimes so out of it from alcohol or drugs, she couldn’t even take Marnie to school.
No matter, she’d learned that the city bus route would take her there. She saved her nickels and dimes, just to be sure she had a ride when she needed it.
“Don’t leave,” pleaded Marnie.
“I’m sorry, kiddo. I’ve got to. She’s been drinking all day while I’ve been working. The laundry isn’t done, which means you don’t have clean clothes for school tomorrow. The house is a wreck and she doesn’t care.”
“Fuck you!” yelled her mother. Hal just shook his head.
“I’ll clean the house. I can do the laundry,” said Marnie.
“It’s not your job, sweetie. Your job is to be an eleven-year-old little girl. That’s all.”
“Then take me with you,” she pleaded.
“You’re my kid! Mine,” yelled her mother.
“You don’t care about me,” cried Marnie. “Please, Hal. Please, take me with you.”
“I wish I could, Marnie. I’ll be back when I find a place to get my things.”
He left that night in the pouring rain and Marnie knew that her life would never be the same again.
Her mother barely fed her for the next week, taking food from her hands, even though she was starving.
She could hardly concentrate at school and when the landlord knocked on the door for rent, Marnie knew they were in trouble.
“Sorry, Sharon. You gotta pay,” he said smirking at her. The man looked over her shoulder at Marnie and smiled. “Of course, I could let you slide this whole month if I get her.”
“Her? My fat little girl?” laughed the woman.
“She looks kinda good to me.”
“Mama,” whispered Marnie. “Mama, no.”
Sharon turned, staring at her daughter with a mix of regret and sorrow. She shrugged her shoulders, turning back to the landlord.
“The whole month?”
“The whole month,” he said rubbing his groin. Sharon nodded, opening the door further. Marnie screamed, crying for help. But would anyone hear her? Would the neighbors think it was just another fight? Someone help me, she prayed.
It came in the form of her stepfather.
“Marnie? Marnie, what’s wrong?” he asked running into the room. He looked at the landlord, then Sharon. “You sick, disgusting bitch. How could you? She’s your daughter!”
“That’s right! Mine. I get to do what I want with her,” she grinned.
“Not this,” he said. “Marnie, go grab your things. We’re going to the cops. We’re gonna do this right.”
Except right was never easy. It was back and forth in courtrooms, meeting with child advocates, lawyers, psychiatrists, and then having to face her mother again. In all that time, she was stuck in child protective services until they could prove that her stepfather was capable of caring for her.
Nine months. Nine months of agony and crying herself to sleep every night. She was made fun of for her weight at the shelter. She was made fun of because she was smart and liked books. And by the time it was all done, she was a young lady who didn’t understand her body at all.
“Marnie St. John,” called the judge. She stood obediently as the lawyer and advocate directed her to. “Do you wish to live with your stepfather?”
“I do.”
“Do you understand that I am going to terminate all rights for your mother, as she has indicated she no longer wishes to have you in her care?”
“I-I understand,” she nodded without emotion.
“And Hal Bankston, you agree to care for Marnie in the manner a father should? Provide for her, counsel her, protect her, and most of all, love her?”
“I absolutely will, your honor,” he smiled. The man nodded.
“These cases are always difficult. We always want children with their biological parents when possible but unfortunately, in this case, it is not possible. The court, and I, believe that you are a good parent to Marnie. And God knows, she needs one. Best of luck to you both. A social worker will be checking in on you for a while, so please make sure you keep your address current.”
“I will, your honor. I will,” he laughed hugging Marnie.
“Thank you, Hal. Thank you!”
“No worries, kiddo. It’s you and me now.”
Hal was a better mother and father to Marnie than her mother could have ever been. She never saw the woman after that day. In fact, when she was in high school they heard that she’d died in a car accident.
During her senior year, Hal came home to find her sitting on the fire escape of their Brooklyn apartment crying.
“Hey. Hey, kiddo what’s wrong?” he asked taking a seat beside her.
“It’s stupid,” she sniffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
“If it’s got you this upset, it’s not stupid. Tell me. Maybe I can help.” She was quiet for a long moment then turned to him.
“It’s senior prom,” she said quietly. Hal nodded. He understood immediately what the issue was. “No one asked me and I thought I’d ask Tony, my friend. Just to go as friends, that’s all.”
“And what did Tony say?” asked Hal.
“He said, he said ‘no offense, you’re my friend, but we can’t be friends like that’. What does that mean? I wasn’t asking for anything except a date!” she cried.
“Oh, baby. It’s okay,” he said hugging her. If Tony weren’t a high school kid, he’d go beat the shit out of him. “Do you really want to go?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, everyone is going.”
“Just because everyone goes, doesn’t mean you have to. If you really want to go, I’ll buy you a dress, we’ll do dinner and I’ll go with you if you want.”
“Ha-a-al?” she moaned. He laughed.
“Okay, okay, I get it. Pretty lame, right.”
“Very lame. But I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Maybe it will be different in college?”
“Maybe,” he said smiling at her.
He hadn’t had the opportunity to go to college. He was a blue-collar guy all the way. But his paycheck afforded the cute little place in Brooklyn and enough money in the bank to send her to college. She was also an honor student and had several small scholarships.
His daughter was going to be something special.
“I tell you what,” he grinned. “What do you say we get dressed up, go to that steak place you like off Broadway. We’ll catch a show and then get some cheesecake at that little diner. Just you and me.”
“Really?” she asked looking up at him.
He stared at the big brown eyes filled with tears and his heart was breaking. She was a beautiful young woman. Who cared if she had a few extra pounds on her? She was smart, sweet, loving, and beautiful.
“Really. Just you and me.”
It was the best night of Marnie’s life. She heard other girls talking about what a disappointment prom was for them or that their boyfriends got drunk and left them.
She had Hal all to herself and they had a great time.
They laughed, talking about what she wanted to do in college, and walked the streets of New York until their feet hurt.
Marnie would remember that night for years to come. When Hal came to watch her graduate from college, he looked terrible. He was thin, his face gaunt, and he was bent over.
“Hal? Hal, what’s wrong?” she asked running toward him.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said trying to laugh. “It’s all good, kiddo. I’m so proud of you. You’re going to medical school.”
“I am. But I’m more worried about you. Something is wrong. Tell me,” she pleaded.
“I’m just tired, honey.”
She didn’t believe him but she also couldn’t force him to tell her the truth. A year into medical school, she got the call she had been dreading.
“Hello?”
“Marnie? Honey, it’s Vic. Remember, I work with Hal.”
“Y-yes,” she said quietly. “What’s wrong? Where is Hal?”
“Honey, he died this morning. He was late for work and I went by to see if he was okay. He’s been sick for a while now.”
“He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong!” she cried out.
“He didn’t want anything to stop you from fulfilling your dream. It wouldn’t have mattered, Marnie. He had pancreatic cancer. There was nothing to be done for him.”
“I-I could have spent more time with him,” she cried. “I wanted more time with him. He saved me, Vic. He saved me!”
“I know, sweetie. He loved you so much! In fact, he loved you so much that he planned the whole funeral. It’s paid for, done, and all you have to do is come home. Can you do that?”
“Of course. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
Vic was right. Hal planned the entire thing. The music, the service, the location of his burial, all of it. There was a box waiting for Marnie. It was filled with programs from school plays, report cards, birthday and father’s day cards, and mementos from their famous senior prom date.
It only made her cry more.
“He had a small life insurance, Marnie. After the funeral expenses, it’s almost two-hundred-thousand dollars. It’s enough for you to finish medical school, just like he dreamed.”
“Thank you, Vic. Thank you for being such a good friend to him.”
“That was the easy part. You brought him so much joy, Marnie. He talked about you all the time. Loved you as his own.” She nodded, smiling through the pain. She knew that was true. Hal showed her that every day.
Staring at the headstone, she shook her head.
Hal Bankston
Friend to all
“No,” she whispered. “I want that redone. It should read The Greatest Father.”
“I’ll take care of it, honey,” said Vic hugging her.
Hal had so many friends from work and the neighborhood, they were pouring into the apartment for hours, all day and all night. Marnie was exhausted.
What she knew for certain was that she would be Dr. Marnie St. John one day, in honor of her father.