Chapter 32 Sydney - Calling Reinforcements
Chapter 32
Sydney - Calling Reinforcements
A ustin was spiraling. I could see it. Mandi showing up rattled him, although he wouldn’t admit it. He coped by drinking more and communicating less. When we were home together, he stayed in his room. I noticed some damage to his car at one point, but I didn’t ask; there was a reason he hadn’t told me. My imagination ran wild with it, of course, but with him being so withdrawn, that’s all it was—imagination. I figured he avoided me to dodge telling the truth … or hearing it. About the car and whatever else was going on with him.
Austin was a grownup, and his life was his business, but he was also my friend. It concerned me he had become reckless and indifferent. So, I called for reinforcements.
“Hey, Danny. I bet you didn’t expect to hear from me. How’s life in the Navy?”
“This is a surprise. Good, though. I’m doing well. Staying in the middle of the pack to avoid getting attention. How did you get my number? I mean, it’s fine that you do, I just wondered.”
“I spoke to your dad. I do have a reason for calling. ”
“Okay, you have my interest.”
“I’m calling about Austin. I’m worried about him.” Danny listened as I gave him the highlights of the past few months. He asked a few questions. When I finished, he remained quiet. I didn’t know if he planned on responding or not. I waited.
Finally, he spoke. “I probably should call him more often, but the phone works both ways. This isn’t unheard of—Austin goes through these dark patches from time to time. Always has. He fights against his demons, but they catch up with him. There’s not much you can do to help him.” He paused, as if deciding to go on, and then said, “I’m about to tell you something that almost no one knows. I’m not even sure Austin knows that I know this. You can’t ever bring this up in any conversation with him. Do you understand?”
I nodded. “Yes, of course I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Honestly, I don’t even like to talk about it. What happened to him should never happen to anyone.” Big sigh. “Austin was abused at an early age. They can’t be certain, but the best guess is that he was around two when it started. His uncle lived next door, and he and Austin’s father used to take him for walks in the woods around their property. About the time he turned four, Austin became withdrawn and uncooperative. He stopped talking. He barely ate. His mother took him to doctors and specialists but did not get a clear diagnosis.”
All I could think was, My God, poor Austin .
Danny went on: “In a last-ditch effort, his mom enrolled him in a behavioral study at the local university. After several play sessions with two grad students, they concluded that Austin displayed signs of being sexually abused. It devastated his mom. She didn’t know what her husband and brother were doing. She filed for divorce and sole custody. Because she made more money than Austin’s dad, she had to pay him alimony for five years. The sacrifice she made to save Austin nearly bankrupted her.”
“Geeze, Danny. This is terrible. He’s never said a thing about it.”
“I wouldn’t expect him to. He spent years in therapy, but the damage had already been done. He pretends to be normal, and about eighty percent of the time he does a halfway decent job of it. But there are cracks in his armor, and he gets dark and uncommunicative, like he’s doing now. There’s nothing you can do except wait for him to come back. He has a wall up. No one will ever break through unless he lets them. It’s sad. I’ve known him for a long time, and I don’t see this pattern changing.”
By the time Danny finished, I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I couldn’t imagine how that would affect me. It made me angry that his own father could do that to him. What kind of monster abuses their own child ?
“Did his father or uncle ever do any time for their crimes?” I hoped for justice for Austin.
“I don’t think so. Austin was too young to be a reliable witness. His mom refused to take child support money from him to deny his father any visitation rights. I learned most of this from my parents since they were close friends with Austin’s mom. Austin and I have never talked about it. I think it’s best that he doesn’t know that I know. He can’t know that you know either.”
“I understand. This helps, really. Thanks for trusting me. I need to figure out what to do for him. He’s struggling, Danny.”
“I wish I could help him.”
After I hung up with Danny, my head hurt. I wanted to help Austin, but how could I do it without him picking up that I know something I shouldn’t?
I thought for a few minutes, then picked up the phone and started working on my plan.
“Hi, Mrs. Mitchell. It’s Sydney Campbell.”
“How are you, dear? Call me Wendy, please.”
“Okay. I’m doing well. I can tell you that life out here is vastly different than Kansas City.”
“I’m sure it’s glamorous. I would love to visit Austin. He doesn’t call often, and I miss him terribly. We were close when he lived at home. Things at the bank have been hectic these past few months. We’re merging with another bank and that always means extra work.”
“We’ve been working hard here, too. I don’t know how much Austin has told you, but we work with several other writers. Right now, we’re working on a couple songs for pop superstars I can’t name. It’s fun and challenging at the same time.”
“That’s exciting. I don’t think I could come up with lyrics if I tried.”
“It’s all about the rhyme, and there’s a basic formula to it. But that’s not why I’m calling. ”
“Is Austin in trouble? I hesitated about letting him go to California, but I wanted him to make his own decisions. It concerned me when he didn’t come home for Christmas.” She sighed.
“No, he’s not in trouble. At least not yet.” Austin’s recent drunken escapades and reckless behavior with women would be a lot for Wendy to hear. “I’m worried about him, and I don’t know how to confront him without making it worse. I care about him, and I don’t want to see him keep sliding down into this darkness. I don’t want him to ruin what we have going for us.”
“Of course, you don’t. I’m glad you called me. How about I come out to see him?”
“That would be fantastic!”
“I think it would,” she said. “Austin is well due a visit from his momma.”
Journal Entry
I felt better about Austin after talking to Wendy. She promised to investigate flights and come visit. We decided to make it a surprise, even though she did say he doesn’t like surprises. It’s his mom—you make exceptions for moms. Wendy understands Austin better than any other person. Her presence will definitely lift his spirits, and maybe push the demons away. At least, that’s the goal.
Venus told me about his DUI. She’ll never admit she told me, but she was worried, too, and thought that I might have some influence on him, being his friend, not just his coworker. I remember not trusting her when she first marched into our lives. Since then, I’ve learned she’s a good person and well worth trusting.
Austin’s been avoiding me as much as possible at home, and he’s been driving to work separately. He has a ton of excuses lined up to avoid carpooling with me: oil change, going to the gym, haircut, doctor’s appointment, poker night…I could go on. I think he’s afraid of what I would say to him if he got stuck in a moving vehicle with me. He was half right. I’d most definitely take an opportunity like that to express my concern. But he’s slippery and has had lots of practice avoiding the Truth. I just hope it doesn’t come to bite him in the ass.