A Sister's Promise (Promises) (15 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Jerk!” Kate yelled when a red convertible cut them off. She clenched the steering wheel, her arms bent stiffly. She wasn’t used to the rapid speed and
Lord of the Flies
mentality of city drivers. She was much more accustomed to being stuck behind the orange triangle of a slow-moving piece of farm equipment.

Since she had no sense of direction, she worried she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to the hotel. And she couldn’t ask Joely for help; her sister hadn’t said a word since they’d left the doctor’s office. Kate slowed down as she approached an exit, trusted her gut and drove down the right road.

Once they arrived at the hotel room, Kate asked Joely how she was doing.

“Fine.” She was less than convincing. “I want to rest a bit.” She lay on top of the yellow-flowered bedspread, curled her body around a pillow and closed her eyes. She slept for four hours.

When she finally woke up, she said she wanted to see if the gift shop had a swimsuit in her size.

Kate looked up from the letter of recommendation she struggled to write for one of her students. “Why?” She and Joely didn’t know how to swim. As children they sat fully clothed watching Jonathan take his lessons at the YMCA.

“I’m going to sit in the hot tub.”

Kate nodded her head and put down her pen. “Do you want some company?”

“No thanks.” Joely picked up her purse.

“Do you want to get some dinner together later?”

“No. You go ahead. I’m not hungry.”

Kate paused, feeling rebuffed. She wanted to be able to comfort Joely.

Joely left. Kate picked up the phone on the nightstand next to the remote control with the scratched-off numbers and dialed the familiar number.
Ring. Ring
. The answering machine picked up. “Mitch, are you there?” No answer.

After she hung up, she sat on the wrinkled bedspread for a while, disappointed that she couldn’t get a hold of Mitch. Without realizing, she gnawed on her thumbnail.

She dialed her home number again. Still no answer. She decided to take bath. On automatic pilot she undressed and stepped into the shower. She let out a sigh, thinking about sitting for hours at the airport tomorrow, waiting to get seats on a flight right back to where they had started.

Once dressed, she tried calling Mitch again. She was so relieved when he answered. She hoped that somehow through these long-distance wires he could make her feel better.

“So, how did it go?” he asked. “You don’t sound good.”

She explained the trip was a total waste of time. Suddenly her anger turned into sadness. She tried to stop herself but couldn’t. “I wish you were here.”

“Me, too, sweetie. Are you crying?”

She reached for a tissue on the nightstand and sniffled. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I just can’t believe there’s nothing we can do.”

“I wish I were there to hold you.”

“Why can’t the doctor give her the medicine anyway? If it might be a cure, then how can he deny her?”

“I don’t know, honey.” He paused while Kate tried to catch her breath. They talked some more about what the doctor said until there was nothing more to say. Then they sat miles apart, quiet yet connected.

After a while he tried to cheer her up by saying, “Monte misses you.”

“How do you know?”

“He jumps up on your side of the bed and meows like someone stole his mommy.”

Kate smiled through the tears. “What’s he doing right now?”

“He’s chasing his tail. When he catches it, he bites rather hard. You would think he would stop after a while.”

Kate smirked at the image. Monte always had more the personality of a puppy than that of a cat. “Do you ever think animals chase their tails for the same reason we watch TV?”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re bored. They need some kind of mental stimulation.”

“Hmm. That’s an intriguing thought. And ironically, guess what I was doing before you called.”

“Watching TV.”

“Yep.” They both laughed quickly. Kate thought about how many nights over the last ten years that she and Mitch had wasted, sitting on the couch, watching TV. Had they just been chasing their tails all of this time?

“I think one of your students called. They hung up when I answered.”

“What did the caller ID say?”

“Kip Adams.”

Kate shook her head. She didn’t have any students with that last name. It was probably the name of a stepparent. “It sounds familiar, but I can’t quite remember from where.”

 
She heard Joely open the door. “Mitch, I gotta go. Hopefully I’ll be home sometime tomorrow.”

“OK. I miss you.”

“Miss you, too.”

Kate watched Joely slip off her clothes and put on a black swimsuit, which revealed the beauty mark on her neck. Kate’s attempts at conversation were again denied. A few minutes later Joely left, a white hotel towel draped over her shoulder.

Lying on the bed, Kate watched TV with the volume low for hours. Every time she heard footsteps in the hall, she jumped up to look out the peephole.

Joely stayed gone long past when Kate wanted to eat dinner. Finally she gave in and ordered a chicken salad from room service. It was so-so. No apples or raisins like Mom’s.

Later Kate woke up to laughter on a Seinfeld rerun. The glowing red digits on the alarm clock indicated that it was 12:03 a.m. Pressing the button on the remote, she turned off the TV and was enveloped by silence. She looked over at the other bed to see that it remained untouched. She started to panic. Had Joely passed out in the hot tub?

Then she heard a woman’s hushed giggle and a deep voice whispering in the hall. She looked out the peephole, but couldn’t see. She opened the door just a crack and looked toward the noise. A tan, muscular man with shoulder-length, sun-bleached hair was touching Joely’s shoulder in a very familiar way.

I guess she found someone else to comfort her, Kate thought. Fighting her curiosity, she closed the door as quietly as possible.

She didn’t even know what to think. Joely had never been promiscuous. It gave Kate the willies to think of her little sister in that way. Probably the same way parents felt about their teenage daughters making out in cars after prom.

When Kate heard the key card in the door, she jumped back onto the bed. She turned on the bedside lamp. “I hope you used a condom.”

Joely’s eyelids looked heavy. “Why?”

“God knows what STDs a surfer dude might be carrying.”

“Were you spying on me?” Joely put down her towel and opened her suitcase. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t sleep with him.”

“Oh.”

“I could have. But I didn’t. It was just nice to be seen as an attractive, desirable woman for a change.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve always been a natural beauty.”

Joely pulled out her pajamas. “Well, I don’t know about that. All I know is that I haven’t felt pretty in a long time. Do you know it’s been almost a year since I’ve been kissed?”

Kate shook her head. She had only been gone twenty-four hours and she already missed Mitch’s touch.

“And now that I’m on steroids I’ve gained twenty pounds.” Joely patted her abdomen.

“Joely, you still look great. With your height it’s barely noticeable.”

“Right. I wish someone warned me that once I left college the phone would stop ringing. Everyone my age who wants to be married already is by now.”

“Surely there have been guys who have asked you out.”

She nodded her head. “I guess. But nobody I want to spend my whole life with. Nobody like Jake.”

# # #

In the morning Joely’s disposition was as bright as the sun streaming through the crack between the hotel drapes. She beat Kate to the shower and twenty minutes later was ready to go. “Meet you at breakfast.”

When Kate found Joely she was chatting with the young Asian waitress as if they were old friends. “I just love my support group,” the young woman said. “No one else really gets it. Initially people were so concerned when they found out I had cancer, but eventually they stopped asking. I mean, if you look healthy, people assume that you’re OK. But it’s always in the back of my mind.”

Joely nodded. She was eating, of all things, steak and eggs for breakfast.

The waitress lowered her tray. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to. People who understand.”

“I know what you mean. Maybe I’ll see if I can find a group, too. Thanks.” The waitress smiled and walked to another table. She did look perfectly healthy. How did Joely know she was sick? Was there something in their eyes conveying that they were in the same club—the club no one wanted to be in?

How many times had Kate suggested Joely find a support group? Joely would take comfort and advice from a total stranger but not from her own sister. “Have you been to church lately?” Kate asked. They had never been very religious, but it might be another place for Joely to find some emotional support.

“Not in a while.”

Kate didn’t hide her disappointment. She had also hoped Joely would meet some great guy there. She couldn’t help worrying that if Joely did meet someone, her sister might decide to wait and see what the next one looked like.

After visiting the breakfast bar for a second time, Kate asked Joely when she wanted to head to the airport.

“I was thinking we should stay for a while. I want to see Yosemite National Park. The Ansel Adams photographs are breathtaking. I can’t imagine what it’s like to see in person.”

Adams. Kip Adams. Who was he?
“How far is Yosemite from here?”

“I have no idea. I’d need to look at a map.”

Kate considered it for a moment. Then she remembered. Adams was the name of Lily’s new foster family.

What was going on with her? Kate had a few students who called her at home when they were in crisis, but Lily had never been one of them. “Joely, I would love to stay, but I have to get back to work.”

“Think about it. We already paid for our flight. We might as well do some sightseeing while we’re here.”

Kate was torn. If only the timing were different. “I don’t know.”

“We can take the rental car and stop at every ice cream shop along the way.” Joely grinned.

“Joely, you’re crazy.” Kate buttered her toast.

Part of Kate wanted to indulge Joely. It would be a good opportunity for them to spend some quality time together. But the rational part of her knew she needed to show up to work on Monday if at all possible. “I can’t just take vacation time whenever I want to, Joely. I only get three personal days a year and those are long gone. I’ve been using my sick days to go to your doctor visits. Maybe we could go somewhere over Christmas vacation. I get two weeks off then.”

“Kate, we’re here now. You know we’re not going to fly back here next month. It’s now or never.”

Kate knew she was right as she tried to construct another equally tempting trip they could take together at a more convenient time. “We could go to Mackinac Island.”

“I don’t want to go to Mackinac Island. It’s overrated. Horse-drawn carriages and fudge. Whoop-dee-doo.”

“Well, we could go wherever you wanted to. Like I said, I have two full weeks off.”

Joely shook her head. “Kate, I can’t believe you won’t do this for me.” She shoved a bite of steak into her mouth. “I thought I could count on you.”

Those words stabbed like an ice pick to the heart. How could Joely not see that she was being unreasonable? She couldn’t make Kate choose between her and her career.

Kate took a bite of scrambled eggs and wrinkled her nose. They were cold. She stood up and threw some bills down on the table. “I’m going to my room to pack. Hopefully you will join me.”

Kate stormed off, just like she did when they were kids and she knew she was right and Joely was wrong. Unlike when they were young, Joely did not run after her, desperately needing her big sister’s approval. Now Joely let her go.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Kate and Joely sat around Mrs. Pilo’s oak table, playing dominoes and drinking lemonade. Mrs. Pilo looked exactly the same as Kate remembered her—with silver hair, kind eyes and thick, arthritic fingers selecting seven black tiles. Then Joely stood up and Kate followed her out the back door to where Mrs. Pilo’s vegetable garden and lush lawn used to be. They had been replaced by a swimming pool. Joely wore the swimsuit she just bought which highlighted a tan so beautiful she could be a Coppertone model. Without a word, Joely stepped into the water. Kate remained speechless as she watched her lower her knees, hips and back into the barely blue water. Joely continued walking, slowly and methodically, until her shoulders and eventually her head were completely covered.

Kate screamed and jumped in after her. Joely’s brown eyes were wide open when Kate saw her limp body submerged somewhere between the bottom and the top. As she grabbed Joely around her chest, her sister’s arms bowed outward. Desperately kicking her legs, she willed the two of them to rise. Joely almost slipped out of her grip. She tightened her hold. She started to run out of air herself. She tried to scream again, but she was underwater and no one could hear her. No matter how hard Kate struggled, she was unable to pull Joely’s body to the surface. Kate realized that she was going to drown, too.

Kate’s head jerked and she saw only darkness. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. A moment later her eyes started to see outlines and shadows. When she turned to the side, she was relieved to observe Mitch asleep beside her. It was only a nightmare. Another nightmare.

# # #

As soon as Kate arrived at school the next morning, she hoped to find out why Lily had called her. She had tried reaching Lily’s foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kip Adams, to no avail, so now she wrote a pass to release Lily from class.

Catching Kate in mid-yawn, Antonio walked in and gave her a stack of forms from the administration. Kate knew that this could take all day. After she barely got started, Yolanda Roma hummed her way into the office. She gave Kate her sweet smile and Kate gestured toward an empty chair.

Yolanda, with her short Halle Berry hair and conservative navy dress, took a seat. “Kate, I was wondering if you would talk to one of my fourth hour students for me.”

“I’d be glad to,” she said, even though she felt the day’s to-do list growing too long. “Who is it?”

“Ricardo Hernandez.”

Picturing the shy, lanky boy, Kate nodded her head. “What is your concern?”

“Ricardo is a good student. Normally, he comes to class and does all of his assignments. He’s one of those kids that values education instead of taking it for granted, you know?”

Kate nodded. She didn’t know him that well, but she should have.

“Anyway,” Yolanda continued, “for the past several weeks he has been skipping my class. I’ll see him in the hallway sometimes earlier or later on in the same day. I’ve tried talking to him, but I can’t figure out what’s going on. I was hoping maybe he would open up to you.”

That was a tall order, considering the last student she passed on to her was Lily. Kate reached for her pad of office passes. “I’ll send for him right now.”

“Thanks.” She stood up and hummed an upbeat tune as she left.

Boy, Kate wished they could bottle Yolanda’s attitude. It would out-sell Prozac.

Kate looked through her mail and started on some paperwork while waiting for Ricardo. He never showed. When the bell signaled the beginning of the next class, she re-wrote a pass for Ricardo and Lily. Eventually Lily shuffled in with her eyes hidden behind her greasy red hair. Instead of her usual gray or black clothes, she wore the blue and white striped shirt and matching blue shorts of the school’s P.E. uniform. This was her third time re-taking the class because she refused to participate in sports, which would require interaction with her peers.

“Hi,” Kate began with a little too much enthusiasm. She set her paperwork aside and forgot about it.

Lily nodded her head once in acknowledgment.

“How was your weekend?”

She shrugged.

“Did you try to call me?”

“I was going to tell you I moved foster homes again. That’s all.”

Kate rested her elbow on her desk. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“They kicked me out. Like they always do.” Her voice was even, without emotion.

According to Lily’s last foster mom when she punished Lily for a minor infraction, Lily stopped speaking to everyone in the family. The silence went on for weeks. The woman claimed it freaked out her five year old and set a bad example for the other foster kids. In the end, she insisted Lily be removed from her home.

Kate worried that she missed a rare opportunity by not answering when Lily called. Maybe she could’ve intervened and helped resolve the issue so Lily wouldn’t have been uprooted again. “What exactly initiated the change in homes?”

“Mrs. Adams invaded my privacy. Everything would’ve been fine, if she had stayed out of my room.”

“I’m sorry to hear she didn’t respect your privacy. What did she do?”

Lily sighed. “She took my knife.”

Kate felt a jolt of adrenaline. “What knife?”

“The one I keep underneath my pillow.”

Despite plenty of provocation, Lily had never even pushed another student at school. She was not violent. The knife probably comforted her, ensuring that she would never feel defenseless again.

Lily squeezed the armrests on her chair. “She said she came in to change the sheets on my bed, but the truth is, she was snooping.”

“And that’s why you moved?”

Lily nodded. “She wouldn’t give me my knife back.”

“I understand.” Kate understood Mrs. Adams’s point of view, too; if Kate remembered correctly, Mrs. Adams had three small children in her house.

She decided she’d better let the foster care system handle this challenge. She changed topics. “Read any good books lately?” She scolded herself silently for breaking one of the first rules of counseling:
 
Never ask close-ended questions. Somehow Lily always made her forget the basics.

Lily’s shoulders seemed to hiccup.

Kate pointed at the paperback with a tattered cover in Lily’s lap. “What’s that?”

Lily handed the book to her. The black cover had
The Eyes of the Dragon
written on it in red. Kate opened the cover to see the copyright date:
 
1987.

“Boy, this is an old one. Back from when I was in school,” Kate said, smiling.

Lily’s face remained expressionless.

“Do you like it?”
Darn!
Another “yes/no” question. Kate knew better than that.

Lily wouldn’t even give Kate that. “I don’t know.”

“How far along are you?”

Lily took the book from her and flipped to a dog-eared page somewhere in the middle. A bookmark would have been too conventional for Lily.

Kate nodded her head. “Well, if you have read that far, it seems like you would have an opinion about the story.”

Lily started to tear off one of her fingernails.

Kate wanted so badly to reach her. If only she knew the right words. She wanted to say, ‘I get it. You have been mistreated by everyone in your life. People suck. It’s easier not to even try than to risk getting hurt.’ Kate feared such bluntness would deter her. Lily would probably recoil and go back to avoiding her in the halls. “Maybe when you finish, I could borrow it.”

Lily’s eyes darted quickly toward Kate’s, then looked away.

That got her attention. They sat in silence and Kate reminded herself that this, too, was a powerful counseling tool. Be comfortable with the silence, Kate. If you wait long enough, Lily might speak.

Last year in remedial English Lily wrote a story about what it meant to be an American. Yolanda, one of their best teachers, was so impressed that she brought it down for Kate to read. Although it was rather pessimistic, it was incredibly articulate without one spelling error. Lily wrote about how everyone said America was this great land of opportunity but it was hard to believe when someone had been telling you from day one that you were a mistake. So, really, she said, success in America was about believing in yourself. And some people were somehow lucky enough to believe. Yolanda gave her an A. That was the last paper Lily wrote for her. But Kate knew then that Lily didn’t belong in remedial English.

Now Lily was still failing English, among other things, but Kate decided not to mention her grades. If only Lily would trust her, then she might be able to influence her academic decisions. Until then, Lily would only resist.

Kate watched the second hand go around the clock on the wall behind Lily. Ten seconds went by. Then twenty. Thirty. She waited one minute. It was amazing how long it seemed.

Lily dropped her fingernail tip onto the floor. Then she started tearing at another one.

OK. That was enough.

“You had better get back to P.E.” Kate said, realizing Lily would probably rather sit there in silence than listen to the teacher clapping her hands and yelling, “Let’s see some hustle!”

After Lily left the office, Kate let out a sigh. She wondered if Lily would loan her the novel when she finished it. If so, that would be a major breakthrough.

Eventually she looked out her door and noticed Ricardo busy chatting in Spanish with Antonio at the reception desk. Her anger ignited. She wondered how long he had been there—missing even more class. Antonio should’ve sent him in to Kate instead of socializing.

Kate stood up and poked her head out to get Ricardo’s attention. He said some kind of closing in Spanish to Antonio and followed Kate into her office.

“Am I in trouble?” the student asked, sounding concerned.

He’s scared to be called to my office? How amusing. I’ve never intimidated anyone. “No. This is the counselor’s office. You’re in trouble when you get called to the principal’s office upstairs.”

He studied the college posters tacked on the walls and pointed to the Yale one. “I would like to go there. I’ve heard it’s a good school.”

She was surprised, yet pleased at his ambition. Foxworth had only sent one student to an Ivy League school in the past five years. “Well, you have to make very good grades to get in.”

His gaze fell.

“Looking at your transcript, I feel confident that you could go to college if you wanted to.”

He looked at her and his lips curved upward.

“I’m not sure about Yale, but somewhere good. Something’s changed with you lately, though. Mrs. Roma tells me you are a hard worker, but you haven’t been going to her class.”

Again he looked down, as if he were ashamed.

She turned to her computer and pulled up his attendance record. She noticed a pattern. “Are you and your friends going out to lunch?” She tried to make eye contact, but Ricardo looked at the floor. FHS’s diversity training taught her that in the Latino culture it was a sign of respect when students didn’t look you in the eye. Kate found it hard to read students, though, when she couldn’t see their eyes.

“Come on, Ricardo. Where are you going? Burger King? Pizza Hut?”

No response. He twisted the silver ring on his right hand.

How could this be the same student who only moments ago was babbling on and on with Antonio about something?

“All I know, Ricardo, is that you’re throwing it all away. You are going to end up failing if you keep skipping class,” Kate said. She sat there in silence for a short while, once again hoping the student across from her would let her in.

Finally she wrote the time on his pass and initialed it. “If you want to talk, Ricardo, feel free to stop by any time.” She handed him the pass dismissively.

He left, saying something short to Antonio as he passed by.

Kate reviewed their conversation, trying to figure out what she should’ve said differently. She worried that since she was sleep-deprived, her patience was lacking. Eventually she decided to go back to filing. She heard Antonio say, “Excuse me,” with his Spanish accent. Glancing up, she saw him standing in her doorframe, as if he didn’t quite want to enter.

“Yes?” she asked.

He hesitated and then walked in. “There’s something you should know.” He pulled a picture out of his wallet and handed it to Kate.

She looked at a baby with a broad, flat face and eyes that tilted upward. Telltale signs of Down’s syndrome.

“He’s my cousin. Ricardo’s little brother.”

Kate became sidetracked, trying to calculate how old Ricardo’s mom must be. She met her once and she looked so young. If she had Ricardo when she was twenty then she would be. . .thirty-five. Kate’s age.

“That’s why Ricardo’s always gone during fourth period.” He paused. “He goes home to fix lunch for his mother and the baby.”

“Why?”

“His mother is pregnant again and keeps going into early labor even though she’s not due for a few more weeks. The doctor ordered her to stay in bed.”

The woman already had one child with Down’s. Kate wondered if Ricardo’s new sibling would have it, too.

Looking at Antonio, she regained her focus. “Isn’t there anyone else who could check on her during the day? What about Ricardo’s dad? What about your parents?”

“Everyone in the family works in the factory. They only get thirty minutes for lunch. It isn’t enough time to drive there and back.”

Maybe they could let Ricardo drop his fourth hour class so he could go home every day. But that was English, a required course. She hated for him to get behind. It would be better than getting an F, though.

Unfortunately, Mr. Mohr wouldn’t want to let him drop it. “Flexibility” was not in his West Point dictionary. Her best bet was to go directly to Yolanda.

“Thanks, Antonio. I will see what I can do to help Ricardo.”

“Good.” He walked out.

That afternoon Kate’s mind shifted from work stress to personal stress as she walked through the parking lot. Why wouldn’t Joely answer her phone? How could Kate smooth things over when her sister refused to speak to her? She and her sister hadn’t spoken since Kate had left for the airport five days ago.