Authors: Mercedes Keyes
"Listen here, you gay fuck! If I go to trial, there's some people who'll be sorry—I swear to god, they'll be sorry. Get me outta here!"
The attorney sat and stared a moment, uncrossed his legs and stood. Before he departed his last words were, "Oh, you'll be getting out alright, be assured you will. I can guarantee it."
"Yeah, well...make it quick!" Olivetti shouted as the lawyer disappeared from sight.
"Let's go, Olivetti, interview over," the black guard called from the door.
"I can see that, boogie boy!"
The guard grinned. "That's why you got yo' ass kicked. Dumb mothafuckas like you never learn."
"Yeah, well, kiss my ass!"
"Ain't no need for me to, m'man...your cellmate gone take care o'that f'ya, or you be kissin' his."
*
"What!" he shouted. Sylvia's eyebrows drew in, curious.
"Angela…has run away!" Deidre repeated, panicking on the other end of the phone.
"What the hell do you mean—she ran away! When?" He held the phone to his ear, looking Sylvia in the eyes, his eyes instantly transformed to intense worry.
"Sometime today. She left for school as usual, but when Paul returned, he said she was not there waiting for him as usual. I called the school, they said she hadn't attended school today. I couldn't believe it, so I went into her room looking to see if there was anything there that would give me a clue of what is going on; there was a note on her pillow. She'd written
, I'm outta here!
I then got on the phone and called you," she explained.
Sylvia stood with her hand going to her heart for him.
"So how long has she been gone?"
"Shawn! I don't know! I just told you, she didn't go into school. I'm assuming she's been gone since this morning."
"What are the police doing?"
"They haven't arrived here yet."
"Dammit! I can't believe this shit!"
"They're here now...I have to go!"
"Alright, alright...call me as soon as you know something."
"Call you? You need to get here! Right away! Board the next plane!"
"I may just have to!" Shawn replied, then hung up and looked at Sylvia.
"My daughter's run away from home."
"I know...oh, Shawn," Sylvia returned softly, sympathizing.
"I cannot believe this shit is happening! When I left her, she was happy! Now all of a sudden, she's a runaway!"
"So…what did she say? How long has she been gone?" Sylvia questioned.
"Obviously she left sometime this morning, pretending to go off to school."
"And she's just contacting you
now
? At this time of night? It's eight o'clock! What time is it in California?" Sylvia brought to his attention.
"Hey! You're right, it would be six o'clock there! She said she went in her room, looked around and found a note saying 'I'm outta here!' and then got on the phone and called me. If she really did this after she got out of school, it would be much earlier in the evening. What the
fuck
is going on!" he spat angrily, his insides twisting into knots.
"Well, first, calm down—"
"Calm down hell! My daughter's out on the streets somewhere! In California, of all places! The worst place in the world for a runaway!"
"I know, I know—I'm sorry. You're going to have to call her back in a few moments and question her more, you need to know more in order to work this out."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," he apologized and pulled her into his arms, hugging her to make repairs as his mind raced.
"Believe me, Shawn, I understand, you don't have to apologize."
"I'm going to have to go there. I have no choice. I need you to go with me."
Sylvia pulled back to look up at him. "Me? Why do you wish me to go?"
He reacted with anger again. "Why the hell do you think? You're going to be my wife! I need you with me!"
"Don't shout, Shawn! It's not that I don't want to be with you. It's just that, at a time like this, you don't need to exacerbate the problem by bringing me in. I don't think my presence there is going to help," she tried to reason with him.
Shawn took a moment to blow and try to get a grip on his anger and fear, running his hand over the top of his head, scratching his scalp and turning from her. With his back to her, he leaned against his counter before the sink and said, "I want you with me, Sylvie. I don't want to go there alone. I'm asking you, please, to go with me."
"Oh, Shawn—" she groaned, her own fears surfacing.
"Please, Sylvie! At least take the flight with me. We'll go straight to my condo, you can get comfortable there and I'll go to the house and talk to Deidre alone, but I need you with me," he explained while searching her eyes for her to understand. Sylvia stood with a uncomfortable look on her face, hesitating to answer. "Please, Sylvie."
"Okay, okay, okay...I'll go. Get on the phone now and see what flights there might be heading out. Be prepared that there may not be any."
"Thank you, sweetheart. I just…I just need you to be there with me."
"Okay. Let me head across the road and start packing, ring me with our flight plans," Sylvia conceded, heading for the door when the phone rang again. She stopped and turned back as he dashed back across the room and snatched up the phone.
"Hello!" he barked, anxiety making him tense and edgy.
"Daddy?"
"Angela? Where the hell are you? What are you doing?"
"Daddy..." she repeated and started crying on the phone.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for yelling. Tell me what's going on, where are you?"
"I'm-I'm in...Madison…Wisconsin," she admitted timidly.
"Madison! Madison, Wisconsin? How in the he-...world did you get there?"
"I came with my friend's sister. She goes to a college here. We talked her into bringing me," she answered from the partially vacant airport lobby.
"How old is she?"
"Nineteen," she answered. "Will you come and get me?"
"I'm on my way! It's going to take me almost two hours to get there! Don't—you—move! Is there a security guard or a clerk somewhere near?"
"Ummm, um… yeah...there's a security guard here." She hesitated, needing to look around to spot him before she answered.
"Get his attention, call him over and pass the phone to him...now!"
"Okay..."
He held the phone to his ear, looking at Sylvia, shaking his head in disbelief.
"She's in Madison?" Sylvia asked incredulously. He nodded yes, hearing her call the security guard to the phone, then her soft voice telling him that her father was on the phone and wanted to speak with him.
"Hello?" a man responded on the other end.
"Yes! My name is Shawn Everett McPherson. That young girl there is my daughter! I need you to take her to your security office, out of harm's way. She's run away from my ex-wife in California on a flight there. I'm on my way now to get her, but I live in Camp Daniels, almost two hours away."
"I see...actually, this is a matter for the police...not me."
"Bullshit! You're airport security, aren't you?"
Sylvia's eyes grew wide. "Shawn, don't curse at him," she whispered.
"Yes, sir, I am but..." the man responded stunned, unsure of what to do, he withheld comment, having children of his own.
"Look, man, I'm sorry. Call the police, if you wish. All I need to know is that my daughter is in safe hands until I can get there, I don't want her disappearing on me. Please, I'm on my way."
"I understand, she'll be here," he returned.
"Can I get your name, please?" He motioned to Sylvia to get him a pen and paper. Quickly she took off for it and then returned with both in hand, nodding as she used the kitchen table to jot down the man's name that Shawn called out to her.
"Okay, can you please pass the phone back to my daughter?"
Angela was back on. "Yes, daddy?"
"You let that security officer place you in a safe area. I'm on my way."
He hung up and rushed about, changing his shirt, putting on fresh socks and calling out to Sylvia as he did so. "Can you start the SUV for me?" he shouted from down the hall. "Shawn, call her mother!" she shouted, heading for the door.
As soon as the vehicle was started, she clicked his automatic garage door opener. Just as she was climbing out, he was already entering the garage. "Just climb across to the other side, sweetie, you don't have to get out."
"I'm not going," she said softly.
"Dammit, Sylvia!"
"I'm not going, Shawn! You two need to be alone. She's going to be uncomfortable with me present. She'll never tell you the truth about what's happening with her if I'm there. Don't shove me down her throat! Did you call her mother?"
"She can kiss my ass!" he blurted petulantly.
"Shawn, that's not fair! She called you!"
"I don't have time for this...I have to go. You call her, tell her what's going on," he instructed, climbing in and buckling his seatbelt. Sylvia could tell he was not happy about her not going with him. "I don't know her number," she informed him.
"It's in my phone book, in the living room on the table. I gotta go." He wouldn't look at her. Sylvia sighed. "Alright, go. Please be careful, don't drive like a maniac!" she finished, stepping away from the door so he could close it. He slammed it and looked at her from inside through the window. She didn't need him to say anything to read his dislike at her not going along. He slowly backed out of the garage, making the backward curve onto the road, shifted into drive and pulled off into the night.
Shaking her head, Sylvia closed the garage door with the switch as she made her exit. Re-entering his house, she unbuttoned her coat and went looking for the phone book, the phone rang. Back in the kitchen, she reluctantly answered, certain of who it might be.
"Hello?"
A crackling line of silence, then following the obvious pause, "Ummm, I was calling a Shawn McPherson?" Deidre returned, with her temples throbbing, catching her breath. "Is this 608-799-0504?"
"Yes…it is. Is this Deidre?"
Again a pregnant pause.
"Yes, it is. Who is this?"
"I'm Sylvia, Shawn's fiancée."
"His fiancée?"
"Yes...I was about to call you now. Shawn's on his way to Madison Airport. Angela called from there for him to come and get her."
"Madison Airport? Wisconsin?"
"Yes."
"Oh, my god! How did she get there?"
"I'm not certain, I didn't get all of that. Shawn was too upset and focused on going to get her to tell me. I'm certain it has to do with a friend or something, he'll call you when he gets back with her."
"Well, you're not going to be there when they get back, are you? I mean, you're the reason all of this is happening!" Deidre blasted her right away, shaken to the core to actually hear a confirmation of her fears. She couldn't help but take her frustrations out on Sylvia because she was stuck with no ready solution to her predicament. Her mind was in a whirl to hear that Shawn was actually engaged, with her heart pounding and her ears ringing, she couldn't help herself.
"Excuse me...may I suggest your focus be on your daughter, not on Shawn!"
"I beg your pardon! My focus is on my daughter, who ran away because she's afraid of losing her father! Afraid that you may come between them!"
"Well, she's here now, and I can assure you, I have no intention of coming between father and daughter."
"It's a bit too late for that, you already have! You can thank your lucky stars my daughter is there safe! That nothing's happened to her!"
"Honey, I don't do lucky stars - but you be my guest! Another thing, you best get off this phone and calm yourself down, because you' re talkin' stupid! Whether anything—"
{{ Click }}
"Ach…you bitch!" Sylvia shook her head and hung up the phone. "See, mess is startin' already! Already! Drama, drama, drama! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I need my freakin' head examined. What in the heck have I done?" She took several deep breaths to calm herself, leaning against his counter. Turning her head, she glanced down at the ring on he finger. "Dammit, I can't ever get my ass into little shit...I always gotta go squeezin' it into big shit! White man, ex-wives, and step-children!" She buttoned her coat back up, snatched her purse off the counter and headed for the door, making sure to lock it on the way out.
"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Georgiana asked her daughter as she stood on the grand staircase, watching her bring down a suitcase and overnight bag.
"I'm going to Wisconsin!" Deidre answered.
"Wisconsin? What about your daughter?" Georgiana asked.
"She's in Wisconsin!" Deidre called back as she rounded the bottom of the stairs. Georgiana turned and followed, asking, "How in the...how did she get there? You mean with Shawn?"