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Five nights passed since the one that saw Mary-Anne and Bobby curled up tight in the tree fort. Six days passed since Robert and Lisa attempted to move Mary-Anne to another home. During this time silence became the unwelcome guest. No one spoke except to pass on information. The children continued to sleep in the tree fort lulled there by a peaceful presence not found in the house.
Bobby returned to school. Mary-Anne remained home on suspension, working on her studies brought each night by Bobby. Each morning Lisa contacted the hospital and was informed of the same news “Melody remains stable and unconscious, there are no changes.” Lisa and Robert sent flowers to her room, only to have them refused. With Maggie, they attempted to meet with Melody’s parents and were barred. Mary-Anne wrote a letter of apology, which was returned by Maggie in shredded pieces. No apology, no forgiveness, no acceptance for her role in the fight was taken by Melody’s parents.
Bobby woke up with the rising of the sun and shook Mary-Anne awake. He stood, walking to the edge of the fort; he turned back and stated,
“Hey sleepyhead, time to get up. Mum will have breakfast going soon.”
Mary-Anne rubbed her eyes of the grit that had settled in the corners, during the night.
“Yeah, whatever, like I have somewhere to go.”
“Hey” Lisa yelled, “Breakfast!”
As the kids came through the door, Lisa put out the bowls of cereal and toast. She poured each a glass of milk, and then taking the juice spread it over the cereal.
“Mum, what are you doing?”
Startled, she burst into tears and ran from the room.
“What’s going on?” Bobby mumbled, picking at his cereal covered in orange juice, “Has mum finally flipped her wig?”
Mary-Anne dug in, eating quickly.
“Yeah, whatever but hey try it. It’s actually really good!”
Bobby tried his cereal puzzling over his mother’s behaviours. At the same moment Robert walked into the kitchen, the doorbell rang and the telephone rang. Robert muttered to Bobby to answer the phone as he did a 180 turn to the front door.
“Dad, it’s the hospital! They said Melody woke up and is eating breakfast. She’s going to be okay.”
Bobby looked around the corner and not seeing his Dad, hung up the phone and wandered down the hall. The hair on the back of his neck stood as he heard voices unfamiliar to his ears. Voices with authority. Something wasn’t right. He quickly went back to the kitchen.
“Mary-Anne” he whispered, grabbing her by the hand as she attempted to shovel more cereal in her mouth, “We gotta go now!”
Before they got to the door, his father walked in, “Son, I’m sorry. There is no point running. What’s done is done.”
He took Mary-Anne’s hand out of Bobby’s and walked her to the front door. Mary-Anne walked her heart in her mouth. Didn’t they know that Melody was alive? Or was she going to jail for murder of a cat. What if she was being charged for Tracey’s death? Her dad always said if she told, they’d take her to prison and she’d never be free.
“Dad!” yelled Bobby, “You can’t do this!”
Robert ignored his son and walked to Maggie who was waiting at the door in the company of police officers. Robert looked back at the confused children, one holding his hand in a vise grip and the other staring daggers that went right through to his heart.
“I’m sorry, it’s out of our hands.”
Maggie kneeled down and looked at Mary-Anne, feeling her heart shred with every word spoken.
“Remember that birth certificate?”
Mary-Anne nodded.
“It wasn’t real. We located the hospital it was made from and there are no records of your mother ever being there. There are no records of the man named on the certificate being there. We couldn’t find any record of your name either under your mother’s or the alleged father’s name.”
Mary-Anne stood silent, looking over Maggie’s shoulder to a spot on the wall. Disappearing into the spot, travelling far away from reality.
“I believe your mother did this to protect you. We contacted your father and tracked down where you were born. The records clearly state your father is Peter Willis, the man you grew up with.”
Mary-Anne looked deeper into the spot, analyzing the way it picked up the sunlight that shone through the door.
“Mary-Anne, this is going to be really hard to hear. It’s very difficult for me to tell you.”
Looking up at Robert, Maggie indicated with a head nod that Bobby should be removed from the room. Bobby caught the movement and walked defiantly towards his father, challenging to be thrown out. Robert looked at Maggie, then at his son. Maggie sighed and continued.
“As you know, your father has been to jail many times during the years you’ve lived with the Parsons and he’s never once asked to see you. Then the Parsons decided to adopt you and we filed to make you a ward of the court, to allow this to proceed. At that time your father decided he wanted to regain his rights as a parent. He counter-filed for custody of you.”
Mary-Anne gripped Robert’s hand tighter as she looked deeper into the spot on the wall.
“Over the past week my office has been actively fighting the custody order but yesterday the judge gave the final ruling – your father has the right to visits with you. Overnight visits on weekends. The first one is starting today.”
Mary-Anne stood there, staring at the spot, finding herself off the ground and floating into the wall. It was a beautiful spot. Full of light reflecting off paint chips and bouncing around the smudge of dirt from Bobby’s fingers, placed there days earlier when he came home from playing ball.
“NO!” Bobby yelled, “She told you all that stuff and you are going to take her to stay with him? Are you guys crazy? Stupid? Need your heads kicked in? What the hell is your problem?”
Maggie stumbled back with each word, reeled by the intensity of emotions from one so young.
“Robert William Bay Junior you will not talk in that manner to anyone, not at anytime, do you hear me?” Robert stated, “Do you?”
“Yes”
“You will apologize right now. Then you will go up to Mary-Anne’s room and bring down the bag your mother packed last night.”
Bobby hesitated.
“NOW!”
Bobby jumped, quickly apologized and ran to Mary-Anne’s room. Grabbing the bag, he stopped outside his parent’s door. His mother was inside, crying loudly. For a moment he contemplated pushing open the door and demanding her to stop Mary-Anne from leaving. All his life he had grown up believing his mother could stop anyone from hurting him but today, he learned he was wrong. This hurt more than anything he ever experienced and he knew, deep inside he knew, his mother couldn’t stop this. He walked downstairs and placed the bag at Maggie’s feet.
“Mary-Anne, you must listen to me. Mary-Anne!”
Robert looked down at Mary-Anne as Maggie implored her to listen carefully. He pulled his hand out of hers and shook her, hard. She continued to stare at the spot on the wall. Robert moved directly into her line of vision and shook her again.
“Mary-Anne Willis, you come back here right now!” Robert stated, “NOW!”
Mary-Anne blinked, returning to reality. She gasped loudly as if all the air had been drained from her lungs and blinked again.
Robert stood. Moving behind Mary-Anne, he placed his hands upon her shoulders. Maggie knelt down and spoke directly to her.
“Mary-Anne this is important. Recite to me my emergency phone number.”
Mary-Anne carefully spoke out the numbers.
“Remember you can call that day or night. It’ll go through to my pager or to the worker who holds the pager. Take this quarter, so you can call.”
Mary-Anne wrapped her fingers around the quarter and nodded.
“Remember when your counsellor taught you safety plans. What to do if someone tries to hurt you or someone takes you to a place that isn’t safe.”
Mary-Ann nodded and repeated back what she had been taught.
“You have to remember all of this. If your father does anything that you feel uncomfortable over, you have to use that phone number. If you cannot get to a phone, you have to tell us when you return back here Sunday night. I’m not finished. Officer Harris is still investigating. Your father has convinced the judge he’s a changed man, going to Bible Studies in prison and apologizing for all the wrongs he’s done. He hasn’t convinced me or Officer Harris though. We believe you.”
Mary-Anne stared at Maggie.
“Mary-Anne, I don’t know what to say. We have to do this. We don’t have a choice. It’s already past the time you were supposed to leave. We have to go. You will come back here by 7PM Sunday night.”
Getting up, Maggie looked at Robert,
“We have to go. I’m sorry. I wish there was some other way.”
Mary-Anne didn’t look back as she walked, surrounded by officers of the law, towards Maggie’s car. Bobby didn’t say a word. He watched her go into the car nor did he protest as his father shut the door. He glared as the door clicked and walked out, through the back door and up the ladder to the tree fort. His sanctuary. It no longer felt safe. It only felt cold.
Bobby sat down, dangling his feet over the side. It was even too late for tears. What’s done, was done. In his heart he knew, nothing would ever be the same again.
© Beverley McInnis, 2001
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