By the time Darren arrived home, Portia was sleeping. She had not moved far from the position where he left her. In fact, her book was crumpled under her chin, her left hand acting as an accidental bookmark. Her head rested on the cover, using the book as a pillow.
Darren nudged Portia gently. She rustled a bit as he removed the book and put it on the side table. She turned away for a moment as Darren joined her in bed. He laid flat on his back and stared at the ceiling. Portia opened her eyes and looked at the beige wall of cardboard boxes. Cold air blew across her face until she turned around and curled up against Darren. His hot body kept her warm as it reflected her breath. Her glance met his before she closed her eyes again.
“Sweet dreams, Portia.”
“Sweet dreams,” she whispered.
For what it was worth, that’s all the comfort she could give to Darren right now. He was a stranger in a strange place. He felt alone in the fullest home he’d ever known. For Portia, she was still heart-broken, her thoughts consumed with the loss of her brother.
The days and nights added up. Darren went to work while Portia stayed home. Occasionally, they ate dinner with her folks. More often than not, she went for walks alone, stopping at random fast food restaurants, eating alone and reading her book of birds.
She did not even find time for school. It was two weeks into December before someone intervened. It wasn’t Darren. It wasn’t her parents. It wasn’t even Bill at the Pet Store.
“Hey sis, get up. I need your help.”
Phoebe stood beside Portia’s bed, dressed in a dirty waitress smock.
“What do you want?” grumbled Portia.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“What’s wrong?”
Phoebe sat next to Portia. She smelled like maple syrup and pancake batter. When she reached out for Portia, her hand was smooth and soft from kneading bread, making biscuits and pancakes, and generous doses of hand lotion after each shift.
“Come on, get up. I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll explain in the car. Get dressed.”
Phoebe tossed a change of clothes at her little sister. Portia changed right in bed, rumpled clothes and all. Then, she followed Phoebe to the car and they drove off.
Within minutes, Portia realized where they were going. As they pulled into the mini-mall, her suspicions were confirmed when they stopped in front of Jack’s Aquarium and Pets.
“What are you doing?”
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out of the car. You’re telling Bill why you haven’t been to work for almost two months.”
“No I’m not.”
Phoebe reached across the seat and pulled on the door handle. The door popped open. Portia sat there for a moment. Meanwhile, Phoebe turned off the engine, put the keys in her pocket and folded her arms across her chest.
“Alright,” spat Portia.
She strode across the parking lot to the Pet Store. It was a strange country now, a place she hadn’t even considered in a long time. When she opened the door, the cluster of sleigh bells rattled against the door.
“Good morning!” he called from the back.
When he toddled to the front and saw Portia, it was a sight for sore eyes. He reached up his arms and hugged her. She hugged back.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
“Me, too.”
“Are you okay?”
Portia nodded.
“I know you don’t get along with your sister, but you weren’t answering my phone calls and I didn’t know your parent’s number. Is that okay?”
Portia glanced out to the car. Phoebe was busy filing her nails.
“Yeah, you’re good. I needed to blow some stink off me anyway.”
“You still interested in coming back at all?”
Portia nodded.
“First, I want to make sure you’re okay. After that, we can worry about me and the store.”
“I need to get back to work.”
“Whenever you want to start.”
“Is tomorrow morning too early?”
“How about right now?”
“I don’t…uh…sure,” he stammered.
“Okay, then.”
Portia skipped outside and talked to Phoebe. Afterwards, Phoebe drove away and Portia returned to the Pet Store.
“Where should we start?” she asked.
“Are you hungry?”
Portia nodded, “I’m famished, actually.”
“Take twenty bucks and buy us something from the Chinese take-out.”
“Moo Goo for you and Moo Goo for me, too?”
“Just peachy,” said Bill with a smile.
Portia popped the No Sale button on the cash register and plucked $20 from the register, replacing it with a petty cash slip. She folded the bill in half and tucked it into her pants pocket. On her way across the parking lot, she reached in and placed her hand over the money. It was a good, old familiar feeling to walk across that lot, a literal breath of fresh air. She brought lunch back to the store and they ate on the little coffee table in the back room.
“How are things?” she asked.
“Good enough, I suppose.”
“Yeah, they’re good enough with me, too.”
Bill glanced up.
“I’m taking it day by day.”
“When are you returning to school?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can’t just spin your wheels. Time will pass you by.”
“I know.”
Time, however, did pass her by as she wrestled with her emotions. Christmas even came and went without a grand hurrah. People exchanged gifts and went through the motions as they ignored the void left by Alex’s absence. Darren purchased a pair of small diamond earrings for Portia. She wore them immediately. Although she’d always claimed it wasn’t her style, they did look fabulous on her ears. In return, she purchased Darren a set of painting tools, just as one of his co-workers suggested. Phoebe received a gold necklace from her parents, a tennis bracelet from Teddy Riley, and gift cards for dress clothes and jewelry from the rest of her friends.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” Portia laughed to herself as Phoebe adorned each piece of jewelry and modeled it proudly.
The week after Christmas was cold and lonely. Portia and Darren, however, did manage to make a trip to Allegheny General to see little Alex.
It had been almost three weeks since she’d even visited the nursery at intensive care. Alex had matured quite a bit since she’d last seen him.
“Can I hold him?”
“Of course,” said the nurse.
Portia took little Alex into her hands and cradled him on her chest. He scowled at her, trying to figure out who she was. His big brown eyes fixated on her face, scanning it up and down as Portia cooed to him.
“You know,” interrupted the nurse, “if you want, the baby’s ready to go home.”
Portia looked toward Darren. Darren nodded reassuringly.
“Sure.”
They filled out the paperwork and sat in the waiting room while the nurses prepped Alex for his journey out into the world. He came attached to three foil balloons by thin blue ribbon. The balloons bounced effortlessly as Portia carried Alex to the car. His eyes, however, were transfixed on Portia.
“You look so delicious, I could just gobble you up,” she cooed as she planted kisses all over his face. He laughed and smiled at her. When they arrived home, it was more of the same. Mr. and Mrs. Gatteau took turns holding him. Their cigarette-clogged breath made him cough.
“I’ll have to buy an air purifier for the basement,” said Portia.
“Nonsense,” said mother, “he’ll be fine. He just has to get used to his new surroundings.”
“He’s going downstairs.”
Portia created a nest in Alex’s crib and settled him inside. She watched as he looked back at her. She picked him up and held him for a bit, unable to let him go. Realizing she didn’t have any space to walk, she sat on the corner of the bed with little Alex. She quickly got up and put him back in the crib. She needed to organize this room.
“But how?” she said to herself.
She stacked the boxes in one corner. Still, there wasn’t much room, so she moved some back into the utility room, stuffing them between the dryer and water heater.
“There we go.”
She sat on the couch and turned on the television. It was the first semblance of order she’d had in two months. She missed it.
She got up and cooked popcorn and sprinkled it with a generous helping of jalapenos. She sat the bowl on the coffee table and sorted through one of her cardboard boxes. She found the DVD player and connected it to the television. She then picked out a random boxing DVD and stuck it in the player.
“Douglas-Tyson,” she said with a smile.
She watched the match that defined two boxers’ lives. It was the great fall for one and the great upset for the other. James “Buster” Douglas had just lost his mother a few weeks earlier. He was a hot-and-cold boxer, known for either KO-ing someone quick or going down quickly himself.
Portia sat in the darkness and watched the match alone. Darren arrived just before the infamous Round 10.
“What’s on?”
“Iron Mike and Buster Douglas. It’s an epic.”
“You say that about all the fights.”
“This one is epic. In fact, we gotta start from the beginning.”
Darren heaved a sigh.
“Trust me…epic.”
Darren joined Portia on the couch, moving jalapenos to one side as he shared her unique version of popcorn. Portia fell asleep about halfway through, only to have Darren jab her in the ribs when Tyson went down.
“You gotta watch this!”
Portia didn’t only know the outcome; she knew the very punch that knocked Tyson to the ground. Still, she watched intently. After all, epic boxing deserved to be watched every time like it was your first.
“Did you see that?”
Portia nodded.
“Aw, you were right. That was epic. Let’s watch another.”
“I’m tired. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Alright, but promise me you’ll watch the whole thing with me.”
Portia nodded and then turned on her side, facing the boxes next to the wall. She turned back towards Darren and buried her head against his chest before falling back to sleep.
On the 30th of December, Mr. Gatteau rumbled downstairs with a set of keys in hand.
“Hold out your hand,” he said to Portia.
He dropped the keys into her open hand. She looked at them for a moment.
“It can’t just sit there rusting away.”
“But it’s Alex’s car.”
“It’s your car now. Let’s go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and change the title into your name.”
“Okay,” she said meekly.
After they bought the new plates, Portia and her father installed them right in the parking lot of the BMV. She followed him home, then went to the 27th Street Body Shop and picked up Darren.
“What are you doing here?”
“You in the mood for lunch?”
“Sure. Let me tell the guys.”
Darren rode shotgun as Portia tried out her knew car. It really wasn’t that new, since Alex had let her drive it whenever she needed to run errands. They headed to the old drive-in near the ballpark. It had been refurbished, but still had ‘skatin’ waitresses’ that came out, took their order, and delivered it curbside. They shared a couple of foot-long Coneys and a thick chocolate milkshake. Afterwards, Portia returned him to work and immediately decided on another side-trip.
Before the new year had even started, Portia decided her New Year’s resolution involved her return to school. She headed to the Community College and entered the parking lot.
“Where do I park my car?” she thought to herself.
“My car,” she said out loud.
In the back of her mind, it still felt like Alex’s car. Still, it had a good ring to it. She pulled into visitor parking and ran up to the Admissions Office.
“Hey!” said Wendy.
Portia, out of breath, gave a quick wave.
“You enrolling for winter?”
Portia nodded.
“You know the routine.”
Wendy followed Portia as she headed towards one of the admission’s computers and logged in.
“How are you doing?”
“Ugh,” replied Portia.
“What?”
“I’ve been getting that question way too much since you know when.”
“It wasn’t about that. It was just a basic ‘How are you?’ as in ‘What are you up to and what’s new?’”
“Oh, alright. Nothing’s new.”
“Nothing?”
“Okay, there’s this. Darren moved in with me to my mom’s house. Little Alex is home and stronger than ever, although we’re supposed to be careful about his continuing lung development. I’m always crazy about everything nowadays. I wash my hands all the time, take Vitamin C, and even keeping away from mom and dad as much as possible.”
“That’s nothing?” laughed Wendy.
“Okay, it’s something.”
“You know, you should go back to Financial Aid and make sure you can re-take those autumn classes.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I can take them over again.”
“Nonsense! That’s such a waste!”
Wendy went to her desk and made a phone call. She returned, with a short list in her hand.
“Take this to Financial Aid first.”
“What is it?”
“I just talked to the clerk there. She’ll make sure you can re-take those finals and get credit for autumn.”
“I don’t remember much of that stuff.”
“Can you get a D?”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“Then go get your credit. You don’t’ have to be a straight A student. It’s just Community College, after all. You just need that sheepskin.”
Portia took the list to the FAO. The clerk picked her out instantly.
“Portia? Give me that slip of paper and your school ID card.”
The clerk quickly entered information into her computer. She swiveled around in her chair, lifted the printouts from the tray and handed them to Portia.
“Take these to the appropriate Dean’s office. They’ll time stamp them and give you a copy. Then, you’ll get a letter from the Admissions Office. Take that form to Admissions and Wendy will fix everything.”
Portia nodded.
“That’s it.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You’d better thank Wendy. She’s a miracle worker in this place.”
Portia did just that, walking back across the tiny campus to the Admissions Office. After she thanked Wendy, she was on her way back home.
She parked right behind Darren’s car and headed inside. She scooped Alex into her hands as she passed through the living room and went downstairs. Darren was sitting on the couch, watching television. Portia reached over and turned it off.
“Hey!”
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“I re-enrolled in school.”
“You’ve had a busy day.”
“Yep!”
“What now?”
“I don’t know. I guess we sit here and hang out with Alex and see if he can entertain us yet.”
Darren laughed a bit as they passed Alex back and forth. Instead of him being the entertainer, Alex became the entertained as he occupied each parent’s attention. Footsteps trod across their ceiling. It was their mother.
“Portia, can you come here for a second?”
“Why can’t you come down here?”
“My bones ache. You come here.”
Portia rolled her eyes as she handed Alex back to Darren.
“I’ll be right back.”
When she arrived upstairs, her mother deposited a letter into her hand.
“What’s this?”
“It’s from the courts. Alex’s petition was approved.”
“Do they know?”
Mrs. Gatteau shook her head.
“What do we do?”
“We show up for court and see what we can do.”
“Shouldn’t we talk to somebody first?”
“Who?”
“A lawyer…”
“We can’t afford no lawyers,” said Mrs. Gatteau.
“We’ll get a court-appointed attorney.”
“I say we just don’t tell anyone.”
“Mom…”
“It’s easier. You know how the Government is.”
“Let me handle it,” said Portia.
She took the paperwork downstairs to Darren and they each read the court documents.
“What do you think they’ll do?” she asked Darren.
Darren shrugged. “You’re right. We should find an attorney.”
Portia went to the library and got her hand on every reference material she could find for adoption. However, none seemed to address her particular issue. There were articles on deceased parents and single parents and incarcerated parents, too. She returned home with a stack of books in her hands.
“What did you find out?” asked her father.
“Unfortunately, this is a Gatteau-sized problem.”
“What does that mean?” asked Mrs. Gatteau.
“It means I’ll have to see an attorney face-to-face.”
“I told you this would be a lot of work.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. First thing I need to do is talk to that Court Officer. Do you guys remember her name?”
They both shook their heads.
“I’ll find it.”
So, Portia was put to task yet again. Little Penny was the second crucial piece in curing Portia’s blues. Little did she know the next mountain was going to be her biggest of all.
.
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