Silent_Sisters_(3/3)

Thursday "So, is it a 'yes' or a 'no' Salinger?" Reed left the radio on as they sat in the parking lot watching other students stream pass them. "Um, no, Reed. There's no sense in you wasting what you're supposed to be saving for college. You're probably applying for some school far away and it would cost you a lot of money and-." Reed shook his head as he showed her his open wallet. "Do you work my hours? Do you pay my bills? No, Salinger, you don't. So, I get to decide what I do with what I earn. I want to go to a concert and I want you to go with me." He tapped her hand. "Think of it as a date if you want." She screwed up her face. "Why," she said sarcastically, "why would I want to date a guy who turned me in, huh? Charlie doesn't need any other worries.. He's supposed to focus on getting better. Nothing else." "Fine. I'll make you a deal. Don't see me as the guy who turned you in. See me as the guy who's playing surrogate brother until your older one gets better." Claudia blew a bubble with her piece of bubble gum, took it out and studied the slowly sagging sphere. "Great, so he gets better and you vanish." "I didn't say I was going to vanish, Salinger." Reed turned to face her, popping the gum in between her hands. "I'm not planning on slipping out of your life unless you want me to." "You make it sound like there's an option here," she said angrily. "Don't you get it? No one really has a say over others fates let alone their own." Reed sighed. "Then let's control what we can control, all right? At the moment, Miss Huffman and Mrs. Strickland will be searching you out in homeroom. If you're not there, I can promise you as much as I hate it, that someone from social services will be called and all of this will go straight to hell. I can't protect you when you're on the inside." Claudia laughed. "You don't want to break me out of prison?" "I'd rather keep you out of it," he said. "So, hurry up, 'yes' or 'no' on tonight's concert? Bell rings in less than-." "Yes. All right? I'm saying yes. Gosh, wonder how you'd propose marriage to me, in between college lectures?" Claudia looked at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes. "How much longer do I have to be here?" "Only a few more minutes, Claudia," Miss Huffman said. Mrs. Strickland leaned against the file cabinet with her arms folded across her chest. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Miss Salinger? We could have been helping-." "What?" Claudia continued to pick at her fingernails. "All you people know how to do is hurt. There's a reason why we don't trust you. You've tried a number of times to split us up. That's all you really want to do, divide us, I mean. Bailey and Julia won't allow it. No way." Mrs. Strickland sat down beside Claudia. "Charlie's in way over his head. He'll want the best for you and all we're doing-." "All you're doing is keeping me out of class and doing things behind his back! You lie to him and you try to get him in trouble and now you guys are just 'oh so happy' that he's too tired to fight back! Bailey won't-." "Bailey isn't around like you need him to be, Claudia," Miss Huffman said. "Now-." The door opened and a man with balding hair walked in. "Mrs. Strickland, Miss Huffman," he said shaking each of their hands. "And you must be Claudia Salinger." He extended his hand only to get no response. "You must be the latest rat from social services," she said. "What? Mrs. Gideon make a bet with you or something? See if you're the lucky one to make several families happy at the expense of ours?" The man smiled as he sat on the other side of Claudia. "I'm James Day. And, yes, I'm from social services. But, I'm not here to take your family apart. Actually, I'm here to listen to you and have you tell me what I can try to do to keep you guys together." "I don't believe you." Mr. Day nodded his head. "Fair enough. I'm only talking and not proving. All right," he said taking something out of his briefcase, "my records show that you've missed school a great number of days now. One more absence and you're repeating the entire semester." Claudia said nothing. "It says here that your sister got married last spring and that your brother, Bailey, moved out of the house…What else… "And Charlie has cancer." James Day closed the book. "How are things with you and Owen? Who is looking after you two?" A million things ran through her mind as she attempted a staring contest with Mr. Day. She didn't know what to say. Should it be the truth? Would it be safe? A couple of minutes went by before she said, "Why should I tell you, Mr. Day?" "I'd like to try and help," he said. "And you can call me James." She nodded her head as if to register the new name elsewhere in her mind, doubting she'd ever refer to him as James, or even Jim. "Look, I'm doing everything I'm told to do. I'm seeing-." Mr. Day waved his hand, deeming the answer unacceptable. "What you do and what you say don't necessarily coincide with what you're *feeling* Claudia." "I feel like I'm being gypped out of a 'stay out of my life' card with you people," she said. Mr. Day smiled. "Hadn't thought of it like that," he said. "Fine. I'll make you a deal. I'll step back into the shadows, or as you might say, back under the rock I came out of, and you can call me." He handed her a card. "You probably have a few of these from other folks concerned about you, Claudia." He pointed to the second number. "That's my home number.. Anytime-." "Fine. Whatever. Can I go back to class now?" Claudia left before anyone could say anything. The bell rang and it was all Claudia could do to not grin ear to ear like some fool. Reed had been her link to sanity and her driver away from this place that had gone insane around her. Her smile turned into a frown to match Reed's. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Someone insists on driving you. I'd have hit him if I knew it would do any good." Mr. Day stepped out from around the corner. "I'm glad he's on your side, Claudia. Listen, I'm on my way to see your brother and-." "No! Leave him alone!" "Whoa, Salinger, let's-." Reed put his hands on her shoulders. She allowed him to do that - this time. Forcing herself to calm down, she repeated, "Leave him alone, please." "Claudia, he asked to see me. Why don't you keep me company on the way?" Not in the mood to make it easy for him, Claudia kept the small talk to a minimum. For a better part of the drive, she heard more about his work, his family back home in Minnesota and other pointless items. As much as she didn't want to admit to herself, she liked it. She walked up to Charlie's room only to be gripped with fear at the sight of an empty bed. Hearing his voice relieved her. "Hey, Claud! I wasn't sure if I'd see you before-." She hugged him tightly. "You're coming home?!" Charlie laughed. "I hope so." "Me, too," Owen said struggling with a bag full of cards and other get-well items. Julia stepped out of the closet with his duffel bag. "That should take care of it, Char." Claudia felt safe now with Charlie on his feet and Julia close by. Then again, Mr. Day was still there. "I realize we have an appointment-," Charlie said. Mr. Day held up a hand. "No need to explain anything. I'd want to escape this place as fast as possible, too." Both men chuckled as Claudia wished they were gone already. Home would be more than wonderful now she thought. "Hey, Claud, what time's your appointment today?" Julia asked. Claudia bit her lower lip, keeping in a curse. "In about an hour." "Well, let's go now, grab a bite to eat and let these guys gab whatever nonsense they've got to gab about, eh?" The four of them exchanged looks, Owen ignoring them all as he balanced the bag on the edge of the bed with one hand and held Charlie's with the other. "If you don't mind being a chauffeur, Mr. Day?" Charlie asked. Julia took Claudia's hand, something she hadn't done in a while. There wasn't anything logical about the gesture, but given her sister's worried, yet relieved as Charlie was wheeled down the hall. Claudia hugged him before he got into Mr. day's car, as if that would be the last she'd see him. "He'll be there when we get home," Julia said as Claudia got into the car. "He'll be there. We'll all be. Just like before." Claudia rolled her eyes as she turned her back to her, leaning on the passenger side door as best she could. "Claudia, talk to me, please? What's-?' "What's going on?" Claudia asked, her voice on the verge of a high pitch. "What's going on? Too much! Everything! Nothing! My world's falling apart and." Claudia leaned against Julia, her head on her shoulders.. "Will you come in with me for today's talk, I mean? I don't want to go in by myself. I want you to hear some of the stupid stuff that scares me." Julia feigned wiping something out of her eye, trying to keep the tears from sliding down her face. "Whatever you talk about with Dr. Schultz isn't stupid, Claudia. Whatever comes pouring outta your heart can't be stupid." Julia took a deep breath, wondering how fast she drove. It seemed to take a longer time the other day to get here. Then again, it could have been any number of things racing...in her mind. "Let's go." Once inside, Julia reached for a magazine, as if that alone could shield her from her sister's request. It wasn't that she didn't mind sharing, and yet-. "Claudia! Julia!" Miss Schultz gave them each a warm handshake before inviting them into her office. Julia looked across the hallway and noticed a gentleman, Mr. Sutherland, she assumed, shake his head as he offered an apologetic smile. Julia smiled back, but was it for him, her, or both? The sisters sat side by side on the couch. Each time, Julia spent at least three minutes to detect the latest changes. Five minutes later, only one could be found. A boring one at that, too, she thought, grabbing the snow-globe from the desk. "I didn't have you two scheduled for-." "I asked her to stay with me," Claudia said, wringing her hands. "If that's all right?" Miss Schultz smiled. "Of course it is. So, what would you two like to talk about today?'" Bailey opened the last of the windows to ventilate the room. It had been too long since they all sat down for a meal together. Even Owen noticed this was somehow special as he placed some homemade placemats on the table. "How'd your day go?" he asked his sisters as they came in. "All right," Claudia said sitting down immediately by Charlie. "Yeah," Julia said, "all right." She gave him a slight smile, something he'd have to ask her about later. "Well, sorta good news/bad news in the other room," he said in a low voice. "Hurry up you guys!" Owen yelled. Claudia and Charlie chimed in; "Dinner's getting cold." Bailey and Julia put an arm around each other as they walked into the kitchen. Griffin smiled as Julia sat down beside him. Everything seemed all right, at this moment. To leave the house, despite its cancerous feel, would seem wrong somehow, Bailey thought. Glancing at Julia, he noted that she seemed to feel the same way. The six of them seemed to lose all track of time. A phone call from the restaurant brought them out of their cocoon of happiness. "Where are we?" Claudia asked, giving the others a questioning look. "Joe, we're home. How else would we be able to answer the phone?" she paused, a look of concern, then annoyance on her face. "Well...I don't know...if you think...all right. In a bit"' Claudia sat back down beside Charlie. "Joe says our reservation is about to expire?' Griffin smiled. "Oh man. Bai, did-?" "Yeah, we forgot," he said. "Now how in the heck are we all gonna get there?' "Three per car. Simple." Julia said, "and we get Owen. No offense, Bai, but..." "No problem. We guys get the jeep, right, Char?" "Sounds good to me," he said. "Let's go, then. Last one there is buying dessert." Griffin took Owen as Bailey grabbed the diaper bag, Claudia holding her brother's hand. Charlie waited for Julia. "How are things?" he asked Julia. "Good," she said. "Good," Charlie said a hint of concern in his voice. She didn't say a word as they took their regular table in the nearly empty restaurant. Joe brought out a variety of desserts for them. The laughter and joy seemed to have followed them as a few more hours carried them through. Cancer and all other fears were tossed aside for the rest of the night. As they made their way back to their cars, back towards home, Charlie gently took Julia's elbow and asked, "How are things, really? I mean, how are you and Claudia-? Is there anything I should be worried about, that I should know about?" Julia smiled, "Char, sisters gotta have their secrets." The End.