Kristie awakened with a start to see two disheveled blond toddlers with huge blue eyes and dirty faces dressed only in soggy underpants peering at her through a window above the trailer. She is suddenly in a panic. Where is she? What is she doing there? Where is Chad? Speck? Lenna?
The kids belong to Rusty and Crystal. Crystal was a drunken tramp who often disappeared with men she picked up at the local bar. Rusty is furious, but unable to control the situation. Those kids needed a mother. Why he didn’t leave her and take the kids was anybody’s guess.
Kristie was the last person to criticize anyone for their sexual misconduct, but when you had kids, you had to think of them first. In her opinion you had to at least prioritize their care, bathe them, feed them, tuck them in, read to them, cuddle them, find a reliable baby sitter , and then go and find your fun.
Crystal was just a bad mother; irresponsible and unloving. Kristie didn’t blame her for being unhappy. Rusty was a dork, a work-aholic, with not one romantic hair on his body. Now he was storming mad, opening drawers, throwing things about, cussing up a storm.
The kids were terrified into stoicism. Kristie shook herself awake. “Hey, you two!” she said brightly, “Let’s take a bath and then I’ll make you some pancakes.” She threw them into the tub, added a cap full of bubbles, and a few plastic toys she found laying about.
She sat on the edge of the tub, talking to them in a happy voice, singing songs she remembered from her own youth. “La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la…” she sang as she washed them and poured warm soapy water over their skin and matted blond heads.
At the very least Crystal should have brought them over for Consuelo to watch. Consuelo was Speck’s house keeper. She was a very large Hispanic woman who Speck jokingly called “his second wife.” Consuelo loved Speck and his wife, Lenna. She had been with them for years. She loved kids, but she never found a man who would have her. When she wasn’t keeping house for Speck, she was caring for her aging mother. She would never have a life of her own.
But Crystal didn’t think, especially when she was drinking and had an itch in her pants. This was really going to hurt… hurt everyone. Kristie would do her part. She would take care of the kids now and testify for Rusty in court if she had to. She hated turning on a sister like that, but this was just too much. Not taking care of your kids was just unacceptable.
She dressed the kids in two white t-shirts that hung about their little bodies like giant Arab caftans. She washed their wet panties and hung them out to dry. Their hair was still a tangled mess, but she would deal with that later when she could get to the store to buy some “No More Tangles” in a spray bottle to help ease the removal of all those rat nests.
She poured two small glasses of milk and made them each a Mickey Mouse pancake with melted butter and syrup. Rusty came in looking sheepish. “Daddy’s sorry he was mad,” he told the kids as he hugged and kissed each one of them on the forehead. He glanced at Kristie and she nodded her approval. He was off to find Crystal.
‘Why bother? Just go to work and forget about it. I’ll take the kids for the day.”
“Thanks,” he shrugged appreciatively and took off in his truck.
Kristie spent the day playing “Mommie.” She got them dressed, took them to the park and bought them ice cream. She made them macaroni and cheese and hot dogs cut up into pieces with ketchup for dinner. She finally got their hair combed, read them two stories – one choice each, watched a cartoon video, and tucked them into bed with ‘Dreaming Glasses.”
They were sleeping peacefully when Rusty got home. They did not ask about their mom even once all day. Rusty sat at the kitchen table eating mac and cheese and hot dogs dipped in ketchup and hot sauce. He popped open a beer as he talked quietly with Kristie.
“You’ll have to come up with a plan.”
“I know it.”
“Why not have Consuelo watch the kids? Or put them in daycare? You’re going to have to leave work at a reasonable hour and come home to be a father. ”
There was a long quiet spell where Rusty was fighting back the tears. He held to the opinion that a man shouldn’t cry.
“Don’t worry,” Kristie continued. “It’ll be hard, but we’ll all help… and you’ll find another woman.”
‘I don’t want another woman. I want Crystal,” Rusty broke down and sobbed.
Kristie tried to comfort him as best she could. Sometimes life just sucked, and this was one of those times.
(First published 3/1/12)
