I’ve got to get back to work.
CARLY: Wait! Wednesday night. Dawn is hosting wine and waxing at her house. You. Me. Going.
ALEXIS: I think you may be speaking Portuguese now.
CARLY: Lots of wine. Lots of wax. Same girls that were at her birthday party. You’re going to buff that muff.
ALEXIS: And there’s a party for that?
CARLY: Indeed.
ALEXIS: I have to work Thursday.
CARLY: We won’t be too late. You’re going.
ALEXIS: Fine. Working now.
CARLY: Hey?
ALEXIS: Get off my phone. Working …
CARLY: You’re a cow.
ALEXIS: You’re a wench.
I hadn’t even put my phone down before it was ringing again. This time it was the generic default ring tone that didn’t provide any clue as to who the caller was.
“Alexis Harper,” I answered.
“Hi, Alexis. It’s Marlene.” That was all the introduction I needed. Marlene was the director of the East Manhattan Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.
“Hi, Marlene. What’s up?” I asked, tapping my pen on my desk.
“Well, something’s been brought to my attention that needs a bit of delicate handling.”
“Okay. I assume this has to do with Lizzie.” I leaned back in my chair, getting comfortable.
“Yes,” she replied. “One of her neighbors called me. She’s got a granddaughter in the program, too … though she’s much more hands-on than Amber.”
Amber was Lizzie’s ne’er do well mom. She was an addict though I couldn’t be sure what all of her vices were. From the evidence I’d seen, at the very least, they included beer, liquor, and pot. But I suspected there was much more at play here.
“Yeah?”
“She thinks Lizzie’s mom disappeared some time last week, and Lizzie is alone.”
“Shit,” I said without thinking.
I should’ve known. The apartment had been too clean. That hadn’t been her mom’s doing. It had been Lizzie’s. Who knew how long it had been since Amber had darkened their door.
“Alexis …,” she admonished.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I should have figured it out. I was there yesterday. It was strangely clean. Amber doesn’t keep a clean house. I should’ve known.”
“All right. Well, now that I’ve been informed of the problem, I have to do something about it. I’ve been talking to Lizzie’s grandma. She’s in Boston. She’s willing to take her in, but I have to figure out how to get her there. She’s basically an invalid and can’t come get her. It’s going to take me a few days to figure all this out.”
“I can take Friday off and take her. It’s no problem.” As I said it, the gravity of the situation hit me. If Lizzie was in Boston, I wouldn’t be able to see her. Maybe I was deluding myself, but she needed me. Or maybe I needed her. She had been a constant in my life for more than four years.
And what about the baby? What would happen if she had the baby in Boston? I didn’t know anything about Massachusetts state law. Specifically, I didn’t know anything about Massachusetts adoption laws.
“Really? You’d be willing to do that?”
“Of course. I don’t mind at all,” I said even though I was already filled with dread over Lizzie being out of the state.
“Here’s the thing. Normally, I would need to involve CPS, but since I’ve already spoken with her grandmother I really don’t want to call them. Involving CPS will just create a whole lot of red tape, and they’ll take custody of Lizzie. Even if it’s temporary, I don’t want to do that. I think we can make this a lot simpler by handling it internally.”
“I agree,” I said even though what we were contemplating was probably unethical if not illegal. Regardless, the last thing I wanted was for Lizzie to end up a ward of the state. Could something be morally right but unethical in the eyes of the New York state bar. Probably, but I wouldn’t know. I’d never fallen on the wrong side of any law.
“This totally goes against protocol, but can she stay with you for a few
CARLY: Wait! Wednesday night. Dawn is hosting wine and waxing at her house. You. Me. Going.
ALEXIS: I think you may be speaking Portuguese now.
CARLY: Lots of wine. Lots of wax. Same girls that were at her birthday party. You’re going to buff that muff.
ALEXIS: And there’s a party for that?
CARLY: Indeed.
ALEXIS: I have to work Thursday.
CARLY: We won’t be too late. You’re going.
ALEXIS: Fine. Working now.
CARLY: Hey?
ALEXIS: Get off my phone. Working …
CARLY: You’re a cow.
ALEXIS: You’re a wench.
I hadn’t even put my phone down before it was ringing again. This time it was the generic default ring tone that didn’t provide any clue as to who the caller was.
“Alexis Harper,” I answered.
“Hi, Alexis. It’s Marlene.” That was all the introduction I needed. Marlene was the director of the East Manhattan Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.
“Hi, Marlene. What’s up?” I asked, tapping my pen on my desk.
“Well, something’s been brought to my attention that needs a bit of delicate handling.”
“Okay. I assume this has to do with Lizzie.” I leaned back in my chair, getting comfortable.
“Yes,” she replied. “One of her neighbors called me. She’s got a granddaughter in the program, too … though she’s much more hands-on than Amber.”
Amber was Lizzie’s ne’er do well mom. She was an addict though I couldn’t be sure what all of her vices were. From the evidence I’d seen, at the very least, they included beer, liquor, and pot. But I suspected there was much more at play here.
“Yeah?”
“She thinks Lizzie’s mom disappeared some time last week, and Lizzie is alone.”
“Shit,” I said without thinking.
I should’ve known. The apartment had been too clean. That hadn’t been her mom’s doing. It had been Lizzie’s. Who knew how long it had been since Amber had darkened their door.
“Alexis …,” she admonished.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I should have figured it out. I was there yesterday. It was strangely clean. Amber doesn’t keep a clean house. I should’ve known.”
“All right. Well, now that I’ve been informed of the problem, I have to do something about it. I’ve been talking to Lizzie’s grandma. She’s in Boston. She’s willing to take her in, but I have to figure out how to get her there. She’s basically an invalid and can’t come get her. It’s going to take me a few days to figure all this out.”
“I can take Friday off and take her. It’s no problem.” As I said it, the gravity of the situation hit me. If Lizzie was in Boston, I wouldn’t be able to see her. Maybe I was deluding myself, but she needed me. Or maybe I needed her. She had been a constant in my life for more than four years.
And what about the baby? What would happen if she had the baby in Boston? I didn’t know anything about Massachusetts state law. Specifically, I didn’t know anything about Massachusetts adoption laws.
“Really? You’d be willing to do that?”
“Of course. I don’t mind at all,” I said even though I was already filled with dread over Lizzie being out of the state.
“Here’s the thing. Normally, I would need to involve CPS, but since I’ve already spoken with her grandmother I really don’t want to call them. Involving CPS will just create a whole lot of red tape, and they’ll take custody of Lizzie. Even if it’s temporary, I don’t want to do that. I think we can make this a lot simpler by handling it internally.”
“I agree,” I said even though what we were contemplating was probably unethical if not illegal. Regardless, the last thing I wanted was for Lizzie to end up a ward of the state. Could something be morally right but unethical in the eyes of the New York state bar. Probably, but I wouldn’t know. I’d never fallen on the wrong side of any law.
“This totally goes against protocol, but can she stay with you for a few
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