Dear Kaylie Jane,
If you ever go to fall in love with yourself... Take my advice... Don't.
KJ's POV
After the Layne sighting, everything seems to go back to normal. I wake up, go to work, and come back home to Vin, and it's all good.
Or so I tell myself.
In reality it's all suspicious. Why would Layne show up for just one day? Was she looking for me? Did she remember me? How? And if she did, why would Dil lie to me?
However, I keep my ponderings to myself, not wanting to scare Vin away again. I didn't want to lose him again. Our friendship had withstood too much.
My office at CHRIST ALMIGHTY'S was finally up to my taste. I'd decorated some of the walls with Charlie's drawings, and a couple of the other kids from the home had taken to bringing me things as well. One of the boys, Maxwell, was a talented sculptor and made me a life like sculpture of a small puppy which I kept outside my door, guarding a box full of encouragements. I'd gone through a few therapists growing up, and the cheesiness of some of the therapy scene was annoying, but some of it helped me, in spite of how bad I wanted to be cynical.
Charlie hands over her newest art work as our time comes to a close and smiles at me.
I examine it. Two toned Mohawk. Collared shirt and biker jacket. Lop-sided dimples. "Is this me, Charlie?"
She nods and stands up to go, quietly, as usual. Ella comes in as I'm taking my degree off the wall to use the frame.
"What are you doing?"
"It needed a frame," I shrug, placing the picture in front of my bachelors.
"Isn't it like an adult rule to display all of ya' degrees everywhere?" she lowers herself into a chair, then reclines in it slightly, crossing her arms.
"I'm not an adult so I wouldn't know," I hang the frame again, Charlies portrait of me displayed clearly, "So what's up?"
"Nothing," she shrugs, "Charlie draw that?"
I nod, "She's really good."
"Does she talk to you?" Ella questions.
"Does she talk to you?" I respond.
"Not with words," she says, "You went to school for this right? How do you fix her? Why does she talk to you?"
"I can't discuss other clients with you," I reply, "And that's an actual rule of adult."
She huffs and that ends that conversation. But it's an opening, so I take it.
"How do you two communicate if you aren't using words?"
"I use words," she corrects me, "But she draws me things."
She pulls out a folded and crumpled drawing, "I didn't know it was here at first, but now that we both have to talk to you about stuff or whatever and you have her shit all over the wall it's clear. But when I ask her about it she lies. It's like she wants to talk to me but she doesn't want me to know. Does that make sense to you?"
"Why does it bother you so much?" I press.
"Because that's my girlfriend," she states with passion, "She just doesn't know it yet."
Um... Okay... I consider how problematic that sentence is, then "Isn't that a little possessive? I mean, do you even know if she likes you back?"
"I feel it," she leans in, "Haven't you ever been in love?"
I cringe inwardly, "Nope. Wouldn't know about it."
She eyes me suspiciously, then goes back to being uninterested, "How do I get her to open up to me?"
"You don't," I shrug, "She has to come around."
She rolls her eyes and stands, "See you next week."
"Bye, Ella," I wave her out.
As she leaves Ms. Lea comes in behind her, dressed in jeans with a large shawl falling off her shoulders, like a cloak. She knocks,even though I'm looking at her and can see her, "Do you have a minute?"
"Of course," I smile at her, "How are you?"
"I'm good, KJ," she motions to a chair, "Mind if I take a seat?"
"Sure thing," I finish clearing the papers from my desk, "What's up?"
"Just doing a check-in, making sure everything is going well with you and the girls," she motions to my budding wall of art, "The kids really seem to love you."
"Thanks. I'm trying to have an impact on all of them, even if it's as small as encouraging their art."
She nods, "How are you sessions with Charlie going?"
"She's a smart kid," I pause, "But a haunted one. So far I can only get her to communicate through drawings."
She seems upset by this, her normally bright bright face turning grave. "Am I missing something?"
"How much of Charlie's file have you read?"
"A lot of it. It seemed like a quick way to know where she's coming from, all things considered."
"KJ... Charlie isn't like the other kids here, put out by her parents, I mean. Her mom wants her... A little too much..." she waits for me to catch on, but I'm a dumb ass to I in turn wait for her to spell it out.
"Charlie has to go on trial against her mother for sexual abuse charges next month," she tells me, "That's why we need her to talk, by then. She can't testify if she can't even talk. The jury's hands will be tied."
"Damn," I say, before apologizing for my language, "Sorry. But I can't make her talk, if she's chosen to be mute over this. She can only go at her own pace with this."
"I know I know," she backs down, "I just want you to know the stakes."
I want to say, "You mean to tell me that you hired me to get Charlie ready to testify in a trial I didn't even know she had to go to? I've been here two weeks Lea what the fuck! How am I supposed to do this? Just fire me dammit! Just let me go! Issa lose! There's not a chance she'll be ready! No hope!"
But instead I swallow my anger for the sake of still having a job, "Thanks for letting me know."
****
Layne's POV
At the library I search for job openings within walking radius, and when that comes up short, I expand it to bus radius. Considering I have no marketable skills, a shit memory, and no formal education, I need to have a lot of options because there's gonna be a lot of no's.
Afterwards, I set out, hoping that I can get at least one maybe. Too much realism stops me from hoping for a fat "YES."
Somehow, I manage to garner one interview before the evening hits, and then head home, tired from all the walking.
At home I shower and change into sweats and a t-shirt, then relax on my bed, finding a note left on my nightstand. Extraño a ti. Llamarme?
Mira.
I dial the number and sure enough, she answers, "Hola?"
"Extraño a ti. You missed me huh?" I tease.
"I thought I did, yes. But now I'm rethinking that sentiment." her tone is playful, and I take nothing to heart.
"Wowww... It's like that, now?" I stretch out in bed, "What are you doing right now?"
"Homework," she responds, "What are you doing?"
Homework. "You're in school?"
"Yes," she confirms, "I want to be a nurse."
"A sexy nurse?" I tease, "Or just a nurse?"
"Just a nurse," she replies.
"Too bad. You'll be a sexy nurse regardless," she's so quiet and I can almost hear her eyes roll.
We continue to banter back in forth, reminding me that before we were lovers, Mira was my friend. In fact, Mira may be the only thing I have close to a friend. The realization makes me feel oddly lonely and into the phone I say, "You should come over."
She laughs, "Por que? Why?"
"I have something to show you," I reply. I hear a car door in the background, "Are you on your way?"
There's a knock, "I'm already here."