The Perfect Solution-A Suspense of Choices Page 4

  Searching the table next to the bed, she saw the light flashing on the identification box sitting next to the phone. It showed that a call had come from The P.S. Center, but no message was on the answering machine. Phae, who could be an extremely impatient person, had probably started to call and didn't have time to leave a message.

  Pressing the buttons that would activate the intercom system on the telephone and the preprogrammed number that would dial her sister, Catrine pulled the blankets up to her neck and pressed her back into the pillows. Swiping at her nose and closing her eyes against the pain in her head, she waited for the answer.

  "Yes?" asked the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone line.

  "Hey," Catrine croaked. "Whatcha doin'?" She coughed to clear the phlegm from her throat. "I thought that you would have been here by now. You could have called."

  "Me, call?" Phae bellowed angrily. "I have been waiting for you to call and apologize."

  Brushing her nose with a fresh Kleenex and clearing her throat again, Catrine pushed herself into a semi-sitting position and adjusted the straps to her gown.

  "What do you mean 'apologize'? What do I have to apologize for? Brhin didn't tell that silly little thing I told him about Road kill this morning did he? I was only kidding it was a joke."

  "Brhin didn't tell me anything. I want you to apologize for having me drive twenty minutes across town to get your kid from that stupid, death trap of a...."

  "I hate it when you call The P. S. Center by that name." Catrine broke into the tirade. "Brhin loves it there. The center is very pretty and well equipped.”

  "That's all it is. You know how I feel about it, and you know how Frank feels. It is not a good place. You can't just go by the name, The Perfect Solution, ha." Phae's words sped out of her mouth in a tirade of irritation. Once she started on listing the faults of the center she was hard to stop. "None of the teachers have a clue as to why they’re there. The place is run in total chaos. You of all people, the owner of your own security firm should be worried about the way that center handles its business. They are so darn careless. What I want to know is how could you have me drive all the way across town to the center and then have Brhin not be there? I had to rush all the way back to this end of town so that I could get my girls from school. I was barely on time for the Girl Scout meeting and now dinner will be late. You know…"

  "What." Catrine screeched and sat ramrod straight in the bed. The roughness in her throat caused her voice to rasp."What are you saying? What do you mean he wasn't there? Where is Brhin, then?"

  "Isn't he there with you?"

  "No, oh my God, what are you saying?" Fear knotted Catrine's stomach and made her nauseas. "I wouldn't have asked you to get him if he wasn’t going to be there. Are you playing a joke on me? I am not well Phae. My head is killing me and I don't find this in the least bit funny. Put Brhin on the phone."

  "Are you serious, Cat?" The anxiety in Phalene's voice was clearly heard through the phone line. “I thought that you had gotten someone else to get Brhin. He's not here.”

  Catrine looked at the small double heart picture frame that held a picture of Brhin in one heart and a picture of herself and Brhin in the other and her own heart skipped a beat. Dragging nerveless fingers through her already mused hair, Catrine swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up slowly. Her head felt as if it was about to burst and the pain behind her eyes made her want to lie back down.

  "Who else would I send? Phae, you are kidding aren't you? This is a joke, right? This can't be real. My baby is sitting in your den playing with your crazy little dog, right?"

  "No, he isn't. Come on, Cat, think. You’ve been really sick, running a high fever, taking medication. Maybe you asked a friend to get Brhin for you and just forgot. The little thing that was supposed to be substituting in his class told me that a friend of yours had come and gotten him. I just assumed you had called Linda."

  "No, I called you last night why would I call anyone else? Anyway, Linda goes to college now. She hasn't even been here in over two weeks. I called you. I even sent a note to the school to make sure the workers knew you would be coming. I should have called those idiot people this morning like I started to, but my head was killing me. I didn't even get out of the car when I dropped him off this morning. I just kissed him good-bye, watched him go into the building, came home and crawled into bed. I haven't even had the strength to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom. That Julioux woman from the office opened the door for him. I saw him take the note out of his pocket to give to her as I had instructed him and she waved it away. I should have gotten out of the car and gone in, but all I could think about was getting in the bed. Oh, God. I think I am going to throw up."

  "Honey, breathe slowly. Try to calm down and think."

  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Catrine calmly questioned Phalene about the little 'thing' that had been in the classroom.

  "I’d never seen the little woman there before. She seemed pretty young and upset about something. I only saw her for a couple of minutes. I think she was getting off because she left the building right after I spoke to her. All of the children were in the television room. There was a lot of crying and talking and the television was blaring and the teachers were yelling...I couldn't tell what was going on. They said something about an accident. It was totally chaotic and after I was told that a friend of yours had gotten Brhin, I just left the place feeling really pissed off. And that's how I’ve been all evening; walking around here pissed off and waiting for you to call. Are you sure that you didn’t send anyone? Cat, what did you say? You sound so far away."

  Catrine, who had been rushing around the room, tearing off her gown, haphazardly yanking clothes from the dresser drawers and closet and putting them on without a thought or care of how she might look, moved closer to the telephone base, she leaned forward and talked loudly into the system.

  “I said who in God's name would I send? There is only you and I and your husband. I have no other family."

  "There is the baby's father. Do you think he might have gone to get him?"

  "No." Catrine almost screamed in frustration. She threw a crumpled used Kleenex at the mirror on the dresser. "I haven't seen Austin in years. Anyway, he knows nothing about Brhin."

  "And why is that?"

  "I don't want to get into that again. Especially not right now. You're making me crazy. I know you and probably God think it's wrong of me not to have told him and in time I'll get the courage or the nerves or whatever it will take to tell Austin, but it won't be today." Catrine blinked her eyes rapidly in order to hold back the tears that were burning her eyes. "I can't worry about what Austin is feeling or thinking. All I know is that my baby is missing and I may never see him again."

  "I just can't understand why you never told him. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Why in the world would you have a man's child and not let him know? Did he beat you? Was it an abusive relationship or just some sort of casual fling you had?"

  "Why are we having this conversation? I can't understand this." Catrine threw her hands in the air exasperation. "Is that what this is all about? You're so worried about Austin's feelings that you would plan something this devastating in the belief you can get me to call Austin. You’re constantly getting on me about Brhin's father and within the past few months you’ve been doing it more than ever. Why is that? Are you keeping Brhin there as way to try and get Austin into Brhin's life? If that's the game plan you are wasting your time and this would be a great way to tear our family apart."

  "I'm not doing anything of the sort. I'm telling you Brhin is not here. I just asked the question because I feel that if I was a father and found out I had a child for almost four years and knew nothing about him, I would snatch him. I would probably take him away so that you could feel what a lack of knowledge could do to you. I’ve just been wondering of late whether Austin would think the same way. I would just hate it. I believe that if Austin knew
and was able to spend time with Brhin, he wouldn't have the inclination to take him."

  "I don't believe he would do such a thing. If I know Austin correctly, he would confront me and argue about it. He wouldn't do anything behind my back. I don't want to talk about this any longer. I need to call the police. It has been about three hours since you went to the center. No telling where this person could be with Brhin. I just pray they are still in the city. Listen, I'm going to call the director of The P. S. Center and see if she knows anything. Will you come over here?"

  "Yes, of course. I'll leave the girls with Frank and I'll be right there."

  "You are serious, aren't you Phae? My baby is not standing by your side and laughing at me?" Catrine sat on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes and nervously chewed on her fingernail. "Your sense of humor tends to go to the extreme sometimes. Don't fu….."

  "Cat, watch your language."

  "How in God's name can you correct my language at a time like this? Phae I want to scream. I can't believe this is happening. I just want to stomp my feet and rant, rage and pull my hair out while screaming like a maniac."

  "I can understand that Cat, but cursing will not bring him back and acting like a maniac will destroy your focus. You need to concentrate on what you can do that will help. Think about absolutely anyone that you may have spoken with since last night. Maybe they mistakenly thought you were asking them to get Brhin and they have him. Maybe a co-worker or one of the ladies from the church called you. Everyone has been worried about you since you became ill. I wouldn't play with you over something like this. I know how you feel about that baby. Jesus, I know how I feel about him. Go ahead and call that director. I'll be at your house as soon as possible."

  "Hurry up. I feel nervous. My head is about to burst and my hands won’t stop shaking."

  "I'll be right there. In the meantime, take an aspirin, maybe two."

  "Yeah, right; like that will help." Catrine absently rubbed a spot near the corner of her left eye. "I think I'll call Linda's mother just to make sure I hadn't asked Linda to get Brhin and then I'm going to fix myself a stiff drink before I call Mrs. Wall. That woman tends to eat my nerves."

  "I know what you mean. I'll get my shoes on and be right there." Instead of that drink, why don't you call Pastor Hickory? You can use all of the prayers that we can get. His congregation is full of awesome prayer warriors. But, before we hang up, let's say a prayer together.

  "Yes, lets."

  "Dear Lord," Phae began. "Lord, place your protective hands on Brhin's head where ever he may be. Guide us to the path and people who may be of the greatest help to getting Brhin back home. Give us the strength and the faith to carry through. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen."

  "Amen."

  "Go ahead and make those calls."

  "Yeah I will." In her anxiety she replaced the receiver without saying good-bye.

  *****

  “Phalene”

  "Frank." Phalene slammed the phone's receiver on its base and ran from the kitchen. "Frank." Running down the hallway, she collided with her husband as he rushed through the living room door in her direction.

  "Whoa." Wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, Frank gave her a couple of reassuring pats on the back. "Calm down. What's the matter? What's the matter?" He repeated, giving her a small shake when no answer came and she began to cry. "Honey, don't cry. Let's go into the living room so you can sit down."

  Turning and guiding Phalene back into the living room, Frank directed her towards the sofa. "Now, what's the matter?" Frank questioned once she was sitting. It can't be the girls, because they were in the kitchen with you. Is it Catrine?"

  Crying hysterically, Phae nodded and buried her face in her hands.

  "Calm down is she all right?" Frank sat beside his wife and pulled her into his arms, patting her on the back. What happened? Did she have a car accident? Is she... dead?

  "No." Phalene sat up and pushed out of his arm, slapping him on the chest. She rubbed her hands over her eyes. "Don't say things like that."

  "Well, what am I suppose to think?" Standing, Frank crossed the room to get her the box of Kleenex tissues from the top of the television, offering her the box and admonishing her all the while. "You get a phone call, run down the hallway screaming my name like a mad woman, sit here crying yourself into a near seizure, tell me that something happened to your sister and what am I suppose to think?"

  "Not the worst." she answered while blowing her nose. "I'm sorry. I just lost control.”

  "Not something you usually do."

  "I know. I just... I, I lost Brhin."

  "What are you saying?"

  "I'm saying that I lost Brhin. Catrine had asked me to get him from the daycare and when I got there, he was gone."

  "What do you mean he was gone?"

  "I mean, that I walked in the building and as I was signing him out, I looked towards those monitors they have set up in the reception area so parents can watch the classes and I saw that they weren't on. I noticed this because it has become my habit to sit a while and see what was going on in Brhin's room before I would go to get him. I did this mostly because, like you said, the place gives off bad vibes.

  I suppose I was subconsciously trying to find fault with the place so Cat would take him out. Anyway, the monitors weren’t on so I went in the receptionist office and told that twit Julioux about it. She was standing in front of her desk holding dripping papers, cleaning a spilled drink from its surface, and talking to a parent that was profusely apologizing for the accident. When I told Julioux about the monitors she looked confused. Absently said she would take care of it. I left the office. Went to get Brhin from his class, but I never got that far. As I walked passed their little television room…"

  "They have a television room in a daycare center?"

  "Yes. It's just like a movie theater except the children aren't allowed to eat. Its thickly carpeted, big floor pillows, and there's a large plasma screen television and I do mean 'large', about twenty or thirty little low back chairs. They aren't really chairs they are the kind of things you take to sport activities and you have to sit on the ground," she babbled in her nervousness. "I wanted to know what Brhin was going to sit on so one day I tried one of them. The butt part is padded and the backrest is sturdy. The little things are really comfortable. Anyway, when I went there today I was about to pass the room but stopped when I noticed that there had to be about fifty little kids in there. I could see that most of the children came from Brhin's class. One of the three teachers that was in the room, stopped me and told me that Brhin was already gone with a friend his mother had sent after him and I left."

  "Why did they have so many children in that room? Had something happened?"

  "I was surprised about that too. Usually the larger children aren't allowed in the TV room with the younger ones. I have to give them credit for that. I don't know about too much else, but I do know they like to keep that room relatively quiet. I think it's because it gives the teachers a little piece of mind. One of the teachers said something about an accident in Brhin's classroom. When Cat called me just now she was thinking that I had Brhin here and had forgotten to call her. I can't understand how this happened. She said she had sent a note with Brhin this morning telling them that I was suppose to pick him up and they still sent him away with someone else.

  I wish I would have known that. Here I was walking around angry because I would be late for a stupid Girl Scout meeting; refused to follow my first mind and call her from The P. S. Center. I've sat here all evening pissed off and waiting for Cat to call and apologize for making me take a wasted trip and she has been sitting at home thinking that her baby was safe here with me. What am I suppose to tell her?" She stopped pacing. "So much time has been wasted since I went to the Center and now Catrine is waiting for me to come over there and make some kind of big difference in this situation. She is over there, alone and crying and I am supposed to make it better. But I don't know how. N
ot this time. I just don't know how."

  Pulling Phalene into the circle of his arms, Frank held her tight. "Come on, Phae. Don't blame yourself. This isn’t your fault and neither is it Catrine's. I told you guys I thought that center was too perfect. That one time that I picked him up I got an awful feeling. It was like walking into a gorgeous shell. No good spirits were flowing. Didn't I tell you that?"

  "Yes, but you're always having these 'feelings'. Stop," she held up her hand when he opened his mouth. "I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that what you feel is more than 'feelings'. I believe that too. It's just that The P.S. Center was in a convenient place for Catrine and that's what sold her."

  "I know and I understand. Think positive. Everything will be all right. When you get there, you'll see that Catrine has remembered whom she asked to get Brhin and everything will turn out fine. Do you want me to come with you?"

  "No, but I wish you could." Phalene kissed him on the check. "Someone has to stay here with the girls. You're probably right though. Catrine has been taken medication. Maybe her mind is a little bit foggy. I'll go and wash my face and say a few more prayers. Everything will be fine."

  "True. You just have to have faith."

  "Mom, I heard you talking in the kitchen to Aunt Cat, what happened to, Brhin?"

  Phae and Frank turned at the sound of their oldest daughter's voice. The little girl stood pale and shaken. She reached out for the hand of her baby sister and pulled her back before she could run into the room.

  "Oh, Honey." Phalene knelt before her two daughters and enveloped them in a tight embrace. "I don't know how much you heard, but there is nothing I can tell you right now that would ease any fear that you may be having. All I can say is that I hope not. We are just going to believe that Aunt Cat made a mistake and sent someone else to get Brhin from the childcare and that he will be returned soon. I'm going to see her now. I'm just going to run upstairs and get my purse before going to her house to be with her. I'll call back home as soon as I know something."