Longing to Belong - Chapter 10
Note: I finally finished the chapter. Once again the chapter contains some legal matters I have no idea about, so forgive me for all the inaccuracies
Chapter 10
Los Angeles, June 1999
A playful succession of lights and shadows were cavorting on the ceiling. The narrow gap between the curtains allowed some early rays in, reflecting on the crystals of the bedside lamp and creating a wonderful show. Louise lay on the bed, wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling in all its glory.
The night before she had got into bed and willed herself to sleep, longing for the weekend to be over soon. Now that she was awake, she dreaded the day ahead, so she wished she could stay in bed and avoid seeing her father. Maybe she’d go home today; it was obvious that her father didn’t want her here, and she desired with all her heart to return home and to her daddy.
Suddenly a bang and some loud clatter startled her, and that was followed by a myriad of loud voices. The silence the house had previously been immersed in turned into a din, and Lou kept hearing screams, angered voices, and other noises which echoed all through the place. With a frisson of fear, she dared to slide out of bed and walk to the door. Opening it to a crack, she peered through the gap, but there was nobody in sight. The voices grew louder, and she realized they were coming from downstairs.
Although afraid, she dared to leave the room and shuffled to the banister. Pushing herself on the tip of her toes, she managed to peer down above the wooden barrier, and what she saw shocked her to the core. There below in the hall, her father, Grace, and even some of the servants had their hands above their heads, and someone in a blue police uniform and holding a big gun was pointing at them. As Lou kept watching, she saw other policemen moving around, and opening and searching drawers and cabinets.
Then one of the policemen said he was going to check upstairs, great fear overwhelmed Louise and instinctively dashed along the corridor. Instead of going back into her bedroom, Louise kept opening doors lining the corridor, and when at last she found what she was looking for, she let out a sigh of relief and ran into the room before anyone could stop her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Birch Creek
Using his two index fingers, Teaspoon struggled to complete the report on the computer. Even though every New Year his resolution was the same - to learn how to type properly - just like his resolution to lose weight or eat more fruit and vegetables, his intention was soon forgotten. Paperwork was what he hated most about his job, but he knew it would make things easier if he could type properly and didn’t take so long to finish his reports and other red tape. At least, typing on the computer was much easier than on the typewriters the station had been equipped with until a few years ago.
Today was Saturday and his day off. However, Teaspoon had volunteered to come to the station and finish his outstanding stack of paperwork. Being in the apartment on his own was unbearable; he couldn’t stop missing Lou, and everything there reminded him she wasn’t with him. Last night Emma and Sam had kindly invited him to their home and treated him to some delicious dinner. Teaspoon didn’t know he would miss his little girl this much. More than once he had felt tempted to call the number Grace Rowlins had given him because he wanted to hear Lou’s voice. Yet, Emma and Sam had dissuaded him against it, reasoning that he should let Louise and her father have some breathing space, and his pestering might not be taken well by John Boggs. Teaspoon reluctantly admitted they were right, but still, he couldn’t help but worry.
Early this morning when he had woken up, a deeply agonizing feeling of desperation and loneliness had slapped him hard, so he had felt the need to escape and entertain his restless mind with some dull work.
His cell phone suddenly came to life and started to beep. The screen glowed with a number he didn’t recognize, so when he pressed the answer button and replied, he did it in his most professional tone. “Hunter speaking.”
“Daddy?”
His mouth instantly curved into a happy smile and his body jerked into a straight position as he heard the voice he had longed to hear for the last two days. “Lou, my pretty girl! How are you, my love?”
“Daddy…”
Teaspoon at once picked up the fear in her voice, and concern struck him even more strongly. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
The girl didn’t speak up straightaway, and Teaspoon could just hear her bated breath through the phone. “There are a lot of policemen in the house and they have guns. My… my father and the woman… the lawyer… it’s as if in the movies… they have their hands up. I’m… I’m so scared, daddy.”
‘Oh God,’ Teaspoon thought but kept the thought to himself. “Where are you, Lou?”
“I… I found this telephone in a room, and I… I’m hiding under the desk.”
“Honey, I mean, where in the city are you? Is it the same house in Red Hill your father rented? You don’t need to worry; I’ll be with you in less than twenty minutes and…”
“I’m not in Birch Creek, daddy. He took me to the airport and we travelled by plane. I didn’t want to go, but he made me!”
Teaspoon inhaled as his body shivered in concern. Yet, he told himself to keep calm for Lou. “Honey, do… do you recall what airport you arrived at?”
“It was Los Angeles, but then we got into a car and we drove for a long time.”
Teaspoon bobbed his head as she heard the girl, trying to clear his muddled mind and let the way free for clearer ideas. “Let’s do something, Lou. You’re going to leave the room where you are now, take the phone with you, and find one of those policemen you said are in the house.”
“I’m… I’m scared.”
‘So am I,’ Teaspoon thought. “You’re a brave girl, honey. Those are policemen just like your old papa Teaspoon, and I really need to talk to them and sort out this matter.” Teaspoon prayed that he was telling the truth. For all he knew, those policemen could be criminals in disguise, so he would be sending his sweet girl to the wolf’s lair.
“All right, daddy.”
The minutes that followed were the longest of his life as he waited for Lou to do as he had told her to. After what felt like hours, he heard her soft, fearful voice, and then a man addressing her. Then the male voice spoke again, this time more strongly and closer as he talked on the phone. “Sergeant Miller speaking. Could I know who this is?”
Teaspoon identified himself as Lou’s legal custodian and a member of the police forces as well. Nervous as he was, Teaspoon explained the situation clumsily. For once in his life his reputed gift of the gab abandoned him, and he became a stammering fool. “Look, officer,” he said as he finally managed to get a hold of his tongue. “I’m terribly concerned about my little girl. His birth father was supposed to keep her in our town just like the judged ruled. Instead, he’s taken her thousands of miles away, and now she’s there all alone.”
“I understand that, sir. Mr. John Boggs is under arrest on charges I’m in no position to disclose. Now your girl will be placed in the temporary custody of the state of California until you are able to straight this matter out.”
Teaspoon sighed. This is what he had feared. “And that’s what I intend to do right away. I’ll be in the first flight bound for Los Angeles as soon as we hang up.” He paused and added, “Could you please put my girl on?”
“Very well, sir.”
There were some whispers Teaspoon didn’t grasp, and then Lou’s sweet voice came through. ”Daddy.”
“Listen, sweetheart. I’m going to be with you very, very soon. First, you’ll have to stay for a bit with some nice people who are going to look after you while I get there. Don’t be scared because I’ll be there with you sooner than you think.”
“Yes, daddy,” Lou replied in a tiny voice.
“And remember I love you. I love you very, very much.”
“And I love you too.”
Teaspoon felt a lump of emotion in his throat as he finished the conversation. His little girl was in a pickle, scared and alone, because he was too damn honorable and always respected the law. In any case, the harm was already done, and it was pointless to cry over spilt milk.
As if the devil itself was after him, Teaspoon dashed out of the station. After dropping by his place just to pick up the document that stated his legal claim on Louise, he sped to his lawyer’s office. Being Saturday, Ben Taylor had taken the day off. However, through much coaxing to his secretary, Teaspoon managed to glean where the attorney was. Thankfully, Ben Taylor was not on a jaunt around the country but resting at home. His secretary unwillingly put a call through to him, and Ben agreed to talk to Teaspoon.
“Ben, you need to help me here,” Teaspoon begged.
“What’s wrong?”
Teaspoon explained everything, and as the words left his mouth, his heart hurt more and more. Once he had concluded, Ben said, “Wait for me at the airport. We’ll brought that lovely girl of yours back.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Teaspoon paced up and down the corridor and raked his fingers through his graying hair repeatedly. Since arriving in LA, he and the lawyer had been pushed from pillar to post, being sent on a wild chase through the town. All he wanted was to take his girl home, and so far he hadn’t been able to even talk to her since their last conversation on the phone, and that was many hours ago. He didn’t even know where she was, and no one was giving him any answers.
After visiting too many offices and talking to, in his opinion, a bunch of incompetent baboons, they had been sent to the headquarters of the child care agency, and now they were made to wait gain. The office was quite deserted since it was the weekend, but a secretary had to gone to find one Ms Brook. With every minute that passed, Teaspoon felt more and more frustrated, imagining how scared Louise must be feeling, and so far he had done nothing. Ben Taylor kept watching him warily, but the lawyer was too clever to say anything as he could very well understand what he was going through.
At last the clanking of high heels on the linoleum floor brought him to a halt, and Teaspoon saw a young woman, clad in an elegant two-piece suit, approach them. Before the woman had even greeted them, Teaspoon dropped his sheaf of papers in her hand and quickly started to speak. Yet, Ben Taylor interrupted his tirade, and in a much calmer disposition he explained the reason why they were bothering her on a Saturday afternoon.
“I imagine that your stepdaughter must have been placed in one of the children’s homes. I could find out which, but you won’t be able to visit just yet… you know, regulations.”
“But don’t you get it?” Teaspoon retorted. “I’m here to take her home.”
“I’m afraid, sir, that the child is now under the protection of the State of California and while her legal situation isn’t cleared up, we can’t allow any disruption that might jeopardize her safety.”
“Louise is only here because her birth father flew her here under false pretences when in reality he was required to keep her in our city, where her home is! It is by keeping her away from me and her home you are damaging her sense of safety.”
“Her release to you can only be signed and approved by a judge, and I’m afraid that won’t happen till Monday at the earliest. It’s the weekend, you know.”
Teaspoon felt the urge to throttle this woman, who had the fate of Lou in her hands and was making things too difficult. “I don’t care if it’s the weekend or the President’s birthday!!! My girl is alone in a place full of strangers, and she needs to be with her family. Call whoever you have to call, but I’m taking a no for an answer.”
Teaspoon’s intense speech put the woman on guard and ready to fight. “Sir, I’m only an intern, or do you think I’ll be here otherwise? If you don’t leave the premises right this minute, I’ll call security.”
Before Teaspoon could do anything, the woman turned on her heel and stomped away. The pressure of a hand on his shoulder had Teaspoon look sideways and he found Ben Taylor. “We’ll have to wait until Monday.”
“But that’s two days from now!!! How can I stay idle, not even knowing where my girl is, Ben?”
“Louise is safe, Teaspoon, and I’m afraid there’s nothing you and I could do now.”
Teaspoon heaved a sigh, closed his eyes and eventually gave a reluctant nod.
Chapter 10
Los Angeles, June 1999
A playful succession of lights and shadows were cavorting on the ceiling. The narrow gap between the curtains allowed some early rays in, reflecting on the crystals of the bedside lamp and creating a wonderful show. Louise lay on the bed, wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling in all its glory.
The night before she had got into bed and willed herself to sleep, longing for the weekend to be over soon. Now that she was awake, she dreaded the day ahead, so she wished she could stay in bed and avoid seeing her father. Maybe she’d go home today; it was obvious that her father didn’t want her here, and she desired with all her heart to return home and to her daddy.
Suddenly a bang and some loud clatter startled her, and that was followed by a myriad of loud voices. The silence the house had previously been immersed in turned into a din, and Lou kept hearing screams, angered voices, and other noises which echoed all through the place. With a frisson of fear, she dared to slide out of bed and walk to the door. Opening it to a crack, she peered through the gap, but there was nobody in sight. The voices grew louder, and she realized they were coming from downstairs.
Although afraid, she dared to leave the room and shuffled to the banister. Pushing herself on the tip of her toes, she managed to peer down above the wooden barrier, and what she saw shocked her to the core. There below in the hall, her father, Grace, and even some of the servants had their hands above their heads, and someone in a blue police uniform and holding a big gun was pointing at them. As Lou kept watching, she saw other policemen moving around, and opening and searching drawers and cabinets.
Then one of the policemen said he was going to check upstairs, great fear overwhelmed Louise and instinctively dashed along the corridor. Instead of going back into her bedroom, Louise kept opening doors lining the corridor, and when at last she found what she was looking for, she let out a sigh of relief and ran into the room before anyone could stop her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Birch Creek
Using his two index fingers, Teaspoon struggled to complete the report on the computer. Even though every New Year his resolution was the same - to learn how to type properly - just like his resolution to lose weight or eat more fruit and vegetables, his intention was soon forgotten. Paperwork was what he hated most about his job, but he knew it would make things easier if he could type properly and didn’t take so long to finish his reports and other red tape. At least, typing on the computer was much easier than on the typewriters the station had been equipped with until a few years ago.
Today was Saturday and his day off. However, Teaspoon had volunteered to come to the station and finish his outstanding stack of paperwork. Being in the apartment on his own was unbearable; he couldn’t stop missing Lou, and everything there reminded him she wasn’t with him. Last night Emma and Sam had kindly invited him to their home and treated him to some delicious dinner. Teaspoon didn’t know he would miss his little girl this much. More than once he had felt tempted to call the number Grace Rowlins had given him because he wanted to hear Lou’s voice. Yet, Emma and Sam had dissuaded him against it, reasoning that he should let Louise and her father have some breathing space, and his pestering might not be taken well by John Boggs. Teaspoon reluctantly admitted they were right, but still, he couldn’t help but worry.
Early this morning when he had woken up, a deeply agonizing feeling of desperation and loneliness had slapped him hard, so he had felt the need to escape and entertain his restless mind with some dull work.
His cell phone suddenly came to life and started to beep. The screen glowed with a number he didn’t recognize, so when he pressed the answer button and replied, he did it in his most professional tone. “Hunter speaking.”
“Daddy?”
His mouth instantly curved into a happy smile and his body jerked into a straight position as he heard the voice he had longed to hear for the last two days. “Lou, my pretty girl! How are you, my love?”
“Daddy…”
Teaspoon at once picked up the fear in her voice, and concern struck him even more strongly. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
The girl didn’t speak up straightaway, and Teaspoon could just hear her bated breath through the phone. “There are a lot of policemen in the house and they have guns. My… my father and the woman… the lawyer… it’s as if in the movies… they have their hands up. I’m… I’m so scared, daddy.”
‘Oh God,’ Teaspoon thought but kept the thought to himself. “Where are you, Lou?”
“I… I found this telephone in a room, and I… I’m hiding under the desk.”
“Honey, I mean, where in the city are you? Is it the same house in Red Hill your father rented? You don’t need to worry; I’ll be with you in less than twenty minutes and…”
“I’m not in Birch Creek, daddy. He took me to the airport and we travelled by plane. I didn’t want to go, but he made me!”
Teaspoon inhaled as his body shivered in concern. Yet, he told himself to keep calm for Lou. “Honey, do… do you recall what airport you arrived at?”
“It was Los Angeles, but then we got into a car and we drove for a long time.”
Teaspoon bobbed his head as she heard the girl, trying to clear his muddled mind and let the way free for clearer ideas. “Let’s do something, Lou. You’re going to leave the room where you are now, take the phone with you, and find one of those policemen you said are in the house.”
“I’m… I’m scared.”
‘So am I,’ Teaspoon thought. “You’re a brave girl, honey. Those are policemen just like your old papa Teaspoon, and I really need to talk to them and sort out this matter.” Teaspoon prayed that he was telling the truth. For all he knew, those policemen could be criminals in disguise, so he would be sending his sweet girl to the wolf’s lair.
“All right, daddy.”
The minutes that followed were the longest of his life as he waited for Lou to do as he had told her to. After what felt like hours, he heard her soft, fearful voice, and then a man addressing her. Then the male voice spoke again, this time more strongly and closer as he talked on the phone. “Sergeant Miller speaking. Could I know who this is?”
Teaspoon identified himself as Lou’s legal custodian and a member of the police forces as well. Nervous as he was, Teaspoon explained the situation clumsily. For once in his life his reputed gift of the gab abandoned him, and he became a stammering fool. “Look, officer,” he said as he finally managed to get a hold of his tongue. “I’m terribly concerned about my little girl. His birth father was supposed to keep her in our town just like the judged ruled. Instead, he’s taken her thousands of miles away, and now she’s there all alone.”
“I understand that, sir. Mr. John Boggs is under arrest on charges I’m in no position to disclose. Now your girl will be placed in the temporary custody of the state of California until you are able to straight this matter out.”
Teaspoon sighed. This is what he had feared. “And that’s what I intend to do right away. I’ll be in the first flight bound for Los Angeles as soon as we hang up.” He paused and added, “Could you please put my girl on?”
“Very well, sir.”
There were some whispers Teaspoon didn’t grasp, and then Lou’s sweet voice came through. ”Daddy.”
“Listen, sweetheart. I’m going to be with you very, very soon. First, you’ll have to stay for a bit with some nice people who are going to look after you while I get there. Don’t be scared because I’ll be there with you sooner than you think.”
“Yes, daddy,” Lou replied in a tiny voice.
“And remember I love you. I love you very, very much.”
“And I love you too.”
Teaspoon felt a lump of emotion in his throat as he finished the conversation. His little girl was in a pickle, scared and alone, because he was too damn honorable and always respected the law. In any case, the harm was already done, and it was pointless to cry over spilt milk.
As if the devil itself was after him, Teaspoon dashed out of the station. After dropping by his place just to pick up the document that stated his legal claim on Louise, he sped to his lawyer’s office. Being Saturday, Ben Taylor had taken the day off. However, through much coaxing to his secretary, Teaspoon managed to glean where the attorney was. Thankfully, Ben Taylor was not on a jaunt around the country but resting at home. His secretary unwillingly put a call through to him, and Ben agreed to talk to Teaspoon.
“Ben, you need to help me here,” Teaspoon begged.
“What’s wrong?”
Teaspoon explained everything, and as the words left his mouth, his heart hurt more and more. Once he had concluded, Ben said, “Wait for me at the airport. We’ll brought that lovely girl of yours back.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Teaspoon paced up and down the corridor and raked his fingers through his graying hair repeatedly. Since arriving in LA, he and the lawyer had been pushed from pillar to post, being sent on a wild chase through the town. All he wanted was to take his girl home, and so far he hadn’t been able to even talk to her since their last conversation on the phone, and that was many hours ago. He didn’t even know where she was, and no one was giving him any answers.
After visiting too many offices and talking to, in his opinion, a bunch of incompetent baboons, they had been sent to the headquarters of the child care agency, and now they were made to wait gain. The office was quite deserted since it was the weekend, but a secretary had to gone to find one Ms Brook. With every minute that passed, Teaspoon felt more and more frustrated, imagining how scared Louise must be feeling, and so far he had done nothing. Ben Taylor kept watching him warily, but the lawyer was too clever to say anything as he could very well understand what he was going through.
At last the clanking of high heels on the linoleum floor brought him to a halt, and Teaspoon saw a young woman, clad in an elegant two-piece suit, approach them. Before the woman had even greeted them, Teaspoon dropped his sheaf of papers in her hand and quickly started to speak. Yet, Ben Taylor interrupted his tirade, and in a much calmer disposition he explained the reason why they were bothering her on a Saturday afternoon.
“I imagine that your stepdaughter must have been placed in one of the children’s homes. I could find out which, but you won’t be able to visit just yet… you know, regulations.”
“But don’t you get it?” Teaspoon retorted. “I’m here to take her home.”
“I’m afraid, sir, that the child is now under the protection of the State of California and while her legal situation isn’t cleared up, we can’t allow any disruption that might jeopardize her safety.”
“Louise is only here because her birth father flew her here under false pretences when in reality he was required to keep her in our city, where her home is! It is by keeping her away from me and her home you are damaging her sense of safety.”
“Her release to you can only be signed and approved by a judge, and I’m afraid that won’t happen till Monday at the earliest. It’s the weekend, you know.”
Teaspoon felt the urge to throttle this woman, who had the fate of Lou in her hands and was making things too difficult. “I don’t care if it’s the weekend or the President’s birthday!!! My girl is alone in a place full of strangers, and she needs to be with her family. Call whoever you have to call, but I’m taking a no for an answer.”
Teaspoon’s intense speech put the woman on guard and ready to fight. “Sir, I’m only an intern, or do you think I’ll be here otherwise? If you don’t leave the premises right this minute, I’ll call security.”
Before Teaspoon could do anything, the woman turned on her heel and stomped away. The pressure of a hand on his shoulder had Teaspoon look sideways and he found Ben Taylor. “We’ll have to wait until Monday.”
“But that’s two days from now!!! How can I stay idle, not even knowing where my girl is, Ben?”
“Louise is safe, Teaspoon, and I’m afraid there’s nothing you and I could do now.”
Teaspoon heaved a sigh, closed his eyes and eventually gave a reluctant nod.