Adventures in Babysitting
Chapter Five: This Is How I Disappear
Chapter Five: This Is How I Disappear
Why was Adele acting like this? She’s always been so happy and easy going. Why’s she suddenly crying at Mama? I don’t get it. I stole a glance at Ray out of the corner of my eye. He looked as confused as I was. I looked over to Mikey and Gerard. Same look on Mikey. Gerard looked like he may have an idea of what’s going on...
Adele continued to cry. Gerard kept softly telling her “Calm down. Calm down. It’ll be all right.” I guess whatever upset her she obviously knew wasn’t gonna be all right. I have to do something. It hurts to see her this upset. I had to do something to comfort her. I’ve got it! So I did what I thought was right.
I wrapped my arms softly around Adele and gently pulled her close to me. I hugged her comfortingly. She buried her face on my shoulder and softly sobbed, gripping my shirt with her small fist. I rubbed her back gently and whispered to her, “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.” I really don’t know if I was right. I just needed her to stop crying. Her sad expression broke my heart. She continued to cry into my shoulder for a while. Eventually, she got tired and fell asleep.
I heard her whisper something and sob softly again. “Mommy. Daddy.”
What?
++++++++++++++++++++
After I put Adele in her bunk, I walked back to the makeshift studio. What was Adele talking about? I had to know. The thought of her crying kept coming in my mind. It tore me apart. When I got back into the studio, I heard Ray, Gerard, and Mikey talking. Bob was off somewhere I guess.
“I’ll call them,” I heard Ray say, “I’ll call them after practice.”
“You should call them now,” I heard Gerard reply, “You know all the songs. Everyone does. Just call them. The fact that we can’t help Adele is freaking Frank out. It’s freaking all of us out. We need to do something.”
“Who are you calling?” I asked, coming into the small room.
“Um,” I could tell Ray was debating on telling me. “Social Services.”
My eyes widened. “Reason?”
“We think we’ll be able to find Marc through them,” Gerard spoke up, “We can find out what’s bothering Adele that way.”
“That makes sense.” But the fact we were calling social services still bothered me. Big time.
Bob came in a few seconds later. He looked at the cell phone in Ray’s hands, then looked around. He just nodded his head. I guess he must get what’s going on. Ray dialed the number (they found it in the phone book.) and waited. When he started asking about Adele, he was silent again. When he started talking again, it was mostly made up of “Yeas” and “Okays”. He clicked the phone off. Silence.
“What is it Ray?” Gerard asked.
“It’s...it’s Tina,” Ray replied. He took a deep breath. The next words shocked me. “She’s gone...She passed away last month...”
I gasped. I seriously couldn’t believe it. I’d met Tina before the divorce. She was always so nice, and she seemed healthy. I guess we were wrong...
Mikey and I walked over and tried to comfort Ray. He and Tina had developed a bond, something that lasted even after the divorce was filed. Losing a friend is rough. We’d all lost friends before, but still. It hurt.
After about an hour I spoke up. “Um, what about Marc? Is he, you know, okay?” I knew it was a bumpy road to go down. I just had to know that Adele had family somewhere. Well, other than Ray.
“They think he couldn’t take it,” Ray told me, “He just...disappeared.”
I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I apologized. I obviously upset him by asking him. He turned to face me. He nodded.
“It’s okay,” he replied. He smiled softly. I smiled back. I was right. It was all gonna be okay...
++++++++++++++++++
Later that night, Gee and I sat up in the living room talking. I know, it seems so teenage like, right? Well, you’ll just have to deal!
“Do you think Adele knows?” Gerard asked. I looked at him as he ricked back and forth on his spot on the floor. Why was he asking me? Maybe it’s because I know Adele best in his eyes. But he knew her just as well.
“I’m not sure,” I replied. I thought back for a moment. “I think she does. Considering her reaction to Mama.”
“Yea. You’re right,” Gee said back. He looked up at me with his big green eyes. “It’s just hard to believe, you know?”
“Yea. Poor Ray.”
“I feel really bad for him.”
“I know,” I shift around on the couch. “He’s gone through so much crap lately. Not to mention he’s working his ass off nonstop. He needs a break.”
“You’re right,” Gee replied. I’m right again. That’s three times in a row. Yea! “He’s gonna make himself sick if he keeps doing this. But it’s Ray. What can we do?”
“Just talk to him and be there I guess.” Gerard got up.
“I’m going to bed,” he told me. He was right. It had been a long day.
“All right,” I replied, looking up at him, “I’ll go to sleep soon.”
With that, Gerard nodded his head and headed towards the bunks. I watched him through the doorway. He collapsed onto his bunk and fell asleep. Well, I guess he’s tired. I’m not surprised.
I walked into the bunk area about half an hour later. I looked into my bunk. Adele was still fast asleep, curled up into a little ball. I scooted in next to her, just in case she woke up and started crying again. I stroked her hair gently as she breathed softly. In, Out. In, Out.
Before I knew it, she moved over to me gently, her head on my chest like the previous night. I smiled softly. I was almost half asleep now. I was about to shut my eyes when I heard a small sob. I looked down at Adele. She was crying in her sleep. I started singing Disenchanted to her again. The sobs turned to small weeps.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt Adele move around a little more. Was it the nightmare from last night? After she rolled around and wrestled with the sheets for about two minutes, she settled down. She curled up next to me again.
“Daddy,” I heard her say, cuddling closer to me. I held her in my arms.
A single tear ran down my cheek. There’s no way in hell I’m falling asleep tonight!
Why was Adele acting like this? She’s always been so happy and easy going. Why’s she suddenly crying at Mama? I don’t get it. I stole a glance at Ray out of the corner of my eye. He looked as confused as I was. I looked over to Mikey and Gerard. Same look on Mikey. Gerard looked like he may have an idea of what’s going on...
Adele continued to cry. Gerard kept softly telling her “Calm down. Calm down. It’ll be all right.” I guess whatever upset her she obviously knew wasn’t gonna be all right. I have to do something. It hurts to see her this upset. I had to do something to comfort her. I’ve got it! So I did what I thought was right.
I wrapped my arms softly around Adele and gently pulled her close to me. I hugged her comfortingly. She buried her face on my shoulder and softly sobbed, gripping my shirt with her small fist. I rubbed her back gently and whispered to her, “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.” I really don’t know if I was right. I just needed her to stop crying. Her sad expression broke my heart. She continued to cry into my shoulder for a while. Eventually, she got tired and fell asleep.
I heard her whisper something and sob softly again. “Mommy. Daddy.”
What?
++++++++++++++++++++
After I put Adele in her bunk, I walked back to the makeshift studio. What was Adele talking about? I had to know. The thought of her crying kept coming in my mind. It tore me apart. When I got back into the studio, I heard Ray, Gerard, and Mikey talking. Bob was off somewhere I guess.
“I’ll call them,” I heard Ray say, “I’ll call them after practice.”
“You should call them now,” I heard Gerard reply, “You know all the songs. Everyone does. Just call them. The fact that we can’t help Adele is freaking Frank out. It’s freaking all of us out. We need to do something.”
“Who are you calling?” I asked, coming into the small room.
“Um,” I could tell Ray was debating on telling me. “Social Services.”
My eyes widened. “Reason?”
“We think we’ll be able to find Marc through them,” Gerard spoke up, “We can find out what’s bothering Adele that way.”
“That makes sense.” But the fact we were calling social services still bothered me. Big time.
Bob came in a few seconds later. He looked at the cell phone in Ray’s hands, then looked around. He just nodded his head. I guess he must get what’s going on. Ray dialed the number (they found it in the phone book.) and waited. When he started asking about Adele, he was silent again. When he started talking again, it was mostly made up of “Yeas” and “Okays”. He clicked the phone off. Silence.
“What is it Ray?” Gerard asked.
“It’s...it’s Tina,” Ray replied. He took a deep breath. The next words shocked me. “She’s gone...She passed away last month...”
I gasped. I seriously couldn’t believe it. I’d met Tina before the divorce. She was always so nice, and she seemed healthy. I guess we were wrong...
Mikey and I walked over and tried to comfort Ray. He and Tina had developed a bond, something that lasted even after the divorce was filed. Losing a friend is rough. We’d all lost friends before, but still. It hurt.
After about an hour I spoke up. “Um, what about Marc? Is he, you know, okay?” I knew it was a bumpy road to go down. I just had to know that Adele had family somewhere. Well, other than Ray.
“They think he couldn’t take it,” Ray told me, “He just...disappeared.”
I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I apologized. I obviously upset him by asking him. He turned to face me. He nodded.
“It’s okay,” he replied. He smiled softly. I smiled back. I was right. It was all gonna be okay...
++++++++++++++++++
Later that night, Gee and I sat up in the living room talking. I know, it seems so teenage like, right? Well, you’ll just have to deal!
“Do you think Adele knows?” Gerard asked. I looked at him as he ricked back and forth on his spot on the floor. Why was he asking me? Maybe it’s because I know Adele best in his eyes. But he knew her just as well.
“I’m not sure,” I replied. I thought back for a moment. “I think she does. Considering her reaction to Mama.”
“Yea. You’re right,” Gee said back. He looked up at me with his big green eyes. “It’s just hard to believe, you know?”
“Yea. Poor Ray.”
“I feel really bad for him.”
“I know,” I shift around on the couch. “He’s gone through so much crap lately. Not to mention he’s working his ass off nonstop. He needs a break.”
“You’re right,” Gee replied. I’m right again. That’s three times in a row. Yea! “He’s gonna make himself sick if he keeps doing this. But it’s Ray. What can we do?”
“Just talk to him and be there I guess.” Gerard got up.
“I’m going to bed,” he told me. He was right. It had been a long day.
“All right,” I replied, looking up at him, “I’ll go to sleep soon.”
With that, Gerard nodded his head and headed towards the bunks. I watched him through the doorway. He collapsed onto his bunk and fell asleep. Well, I guess he’s tired. I’m not surprised.
I walked into the bunk area about half an hour later. I looked into my bunk. Adele was still fast asleep, curled up into a little ball. I scooted in next to her, just in case she woke up and started crying again. I stroked her hair gently as she breathed softly. In, Out. In, Out.
Before I knew it, she moved over to me gently, her head on my chest like the previous night. I smiled softly. I was almost half asleep now. I was about to shut my eyes when I heard a small sob. I looked down at Adele. She was crying in her sleep. I started singing Disenchanted to her again. The sobs turned to small weeps.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt Adele move around a little more. Was it the nightmare from last night? After she rolled around and wrestled with the sheets for about two minutes, she settled down. She curled up next to me again.
“Daddy,” I heard her say, cuddling closer to me. I held her in my arms.
A single tear ran down my cheek. There’s no way in hell I’m falling asleep tonight!