Brian is in the dining room. He has a bunch of “gear” on the table in there.
That’s what Daddo calls it.
Mommy’s worried he has a gun. She’s worried he’s a “scam.”
Daddo asked him if he wanted to see what the cameras see, but Brian told him he doesn’t “trust video of
anything.” Mommy said he should want to see it because he should want to have “every tool at his disposal.” She
doesn’t like him. But Daddo hopes he can do something.
They whisper-argue about it in the living room. But sometimes they raise their voices.
I think of Kelvin upstairs, saying he can fix it.
He’s just sitting there eating, Mommy whispers. He’s not doing anything.
We don’t know that, Daddo says. Give him a chance.
It’s a waste of time.
Well, we called someone, didn’t we?
Call someone else.
Hey, Ursula. At this point in time, he’s literally the only other human being who is helping us in any way.
But this isn’t true. Mommy’s phone dings. It’s a text from Grandma.
She’s here, she says.
We all get up and head up the hall to the front door. As we pass the dining room, I see Brian sitting at the table.
He’s eating a bag of chips.
We head outside. The dogs look past us, to see who’s here.
Always working.
Grandma Ruth gets out of her car. She’s wearing her red flannel shirt and she looks better than the last time I saw
her. Still, she looks up at the house like it’s haunted.
You trust this man? she asks Daddo.
No, Daddo says.
Not at all, Mommy says.
But what can we say, Ruth? Daddo says. We’re desperate.
Grandma takes my hand. She saw Other Mommy at Evelyn’s too.
And you? she asks. How are you doing, Bela?
I hope Brian knows what to do, I say.
Yes, Grandma says. That’s what we all want.
Then she says to Mommy and Daddo, Can we talk alone for a minute?
About what? Daddo asks.
About what, Mom? Mommy asks.
Alone? Grandma Ruth says.
We’re not leaving Bela alone, Mommy says.
I just mean up the sidewalk, Grandma says.
They walk with her up the sidewalk and I stay on the front lawn.
I st ep to the side of the house and I can see Brian through the window. He’s still just eating like Mommy said.
Then he pauses and looks up to the ceiling.
Mommy is arguing with Daddo, and Grandma is trying to calm them down.
Kami and Kamael are at the front door.
Brian still looks up.
I look up too. To my bedroom window.
Brian gets up and he takes his flashlight from his belt and he leaves the dining room.
I climb the porch st eps and through the brick windows I see him go upstairs.
I cup my eyes against the glass. I can see up the stairs. I can see down the hall. I can see Daddo’s desk in the living
room.
I look up the street.
Grandma is doing most of the talking now. She’s got a hand on each of their shoulders.
I cup my eyes against the window again and Brian’s face is looking back at me.
I almost shout, he scared me so bad.
But he’s not looking at me. He’s just standing by the dogs, looking down the hall, looking up the stairs.
He has something in his hand. I think it’s a tape recorder.
He puts it close to his ear and he puts one foot on the first st ep and he looks up the stairs like he might go up again.
But he goes into the dining room instead and sits at the table again instead.
Mommy grabs me hard by the arm.
Ow!
What did we say? Mommy says. Do not go close to this house without us. Don’t go anywhere without us!
A neighbor lady sees this from the sidewalk. She looks worried about us.
Grandma comes to the porch.
You won’t get any sympathy from me, she says. Your mom’s right.
Did you bring the clothing I told you to bring? Daddo asks Grandma.
Y ep.
She takes off her flannel shirt. She’s wearing a yellow T-shirt underneath that says: world’s toughest grandmother
She hands Daddo the flannel.
I’ll introduce you to the dogs with this first. Then you’ll meet the guy.
You can tell me how dumb I was for calling him.
Daddo lets the dogs smell Grandma’s flannel, and he ke eps saying, friend. I think of Kelvin upstairs and I think
how friends would do anything for friends.
Once we’re all inside, Daddo starts to introduce Grandma to Brian, but Brian raises a hand to say not right now.
He has the tape recorder up to his ear and he’s nodding along to what he hears.
Did you get something on tape? Daddo says.
What would it matter? Mommy says. The last thing we need is proof.
I think normally she’d walk away after saying that. I think normally she’d head up the hall into the kitchen, angry.
But she stays next to us. Because, exc ept for Brian, none of us want to be alone in this house.