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“The girl, Teagan. She’sreallypretty. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what happens to pretty girls who fall through the cracks.”
Yeah. I know exactly what happens to girls like that. And frankly, I wish I didn’t. As a cop, I had a front-row seat to all the ways the streets take advantage of young girls who rely on the quid-pro-quo kindness of strangers. But if this girl is aging out with nowhere to go, then clearly she wasn’t adopted. Mary would argue that she was unlucky, but the fact is, a lot of these kids have a hard time finding homes because of behavioral or substance abuse problems. Often, they end up falling into the same destructive patterns as their parents.
I’ll never stop owing my sister for pulling me back from the ledge after I got shot, but what she’s asking for isn’t just a favor. It’s a risk.
"What's she into?" I ask.
"She doesn't really talk about her hobbies."
"I mean, has she been picked up for drugs, theft, vandalism?"
"She got caught shoplifting lipstick once, a few years ago, but that’s it.”
"Great.” I rub the spot between my eyes, trying to massage away the headache forming there. “I always wanted to come home to a completely empty house."
"She’s not going to walk off with your couch, Jonah!”
“I’m trying to run a business here, Mare. I don’t have time to babysit.”
“I’m not asking you to babysit her. I’m asking you to keep an eye on her for a little while. Maybe even get to know her, if she’ll let you. Who knows, you might actually grow to like her. It could be fun having a roommate.”
"What the hell am I supposed to dofor funwith a teenage girl?"
“You’ll figure it out. Heck, it won’t be long until my girls are that age. It’ll be good practice. And Teagan isn’t like most teenagers. She’s quiet.” Mary stops talking, and I can tell by how she’s holding her breath that there’s more she isn’t sharing. "I'm not going to lie to you, there have been a few...incidents."
I lean forward in my chair. "What kind of incidents?"
"You know I can't give you details."
"You want me to let this girl free range in my house all day while I'm at work? I'm gonna need details."
She exhales. "She attacked one of her foster dads. And there was an altercation with her last social worker. He said she stabbed him in the hand with a pen, unprovoked. I think there's more to the story, but the department’s beyond strapped as it is, so the higher-ups decided not to push it."
"What did the girl have to say about it?"
"Nothing. Like I said, Teagan's quiet. You won't even know she's there.” She pauses. “If things work out, she can get a job and start paying rent."
Paying rent?This is starting to sound a hell of a lot more permanent than she initially let on.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t dream of hosting a stranger with a history of violent outbursts in my home. But this is Mary talking, and when she talks, I do my best to listen.
"Mare, exactly how long do you expect me to play host?"
"I don't know. A while."
"How long's a while?"
"A month. Maybe longer. It's up in the air right now. I may only need your guestroom for a couple of weeks if she’s telling the truth about her plans to leave town... Though I doubt it."
"You think she's lying?"
"I think she's used to having to fend for herself. Teagan’s had a rough start, but she'll never get a chance to overcome it if she's stressing over where she’s going to sleep."
“And you’re convinced she’s capable of overcoming thisrough start?”
“I have to believe she can,” Mary says. “That’s my job.”
My chair creaks as I lean back and stare at the ceiling. I’m not a cop anymore. My days of service are behind me. But if I can stop one girl from shooting herself up with poison, or ending up on her back in some greaseball’s apartment, then isn’t it my duty to help? That’s how Mary would see it, for sure.
