Torn (17 page)

“
Come on in, Katie.” The
lady led her into the house and shut the door behind them. “This is
your new home. I think you’ll like it here. I’ll show you to your
room.” Katie followed the lady down the hall, taking in her
surroundings as they walked. “I’m Maxine Higgins, you can call me
Maxine.”

They reached the door to
Katie’s new room and stepped inside. The walls were white with
purple checked curtains that matched the comforters on the twin
beds. Katie didn’t see any toys in the room, but it was very
clean.
Maybe the toys are kept in the
closet?
Katie’s eyes darted to the closet
door, eager to peek inside. “Miss Maxine, is one of the beds for me
and one for Ashley?”

“
Who is Ashley,
dear?”

“
My doll.” Katie held up
her doll.

“
Oh my!” Maxine scrunched
her nose up and took the doll. “She needs a bath.”

Katie grabbed for Ashley.

“
Don’t worry, I won’t hurt
her. We’ll get you both cleaned up before Ally gets
home.”

Katie looked up, puzzled.

“
The other bed is for
Ally. You’ll meet her after school. She’s in third grade, only
three years older than you.”

Katie was left to soak in a tub while
Maxine cleaned the doll. “Here’s soap and a washcloth. Make sure
you scrub everywhere. I’ll be right back and we’ll wash your
hair.”

“
I can wash my own hair,”
Katie insisted.

“
Okay, but I’m going to
check to make sure you’ve done a proper job.”

Katie couldn’t remember anyone washing
her hair for her. She was six years old, and had been taking care
of herself, as well as her parents, for as long as she could
remember. She groaned as Maxine guided her head back under the
running bathtub faucet.

“
When you learn how to do
it right, I’ll let you wash it yourself.” Maxine pulled the plug
from the drain and handed Katie a towel. “I’ve laid clothes out on
your bed. You can wait there until Ally gets home.”

Katie wasn’t sure what to expect when
she heard her new foster sister arrive home from school. Was she a
nice girl? Would they get along, or fight like the siblings she
knew in her trailer park. She remembered watching in horror as
Trevor chased his younger sister, Angel, down the street with a
steak knife. She had eaten the last piece of cake and he was going
to make her pay. An older man walking his poodle pulled Trevor off
of his sister right before he carved an X on the back of her right
hand.

Katie listened as Maxine and Ally
talked. She couldn’t make out words, only the tone of their voices
as they spoke. Katie stiffened when the bedroom door flung open,
and Ally stood there with a smug look on her face.

“
So, you’re the baby I’m
going to be responsible for, huh?”

Katie sat still on the bed and let her
eyes roam over Ally’s face. Her blond hair was pulled back in a
high ponytail, revealing grey-blue eyes. “I’m not a baby,” Katie
protested. “I’m six.”

“
Well, I’m nine, so you’ll
follow
my
rules.”
Ally flung herself back onto her bed, folding her arms behind her
head. “You’re going to hate it here.”

“
It seems
nice.”

Ally whipped her head around to face
Katie. “You haven’t met Rick. He’s evil. And Maxine . . . don’t
cross her.” She got up and sat on the edge of Katie’s bed, causing
her to flinch and scoot back against the wall.

Ally noticed her fear and said, “I’m
not going to hurt you.” Once Katie relaxed, she went over the rules
of the house—rules she had learned the hard way.

Seventeen

On Katie’s second day in the Higgins
home, the real Maxine was revealed to Katie. She had put on a show
in front of the two social workers the day Katie arrived. Maxine
sang Ally’s name as she called her into the bathroom to pick up the
hairbrush she left out on the counter. Before Ally could put it
away, Maxine spanked her with it until it broke in half.

“
You can share my brush,”
Katie said, laying a hand on Ally’s back as she cried.

Maxine was a clean freak. Everything
had to be spotless, and there was no leniency. The same week, Katie
left her toothpaste on the counter instead of putting it back in
the top drawer. Maxine emptied every drawer onto the bathroom floor
and screamed, “If you want to live like a pig—do it right.” She
stormed out and down the hall after commanding Katie to clean
everything up.

Later that day, Katie made the mistake
of leaving her shoes by the front door. She had taken them off so
she wouldn’t track grass into the house. The way Maxine looked at
her sent a chill up her spine. She grabbed Katie’s shoes and threw
them at her. “You’ll never be worth anything. You’ll live just like
your parents did—in drugs and filth. I thought I could help, but
it’s useless. No one can help you.”

Rick pulled Katie into his lap to join
him in the recliner. She braced herself as his scruffy beard grazed
across her cheek. His T-shirt, hugging tight against his large
belly was damp with sweat and freshly spilled beer. He smelled of
diesel, fresh off a job as a long-haul trucker. Katie’s stomach
churned as she sucked in shallow breaths, trying not to gag. It was
only a matter of time before he had a good buzz going and the
shouting would begin. If he had a nice side to him, Katie never saw
it.

***

On Ally’s twelfth birthday, Rick came
home to join the small celebration. His eyes were already bloodshot
and the familiar crazed look was displayed across his face. Maxine
yelled, calling him things that would have made Katie and Ally
giggle, if they weren’t so terrified of what might
happen.

“
You’re a skinny little
tramp and you wear too much makeup. You remind me of Lady Elaine
Fairchild.”

“
Who the hell is
that?”

“
You know,” He laughed.
“The puppet on
Mr. Rogers
Neighborhood.
”

“
You big, fat drunk. Look
at you! You come into this house reeking of beer and . . . stink.
You’re a slob.”

“
Don’t you talk to me like
that in my house, woman! I’ll put you back on the street where I
found you.”

That must have been the magical line,
because it sent Maxine running to her room, slamming the door
behind her.

Rick’s eyes glazed over as he looked
at Ally. Katie stood close enough that she could feel Ally
vibrating with fear. Her fingers were clenched and she seemed
poised to run. She was terrified, and Katie didn’t understand
why.

He leaned in, his face inches from
hers and said, “Stand up.”

Ally obeyed, her eyes filling with
tears as she stood. Rick took her hand and spun her around slowly.
“Look at this body. You’re developing into a fine-looking
woman.”

Katie instinctively went to the fridge
and pulled out a can of Miller Light. “Here you go, Rick. I think
your wrestling show is about to start.”

Rick took the can of beer, popped the
top, and finished it in one guzzle. He smashed it flat on the
kitchen table, and boasted a proud grin. “Come, keep your old man
company.” He started toward the living room, waving the girls to
follow.

“
Be right there, I just
need to use the restroom first.” Ally called out. She took Katie by
the hand, bringing her with her, and locked the door. “Thank
you.”

“
He’s so weird,” Katie
remarked. “Do you think he’ll pass out before he comes looking for
us?”

“
I think so. He was pretty
wasted.”

Katie and Ally fell slept huddled on
the bathroom floor that night.

***

If it weren’t for Ally Perkins, Katie
would have shriveled up and died in that house. Ally kept her
laughing with her silly jokes and funny faces. Ally changed over
the years, and age fourteen seemed to be her breaking point. She
was unaffected by Maxine’s comments, and Katie wished she possessed
her confidence. Negative comments were unleashed daily about how
worthless they were and how they would never amount to
anything.

Ally comforted Katie and
told her lengthy, detailed stories about what their life would be
like when they were older and on their own.
“We’ll be models and actresses. We’re definitely pretty
enough.”
They plotted their escape each
night as they lay in bed whispering.

Growing up in the Higgins house was
dismal. The loneliness wasn’t so bad. Even though it left a hollow
pit in Katie’s stomach, she could live with it. She could even
listen to the degrading comments and stick them in a separate
compartment in her brain that protected her heart from the venomous
words. It was the lack of love that affected Katie the most,
threatening to push her over the edge into a pit of depression so
deep no one would be able to pull her out.

As the years passed, Katie and Ally
became very close. Ally let her golden hair grow long and she
encouraged Katie to do the same. “I wish your hair was blond, but
at least it’s long like mine,” Ally said as she brushed and braided
Katie’s dark brown hair. “I watched a video on how to do makeup.
I’ll show you, but we’ll have to choose different colors for your
green eyes. I only learned how to do brown eyes.”

“
That’d be great,” Katie
beamed. “I wish I was as pretty as you.”

Ally walked around to face her.
“You’re beautiful, Katie. Don’t let anyone tell you
differently.”

It was clear that Ally was the leader
of their two-person group. Katie was glad to follow her anywhere
and do anything she asked. They got into trouble on a regular basis
because of Ally’s schemes, but it was always worth it to Katie when
nighttime came and they could giggle about what they had
done.

Ally had come up with the idea to
place a piece of raw shrimp behind the refrigerator one night as
Maxine was cooking and see how long it took her to find it. After
three days, the smell became unbearable and the culprit was found.
The girls imagined they were paid actresses pretending they knew
nothing of the shrimp fiasco. They held straight faces as they
brushed their teeth and got ready for bed, and didn’t relax until
they were sure Maxine was out of earshot.

“
Did you see her face?”
Katie giggled.

“
Yes, I thought she was
going to tear the whole house apart to find out where the smell was
coming from. That was great!”

“
I can’t believe we got
away with it. I thought we’d get a beating for sure.”

Each Saturday night, Rick would come
home from a week on the road and consume his usual amount of beer.
Katie and Ally were always in their rooms when they heard the
screaming match begin.

“
Here they go.” Katie
shrugged her shoulders and turned up the radio.

The sound of glass shattering had them
both sitting up in alert, and wondering what to do.

“
What was that?” Katie
asked. “Should we make sure they’re all right?”

“
I’m not going out there.”
Ally’s arms were folded across her chest as she stared at the
ceiling.

“
They don’t normally break
things. What if someone’s hurt?”

“
Who gives a shit,
Katie?”

The sound of the front door slamming
interrupted their conversation and had the girls scooting out of
bed to see if Rick had left. Ally opened the bedroom door an inch
at a time, trying not to make a sound, and slipped into the
hallway. Katie stuck to Ally as they peered into the living room to
see it was empty.

Ally sighed, “Good, he’s
gone.”

Katie tiptoed behind Ally back to
their room. Before she could get inside she was jerked backward by
her hair. “Ow!” she cried, “let me go!”

Ally beat her fists into Rick, trying
to make him release Katie. He did, and then back-handed Ally so
hard, it looked like she had been shot out of a circus cannon. It
took Katie a moment to gather herself after Rick stormed out of the
house. She crawled over to Ally and gently shook her shoulder, but
she wouldn’t wake.

“
Ally, please wake up!”
Katie trembled as the tears flowed down her cheeks. She took Ally’s
head in her lap and sat there wondering what to do next. As the
crying turned to weeping, Katie’s body began to shake.

Ally groaned and pressed a hand to the
back of her head. “Stop shaking me, Katie, jeez!”

“
Thank God, you’re all
right! I didn’t know what to do.”

“
Is he gone?” she asked,
sitting up and looking around.

“
Yeah.”

Katie knew that Ally had saved her
from something too horrific to wrap her mind around, and she loved
her as much as any sister could love another. Blood-related or
not.

Eighteen

“
I have a plan to get us
out of here, are you in?” Ally asked one night as they lay in their
beds.

“
I guess . . .” Katie
said, not sure what Ally had in mind. Some of her ideas were
ridiculous and never made it off the planning table. “What are you
thinking?”