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Authors: V. C. Andrews
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thought.
6
Strike One
I had been in a police station before, but I was two years younger then, and although everyone had been serious, I’d had the sense that my youth would provide a parachute. This time when they brought me into the station, I saw no one remotely close to my age. All of the other prisoners looked hardened and experienced.
The policewoman took me into a private room, where I removed the blouse I had taken. She folded it and then brought me back to the desk sergeant, where they took down my name and address. I had a picture ID from my school back in Ohio. Then I was fingerprinted and put in a holding cell with two other women. One looked like she was still coming down from a drug she had taken. The other was talking to her, but I didn’t think she heard a word. I gathered they had been arrested for soliciting sex on the street. I was actually happy they showed no interest in me.
I sat on the bench and waited nearly three hours before Mother darling appeared.
“Robin Taylor,” I heard, and stood up. The policeman unlocked the door. “Come with me,” he said. I looked back at the two women, who were both asleep now, one leaning on the other. In the lobby Mother darling and Cory were standing and talking with the policewoman who had brought me to the station.
They all turned to me as I was brought along.
“I don’t even want to hear your excuses, Robin,” Mother darling said. “Cory and I have guaranteed your appearance in court. Just walk,” she said.
I glanced at Cory, who had a twisted smile on his face.
“Told you not to sin, Robin Lyn,” he quipped as they followed me out of the station.
“Don’t joke with her, Cory. She knows she’s in deep trouble with me. The whole Nashville world can find out I’m really her mother and not her sister,” she said, and I spun on her.
“That’s what bothers you the most?”
“No, what bothers me the most is your not keepin‘ your promise not to get into any trouble here. I told you this was a strange, new place. Luckily, Cory knows one of the policemen, and he helped arrange your release, but now we got to think about gettin’ you a lawyer and that costs money. How could you do this?”
I got into Mother darling’s Beetle and sat in the rear. Cory was driving.
“When that girl, Kathy Ann, came huffin‘ and puffin’ up the stairs to tell me you were arrested for shopliftin‘, I nearly fainted with disappointment. They said you paid for this,” she added, showing me the bag that contained the skirt. “Where’d you get the money for it, Robin, or did you somehow fool ’em?”
“I had some saved,” I lied.
“I don’t want you goin‘ anywhere until I say it’s okay, hear me? You stay right around the apartment complex. Hopefully, you can’t get into any more trouble doin’ that. You know they could send you to jail for this? They do send sixteen-year-olds to jail, Robin. You’re just lucky they don’t know about your record in Ohio.
“They keep the juvenile records secret,” she told Cory.
“How many times did she get in trouble like this?” he asked.
“Enough to have her called a kleptomaniac. I had her see a therapist, too.”
“That did a lot of good, I see,” he said.
“Now you see how hard it is to work on building a career and bring up a child,” she told him.
“I’m not a child.”
“You sure behave like you are,” Cory said.
“At least I don’t bust in on people when they’re taking a shower.”
“Oh, save me,” he said. “Next time I’ll do my business in a beer bottle. No, maybe I better not do that. Del might drink it by mistake,” he said, and laughed.
Mother darling laughed, too.
“Oh, Robin,” she said, shaking her head, “with me startin‘ work in a real club tonight, too. Don’t you realize how good our lives could be?”
I folded my arms under my breasts and stared out the window. It was always Mother darling who was disappointed, always Mother
6
Strike One
I had been in a police station before, but I was two years younger then, and although everyone had been serious, I’d had the sense that my youth would provide a parachute. This time when they brought me into the station, I saw no one remotely close to my age. All of the other prisoners looked hardened and experienced.
The policewoman took me into a private room, where I removed the blouse I had taken. She folded it and then brought me back to the desk sergeant, where they took down my name and address. I had a picture ID from my school back in Ohio. Then I was fingerprinted and put in a holding cell with two other women. One looked like she was still coming down from a drug she had taken. The other was talking to her, but I didn’t think she heard a word. I gathered they had been arrested for soliciting sex on the street. I was actually happy they showed no interest in me.
I sat on the bench and waited nearly three hours before Mother darling appeared.
“Robin Taylor,” I heard, and stood up. The policeman unlocked the door. “Come with me,” he said. I looked back at the two women, who were both asleep now, one leaning on the other. In the lobby Mother darling and Cory were standing and talking with the policewoman who had brought me to the station.
They all turned to me as I was brought along.
“I don’t even want to hear your excuses, Robin,” Mother darling said. “Cory and I have guaranteed your appearance in court. Just walk,” she said.
I glanced at Cory, who had a twisted smile on his face.
“Told you not to sin, Robin Lyn,” he quipped as they followed me out of the station.
“Don’t joke with her, Cory. She knows she’s in deep trouble with me. The whole Nashville world can find out I’m really her mother and not her sister,” she said, and I spun on her.
“That’s what bothers you the most?”
“No, what bothers me the most is your not keepin‘ your promise not to get into any trouble here. I told you this was a strange, new place. Luckily, Cory knows one of the policemen, and he helped arrange your release, but now we got to think about gettin’ you a lawyer and that costs money. How could you do this?”
I got into Mother darling’s Beetle and sat in the rear. Cory was driving.
“When that girl, Kathy Ann, came huffin‘ and puffin’ up the stairs to tell me you were arrested for shopliftin‘, I nearly fainted with disappointment. They said you paid for this,” she added, showing me the bag that contained the skirt. “Where’d you get the money for it, Robin, or did you somehow fool ’em?”
“I had some saved,” I lied.
“I don’t want you goin‘ anywhere until I say it’s okay, hear me? You stay right around the apartment complex. Hopefully, you can’t get into any more trouble doin’ that. You know they could send you to jail for this? They do send sixteen-year-olds to jail, Robin. You’re just lucky they don’t know about your record in Ohio.
“They keep the juvenile records secret,” she told Cory.
“How many times did she get in trouble like this?” he asked.
“Enough to have her called a kleptomaniac. I had her see a therapist, too.”
“That did a lot of good, I see,” he said.
“Now you see how hard it is to work on building a career and bring up a child,” she told him.
“I’m not a child.”
“You sure behave like you are,” Cory said.
“At least I don’t bust in on people when they’re taking a shower.”
“Oh, save me,” he said. “Next time I’ll do my business in a beer bottle. No, maybe I better not do that. Del might drink it by mistake,” he said, and laughed.
Mother darling laughed, too.
“Oh, Robin,” she said, shaking her head, “with me startin‘ work in a real club tonight, too. Don’t you realize how good our lives could be?”
I folded my arms under my breasts and stared out the window. It was always Mother darling who was disappointed, always Mother
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