Sweet Magnolias Autumn

Maybe Something Stronger

Helen

I usually love the sound of the kettle; it's like white noise, but tonight, it is just deafening loud. Maddie and I have been sitting in her kitchen for two and a half hours just waiting for Annie to come down or to go up and talk to her we can't decide. 

"Maybe we should bring some dinner up for her?" Maddie suggests as she gets up to grab the kettle. 

"She will come down when she is ready; we can't rush her. Dana Sue called and spoke to her. We just have to trust that Annie will come out to the room when she is ready." I tell her. Annie, my sweet Annie, won't talk until she is ready. When something happens, she internalizes it before she talks about it with anyone. 

"We could smoke her out," Maddie says casually as she goes about making tea for the two of us. 

"You want to set fire to your house?" I ask her. 

"No, no, but I could turn off the power; maybe that will make her come out," Maddie said, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Annie will come down when Annie is ready to; we can't rush her," I say again. 

"Don't rush her; just nudge her a bit," Maddie says, then sighs. I know we can't rush her, but I just hate this. I feel so helpless, and I want to do something. Waiting is making me antsy." 

"I know, I want to do something too, but we have to wait for her to tell us what will help; we don't want to make this any more difficult for her than it is." I lean forward and rest my elbows on Maddie's kitchen table. "I hate this too, Maddie; it makes me feel so...useless. Usually, when I deal with these types of situations, there is something for me to do, legal steps to take or advice I can offer. This...this is far worse than having to convince a jury that someone is guilty." 

Maddie walks over with two cups of tea; she places one down in front of me and takes her seat. 

"Thank you," I tell her as I place my mug between my hands and enjoy the warmth of it against my hands. 

"Of course," Maddie says as she goes to take a sip of her tea. 

"Helen," she says all of a sudden. 

"mmhh," I say as I take a sip of my tea. 

"Remember in senior year, when JJ decided to make smores in one of the classrooms, and the fire got out of hand," Maddie asks me. 

"Yeah, what about it," I ask. 

"After the fire, the school decided to put security cameras in all of the science rooms in case there was ever an accident or someone else decided to sneak in and make smores. We could contact the school to get the footage and see what happened." Maddie says. 

"It would strengthen a case if we go that route," I say, already thinking of how it could help with a restraining order against Jackson. When I hear a door open. "I thought you locked the door?" I ask Maddie. 

"I did," Maddie says and places her hands on the table, about to stand when someone else speaks. 

"It's just me," Cal says as he enters the room, arm raised in a surrender position. 

"Cal, what are you doing here?" Maddie asks. 

"Well, I took him for dinner, and I tried to convince Ty to spend the night at Ms. Paulas, but he wouldn't go. Then I tried to see if he would be willing to sleep at my place, which he didn't go for and insisted that he had to be here. So I brought him home...I hope that's okay?" Cal said a bit of worry in his voice. 

"It's okay that you brought him home. Thank you for taking him." Maddie says. 

"Anytime," Cal says as he leans down and places a kiss on her cheek before taking the seat next to her. " How are things going here?"

"Annie hasn't come down since we called Dana Sue," Maddie says.

"Maddie wanted to smoke her out," I add before taking another sip of tea. 

"So you have been sitting here waiting," Cal asked. 

"Well, we talked with Dana Sue, made a plan for what to do, and then we basically have been talking and waiting for Annie to come down or let us know she ready to talk," Maddie tells him. I go to take another sip of tea, but the tea isn't helping calm me or anything. 

"This tea isn't helping; I think we need something stronger," I say as I place my mug back down on the table. 

"I know it's not helping, but Helen, I don't think now is the time for Margaritas," Maddie says, wrapping her hand around her mug. 

"I wasn't suggesting Margaritas; I was thinking we should add some Bailey's to the tea," I tell her as I get up and go to grab the bottle. "Cal?" I ask. 

"I'm good, but thanks," he says before glancing between Madie and I. "It driving you nuts not being able to help, isn't it?" 

"Yes," we both say at the same time. I grabbed the bottle of Bailey's out of the fridge and headed back over towards the table. 

"Hey, does the school still have security cameras in the science classrooms?" I asked him as I poured a bit of Bailey's into my tea and Maddies.

"Thank you," Maddie says, looking up towards the ceiling as if she can see through the floors. 

"They do. I don't understand why they are only in the science rooms, but they all still work and run," he says. 

"That is great. Thank you, JJ, I say as I pull out my phone to draft an email to the principal about getting a copy of that footage and the footage from the hallways. It was something small, but at least it was something I could do.