Traveling Vivian

Chapter TwentyFive - Never Say Goodbye

Traveling Vivian

Part 25

Every day after that horrific event, our house became a museum. The police came in to check out the crime scene night and day. They would ask Daddy all these questions. Some lady would take me away from Linlee when we were in the play room. The lady pressed my fingers onto a black ink and then she made me press it against the paper. She said it was for safe measure but still, I did not know why I had to do it. After the police would do the same to Daddy and Linlee. They would drag Daddy in his office and questioned him.  It never stopped. Things kept escalating after.

One day the police and the ambulance came in. They wrapped Lady’s body in a black body bag and threw her on the stretcher and they carried her away to the ambulance. I would look at Daddy’s eyes as his eyes started teary up. He would hug Linlee tight to his body as Lady’s body went up into the van. I did not know why they made such a big deal about it. I could not care, but maybe it was because she treated me so bad and a part of me was happy she was gone. However, I could only feel Linlee’s pain. I remembered being separated from my mawmaw the first time. I was confused and lost. I kept looking at the police car that drove her away from me and our life.

Unfortunately, Linlee was dumb. She couldn’t understand a thing that was happening to her or her life.  When she saw Lady’s dead body, she ran to it and patted her mother’s head while shouting for her to wake up. When she didn’t wake up, Linlee shrugged at Daddy and then said, “She is drunk!” But we both know what really happened to her. I couldn’t come near Daddy. Every time he saw me, he would push me away which caused me to be distant. Linlee, seeing her mother’s body getting carried away, just stood there waving bye at her mother. She didn’t cry or even made a sound. She was just too slow to know what happened.

While the police were busy with the house and Daddy, Linlee and I got ourselves into a whole lot of mess. We never could have done this before especially with them watching us so intently. We ran into the guest house and pretended Guest House A was our hotel room. Guest house B was our vacation house in New York City. Guest House C was our Cape Cod house. Guest House D was our Texas house.

We even went into Lady’s personal room. We never could have done this. Her room was lavished with white pearly paint as her bed was dressed with lavender bedding. She had a big room, even bigger than the room she shared with Daddy. She had a white vanity in the left corner of the room and she had a mini room where she kept her computer and a mini fridge. Her room was lighted up by a gorgeous chandelier that was above the end of the bed. Lady’s room was just too big for her, that’s what I believe. Honestly it was because she never allowed anyone in it.

Linlee and I ran to the playroom to play with dolls we both had. I had Spencer and Vivian has SheShe. I kissed Spencer as Spencer asked what was happening. I shook my head. I simply do not know the answer to that question. I heard Spencer sigh in my head as he looked at SheShe. SheShe was a white doll with pink buttons and grey cotton eyes and a black pointy nose.  I looked at Linlee who was kissing her doll. She dropped her doll the moment she saw me staring at her.

“Why are yew staring at me?” She asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Sorry.”

Immediately, I stand up to go play somewhere else. I turned around to face the door until Linlee ran up to me and hugged me tightly.

“Vivian, are you going bye-bye?” She asked.

I shook my head again. “No, Linlee. This will never be bye-bye. We will always end up coming back to each other.”

Linlee smiled and hugged me tighter as I tried to free myself from her grasp.  She picked me up and carried me throughout the second floor.

“Where to now, Sheshe?” She asked.

I giggled. “To the bathroom! I need to pee!”

She brought me to the bathroom but she didn’t put me down.

“Put me down! Put me down! I need to poop!” I cried out.

It threw me off her shoulders as I ran in to use the potty. Immediately, the door creaked open. I gasped but then I saw a small body like myself. It was it!!! “What are you doing here, It? I have to use the potty!-“ I stopped as a big stool was coming out. “Aw man! You are probably too stupid to know what that stench is anways! I guess you can stay!”

When I was done and Linlee and I went back to play with blocks I heard screaming and the police rummaging through things. My ears ached from all the noises.

It wasn’t going to be fun. I knew when the police were all done with the investigations and questioning, they would decide what to do with all three of us. They believed one of us killed Lady. They do not believe it was Linlee because she was too slow. They even bought in the old maids. I saw Jean, Peggy, and Chef one last time. They looked at us and smiled. Peggy even gave me a kiss. The police brought them to the room where Daddy used to call his office. I heard them ask all three about Lady and Daddy’s marriage. I heard the police questioned them more as Chef answered the questions.

Then after thirty minutes, they walked out of the room. Chef held Linlee and kissed her cheek as Peggy held me.

“We won’t be seeing you girls, anymore.” Jean said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Whatever happens, Vivian, you must be brave. And you too, Linlee.” Peggy said as she snuggled me.

They put us both down as they walked out of the house.

I shook my head and held Linlee’s hand. “Let’s go to the gym room! There’s a big boombox I know how to control there!” I said. I dragged her hand to the exercise room as I put on the radio. I turned it to hip-hop as Snoop Doggy played his music. I moved my hands to the beat as Linlee giggled. Linlee started moving her hands to the beat as I pretended to rap. Of course, I did not know how to! But it still was fun.

We stopped when we saw Daddy shouted, “No! I did not kill my wife! I loved her! We just misunderstood each other!”

I saw the police cuffed his hands like they cuffed mawmaw’s hands. I held on to Linlee’s hand as Linlee’s eyes filled up with fear and loneliness.

“What is going to happen to Daddy?” She asked.

“It’ll be okay, Linlee.” I said. But it wasn’t. Nothing was going to be okay.

~

We were sleeping on the floor of the guest house A when two policemen came in.

“Grab Linlee Anabel Callis.” One of them said.

“Where do I bring her?” The other asked as he picked Linlee up from the floor.

“she is going to Marigold’s Foster Care, the best foster care in the state. Her dad begged for it and he even paid a huge amount of money so she can brought there.” The first policeman stated.

“And what about their adopted child?” The latter asked.

“Vivian Houston. Well, she is going to be sent to a mental ward. He thinks she killed the woman but she is just a baby so for better caution, she is going to be sent to the mental ward.” The policeman said as he lifted me up from my sleep.

I saw Linlee being taken away from me and into another policeman’s car just like Mawmaw. My heart panicked as I screamed for Linlee’s hand. Linlee giggled up at the policeman who was holding her. “No! Linlee! Linlee!” I shouted.

“Shh, it’s going to be fine. You will see her again okay?” The first policeman said.

I shook my head. What a fucking lie! “LLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNLLLLLLLEEEEEEE!” I shouted.

I knew it. I never was going to see her again.