Stranger

Lin

Later in the week I got another call from the prison, the robo-voice asking if I accepted the charges. I responded affirmatively and walked back to the bedroom so I could have some privacy. Nora's social worker had called me again and had given me the heads up that Laura wanted to talk to me. I closed my door and paced the room, waiting for Laura's voice.

"Lin?" She asked, then coughed.

"Hi Laura," I said, nervous about how this conversation was going to go. "How are you holding up?"

"Not great," she said, her voice sounding tired and gravelly. "I guess you probably heard I got busted for drugs."

"Yeah, I did," I told her and tried not to be judgmental. I didn't pretend to know what her life had been like for the past fourteen years. "Did they tag on an extra charge?"

"Yeah, possession and smuggling," she admitted. "The guard who helped us got fired."

"Probably a good thing," I admitted. "Nora's social worker told me you wanted to talk with me about her?"

"Yeah...." She said as I heard commotion in the background. I imagined prison was never very quiet. "I think I upset her when she visited the other week."

"Yeah, she was upset when we left," I admitted to her. "She was frustrated that you weren't planning on getting clean."

"It's harder than it sounds," she told me.

"Hey, I'm not judging," I told her. "She just misses you and wants you back."

"I never did much for her," she said, and I could sense she was hoping I would correct her. "I was always working all the time."

"Yeah, being a single mother must be hard. How come you never contacted me for child support?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "Too proud, I guess."

"Well, you don't have to worry. She's being well provided for."

"Yeah, I heard you got her into some fancy school?"

"Hunter," I told her. "It's where I went. It's for gifted kids, and I really think Nora is smart. She just hadn't gotten a good education up until now."

"Well I'm sorry if I couldn't pull us out of the slums, Lin, and send her to some fancy school," she spat, which surprised me.

"I'm not saying you did anything wrong," I told her. "She's a good kid."

"Are you getting her to actually behave?" She asked, surprised.

"She's coming around," I told her. "We've butted heads a few times."

"Kid is so stubborn," she mumbled.

"I'll say," I admitted. "Listen, I'm not sure if Nora coming in to see you is the best thing for her. She took it pretty hard last time."

She started to get emotional. "I know," she admitted. "I want to see her so bad, but if she's doing well I don't want to mess it up. Is she really doing okay?"

"Yeah," I told her. "She's doing okay in school and she's made a couple friends."

"Well, good," she told me. "Ummm...let her know if she does decide she wants to visit, she's always welcome."

"I'll tell her that," I said.

"Well, my five minutes is almost up," she said. "I better go."

"Alright, Laura," I said. "Take care of yourself."