Chapter 19

“Dinner was so good, Mommy,” Tyson said as he wiped the spaghetti off his mouth. “Can I have some cookies now?”

Lynox jumped in and spoke for Deborah. “How about you eat a couple more bites of that salad?”

“Aw, salad is yucky,” Tyson complained.

“But cookies are yummy, and sometimes you have to go through the yucky to get to the yummy,” Lynox said.

“Well put,” Deborah told her husband, having watched him interact with Tyson.

She was so relieved that when Tyson walked through the door after school today, he went and gave Lynox a hug and a kiss on the cheek, like he’d done any other time he’d come home and Lynox was there. Her little talk with him had worked. After he had his after-school snack and did his homework, Lynox had had a little talk with him as well. Deborah had been present, but she’d let Lynox do all the talking. He had basically reiterated most of the things Deborah had already told Tyson.

Tyson appeared to be good. As the family of four sat around the table, Tatum in his bouncer seat, they all appeared to be good. But there was still a great number of issues that Deborah and Lynox had to work out. Unfortunately, before they could even get to the middle of what was already on their plate, seconds would be piled on.

“Okay, just two more bites.” Tyson held up two fingers. He then used those two fingers to pinch his nose closed while he gobbled down a bite of salad.

“Boy, you are so silly.” Deborah laughed.

The ringing doorbell interrupted her laughter.

“Who in the heck?” Lynox asked with furrowed eyebrows. He wiped his mouth and finished chewing as he stood up and walked over to the front door. He looked out the peephole.

“Who is it?” Deborah asked, coming around the corner.

Lynox shrugged. “I don’t know. Some lady. I don’t recognize her. Maybe it’s for you . . . someone from church or something.”

Deborah approached the door as Lynox opened it. It took her a few seconds to recall how she knew the familiar face on her porch, but once it registered, she thought all the spaghetti she’d eaten was going to come back up.

The woman began to speak. “Ms. Lucas, I’m not sure if you remember me. . . .”

“It’s Mrs. Chase,” Lynox said, correcting the woman in a not so pleasant tone. He hadn’t yet been able to ascertain exactly who the woman was, but he had a feeling she hadn’t come in peace.

“Pardon me. Mrs. Chase,” she replied, correcting herself. “I’m Pricilla Folins with—”

“Franklin County Children Services,” Deborah and Lynox said in unison. This wasn’t the first time either of them had come in contact with Ms. Folins.

The last time she showed up on Deborah’s doorstep, Lynox had also been present. It was the time Pastor Margie had overheard Deborah interacting with Tyson in a very disturbing manner. She’d honestly felt that Tyson might be in trouble, so she’d reported the incident to Franklin County Children Services. Although initially Deborah felt as if Pastor Margie had betrayed her, she ultimately realized that God had used Pastor Margie to bring her destructive behavior to her attention. That was what had compelled Deborah to seek mental help. Had Franklin County Children Services not gotten involved and not threatened to take Tyson away from her, Deborah might not have ever gotten help and experienced the peace that came with it. Was God using the same tactic He’d used the last time to force Deborah to get help now? Why did He have to keep going through all that? Why couldn’t He help her Himself and get it over with?

“I remember exactly who you are,” Deborah said. “But if someone reported an incident of alleged abuse against my son again, I will fight it tooth and nail, because no one in this home has been verbally or physically abusing either of my boys.”

“That may very well be the case,” Ms. Folins said, “but this complaint deals with a more indirect form of abuse.”

Lynox chimed in. “Indirect?”

“Either a kid is getting abused or they’re not,” Deborah noted.

“A child living in a violent setting, one where there is domestic violence, fighting, physical and verbal abuse going on, experiences a form of abuse. Children should not be subjected to that type of environment. It’s endangering a child. Children should be raised in healthy, safe homes.”

“And that’s where both of our children are being raised,” Lynox countered.

Ms. Folins shook her head and looked down at the clipboard she was holding. “Not according to this police report.”

At the mention of the word police, a squad car driven by a female police officer pulled up to the house. There was a male officer on the passenger side.

Fear took over Deborah’s face. “Lynox.” She grabbed his arm and held on for dear life.

“What’s going on here?” Lynox asked Ms. Folins. “Why are the police here?”

“I simply didn’t want any trouble while I did my interview,” she replied.

“Interview?” Deborah asked, puzzled.

“It’s routine procedure that if abuse is suspected and reported, we do interviews and investigate. We interview the parents and the children separately. If it’s determined that there is cause to remove the children from the home—” Ms. Folins said before Deborah cut her off.

“Remove the children?” That was the only thing Deborah had heard, and that was all it took to set her off. Deborah charged toward Ms. Folins, who took a step back.

Lynox grabbed hold of Deborah to hold her back. “I don’t understand, Ms. Folins.” Lynox tried to remain as cordial as possible, even though his blood was starting to boil. “Our boys are fine. I’m not sure why you’re here.” Lynox looked over Ms. Folins’s shoulder and saw the officers getting out of the car.

“We got a report from your oldest boy’s school today,” Ms. Folins replied.

“Oh, Jesus!” Deborah smacked her hand against her forehead. “Tyson’s teacher.” She shook her head.

“What about Tyson’s teacher?” Lynox asked.

“I told her about you and Mommy’s fight, her bleeding, and the police and stuff.”

Everyone turned and looked at a spaghetti-covered Tyson.

The police approached the door. A look of dread came over Tyson’s face at the sight of the police.

“Oh, no. The police again.” Tyson immediately began crying and was on the verge of becoming hysterical.

Tyson’s behavior was very disturbing to Ms. Folins, not to mention Deborah’s behavior. After all, the woman had lunged at her. Initially, she’d been there for a simple interview and investigation, but it looked as though that was about to change.

Lynox raced over and comforted his son. “It’s okay, Tyson. Daddy is here. Everything is going to be fine.”

“No, no, no.” Tyson shook his head. “Who was mean this time?”

“Nobody was mean, Tyson,” Deborah assured him.

“Uh-huh,” Tyson insisted. “The police come when somebody is being mean. Please stop being mean. No more mean. Please.” Tyson balled his eyes out.

This was all Ms. Folins needed to see. No way was she going to leave that poor kid in this home. She’d left him with Deborah before, and now he seemed worse. If she left this boy and something bad happened to him, she’d never forgive herself. She turned and began mumbling something to the officers.

Lynox bent down and wrapped his arms around his son. He held him and allowed him to get it all out. “Deb, why don’t you go check on the baby?” Lynox suggested.

Deborah didn’t oblige. She stood watching, with her mouth open. In that moment she couldn’t do anything but agree with the words Ms. Folins had spoken. She had honestly never considered the effect her actions and behavior were having on her children. Back in the day her actions had directly affected Tyson. She simply had not stopped to think of the damage being done indirectly. But that still didn’t mean she wanted her children to be taken from her.

It was too late for that, though, as Ms. Folins said, “Would you like to pack your children some things?” She addressed both Deborah and Lynox.

Lynox shot up, horrified. “Pack them clothes? But you said you were here merely to conduct an interview.”

“I was . . . at first,” Ms. Folins said. “But after witnessing what I’ve witnessed, I’m sorry, but I can’t leave them here.”

“No. You can’t take my children away,” Deborah said to Ms. Folins. She then looked at the officers. “Can she? Can she do this?”

The female police officer spoke. “They can if they deem the environment in which the children are living dangerous, unhealthy, or unsafe.”

“But . . .” Deborah looked from Tyson to the officers. She felt so helpless. She honestly didn’t know what to say. “Lynox, they can’t do this.”

Lynox looked at Ms. Folins. “Please, what can we do here? We’ve done nothing to harm our children.”

“Maybe you haven’t, Mr. Chase,” Ms. Folins said, “but the verdict is still out on your wife. And this is the second time we’ve been called concerning your wife’s behavior.” She looked at Deborah. “Mrs. Chase, do your children a favor. Be a good mother and get yourself some help.”

Deborah instantly saw red. Did this woman, in so many words, tell her that she was a bad mother?

“If you have an issue and are stressed with one child,” Ms. Folins said, pouring salt on the wound, “you don’t turn around and have another one. I don’t get women like you.” She tsk-tsked and began shaking her head.

Lynox couldn’t get to Deborah in time once he saw her lunging at Ms. Folins. But, thank goodness, the officers were there to keep her from putting her hands on the caseworker.

“You stinking, judgmental . . .” Deborah called that poor woman everything but a child of the king as the officers attempted to restrain her.

Watching Deborah behave like a wild animal, Ms. Folins was now convinced she was making the right call.

“Deborah,” Lynox said, trying to shush Deborah up. It was to no avail. With the officers holding her back, Deborah continued flailing her arms and cussing that woman a new butt hole.

“If you don’t control yourself right now,” the male officer warned Deborah, “we are going to take you right back downtown again and add this charge to your already existing case.”

The words that officer was speaking might as well have been Chinese, because Deborah didn’t understand any of it. She wasn’t receiving any of it, and she continued to go off, trying to get at Ms. Folins.

“And this is why we are removing the children from your home,” Ms. Folins declared, continuing to antagonize Deborah.

“Deborah, stop it!” Lynox shouted. He was getting angry at his wife for acting this way. It wasn’t even like this was his wife standing there, acting like that. She honestly did look like one of them hood rats from reality television.

The more Deborah clowned, the harder Tyson cried, and the angrier Lynox got. It was so frustrating to Lynox to see Deborah risk their kids being taken from their home. At this point he honestly felt that she was too far gone even to care anymore. So if she didn’t care about herself, then why should he care about her? But what he did care about was his boys.

Lynox walked over to the caseworker in the midst of all the ruckus and asked, “Ms. Folins, what do I have to do to keep my children? I’m their father. It’s my job to protect them. I have thus far and will continue to do so. Just tell me what I need to do at this very moment.”

Ms. Folins looked over at Deborah, whom the police had managed to calm down somewhat. “Well, right now, I will be taking the children, because there is no way I can leave them in the home with this woman without jeopardizing my job.”

“This woman?” Deborah yelled. “I’m their effing mother, you witch!”

“Deborah, please!” Lynox yelled so loudly at his wife that the house shook. He then turned his attention back to Ms. Folins. Tears were resting in his eyes. This situation was a matter of life and death right now. “Ms. Folins?” His eyes pleaded with her to tell him everything he needed to do for the sake of his children. A tear managed to escape Lynox’s eye and drip down onto his cheek.

Ms. Folins choked back her own tears as she watched this large, manly man try to keep it together. She sniffed. “Like I said, I do have to remove them from the home, but I will not put them in the system to be placed in foster care. I will give you two hours to have her removed from this home if you want them to stay here.”

“I wish I might leave my home,” Deborah yelled. “This house is in my name, and I ain’t going nowhere.”

Deborah was right. The home was solely in her name. At the time the two of them went house hunting for a family home, Lynox had owned his own home and a rental property. His tenant had been three months behind on the rent, then had upped and left without even letting Lynox know. Deborah’s home, which had initially had a fifteen-year mortgage, had been practically paid off. They succeeded in finding a new home together, but they decided not to bring all his financial drama to the closing table and to place the family house solely in her name. It had seemed like a good idea, until now. The last thing he wanted was for it to seem like he was putting Deborah out of her own home. But the first thing he wanted to do was make sure his children resided in a safe one, in keeping with children’s services’ standards.

“If she doesn’t want to leave the home, then what other choices do I have?” Lynox asked Ms. Folins.

Ms. Folins looked at Deborah and then looked at Lynox. “If she’s not willing to leave the home, then you can leave the home . . . and take the children with you.”

“Ha!” Deborah spat. She let out a laugh, as if Ms. Folins had just told the funniest joke ever.

Ms. Folins ignored Deborah and spoke to Lynox. “I know this is hard, but believe me when I say that my job is not to break up families, but to try to help keep them together.”

“Yeah, right!” Deborah exclaimed, continuing on with her antics.

By now Lynox had totally tuned his wife out. His only concern was for his children. He looked at Tyson. “Son, go in the other room and make sure your brother is okay.” He figured it was useless asking Deborah to do it, since she hadn’t done it that last time he’d asked. And the last thing he was going to do was leave Deborah alone in that room. No telling what would transpire in the little bit of time he was gone.

Tyson did as he was told.

Lynox turned his attention back to Ms. Folins. “So explain to me how this works.”

“I’ll remove the children temporarily, and like I said, I will not place them in a home as long as you come down and prove you have a safe place for you and the children to stay in, a place that Mrs. Chase is not a resident of.”

That didn’t sound too hard. Lynox would get a hotel room if he had to. Fleeing to a hotel with his children . . . Now he really was starting to sound like a battered spouse.

Ms. Folins gave Lynox a stern look. “I’m telling you, Mr. Chase, if you break the conditions under which your children will be released to you by allowing her to be around them, all bets are off. And if, God forbid, anything happens to the children, then you will be held responsible.”

“You can forget it, Ms. Help Keep Families Together,” Deborah said.

Both Lynox and Ms. Folins continued to tune Deborah out. Their complete and entire focus was all about the children. Besides, Ms. Folins felt safe that Deborah couldn’t get at her with the two officers keeping her at bay.

“Can I at least explain to my oldest boy what is going on?” Lynox asked Ms. Folins.

“Of course,” she replied. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to come with you.”

“You don’t have to worry about me trying to sneak them out the back door, Ms. Folins.”

“I know,” she assured Lynox. “I can see you really want to do what’s best for your boys. I think if I’m there for you to introduce me to them, then they won’t be as scared when I, you know . . .” She nodded to the door.

Lynox agreed. “Fine. Right this way.”

Deborah couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what she was seeing. She watched Lynox escort Ms. Folins to the dining room, where they’d all been having dinner.

“Lynox!” she called out. “Lynox, get her away from my children. Don’t you dare take her around my babies!”

“Ma’am, this is the last time I’m going to ask you to get it together,” the female officer said. “Even though this may not be easy for you, you can make it a whole lot easier for your children by cooperating. After all, isn’t this supposed to be about both the physical and mental welfare of your children?”

Deborah couldn’t argue with the officer. Well, she could have, but she didn’t. She couldn’t make this about her. Right now it had to be all about the children. But there was still a selfish part of her that wanted to keep on fighting, especially when she watched Lynox come around the corner with Tatum in his seat and saw Tyson holding Ms. Folins’s hand.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Deborah said under her breath. She wanted to yell it to the moon but didn’t want to make this any tougher for her children.

“Mommy, why don’t you help get Tatum a bag packed and get Tyson some toys?” Lynox said to Deborah. He tried to sound as chipper as possible. He wanted Tyson to know both his parents were in agreement about what was going on. He needed to know that there would be no more fighting, and that they were working together to make things right. Lynox stared at Deborah, urging her to play along.

She wanted to kick, scream, fight, and bite, with Lynox the object of her fury now for going along with this so willingly. But that would only make things worse. She trusted her husband, so she had to believe that he had a secret plan, one he’d clue her in on once the authorities were gone.

“Mrs. Chase, can we let you go so that you can help your children?” the male officer asked Deborah.

She breathed in and then breathed out. She nodded. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

The officers stepped to the side and allowed Deborah to help Lynox get some things together for the boys. Deborah got Tatum’s diaper bag together, while Lynox helped Tyson pack a couple of his favorite toys in his backpack.

“I’ll be there to pick you up in a little bit, buddy,” Lynox told Tyson fifteen minutes later, as he stood at the front door, handing the boys over to Ms. Folins and the police. “I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”

Tyson nodded sadly. He then looked at Deborah. “And you too, Mommy? I’ll see you in a little bit too?”

Deborah held back her tears and simply smiled. For the first time in a long time, she was able to keep her emotions together. In her head she was watching the eight-millimeter film of herself losing it and going off, but repeating that would be so detrimental to the current situation. She watched Lynox help Ms. Folins and the officers load the boys up in Ms. Folins’s car. Five minutes later, Lynox came back inside the house, closing the door behind him. He exhaled, trying to keep it together.

“So what’s the plan?” Deborah asked enthusiastically. “How are we going to pull this off?”

Lynox looked at Deborah, dumbfounded. “Pull what off?”

“This!” She raised her hands and then allowed them to drop to her sides. “This whole ‘you pretending to leave’ thing.”

“Deborah, this isn’t pretend. This is something we have to do, and the sooner we do it, the sooner I can get the boys, and we’ll at least know they are safe with me, instead of downtown with some strangers.”

“Safe with you? You mean safe with us.” Deborah stepped toward Lynox.

“No, I meant safe with me. You heard what Ms. Folins said. And I’m not messing this up.” Lynox walked past Deborah and headed toward the steps.

“Wait!” she cried out, watching Lynox walk away. “What’s going on? Where are you going? What are you doing, Lynox?”

Lynox stopped and turned to face Deborah. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m going to pack some things for me and the boys, and then I’m leaving.”