CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
"Mom, when do we get to go home?" James asked. Molly sighed heavily. She didn't know the answer either but she knew it wasn't anytime soon. They'd taken Binky from his home when he ran out from whatever was going on inside. They'd driven back home, picked up James and some specific items, and traveled to a friend's house far from Elwood City.
"Don't worry about it, James. We're safe," their mother smiled, helping to tend on of Binky's worse cuts. "Molly, do you mind helping Anita with lunch? She's making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, James' favorite."
"Can I help too?!" James exclaimed. Molly rubbed the top of his head with a smirk before heading up the basement stairs. "Hey! What was that for?"
"She wants you to help too, James. It'll get you out of the basement," their mom replied, winking to Molly. When the two were up the stairs and had closed the basement door, she stood and took a good look at Binky. "We'll have to turn you over to the authorities by the end of the day to avoid charges. I assume you'll go into the system, get tossed around until you're eighteen, then get thrown back into the real world like nothing ever happened.
"But I don't want that to happen to you, charges or not," she sighed, sitting back down. "I've got a friend with one of the agencies. I'm hoping to reach out, make some demands. I want you with the right people, Binky. You've been through enough."
"You shouldn't risk yourself like that. What about James and Molly?" Binky asked. She smiled, looking up the stairs they'd just ascended.
"Molly has always been able to handle herself. After overcoming early hardships, I learned that about her. She'd always take care of herself. And once James came along, he became her top priority. I feel for the person who tries to harm that boy. She'd make more sacrifices for him than I could ever make for them, for you. She's proud of me for this, and James will be too when he's old enough to understand. We saved you. I saw what your father was carrying. I don't know if he would've fired it, but you were a target to him, Binky. I can't let you go back to that, not without one hell of a fight."
"I'm sure I can manage in the system. I won't go back to them either, but I don't mind foster care. It might be better…," he trailed off. He knew it wasn't. He'd met a few of Elwood City's foster kids a few years back. They were stealing from the city's fairgrounds just to eat, just to make money. Their foster parents were only in the business for the money, and all ten kids they cared for fell by the wayside. Binky didn't like the idea of that, but if they ignored him, his life might get better.
"I promise you that I'll weigh out every option with you. I'm going to a neighbor's house to make the call. Anita told them what was going on. Anita was a big hippie back in the day," Molly's mother laughed. "She almost got my mother into trouble with her anti-government protests, but my mom held strong once she had me. She wanted to hang through whatever the government was doing, whether she agreed or not. Anita wasn't like that. I think I would've been better off, but that's all done now," she smiled. "We'll do everything, Binky. We'll fight until we're blue in the face and still in our hearts. You deserve that and don't you ever forget it."
Binky watched Molly's mother walk up the stairs. A few moments after the basement door closed, Anita's back screen door slammed shut. Anita laughed, as did James. Despite not feeling hungry, Binky went upstairs.
Anita reminded Binky of the grandmother he never had. Her gray hair was long and braided behind her, her wrinkled smile covered with bright pink lipstick. Her eyes were kind, and despite the way the meal looked, you could tell Anita had been a take-out diva since before take-out even started.
"Eat as much as you want, kids. When your mother called, I stocked up on soup. We can be here for months and no one would notice," she whispered, leaning towards the children. "I've been stockpiling for years to prepare for the apocalypse. Don't tell your mother what your beds are made of," she winked. Binky already knew they were real weapon chests. He was afraid at first, but he knew by Anita's kind smile that she only raised her voice to authority figures. Now he was even more comfortable with her. He wished he could stay, but he knew to just live in the moment.
When the bowls were cleared, Molly's mother reentered the room. She sat down at the table in silence, causing a suspense-filled silence to fill the room. Once Anita finished rinsing the bowls and took a seat, Molly's mother gave them the results of the phone call.
"Obviously I'm in a little bit of trouble right now, but they're willing to overlook what I did if we cooperate. Binky, she wants to handle your case personally. They know now that horrid things happened in that house. You and your sister will be together—"
"No!" Binky exclaimed. Molly's mother grinned.
"I told her that was a really bad idea," she chuckled. "Okay, I'll make sure you two are separated. But we have to cooperate fully, even you. I know it's hard to talk about. We all understand that. But when I turn you over to them, you have to tell them what happened in that house. You have to start from the beginning of all of this. You have to tell them who assaulted you, the conditions you've lived with, and anything else that's relevant. They'll want to know what happened to Mei-Lin too.
"Are you willing to do that?" she asked. Binky nodded quietly, his eyes following the wood grain of the tabletop. She smiled, eying Molly and James. "I'm letting you two stay here until it's confirmed that I won't be charged. I'm putting a lot of faith in the two of you, so don't break it," she grinned, turning back to Binky. "I'm due back in Elwood City in two hours. We best leave now."
After saying goodbye to everyone, Molly's mother and Binky got into the car and headed back towards the highway. Molly watched with James's hand in hers. When the car was out of sight, she looked down and smiled to him. He looked up and smiled back.
"Who wants to watch a rated-R movie?" Anita exclaimed, holding up a violent action film. Molly agreed, as did James. Anita became their new best friend as multiple bags of popcorn were microwaved. While all of them were still thinking of Binky and their mother, the over-the-top action film was the perfect diversion.
A/N: That Anita sure is a character, isn't she? It's good to know that Molly's mother did the right thing. We'll find out in a later chapter what will happen to her and especially to Binky. Next, we'll see how Fern is doing on her trip home. Dr. Langley has narrowed down her booklists, but none are that pleasing. Will sad news from her mother help inspire her? Answers to this and an update on the accident is coming in Chapter Fifty-Four.
