Chapter 4
It had been three weeks since Kim had moved to Ohio. Bobby knocked on Melanie's door. He knew that she was sick of seeing him, but he couldn't just let Kim go. He loved her. He was worried about her. She had tried to shrug off Jimmy's marriage to Brooke, but Bobby knew how much she was hurting. He saw the way she looked at Jimmy every day at the station, at every call, at every ballgame that Joey had.
Melanie looked through the peephole and just sighed. She didn't know whether she should even open the door anymore. If it wasn't Bobby, it was Jimmy. She couldn't tell them, she promised Kim, but she hated seeing them so upset. Bobby was the best thing Kim could have found, if only she would realize it.
Melanie had spoken with Kim last night and told her that Jimmy and Bobby had been relentless in their efforts to find her. She tried to reason with Kim and tell her that it really wasn't fair to Jimmy - or Joey for that matter - to keep him away from his son. Kim said she hated hurting Jimmy, but she had to get away - start fresh somewhere else.
Bobby must have sensed her presence near the door, because he knocked again and quietly said, "Please Mel. Please open the door."
Melanie opened the door and stood to the side so Bobby could come in. "C'mon in, Bobby. There's fresh coffee in the pot and I bought some bagels last night in anticipation of either you or Jimmy showing up this morning," she said with a sarcastic grin on her face.
"You know, Mel, if you just tell me where she is I'll stop bothering you," Bobby said, trying to convince her to give in.
"Bobby, if I knew I would tell you," she said. "She did call me last night and I can tell you that she sounds fine. She said Joey's doing great in school and even joined the flag football team at school," she said cheerfully.
"Great. What school is that?" Bobby said trying to trick her into revealing information she just didn't have.
"Nice try, Caffey, but you struck out. I'm telling you that I honestly don't know where she is. I only know that she's safe and she seems happy."
Bobby shook his head as he reached for a bagel. "Look, I need to finish getting ready for work, but help yourself to coffee. Cream cheese is in the fridge," Melanie said as she walked into her bedroom.
Bobby opened a few drawers looking for a knife to spread the cream cheese. In one drawer was a personal telephone book, opened to "k." He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Melanie wasn't coming out of the room and then looked down to scan the pages. He came across an entry that just read "K.Z.," followed by a phone number. He pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote the number on his hand. He closed the drawer at the same time he heard Melanie coming back into the room.
"Look, Mel. I'll pass on the bagel today. I gotta get to work," he said as he hurried to the door. "Next time you talk to Kim, please tell her to call me. I only heard from her that one time."
Melanie nodded and closed the door behind Bobby as he hurried down the stairs. She finished getting her things together; turned off the coffee pot and radio; grabbed her purse and keys and headed out to work, locking the door behind her.
******************
Kim was walking Joey home from school. She had finished her day's work at her job at the corner grocery and she had time to help him with some of his homework before the she had to hit the books herself. She had a paper that she had to e-mail tomorrow and needed to put the finishing touches on it.
"So, how was school today?" she asked Joey as they walked down the street. Joey had his schoolbag thrown over his shoulder and Kim had a bag with some groceries in it for dinner.
"Okay, I guess." He said, not looking at Kim.
"Joey? Is something wrong, honey?" she asked him gently, stopping so that he would stop and look up at her.
"Mom? Why did we have to move here?" he asked her again. It seemed that he asked her that question daily. "Why can't I call Dad?"
"Honey, I explained all that to you. I needed a fresh start. Things weren't going anywhere for me in New York. We'll call Dad soon. I promise. He's just really busy with work and with Brooke right now, but soon, I promise," she said as she put her hand on his back and they slowly started walking again, reaching the steps to their building and walking up into their apartment.
She had noticed that he had been looking at her a little funny lately and she caught him staring at her again. She followed his line of sight to her stomach. "He must be noticing that I'm showing. Now is as good a time as any, I guess," she thought to herself.
"Joey, can you sit down here for a minute? I need to talk to you about something," she said, motioning for him to sit down in the chair across from her. He sat down, sensing that something serious was coming.
"Honey, I know that you don't understand a lot of what's been going on lately," she started. "But, I want to be as honest as I can be with you. You know that I wasn't feeling well for a while, right?" she asked him. He nodded his head remembering all the times he had heard her in the bathroom getting sick in the mornings.
"Well, Mommy's going to have another baby in about three months," she said slowly, trying to gauge his reaction. "Would you like to have a little brother or sister to play with and 'show the ropes' to?"
Joey looked at her with a surprised look on his face. He had always wanted a brother or sister, but he was confused as to how this had happened. "Doesn't there have to be a Daddy to have a baby?" he asked her with his eyes wide.
"Not always, Joey. Sometimes Mommies have babies all by themselves and they grow up just fine," she assured him, wondering when he had learned that it took a man and woman to make a baby and not really wanting to get into that aspect of things with him.
He seemed satisfied with that answer and started to fidget and Kim figured he had just about exhausted his attention span for a while. "I'll get dinner started," she said, tousling his hair as she walked past him to unpack the groceries.
It had been three weeks since Kim had moved to Ohio. Bobby knocked on Melanie's door. He knew that she was sick of seeing him, but he couldn't just let Kim go. He loved her. He was worried about her. She had tried to shrug off Jimmy's marriage to Brooke, but Bobby knew how much she was hurting. He saw the way she looked at Jimmy every day at the station, at every call, at every ballgame that Joey had.
Melanie looked through the peephole and just sighed. She didn't know whether she should even open the door anymore. If it wasn't Bobby, it was Jimmy. She couldn't tell them, she promised Kim, but she hated seeing them so upset. Bobby was the best thing Kim could have found, if only she would realize it.
Melanie had spoken with Kim last night and told her that Jimmy and Bobby had been relentless in their efforts to find her. She tried to reason with Kim and tell her that it really wasn't fair to Jimmy - or Joey for that matter - to keep him away from his son. Kim said she hated hurting Jimmy, but she had to get away - start fresh somewhere else.
Bobby must have sensed her presence near the door, because he knocked again and quietly said, "Please Mel. Please open the door."
Melanie opened the door and stood to the side so Bobby could come in. "C'mon in, Bobby. There's fresh coffee in the pot and I bought some bagels last night in anticipation of either you or Jimmy showing up this morning," she said with a sarcastic grin on her face.
"You know, Mel, if you just tell me where she is I'll stop bothering you," Bobby said, trying to convince her to give in.
"Bobby, if I knew I would tell you," she said. "She did call me last night and I can tell you that she sounds fine. She said Joey's doing great in school and even joined the flag football team at school," she said cheerfully.
"Great. What school is that?" Bobby said trying to trick her into revealing information she just didn't have.
"Nice try, Caffey, but you struck out. I'm telling you that I honestly don't know where she is. I only know that she's safe and she seems happy."
Bobby shook his head as he reached for a bagel. "Look, I need to finish getting ready for work, but help yourself to coffee. Cream cheese is in the fridge," Melanie said as she walked into her bedroom.
Bobby opened a few drawers looking for a knife to spread the cream cheese. In one drawer was a personal telephone book, opened to "k." He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Melanie wasn't coming out of the room and then looked down to scan the pages. He came across an entry that just read "K.Z.," followed by a phone number. He pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote the number on his hand. He closed the drawer at the same time he heard Melanie coming back into the room.
"Look, Mel. I'll pass on the bagel today. I gotta get to work," he said as he hurried to the door. "Next time you talk to Kim, please tell her to call me. I only heard from her that one time."
Melanie nodded and closed the door behind Bobby as he hurried down the stairs. She finished getting her things together; turned off the coffee pot and radio; grabbed her purse and keys and headed out to work, locking the door behind her.
******************
Kim was walking Joey home from school. She had finished her day's work at her job at the corner grocery and she had time to help him with some of his homework before the she had to hit the books herself. She had a paper that she had to e-mail tomorrow and needed to put the finishing touches on it.
"So, how was school today?" she asked Joey as they walked down the street. Joey had his schoolbag thrown over his shoulder and Kim had a bag with some groceries in it for dinner.
"Okay, I guess." He said, not looking at Kim.
"Joey? Is something wrong, honey?" she asked him gently, stopping so that he would stop and look up at her.
"Mom? Why did we have to move here?" he asked her again. It seemed that he asked her that question daily. "Why can't I call Dad?"
"Honey, I explained all that to you. I needed a fresh start. Things weren't going anywhere for me in New York. We'll call Dad soon. I promise. He's just really busy with work and with Brooke right now, but soon, I promise," she said as she put her hand on his back and they slowly started walking again, reaching the steps to their building and walking up into their apartment.
She had noticed that he had been looking at her a little funny lately and she caught him staring at her again. She followed his line of sight to her stomach. "He must be noticing that I'm showing. Now is as good a time as any, I guess," she thought to herself.
"Joey, can you sit down here for a minute? I need to talk to you about something," she said, motioning for him to sit down in the chair across from her. He sat down, sensing that something serious was coming.
"Honey, I know that you don't understand a lot of what's been going on lately," she started. "But, I want to be as honest as I can be with you. You know that I wasn't feeling well for a while, right?" she asked him. He nodded his head remembering all the times he had heard her in the bathroom getting sick in the mornings.
"Well, Mommy's going to have another baby in about three months," she said slowly, trying to gauge his reaction. "Would you like to have a little brother or sister to play with and 'show the ropes' to?"
Joey looked at her with a surprised look on his face. He had always wanted a brother or sister, but he was confused as to how this had happened. "Doesn't there have to be a Daddy to have a baby?" he asked her with his eyes wide.
"Not always, Joey. Sometimes Mommies have babies all by themselves and they grow up just fine," she assured him, wondering when he had learned that it took a man and woman to make a baby and not really wanting to get into that aspect of things with him.
He seemed satisfied with that answer and started to fidget and Kim figured he had just about exhausted his attention span for a while. "I'll get dinner started," she said, tousling his hair as she walked past him to unpack the groceries.