Caroline in Richard's Mother's Womb

Chapter 7

"…Julia and I have just split up" Richard confided on the phone.

Asleep in his bed, Caroline had awakened when Richard shouted "Del!", and hadn't heard much else of the conversation. The truth was, once she had heard that Richard and Julia were separated, she didn't listen to anything else.

"Richard and Julia are separated?!! Now my sweet Richard and I can be together, forever" mused Caroline, happier than she had been for a long, long time. It was the giddy happiness of a child, unburdened with the facts of reality. "Richard was speaking pretty low. He mustn't want me to know. I'll pretend I'm still asleep" she thought. "It must be a blow to his ego, a failed marriage, poor baby. But I can make things all better" she smiled. "All I need is some time. I'll get Richard to let me stay with him. That will be easy, he always seems to want to take care of me. Besides, when I really, really want something, I can always get him to do it for me. I'll make him forget all about Julia."

Caroline made some noises, and stretched, pretending to just be waking up. "Hey Richard."

"Hello Caroline. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay… considering. Richard, how did I get here? I mean, I know we came from the hospital, but what happened before that?"

"Someone Charlie knows found you. They brought you here. I took you to the hospital" Richard replied.

"I vaguely remember that. I was in an alley… under your painting… Anyway, it's a good thing Julia's out of town. She probably wouldn't have let you help me. I know you care, and that she's the reason you haven't visited or called for six months" said Caroline.

"Caroline, I feel so bad about that. You're my friend, I should be there when you need me. You've lost your career, you have drinking problems… I should support you no matter how jealous Julia was" Richard replied guiltily.

"'Was?' You mean Julia isn't jealous anymore?" Caroline inquired, toying with Richard.

"Uh… no, of course she is" he replied.

"Then won't she be mad that you're helping me? How long will she be out of town, Richard?"

"Julia will be gone a few days, maybe a week. She went to… Boston. She has friends from Italy there" lied Richard.

"I should start trying to convince Caroline to ask her family for help" thought Richard. "Caroline, you can stay here for a few days, but you have to think about what you want to do after that, for over the long term."

"Can't I stay here?" asked Caroline. She thought "Can't I stay here forever, my love? Why are you playing this game? I know that Julia is gone."

"No… uh, Julia will be back. And besides, you need help, more help than I can give you. You know you have a drinking problem, don't you Caroline?" Richard asked.

After several seconds, Caroline reluctantly admitted "Yes".

"You need professional help, in a rehabilitation center. I can't afford to give you that. You should ask your family for help. Let them take you back to Wisconsin, and find some help for you" Richard said, knowing that Caroline would resist. But he had to break that resistance.

"No!" Caroline shouted. "I don't want them to know! Please Richard, I don't want them to see me like this. Please promise me that you won't tell them!" she begged.

"I won't, Caroline." Richard's stomach twisted into a hard knot as he lied right to Caroline's face. "But I think you should. It's the only way you're ever going to get better."

"Why are you trying to send me away, my love?" thought Caroline. "No Richard! Please let me stay here! I can get outpatient treatment. I know I'll get better sooner with you supporting me. Please!" she pleaded. "And besides, I don't know how my family will react once they see me. I don't even know if they would want me back there."

"Caroline, they love you, they're your family. And besides, it's your home. Home is where, when you go there, they have to let you in."

"Oh Richard, can't I stay here? Can't this be my home?" Caroline asked. There were several moments of awkward silence before Caroline's mood suddenly lightened. "I just thought of something."

"What's that, Caroline?"

"You know that painting of yours that was stolen, "My Mother's Womb"?

"Yeah?"

"When I woke up yesterday, I was under it. Since I was in your mother's womb, I guess we are family then… 'cause that makes me your sister!" Caroline started laughing hysterically, at least as much as a person in her tired state could. At that moment, they heard a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" Richard wondered as he went to answer the door. When he opened it, he was in a complete state of shock. There stood Fred, Margaret, and Chris Duffy, Caroline's parents and brother.

"Who is it?" asked Caroline.

"Uh… nobody. A salesman… sorry, we don't want any" Richard said as he tried to close the door. He silently mouthed to them "Please give me some time."

Fred Duffy forced his way in. "Hey Puddin'!"

"Mom? Dad? Chris? What are you doing here?" Caroline turned to Richard "What are they doing here? You – you called my family. After telling me you wouldn't! You lied to me!"

"Caroline, I – I had to. I had to do what I thought was best for you."

Richard turned to Caroline's family. "What are you doing here? I thought we agreed.

Fred turned to Richard and said "Sorry, Richard, but we talked it over, and decided we just couldn't leave something as important a thing as our baby's entire future dependent upon your powers of persuasion. Chris here is a doctor, he knows something about addictive behavior. He thought it best if we all just hopped on the first plane over here for what he calls an "intervention", to get Caroline to agree to treat

"Please Richard, I don't want to go. Please let me stay here."

This was Richard's dream, Caroline wanting to be with him. But it was for all the wrong reasons. "You can't Caroline. As much as I'd like to, I can't take care of you. You need professional help. You can't stay here."

"Please Richard? Pretty please? I promise to be good. I promise I won't drink anymore. I promise! … And just think Richard, if I stayed here, we could have a lotta fun" Caroline said, as she suggestively waggled her hips at him. But the effect was more one of desperation than sexiness. "Please don't make me go!"

Richard resisted her offer. "I'm sorry Caroline. I believe you mean it, that you want to keep your promise. But you can't, not without help. Alcohol addition is a very tough thing to beat. But I want to support you, any way I can. I'll come to Wisconsin for awhile, visit every day. I can paint apartments in Wisconsin as well as I can in New York."

All her hopes and dreams shattered, Caroline's anger flared. "Don't bother! If that's the way you want it, I'll leave! Who would want to stay in this sewer anyway? As for doing it with you, hah! I'm glad I'm leaving! I hate you, I hate you! You're a liar and a traitor! I don't know why I ever thought I had any feelings for you! Dad, Mom, Chris, please take me away."

After the door closed, Richard just stood there. Throughout his life, Richard had experienced hard times and disappointment. His mother was always flighty. She would either make grandiose promises to him and his sister, which she never kept, or would forget about her kids entirely. His father was never there, always on the road, caring more about the audience and getting laughs than his own family. Every attempt he ever made at romance ended in disaster, including his marriage to Julia, which had just effectively, if not yet legally, ended. He had always responded to his hardships with a tough exterior, not letting others see his hurt. He covered his feelings with cynicism. But today, for the first time he could remember, he started to cry.