Chapter 10
Dylan
That night,I called Sheri a dozen times, her mother a dozen more. At midnight, her mother called me back to let me know Sheri was fine, home with her and dealing withthings.
“Withdrawals?”
This was my wife. How did anyone think I would just accept simple answers? I needed to know everything that washappening.
“Dylan, I think she’ll be fine. I enrolled her in a great outpatient program here on Long Island.” She let out a loud breath and sniffed. She went through this more times with Sheri than I had, and her doubt was apparent in hertone.
“Outpatient? Claudine, that didn’t work for her the first time. She needs to go somewhereand—”
“Going away somewhere didn’t work last time either. I have great faith this program will work, and most importantly, Sheri does as well. She's positive aboutit.”
No, I didn’t believe that for a second. Sheri never got along with her domineering mother. She hated when she visited, hated when she called on the phone, and always became upset with me when I initiated her visits. I needed another pair of eyes on her, and Claudine was usually on my side with things, always helping me out –but now? In the hospital, she blatantly blamed me for everything that was happening with Sheri, as if I was the one giving herdrugs.
"I want to bring the kids to see her tomorrow. Theymiss—”
“No. Absolutely not. She needs Sheri time and to focus on getting healthy." That was all she said on the matter, then promptly ended theconversation.
Fuck that. Sheri wasmywife.
I rang Claudine’s doorbell at eight the next morning. Reluctantly, she opened the door and stepped outside onto the porch to talk withme.
“Dylan, I thought I made itclear…”
"She's my wife, and I need to see her. The kids need to see her." She swept both of my children into her arms and sighed. "I don't think the kids should see her, not yet. You go out back. She's with that awful woman she met at group therapy. What's her name?" she whispered, mostly to herself. She shook her head and continued to murmur, "I don't remember. She came last night and hasn'tleft."
Fucking enabler. “What? Why would you let another addict go nearher?”
“Dylan,please.”
She bent down and whispered to Addison to meet her in the playroom upstairs. Ben grabbed a handful of Addison’s hair as she did, and a blood-curdling scream tore out of her mouth. I squeezed my eyes closed and inhaled as deep as Icould.
“Okay, okay. Addi. Ben didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said, trying to pry Ben’s death graspopen.
When I finally got them separated, Addison sniffled her way upstairs and Claudine and I drifted into the foyer of herhome.
“She’s my daughter, Dylan, and I can’t see her in pain. I don’t know what to do anymore.” Her chin trembled as shespoke.
Was there ever going to be a positive outcome here? Was this life ever getting anybetter?
I lunged forward on the balls of my feet and headed straight for the back porch. This is bullshit. She had children who needed amother.
As I neared the French doors that led out into the backyard, I saw Sheri smoking a cigarette on the back patio. I slowed, watching her gestures and movements. She didn’t even look like the girl I married four yearsago.
In the chair next to her sat a shrunken faced girl. Her eyes were hollow and ringed red, and her collarbone jutted sharply under her skin. So did the bones of her wrists and fingers. She lookedskeletal.
I remembered her from rehab two yearsbefore.
The both of them sitting side by side looked ashen anddead.
I slid the doors open and stepped outquietly.
The girl – I suddenly remembered her name was Daphne – slowly looked up at me and smiled. Her gums were black with decay. I cringed, my forehead breaking out into a cold sweat and my skin crawling withdisgust.
“Sheri," I said, since she hadn't acknowledged I had just walked outside. "We need totalk.”
