"'It seems to me you missed something last month,' he said, but weakly because he wasn't nearly as prepared as she was. My mother has always been a lot better than my father at organizational details. He's more creative, abstract, lost in his images and visions. She's more precise, a manager He was outgunned.
"'You never mentioned it and I don't recall it, but this is clearly an example of your lack of responsibility when it comes to Jade's needs,' she said, flipping her appointment book closed and dropping it like a dagger back into her purse.
"'Are you going to run right to the phone and tell your attorney?' he snapped.
"'It will be properly noted,' she said as Mrs. Caron entered with the coffee and carrot cake.
"'You just let this happen,' my father continued. Usually, they waited for Mrs. Caron to leave before having any words between them, but he was like a balloon about to burst, his face flushed and his eyes wide and angry. 'It's nothing more than entrapment, plain and simple and disgusting.'
"'The bottom line is she didn't go to an important school function,' my mother insisted. Her calmness made him angrier. He flustered about a moment and then turned to me.
"'I'm sorry, Jade, if you didn't go because of me, that is,' he said, hoping I would deny it.
"'Of course she didn't go because of you,' my mother pounded.
"'Let her speak for herself. That's something you never let the child do anymore, have her own mind.' "'That's ridiculous. I never . .
"'STOP!' I screamed, my hands over my ears. 'I didn't go because I ran away. I flew to San Francisco and I was almost kidnapped and raped and killed and neither of you know a damn thing about it.'
"They both sat there, staring, their mouths open.
"'What?' my father said. He looked at my mother and she shook her head, her face bright with shock.
"'I HATE THIS! I HATE THIS!' I shouted, and ran out of the dining room, up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me.
"About ten minutes later, they both came upstairs and stood outside my door together asking me to let them in and explain what I had said. I didn't answer them. My mother went down to question Mrs. Caron, but she knew nothing, of course, except that I had been gone. She couldn't tell how long. I never tell her when I leave, where I'm going or how long I'll be there. How could she be expected to know?
"My father continued to plead with me to tell him what had happened. Finally, they both retreated to their own affairs.
"Later, when I was calm and they asked me again, I told them some of it. Of course, they only blamed each other and threatened to use it against each other in court. My father pushed for more details so he could contact the police, but I didn't want to be part of any of that. Just the thought of seeing Mr. Bennet again sent electric chills through my heart. My parents gave up on it, and around me at least, pretended it had never happened.
"After a while it even diminished in my own mind, probably because as Dr. Marlowe has told me, I am using defense mechanisms to keep from reliving the events. I guess I ruined all that today, huh, Doc?"
"No," she said softly. "Sometimes, the best way to kill your demons is to let them out and expose them to sunlight."
"Like vampires, right, Dr. Marlowe?" Misty said. Dr. Marlowe laughed.
"Yes, Misty, like vampires."
"What about the crazy man?" Star wanted to know. "Did he ever call you or anything afterward?"
I nodded.
"I couldn't help it," I explained "In a bizarre way I was drawn back to my computer and sure enough, there was an E-mail from him waiting in my mailbox. Only it was from Craig, not Mr. Bennet, of course."
"What did he say?" Cat asked.
"He apologized for his father's behavior, claiming his father was under a lot of stress these days because he had lost his job and there were financial problems as well as a mountain of emotional ones. He said his little brother Sonny had gotten worse, too, and now he was becoming so withdrawn, he would barely talk to him.
The school was recommending psychiatric care and he might have to be institutionalized I think that was probably what had really happened to him."
"You didn't write back, did you?" Star asked.
"No. I changed my screen name and lost him forever in cyberspace," I said. "Which," I added, "is where I wish I could lose myself these days:'
Everyone was absorbed in her own thoughts for a long moment. I took a drink of water and gazed at the clock. When I had first come here in the morning, I thought, I never imagined I would have lasted this long, or have had so much to tell.
"I guess I would have to say the events did sink into my parents' hearts after a while. I know the horrible events changed me and made me withdraw from a lot of things."