Chapter 14 - The Maroon Gown
Mom came downstairs in the maroon dress again. Not the exact same way, her hair was fixed low and her earrings were back in. She looked like she was going to another party. Dad was already in the living room. He wasn't holding a wine glass. He had a thin folder on the coffee table and his hands flat on top of it.
I sat on the end of the couch closest to Rosa. She wasn't in her uniform. She wore a gray sweater and jeans, and Dad had asked her to stay. That felt different. She kept her hand near mine but didn't hold it tight like at the party.
Dad didn't stand up when Mom walked in. "Sit down, please," he said. His voice was low and even. "This isn't for guests. This is for us."
Mom glanced at Rosa and then at me. She smiled a little. "Honey, go play. Grown-ups need to talk."
I didn't move. Dad shook his head. "She stays. She was there."
He opened the folder. Inside there were papers I recognized and some I didn't. He laid them out one by one on the table. First was a drawing I had made at the counselor's office, with the dates written underneath in Ms. Karen's handwriting. Second was a printed page with times on it. He pointed to it as he talked.
"Seven-forty. The doors opened. You told Rosa, you're just a maid, stay out of my family, get down and clean it. The bucket was on the right. The white cloth was by the table leg. The dark cloth was three feet away." He looked up. "Eight-oh-two. I asked what the hell happened here. The chairs were already over. I grabbed your wrist and said you're not touching her again."
Mom laughed a short breath. "You're reading floor plans now? You're being ridiculous."
"There's more," Dad said. He slid over a check copy. "You wrote this yesterday morning. Two weeks pay, plus extra, with a note that said for your trouble, time to move on. Rosa brought it to me."
Mom's face changed. She turned to Rosa. "I was trying to help you. You said your cousin needed —"
"No, ma'am," Rosa said quietly. Her hands were shaking but her voice didn't. "You told me to disappear before I ruined your family."
Silence sat in the room. The chandelier buzzed a little. I could hear the clock in the hallway.
Mom tried again. Her voice got harder. "She's been filling his head. She's been filling both their heads. Ask her where she was when —" She stopped and looked at me. "Sweetie, tell Dad Mommy loves you. Tell him we just have rules."
I stared at the folder. Ms. Karen had told me it was okay to say what was true, even if my stomach felt sick. I didn't say anything yet. I just moved a half inch closer to Rosa.
Dad didn't raise his voice. "I have her notes from last week. No coaching. Her words." He read one line without looking at me, to keep it easier. "Mom hurts my arms when no one is looking." He closed the folder. "That's not rules."
Mom's eyes filled up then. Real tears. She pressed her fingers to her mouth. "You don't know the pressure I'm under. You are never here. I am alone with everything, the house, the parties, her —" She wiped her cheek fast. "I'm sorry it got loud. I'm sorry she saw."
Rosa spoke again. She looked at Mom, then at Dad. "I will tell what I saw, if someone asks me. At the party, and before. I won't lie for a job." Then she looked down at me. "And I will keep taking care of you, if your dad lets me. No one will hurt you while I'm here."
Dad nodded once. Then he stood. He didn't touch Mom. "You need to leave the house tonight. Take the small suitcase. You can stay at your sister's. Until we have a court order, any time with her is supervised, with someone else in the room. No exceptions."
Mom stared at him. "You're kicking me out in that dress? In front of them?"
"I'm protecting her," he said. "Pack your bag."
May you like
She cried harder going up the stairs, her heels loud on the marble. I didn't feel happy. I felt shaky, like after a loud noise stops. Rosa put her arm around my shoulders, light, and Dad sat down on the coffee table in front of me so his eyes were level with mine.
"It's done for tonight," he said. "You're safe."
