A Dangerous Life [Teacher/Student]

Losing Your Family, Mind, and...Hair?

I decided to watch my father’s interview first. My heart was pounding as I put the DVD in the computer, but Lyle sat next to me and held my hand for support. He didn’t have a single clue to what was going on, but he still held my hand and rubbed my back as he rested his chin on my shoulder. His breath on my neck warmed me from the inside and out. I was so determined to watch this that I wouldn’t even let him give me dry and warm cloths. He might not have known what was going on, but at least he was here…and that made me feel ten times better.

I bit my lip and pressed the play button. I gasped out of surprise when I saw Beth come into the screen. She was younger then what I remember. I looked at the date in the corner. 7/18/1998, I was only two years old, too young to remember much of anything. I saw Mike sitting at the table. He bounced his knee up and down nervously as he looked around. He bit his lip and moved his baseball cap around. He looked healthy but tired. Beth sat down across from him, he stared at her expectedly and she gave him a warming smile.

“Hello, my name is Beth Rodriguez. I understand you are here to ask about a child?” I smiled when I heard her voice. Her thick Spanish accent always gave me comfort and eased my nerves.

“What’s the camera for?”

“We document every interview in someway that involves a child in our care. For legal purposes and just for the sake of the child if it one day becomes curious.”

“Oh…Um…”

“It’s okay. I am here to help you, not judge you.”

“Um, me and my ex…we left a child here a few…last year.” She looked confused and concerned.

“Well then you should be in the files. If you can-”

“No, we’re not in the system. We uh…we left her on the door step in a-”

“Garbage bag in the pouring rain.” Beth finished. I could make out the look of realization and disappointment in her face.

“Yes…”

“What do you want to know about this child? What is your relation?”

“I’m her father.” Her eyes widened with surprise. “I understand us leaving her like that was very…cruel and…I just…I just want to make sure the little thing is still alive you know? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I was the cause of an infants death.”

“She’s alive.” His eyes widened and then flooded with relief. “But she is not well. It would be very helpful to her survival if you answer some questions for us.”

“Okay…” Beth too out a paper and a pen and began to write some things down as Mike looked around anxiously. He looked into the camera and frowned then looked back at Beth.

“Do you recall the child’s date of birth?”

“Uh yeah…December 15, 96’.” She wrote it down and looked up at him confused.

“Sir that was the date you dropped the child off.”

“Was it?” she frowned and leaned back in her chair. “I was so high.” He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. I could feel Lyle’s breath tickle my neck as he sighed in disappointment. Mike looked up at the ceiling and his eyes widened as he realized something. “No I’m sure that was the date! The fact we dropped her off on that day was just a coincidence.”

“So she was around 12 months when you entrusted her in our care.”

“Yeah, I know that for a fact cause me and Diana tried to take care of her for a year before we…had to leave her.” Beth nodded and wrote something down. Diana? I thought her name was supposed to be Dawn. Ugh what the hell is going on with him?