Dr. Dale leaned back in his chair in his newly decorated office.
“all parents wants to know the same things” he thought quietly, a new family wanted their child to be admitted into his teen residential treatment centre. He looked over this one’s child’s medical and personal chart; Kennedie McKingley is said on the top.
“are you the McKingley’s? He asked in a humorous tone into the phone
“oh yes, my husband founded the whole hotel series, he is quiet the genius my husband is.” Mrs McKingley said proud with a southern American dialect, she had a funny tone, but he could not work out what made it so strange about it.
“Dr. Dale, can you tell us a little about Bainbridge? Will our daughter like it there? Will she go to school? Do we have to be involved? Shall we put her on a flight alone or…?” Mrs. McKingley read up from the paper her assistant had wrote her.
“well Mrs. McKingley, you daughter will definitely benefit from a stay here, if she will like it, is another question I am not in the position to answer at the moment. We have a full academic program, so she will not miss or have to redo any grades as long as she keeps her work up. We do of course provide tutors and extra help for struggling teens, so do not worry. When it comes to if you will have to participate, I can really only say that we have Parents Day once every two months, and family therapy sessions every second week, that will be over phone or via the internet, whatever is best for you and your husband. While it is not required, we find that most of our students adapt more efficiently to their home coming if the family together have worked out some problems they might have. And if you and your husband is unable to bring her yourself, or feel that she might become violent if you try to bring her, we offer you a free escort service that will take her to us for you. This we can arrange already today if you wants to. I can fax you the documents we need you to sign, a sheet saying a little bit more about Bainbridge and which other documents we will need from your side.” Dr. Dale made his assistant fax Mrs. McKingley all the documents, and just half an hour later they got everything and some more papers back, it was signed and they had checked the box for escort service, and said when it was suitable to pick her up. Almost simultaneously as Dr. Dale and Mrs. McKingley hung up the phone, a third phone was hung up. Kennedie tip toed to the top of the staircase. Her mother never did tell her anything. Outside the front door, which Kennedie could see from her hiding place, was open, the cab her parents had called to take them to the airport made it clear to them that they did not have all day.
Kennedie slowly walked down the long, elegantly built stair, her parents were leaving. From what she had overheard on the phone, this might be the last time she saw them, possibly for months.
“Dad!” she called uncertain out.
Mr. McKingley turned shocked around, he looked wondering at her.
Kennedie ran out the door and embraced him, though she only reached as long as to his belly-button, she said something she had never said before “I’ll miss you daddy”
He pet her gently and unnatural for him on her back a couple of times and broke loose from her hold, went into the cab without saying a single word. None of them look back when the cab drove out of their luxurious drive way. Kennedie stood there, feeling kind of stupid.
“Come Kenny” Graciela said with her Spanish variation of English, Kennedie went up to her. The big lady, with her brown red coloured hair and Latino-American looks held Kennedie, and pet her softly and comforting on the shoulder.
Kennedie broke free and ran angry up to her room, “you said you would never ever feel hurt by your parents’ leaving again” she said blaming to her self as she slammed the door to her bedroom.
“I have three more days at home” she mumbled to her self. She spun around trying to make out what to do, what to bring, what to expect and most important what she had done to be shipped away at a boarding school that was also an treatment centre?
She found her big, unused suitcase, the black one with different coloured skulls on it, the very same her parents bought her so she could go travelling with them, which had been just another empty promise, just like all the other things they promised her.
Kennedie pulled of a couple of tees, a few skirts, stockings and tights, a pair of pants some sweaters and her best pair of running shoes. The suitcase was not even half full. She walked over to her bookshelf. It covered a whole wall in her room, she packed down some of her favourites, a few new ones and the one she was currently reading. Also bought her box of lies; the souvenirs and cards her parents had sent and given her from their travels, she knew the truth, they only knew what “they” had given her because her mother’s assistant had told them. Kennedie had always known that the presents and cards were all from the assistant, not personal and special like parents’ gifts are supposed to be.
She packed her diary and toiletries and waited.
The following days snail speeded by. Graciela tried to keep Kennedie occupied, but without any luck, Kennedie was caught up in her own little world, a world built by the vast number of books she had read, with Kennedie as the heroes.
She did not leave the house, not even went out in the backyard while waiting.