[This is the continuation of a story about an unusual family. I originally called this chapter "Momma." I encourage your votes and comments. What you think and feel are important to me. Thank you for reading.]
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Early the next morning Jenny and Jerry were awakened by the phone ringing. Jenny answered and the voice on the other end of the line was Sabrina. She told Jenny that her shop had been vandalized during the night and that she needed help.
"We'll be there as soon as we dress," Jenny said. Then she hung up. She took Jerry by the hand and they went into Petra's room, waking Petra and Tom.
"Sorry to wake you both but it's important. Sabrina's business was vandalized last night and she needs our help."
"Right!" Tom said and leapt from the bed. Petra followed and asked, "What does she need?"
Jerry answered, "We'll find that out when we get there. Let's get dressed and over there."
As they got ready they talked, discovering that Jerry, Jenny, and Petra would be going to Sabrina's store and Tom needed to go to work. In less than twenty-five minutes from the moment the phone rang they were on their way.
In the car Jerry made some phone calls and discovered that almost everyone in the family who could be headed to Sabrina's was. When they arrived there were two police cars parked in front. The sign above the store was on but the large "S" was obviously broken and not lit. The front glass window was also broken and pieces of glass were all over the display area inside and on the sidewalk in front of the store. As they approached the front door an officer stepped to the door and said, "Sabrina's is not open. They've had a break in."
"We know. Sabrina called us," Jerry said. "We're family."
The officer took their names and went inside, motioning for them to stay outside. A minute later Sabrina was outside with them.
"It was Buck. He's still angry," she said.
"Do you know for sure it was Buck?" Jerry asked, quietly.
"Whoever did it wrote on the wall behind the cash register, "Poly Bitch!"
"Well, that points to Buck alright."
Petra pulled Jenny aside. "Poly Bitch?"
"The word for people in a sexual relationship or a loving relationship with more than one person is polyamorous."
"Oh. I'd never heard of that."
"Knowing the word means that whoever broke in knows about Sabrina being in the family and does not approve. Her ex is just that kind of guy. When they met the family he thought we were swingers and he was all for it. When he found out that swinging isn't anything like what we are doing, he changed his mind. He changed so strongly that he divorced Sabrina and joined a fundamentalist church."
"Will he be arrested?"
"That depends on him. If he didn't leave any fingerprints that tie him to the crime, he won't be arrested. If he was drunk or otherwise stupid he might have left something that ties him to the crime. Then he will be arrested."
They took the three steps back to Jerry and Sabrina.
Jerry was talking. "What can we do?"
"The police said we can't start cleaning up until the crime scene people are done, and they aren't even here yet. I guess what we can do is get some lawn chairs and sit down out here."
"Yes, we can stay out of their way but still be here." Petra said.
Jerry went to his van and brought back four folding chairs that had been used at dinner the night before. They sat down and waited. After a little while Jenny and Petra walked to the corner and got some coffee for them all. They even got four more cups for the police.
After the crime scene people arrived it was only half an hour until they were told they could start clean up. Then the police left. Sabrina called Harvey and was told the name and phone number of a glass guy who would replace the front window. Four other family members showed up so the clean up went quickly. It was decided that Petra and Sabrina would stay at the shop, Jerry and Jenny would go get supplies and repaint the wall that had been painted, and the other four would get back to whatever they were going to do that day.
After the help left Sabrina and Petra sat down to wait. As they talked the phone rang a few times. The calls were from friends wanting the story and to offer support. Except the fifth call. It was Buck.
"Hey, I heard what happened. Too bad, huh?"
"Not too bad. The shop is still open."
"Maybe you should relocate, to Alaska."
"Because?"
"It's obvious that you don't have many friends here."
"I think what's obvious is that I have one person here that doesn't like me."
"Yeah. And I'll be paying you another visit if you don't leave town."
"I thought maybe it was you when I noticed that the word was misspelled."
"No. It was spelled correctly. I looked it up."
"I honestly wish you weren't so angry. I do love you, you know."
"If you loved me you wouldn't say you love all those other people."
"Loving them does not lessen my love for you."
"We've been down this road before Sabrina. If you are going to be with other men I want you far away from me. I've lived here longer than you, so you have to go!"
"I'll consider it."
"Better hurry or you won't have much too take with you."
"How much time will you give me?"
"If you aren't gone by the end of the month things will start happening that you won't like. Things worse than a little vandalism."
"OK. Let me think all that over. Can I call you?"
"No. I'll know when you're gone. We don't need to talk." Click.
The line went dead. Thirty seconds later the phone rang again. Sabrina picked it up and said, "Yes."
Thirty seconds later she said, "Thank you" and hung up.
She looked at Petra and said "That was the police. They asked me when they first arrived today if they could tap the line and I agreed. They got that whole conversation on tape. They are on their way to arrest Buck."
Sabrina and Petra hugged and then quietly sat waiting for the next event, whatever it turned out to be. It turned out to be the glass guy arriving and installing a new front window. When he was done they locked up the shop and were about to leave when Petra said, "Can you run me home? Jerry and Jenny brought me."
"If you don't mind, I'd like company tonight. Call Tom and invite him for dinner at my place. Tell him to bring tomorrows clothes."
"He'll like that. I ought to have him get some of my things too."
