Chapter 11: Client Relations

At the office door, Kayla was surprised to see a woman and a girl waiting. “Are you waiting for Mr. Teixeira?” “Yeah.” “Please come in.”

The visitors settled on the sofa, and Kayla sat behind her desk. “OK, I know you don’t have an appointment. I’m Kayla Wilson. Can I have your names, please?”

JoElle Dawson and her daughter Carlie were ages 26 and 10, brown hair, blue eyes, slender build. Carlie curled up beside her mother and hid her face in the folds of her mother’s sweater. Kayla noticed she was discreetly sucking her thumb.

“So, my boss is out to the courthouse at the moment. How can we help you? No, wait. I’m new here, I think it’s better if we wait for him. You don’t mind waiting?”

“I can wait, thanks.” She leaned back in the sofa and closed her eyes. Kayla turned towards her pile of work. But her eyes were drawn back to the visitors. Their clothing was very worn. The mother, particularly, was very pale (even for a white person, she thought). Kayla couldn’t ignore the feeling these two were serious trouble.

“Hey, he won’t be back for at least an hour. Do me a favor and go down to the diner next door and get some lunch for Carlie and yourself. My treat.”

“You don’t need to do that!”

“Please, for her. She’s obviously hungry. Kayla handed her some cash.”

Carlie looked up into her mother’s eyes. “Well, uh, thank you. She thanks you too, but she’s not talking these days.”

Kayla turned back to her desk. And, it really was easier for her to work with the office empty.

Nio burst in about an hour later. He removed his coat and hung it on the rack, which put his back to the sofa behind the door. “Any messages, Ms. Wilson?” “We have guests: this is JoElle Dawson and her daughter Carlie.”

Nio turned himself. “Oops. Welcome, ladies. Come into my office, please. You too, Ms. Wilson.”

After everyone was seated, Nio gestured across his desk. “How can I help you?”

“Mrs. Escobar at the shelter gave me your name. I hope you can help us. I’m 26 and Carlie is 10, you can do the math. The guy was 19, more to the point, his father is a high official in a powerful international religious institution. I’m actually afraid to tell you who, or what.

“So, once I began to show, my parents (who were members) cast me out, and have refused contact ever since. His family locked me up through the delivery. They filed, with the father’s name blank, Carlie’s birth certificate. Then I was cast out to raise the baby on my own.

“In spite of these obstacles, we managed. I even started to get together a little financial security; but every time I started to get any success, I would get fired. No reason, no warning, just poof. Back on unemployment, or even worse, because they would lie and say that I chose to quit on them.

“I can’t prove it, but I think operatives from the institution have been making sure I never have enough money to go after that family. And there’s more.”

JoElle cut her eyes in the direction of little Carlie, without her noticing the gesture.

Nio cleared his throat. “Ahh, Ms. Wilson, you have any cash? Please take Carlie down to the convenience store and get us some more coffee. And whatever drink Carlie likes. We just have some boring paperwork to finish up here.”