I count to one hundred like Officer Oh said but I’m not any calmer. I do to five hundred, the numbers aren’t working. My back is jumping and shaking, it must be from being cold, where’s the blanket fallen?
A terrible sound. The police in the front seat is blowing his nose. He does a tiny smile and pokes the tissue in his nose, I look away.
I stare out the window at the house with no lights. A bit of it is open now that wasn’t before I don’t think, the garage, a huge dark square. I’m looking for hundreds of hours, my eyes get prickly. Someone comes out of the dark but it’s another police I never saw before. Then a person that’s Officer Oh and beside her — I’m thumping banging on the car door but I don’t know how, I have to smash the glass but I can’t,
“We did it,” she says, when we’re both in the back of the car together. “Well,
“You saved me,” says Ma, she kisses my eye and holds me tight.
“Was he there?”
“No, I was all by myself just waiting, it was the longest hour of my life. The next thing I knew was, the door exploded open, I thought I was having a heart attack.” “The blowtorch!”
“No, they used a shotgun.”
“I want to see the explosion.”
“It was only for a second. You can see another some time, I promise.” Ma’s grinning. “We can do anything now.” “Why?”
“Because we’re free.”
I’m dizzy, my eyes shut without me. I’m so sleepy I think my head’s going to fall off.
Ma’s talking in my ear, she says we need to go talk to some more police. I snuggle against her, I say, “Want to go to Bed.” “They’ll find us somewhere to sleep in a little while.” “No.
“You mean in Room?” Ma’s pulled back, she’s staring in my eyes.
“Yeah. I’ve seen the world and I’m tired now.”
“Oh, Jack,” she says, “we’re never going back.”
The car starts moving and I’m crying so much I can’t stop.
After
Officer Oh is riding in front, she looks different backwards. She turns around and smiles at me, she says, “Here’s the precinct.”
“Can you climb out?” asks Ma. “I’ll carry you.” She opens the car and cold air jumps in. I go small. She pulls at me, makes me stand up and I bang my ear on the car. She’s walking with me up on her hip, I cling onto her shoulders. It’s dark but then there’s lights quick quick like fireworks.
“Vultures,” says Officer Oh.
Where?
“No pictures,” shouts the man police.
What pictures? I don’t see any vultures, I only see person faces with machines flashing and black fat sticks. They’re shouting but I can’t understand. Officer Oh tries to put the blanket over my head, I push it off. Ma’s running, I’m shaking all about, we’re inside a building and it’s a thousand percent bright so I put my hand over my eyes.
The floor’s all shiny hard not like Floor, the walls are blue and more of them, it’s too loud. There’s persons everywhere not friends of mine. A thing like a spaceship all lit up with things inside all in their little squares like bags of chips and chocolate bars, I go look and try and touch but they’re locked up in the glass. Ma pulls my hand.
“This way,” says Officer Oh. “No, right in here—”
We’re in a room that’s quieter. A huge wide man says, “I do apologize about the media presence, we’ve upgraded to a trunk system but they’ve got these new tracking scanners. .” He’s sticking out his hand. Ma puts me down and does his hand up and down like persons in TV.
“And you, sir, I understand you’ve been a remarkably courageous young man.”
That’s me he’s looking at. But he doesn’t know me and why he says I’m a man? Ma sits down in a chair that’s not our chairs and lets me in her lap. I try to rock but it’s not Rocker. Everything’s wrong.
“Now,” says the wide man, “I appreciate it’s late, and your son’s got some abrasions that need looking at, and they’re on standby for you at the Cumberland Clinic, it’s a very nice facility.”
“What kind of facility?”
“Ah, psychiatric.”
“We’re not—”
He butts in. “They’ll be able to give you all the appropriate care, it’s very private. But as a matter of priority I do need to go over your statement tonight in more detail as you’re able.”
Ma’s nodding.
“Now, certain of my lines of questioning may be distressing, would you prefer Officer Oh remain for this interview?” “Whatever, no,” says Ma, she yawns.
“Your son’s been through a lot tonight, perhaps he should wait outside while we cover, ah. .”
But we’re in Outside already.
“That’s OK,” says Ma, wrapping the blue blanket around me. “Don’t shut it,” she says very fast to Officer Oh going out.
“Sure,” says Officer Oh, she makes the door stay halfway open.
Ma’s talking to the huge man, he’s calling her by one of her other names. I’m looking on the walls, they’ve turned creamish like no color. There’s frames with lots of words in, one with an eagle, he says
Ma pulls her T-shirt down to her pants again. “Not right this minute,” she whispers, “I’m talking to the captain.”
“And this took place — any recollection of the date?” he asks.
She shakes her head. “Late January. I’d only been back at school a couple weeks. .”
I’m still thirsty, I lift her T-shirt again and this time she puffs her breath and lets me, she curls me against her chest.
“Would you, ah, prefer. .?” asks the Captain.
“No, let’s just carry on,” says Ma. It’s the right, there’s not much but I don’t want to climb off and switch sides because she might say
Ma’s talking for ages about Room and Old Nick and all that, I’m too tired for listening. A she person comes in and tells the Captain something.
Ma says, “Is there a problem?”
“No no,” says the Captain.
“Then why is she staring at us?” Her arm goes around me tight. “I’m nursing my son, is that OK with you, lady?”
Maybe in Outside they don’t know about having some, it’s a secret.
Ma and the Captain talk a lot more. I’m nearly asleep but it’s too bright and I can’t get comfy.
“What is it?” she asks.
“We really have to go back to Room,” I tell her. “I need Toilet.”
“That’s OK, they’ve got them here in the precinct.”
The Captain shows us the way past the amazing machine and I touch the glass nearly at the chocolate bars. I wish I knowed the code to let them out.
There’s one two three four toilets, each in a little room inside a bigger room with four sinks and all mirrors. It’s true, toilets in Outside have lids on their tanks, I can’t look in. When Ma pees and stands up there’s awful roaring, I cry. “It’s OK,” she says, wiping my face with the flat bits of her hands, “it’s just an automatic flush. Look,
