civil dispute

Civil Dispute

Joseph Registrato

"Hello, my name is Toni and I used to live in this house a long time ago. Can I come in and look around?"

"Really? I'm pretty sure we bought this house when it was new. I don't think anybody lived here before me and my husband."

"That' can't be right. My room was right above where you're standing, up the stairs and to the right. I'll bet I can describe it."

"I'll listen, Toni."

"It has four windows, but one of them, the one closest to the door, won't open unless you pry it open with a screwdriver or some kind of tool."

"My gosh, that's right."

"My father tried to fix it a couple of times, but he never did get it to open with just your hand."

"Well that's incredible."

"Also, in the ceiling of the little downstairs office, there's a stain from where water leaked from a pipe. They fixed the leak, but nobody fixed the stain."

"My gosh, you're right again. When did you say you lived here?"
"I was little. Maybe 10 or 11. I'm 19 now, so it was that long ago."

"Well you come right on in and look around all you want. I'm very impressed. I'm going to call my husband on the phone."

"Okay. I'll just walk around my old room."

"Desmond, you're not going to believe this. A young girl came to the door claiming she lived in our house ten years ago. How is that possible?"

"It's not possible, Cynthia. She's putting you on."

"I thought that, too, but then she tells me that one of the four windows in the upstairs bedroom can't be opened by hand, that you need a screwdriver. How would she know that, Desmond?"

"I'm not sure."

"She also knows about the stain on the ceiling in the downstairs office. How would she know that?"

"Where is she?"
"She's looking around upstairs."

"You can't allow strangers to wander around, Cynthia. Get her out of there."

"Hang on while I go up the stairs."

"Hurry up, Cynthia. I'm working here, you know."

"I'm hurrying, Desmond. Oh, my."

"What is it?"

"I think she's fallen asleep on the bed up here."

"Oh, God, Cynthia."

"Toni? Toni, honey? Did you fall asleep, honey?"

"My God, Cynthia. This is impossible."

"She's not waking up, Desmond. She's just lying there."

"What? Did you shake her, move her around?"
"I shook her arm, Desmond. She's not moving. And she's limp."

"Call the police. I'll be right home."

"I'll wait right here by the door."

"I'm on the Interstate. Are the police there yet?"

"One car is pulling up in the driveway right now."

"Hello, officer. My name is Cynthia Connor. This is a very odd story, officer, and I'm scared. This girl, she just showed up here today, I've never seen her before. She said she lived in my house a long time ago and asked to look around. She told me some things, like how a window upstairs doesn't work right. So I let her look around. Next thing you know, she'd fallen asleep or something, anyway I can't get her to wake up. It's scaring me."

"It is an odd story, ma'am, I'll give you that. Let me go up and have a look."

"Sure. Oh, look, my husband is here. I'm so glad."

"So he's already upstairs?"

"Yes, Desmond. He just went up the stairs."

"They got here fast."

"I think I might have scared them when I told them I couldn't wake her up."\

"That worries me, Cynthia. How can it be?

"I don't know. It's scaring me, I'll tell you"

"Here he comes. Is she ill, Officer?"

"Not ill. She says she's hungry and wants to know when dinner will be ready."

"Dinner! What?"
"Oh, my, I'm so glad she's not ill, or god help us, dead."

"She's not ill or dead. She has a driver's license that says she's only sixteen. If you put her out you might be in trouble with the child welfare people. It might be child abuse."

"Child abuse! This is impossible."

"She says she lives here. The driver's license has your address on it."

"What? This is impossible. Officer, can't you please get her out of here."

"I'm afraid not. I don't see any crime here. We don't get involved in civil disputes."