Singer - 2. Family Issues

News spread like a wildfire burning through the Florida Everglades. By week’s end, it seemed everyone in the Frost School knew one of their own would be a contestant on The Voice. People Chipper had never met came up to him offering congratulations and wishing him luck.

His first stop after returning to campus was Dr. Pierce’s office to thank him. The man was elated and set about helping his student plan his next steps.

A lawyer teaching the business of music reviewed the contract the production company sent. Dr. Pierce contacted Chipper’s professors in his capacity as his advisor and arranged for the student to miss classes and for makeup work.

Chipper had traveled to Los Angeles for preliminary meetings and orientation when he received a call from his sister in New York.

“Hey, Sis! What’s going on? How’s my favorite niece?” Chipper forgot all about what he was doing. Thoughts of Carolina Marie Prado—his seven-month-old niece—always cheered him up. While in New York, he had spent most of the break with his sister, Cristina, her husband, Damien, and their daughter.

“She’s your only niece, goofball. She’s fine. But I have a problem.” Cristina sounded upset.

Sitting upright was a reflex reaction; she had his attention. “What’s wrong? What kind of problem?”

“It’s Damien. We had another argument. He still doesn’t want me to go back to work.”

“That’s nothing new.” Chipper relaxed, he had heard this before. “He mentioned it when I was up there.”

“It’s gotten worse. He wants me to get pregnant again.” Cristina paused, and Chipper could swear he heard sobbing. “He knows if I’m pregnant I may have trouble getting my job back. I’d have to go on maternity leave again soon after. No employer wants that.”

“They can’t discriminate. You should call Ethan.” Ethan Feldman, an attorney practicing in Manhattan, was one of Chipper’s close friends from when both lived in Washington. “He’s becoming a shark! I’d hire him as my attorney if I needed one.”

“I… I may…” Cristina’s weeping was now clearly audible. She seemed to find new resolve and when she spoke, there was little hesitation. “I may need him anyway. This is hard, Chipper. I don’t want to tell Mom or Dad. Damien crossed a line last night. He said my job was to have children and take care of them. Then he forced himself on me. I tried to resist, but he didn’t care. After he finished, he promised to do the same thing every night until I was pregnant. He left bruises on my arms.”

“HE RAPED YOU!” It was not a question. Chipper’s temporary calm disappeared; anger rose in its place. “I’m gonna kill the motherfucker.” Chipper looked at the time; it was near lunchtime in New York. “Is he at work?”

“Yes. I guess. I haven’t heard from him since he left this morning. Why?”

“I want you out of there before he returns.” Chipper’s mind juggled and prioritized the steps he felt were needed. “There’s no going back on this, Cristina.” He tried to sound calm. The last thing his sister needed was histrionics. “You and Carolina aren’t safe around that animal.”

“What? I’m not sure about that, Chipper. You want me to leave him? Maybe all we need’s counseling. Someone to help us work it out?”

“Listen to me, Sis. I love you to death, but this concerns your safety. The man’s been saying the same thing forever. Damien won’t listen. Do you really think he’ll change his mind? I’m scared he could hurt you. Or the baby.”

“Damien’s not like that.”

“Oh, really? What do you call what he did last night?” Chipper remained momentarily silent. He wanted his words to sink in. “Listen, it’s Friday, and I’m not sure how much can be accomplished over the weekend. I want you gone now. Go pack a bag.”

“What are you thinking? Maybe I can go to a hotel for a couple of days and then try to talk to him?”

“NO!” Chipper chastised himself for shouting. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to yell. I need to make a few calls. Get packed, stop at an ATM to get cash, and take a cab to CJ’s apartment. I’ll make sure there’s a key waiting.”

“I’m sorry, Chipper.” The sobbing became crying. “You’re the only person I could talk to. I’m so embarrassed…”

“You did the right thing calling. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Chipper took a breath. It was tough being 3,000 miles away. “Go do your thing. I’ll be in touch as soon as I have everything set. Call me back anytime.”

His texts to CJ and Ethan claiming an emergency resulted in both responding at the same time. He turned it into a three-way so he could explain. CJ promised to ensure Cristina had a place to stay for as long as she needed and offered to travel to Manhattan.

Ethan dissuaded him from getting on the next flight, vowed to call Cristina immediately, and go see her that same afternoon. He thought he could get a temporary restraining order to keep Damien away from her and make any other necessary filings on Monday. However, he needed to speak with her first.

Chipper knew he could count on his friends without them asking questions, but he felt an obligation to explain why he was not on the next flight to New York. He promised he would stop in both their cities soon. He had to be in Miami first but would visit them before returning to Los Angeles.

Chipper remained in daily contact with his sister after he arrived in Miami. Thoughts of Cristina and what else he needed to do for her and his niece constantly intruded into his concentration. It was a struggle to complete class work and the special assignments. When he left the Frost School of Music once again, he planned to be there one last time to take final examinations.