Left for Garbage

‘events’, as she, Margaret, called them, though even Margaret agrees that Denise went too far in stealing money from her friends. I prefer to say nothing further about any of it, actually, except that I’m sorry everyone had to find out, because we’re losing support left and right due to all these unrelated matters coming out in the media about Denise.
    When the news stories about Deeley began to break , Margaret’s brother, Dave, emailed me and Margaret, and accused us of being the stupidest people alive. He thinks Deeley is dead and that Denise is covering up an accident. He called Denise a liar and a thief.
    I can’t deny she has lied and stolen, but I’m not prepared to believe she had anything to do with Deeley’s disappearance beyond poor judgment in whom she allowed to watch over Deeley.
    I accept my responsibilities for the former problems in my home, but they are private problems, and the media shouldn’t be poking their noses into our business, and our own blood family should be supporting us, not insulting us.
    I can say that it’s true that we started seeing less and less of Deeley when the nanny took over, after Leanne Martin stopped babysitting. Leanne got mad at Denise because she thought Denise was taking advantage of her, going to the beach and mall instead of to work. Granted, we now know Denise hadn’t been working, and that lends credence to the police theory that there is no nanny, or Manny, whatever everyone is calling him. The media, they keep asking what kind of mother Denise was , using those past tense verbs as if my granddaughter is dead and Denise is no longer a mother. What I say is that Denise is young. Is she the mother of the year? Probably not? Does that make her a child killer? Of course not ...
    We’ll hear more bad things from the media, but before they bring up the flea bites, let me talk about them first and tell you how I feel about that.
    I remember being shocked when Denise brought Deeley home covered in flea bites. They were all up and down Deeley’s calves, and all over her little feet and ankles. I always want to protect Deeley from any harm, from any person, including from my daughter, and I’ve never doubted that Margaret loves the child as much. We remain united in that. When I asked Denise, “What the hell is going on?” about the bites, she said all kids get them and she can’t control the gazillion fleas at the beach and park.
    Margaret, a registered nurse , I remind you, said the same thing, which was what they both swore up and down as well about some of the bad sunburns Deeley had during that last year, too. Okay, then. As for the picture of a purported bald spot that Deeley had, that the media says is from being left on her back for days at a time, Margaret says little kids often pull out their own hair, and anyway, she was such an active little girl, she wouldn’t have just laid there for hours on her back, not if she was conscious and … I’m sorry, can you give me a minute?
    Look, I always wanted to look into pla cing Deeley in a daycare center but Denise said she couldn’t afford it. I figured, if she’s paying the nanny, then daycare couldn’t cost too much more. I never liked not knowing exactly where that baby was at all times. Denise’s attitude was sometimes unsettling, but, no, I didn’t complain much. I try so hard to keep peace in this house. I’ve always told myself that was best for Deeley too - no arguing. Arguing is so hard on the little ones.
    I think we’re in a crisis right now but we can still fix things , we can still get back to the way things were, if the law and the media can just get on the right track and stop being so damned concerned about my and Margaret’s little problems, and start following every lead on my missing granddaughter. Margaret and I are now agreed on hiring a private investigator. Rick Daley can’t do much more. Denise is going back to jail because he has revoked her bail guarantee, and pretty soon Rick will leave because I see what he’s thinking now.
    Deeley’s the best thing that ever happ ened to all of us. I felt like King of the World when that little girl was in my arms. I miss her so much. I miss hearing her call me Ko Ko. People can think we’re delusional all they want. I’m not trying to fool myself. I just don’t want to miss that baby anymore. I want her home. We all want her home.

Margaret Brown
    (Mother of Denise Brown)

    Yeah, there’s that young ditz over there with