I continued to check the newspaper daily during the seven years that Carmina was with us. I just couldn’t figure out why she was never reported missing or who she belonged to…and why weren’t they trying to find her?
Why wasn’t I arrested and in prison for my crime?
Just then, an idea came to mind…I could go to the police and turn myself in. They’d have to arrest me and I’d finally be away from Carmina!
I put my plan in motion the next morning. “Carmina…before you go to school today…let’s go to the store.”
“Good, you’re finally learning! I didn’t even have to tell you to take me this time.”
“Get dressed…I’ll meet you in the car,” I responded.
We both got into the car and I drove toward the police station.
Carmina didn’t suspect anything, because we always passed City Hall, where the police station is located on the way to the toy store.
It wasn’t until I pulled around the back of the building and parked that Carmina began to ask questions.
“Where are we going?”
“I have a surprise for you!” I answered…for once not having to fake my enthusiasm.
Carmina stopped when I turned and began to walk up the walkway to City Hall.
“There’s no good surprises here! You’re so dumb…what, what are you doing?”
Inside the large building, we followed the signs until we found ourselves inside the lobby of the police department. Carmina must have been really curious, because she didn’t say anything or ask any questions.
“I KIDNAPPED THIS GIRL SEVEN YEARS AGO FROM SAINT JAMES HOSPITAL!” I announced as loud as my voice could project.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. All eyes were on Carmina and I…just what I wanted.
“PLEASE…I COMMITTED A CRIME AND SHOULD BE IN PRISON!” I continued to shout.
An officer stepped out into the lobby from a door on my left. “Ma’am…may we help you? Is what you’re saying true?”
“Yes officer…I kidnapped this girl and abandoned my own child at the hospital.”
“Then I need you to follow me…” the officer ordered.
I was almost excited as I followed the officer to his desk.
“Have a seat,” he said gesturing to a nearby chair.
I complied as the officer began to access the files on his computer.
“Seven years ago you say?” He asked as he clicked his mouse periodically.
“Yes, Saint James hospital,” I answered barely able to keep a slight smile off of my face.
I glanced over at Carmina who had been busy talking to another officer across from me. She gave me a death stare when she saw me looking, but I didn’t care, because I knew I’d soon be free of her.
“That’s funny, because no infants were reported missing from that hospital seven years ago, nor the few years before and after that.”
“What!?” I was shocked. “You have to check again…what about an abandoned baby?” I asked.
The officer stood up and glanced over at Carmina, who was busy charming the lady officer, “Ma’am…I don’t know what your deal is and why you’re trying to be rid of such a delightful child…but there’re no missing or abandoned babies.”
What the hell? How could Carmina have not been reported missing…and where was my real daughter?
The officer sighed… “We really don’t have time for this…why do you insist on wasting our time?”
“I’m not…I…but…I know what I did…I don’t know why it wasn’t called in.”
“Maybe because it didn’t happen…look, you’re not the first fed up mom to come in here trying to have a child arrested or taken away because you can’t deal with the responsibility.”
“No!” I insisted. “I KNOW what I did…just do a DNA test…you’ll see that she’s not mine.”
“Are you deaf? Do you think this police department has that kind of time and resources?”
“Take your daughter and get out of here NOW!”
I closed my eyes as he spoke…just imagining the things that I was going to have to deal with now that my plan had backfired
Carmina turned and reentered the lobby. I had no choice but to follow.
She seemed to be in shock. I walked out of the police stationed followed by an elderly woman, as Carmina took a few moments to let everything that had happened soak in.
“How dare you!” Carmina hissed when we were finally outside. “How dare you lie like that!”
“Lie about what?” I asked stupidly trying to do anything to smooth over what I had tried to do.
“Lie about a kidnapping so that you’d be rid of me!” Carmina screamed.
“I was just kidding. It was a joke,” I answered frightened by the evil I saw in her eyes.
“You’ll suffer for this…ohhhhyou’ll suffer!”
Just then Carmina turned and ran down the walkway toward the street…
I thought she would either turn the corner or stop once she got to the sidewalk, but she didn’t…
…not until she was in the middle of the street.
I was horrified as I watched what seemed like a slow motion scene…
All I saw was a flash of yellow…and then red…too much red.
“Carmina!” I yelled, unable to believe what she had done.
Before I fully realized what was going on, almost every cop in the police station along with random civilians and other City Hall workers were there on the street; staring in shock. There was a lot of commotion …I could hear sirens approaching from down the street and I believe an ambulance had just pulled up…but above it all, I still heard the words spoken by the man standing next to me…
“I can’t believe she pushed that beautiful girl into the street like that!”
I didn’t have time to react. Some of the cops heard him too, and apparently they thought the same thing. A couple of the cops grabbed my arms and dragged me back into the police station before I could see what happened next with Carmina.
“You’re a disgusting human being,” the older cop said as he tightened his grip on my arm.
