Andy (The Book)

Chapter 8

Andy again began to stay in town with friends, gone two nights in a row. Admittedly, one night was because he had an early AM appointment to get work done on the car. He came home briefly, the night before, to pick up a check I wrote for the repair work. He had Joe's wife, Anya, in the car. She didn't even get out and he only did because I refused to bring the check out to him after he honked the horn. He was brusque, grabbing the check and heading right back to the car. I tried to talk to him and he said he was in a hurry. 

 

When he did come home, about 3AM the next night, he was intolerable. He accused me of being angry because I didn't jump with joy at his arrival in the middle of the night. He told me he hated coming home to me and didn't understand why we were even together. I told him I didn't understand either. He said he'd been in the emergency room the last 8 hours. He said it in an accusing voice intimating that I didn't care. I tried to tell him I did care, but he doesn't make it easy. I told him he needed to talk to me, to include me in his life. He went to sleep and I cried. When I gave up trying to sleep I wrote my frustrations in my journal.

We fought more the next day. He tried to call "friends" to come and get him, so he wouldn't use my car. After all, I had tried to explain how I felt- that he was with me for the money and my car. He said he was going to go see his doctor and get him to admit him the UNM Hospital in Albuquerque for tests. I told him that would be a good idea, he needed to find out what was causing the chest pains to continue. He said he was doing it to get away from me and he implied that he was not coming back here.

I called out to Dolores. I asked her to tell Andy to take the car today, just be sure he doesn't keep it for good. She did and he left.

Often when Andy and I fight, he calls me later and tells me over the phone that it wasn't him but new alters who argued with me. This was no different. He said there were 6 new alters and that they'd been trying to kill him. He was having a hard time fighting them off. He said he loved me.

Andy talked to his doctor about being admitted to UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, they were to talk more about it on Monday. I told Andy that I thought the new alters had something to do with his heart attacks getting worse. His health always seems to deteriorate when new alters appear, and after all, these had been threatening to kill him. What better way could they choose? 

 

Andy wanted to see Dr. Davis, but he said he couldn't anymore. Dr. Davis was leaving, too. It would help if he could see Jim, but mental health wouldn't let him. They had closed his case. He got rid of the alters with NLP, and hoped a solution would appear soon.

Then miracle of miracles, his heart was healing itself and he could now play pool. The Santa Fe team threw him a party to celebrate. Both his teams made it to the play-offs and he was playing better then ever.

And he'd be gone more and more. He managed to see Jim for therapy one day and Dr. Davis two more times. He put a lot of mileage on the car and made a lot of phone calls. Now my long-distance bill was almost $150 and still he didn't have any money to contribute to the household. Then the car needed more repairs, “Gee, wonder why?”. Certainly, it wasn't because I drove to town twice/month for a day of doctor's appointments, shopping and the library.

Occasionally, Andy sends various alters on vacation to combat stress. They may stay a few days at Gregory's house in the Bahamas, at Pop's and Anne's place in Hawaii or go skiing in the Alps. When it's Grenudo's turn he goes with his wife Yvonne and their daughter Melda. When it's Limpio's turn he takes his wife Heidi and their daughter Lita. 

Sometimes Pops or Marvin take children alters who need a reward for their efforts in therapy. Annie and Vincent have been working hard as the gatekeepers and they have a baby now so they needed a vacation. I agreed, but then I learned what it meant to have Annie gone. 

 

One of the veterinarians in town was having half-priced specials on shots for dogs on Sept. 12 and for cats on Sept. 19. Neither Daisy nor Salem had received shots in almost 2 years. I told Andy that we had to make this a priority, before the money was gone.

But again, Andy had no money to contribute to the household. Then when I wanted to take Daisy, he started getting chest pains. He told me he was "-too scared to be home alone, but hey, you take that damn dog anyway. I don't want you to say I didn't let you!" 

 

I didn't really have the money anyway, even at half-price. But I felt really bad about it. I made signs advertising dog needs a home and asked Andy to post them for me. Of course this made him mad. He said I was blaming him. I told him we didn't really have the money anyway, and she'll need dog food soon. She deserves better. He continued being angry over that for days, ranting on and on about how I knew he hated dogs. None of this would have happened if Annie had been here. She would have seen that I had the money and that I was able to get Daisy in for her shots. She's the only alter that likes dogs.

I reminded him again, that I would have given Daisy away when she was a puppy if he had told me that then. It was cruel to expect me to give her away now. Besides, he brought home several dogs himself. At the same time I had Daisy as a puppy, he had Holly. The reason I eventually found a home for Holly is because he wasn't taking care of her. I'd had to find homes for puppies from all 3 of Holly's litters and finally I had to pay to get her spayed so I could find a home for her because he just wasn't doing it.

I was so happy when Annie and Vincent came back from vacation. I couldn't stop telling her how much I missed her.

A day later, he took the car in for repairs. He found out that the car needed more work then he thought it did and it would have to stay overnight. 

 

He had a playoff game at the Ringside and then I figured he'd go to Joe's for the night. But he called me, just as I was going to sleep, to tell me that he and Joe had a fight and he had nowhere to go. And it was getting cold, he had no jacket, and he was just getting over strep throat. He said he'd gone numb several times. He had been at the hospital earlier, but they wouldn't let him stay even though he had nowhere to go. 

 

He told me that Larry was at a training seminar in Santa Fe, and that his other pool buddies all had full houses. He said he was scared and he was having trouble breathing. He was calling from a payphone and it didn't reach the ground. He had to sit down before he fell down and said he'd call me back. 

 

I was upset, there was little I could do from our home 23 miles from town. It would take me an hour just to walk to the interstate where I could hitch a ride. And what good would it do for both of us to be in the streets. I tried calling Joe's but no one answered. It was late and I figured they were in bed and ignoring the phone. Then I called his mom in Oakdale. She was over an hour away, but at least she had a car. She didn't at first volunteer and I didn't want to ask her to go out so late at night and so far. I ended the conversation asking her to pray for him and promised to let her know what happened.

Andy called again, saying the gangsters were after him and he was trying to hide. He was angry and said that no way would he stay with Joe because Joe had put him down, saying we'd gotten taken on the car repairs.

Then Joe and his wife, Anya, called. They'd just gotten home and had seen our number on the caller ID box. We talked and they had no idea that Andy was mad. He said he thought that Andy knew better and that he could come stay with them anytime. He said that Andy told him he had a hotel room and didn't need a place to stay. I explained that Andy had never known people like Joe and Anya, and that people he knew always used or abused him so he couldn't trust people. I knew they were just concerned that we not be taken advantage of, Andy's mom was the same way. It just means they care. But Andy doesn't understand that and he got hurt because he saw it as a put-down.

Joe borrowed his brother-in-law's car and went looking for Andy. He called back to say God directed him to where Andy was hiding and he'd talked Andy into going home with him. He wanted me to know that Andy was okay now. They were making him eat something and putting him to bed.

The next day we found out that the repairs were even more extensive and costly then we expected. But Dimi, who owns the shop, said not to worry about it. We could pay her when we had the money. And they scheduled to do the brakes next week. Most of the work that's been done on the car lately has been front-end work because of the road where we live. It does a lot of damage to cars.

Andy stayed in town until late that night, too. He wasn't scheduled to play pool but Joe was and so he stayed to watch. He came home in the middle of night, on a night that I had a sleeping pill to take. I'd put off taking it because I knew he'd wake me. I have so much trouble sleeping and he makes virtually no effort to accommodate me.

We pretty much picked up the argument we were having before he left two days ago. The next day he went to Santa Fe to see Dr. Davis.

He came home excited because he had managed to meet Shania Twain. It seems he heard somewhere that she was looking for a new drummer, and so he borrowed Dennis's computer at the Cafe and applied for the job. Now he'd met her, signing autographs at a Santa Fe music store, and she said he had a good chance. She had called his cousin Yvette and gotten a good reference. He should be expecting a ticket to Dallas for a tryout next month.

It would be great if he could do it. I'm sure he'd play well enough, but what about his chest pains. His chest pains had recently caused him to turn down a chance to play with a local band that asked him.

I didn't comment except to say I hope his health holds out so he can do it.

Somehow though, everything I said got him mad anymore. I couldn't even open my mouth without him saying that I'm trying to start an argument. He'd been saying that he was leaving me and tonight he packed. I told him it was fine with me, I was tired of being treated this way. His mom was coming to get him Sunday and tomorrow he'd go to Joe's. She could pick him up there. 

 

Because it was too late to go that evening he went upstairs to sleep. But he kept having “milds”. Then he came down and said he was going outside "because if I asked you to shut off that music you'd throw a fit!" I was listening to Enya to help relax me and get to sleep. I was playing it especially low. There was no way he could have heard it from his room upstairs. Besides, when I first turned it on, I could hear sounds of a video game being played. 

 

I turned it off but it was some time later before he came in. He woke me to announce "I'm just now coming in because I had six more “milds” outside!", as he went stomping up the stairs. That was only about the third time that night he'd woke me to tell me, in an angry tone of voice, something that I had no need of knowing since I couldn't do anything about it anyway. If I could have done something it would have been different. But that tone of voice only served to make me feel I didn't care anymore. I’d do everything I could and it's as if he purposely went out of his way to upset me further. 

 

Just as I started to drift towards sleep again, Grenudo called down. "Master is numb and having trouble breathing". I asked why they were trying to sleep on that little couch when they have two other mattresses up there that they could make. He didn't answer but said "Master is losing his voice". 

 

Then a few minutes later Grenudo called again to say "We pulled out of it. Could me and Limpio come downstairs to sleep?" 

 

I told them, "Since you can't come without being integrated in Andy, I'd rather go upstairs and make a bed for you". 

 

In a sad voice he said, "We'll be okay". 

 

Then I relented. "Come down then, I'll rearrange the bed again."

They did and immediately went numb again. When Grenudo said they were having trouble breathing again, I asked, "What do they say at the hospital when you have trouble breathing?"

"They say we should be on oxygen, but Medicare doesn't pay for oxygen. We could choke and die."

I couldn't sleep anymore. We talked as I got up, and Grenudo said, "Andy plans to leave, you know. But we don't want to leave."

"I'll miss you Grenudo, and many of the other alters too. But maybe it would be better if Andy did leave. I can't take much more of the way he's been treating me. I've given up six years of my life just to take care of him. And he doesn't seem to appreciate any of it. I feel he's just taking advantage of me. I can't do it anymore. I need to take care of myself."

Grenudo continued, "Something is bothering Master and we don't know what it is. Something is scaring him and he wouldn't even tell Dr. Davis. I'll try and get him to talk to me about it."

Grenudo got Andy to talk. He said the nightmares were getting worse. He said his father was there and had a gun to his head. It was a memory from his childhood. He'd seen his father put a bullet in the gun, but didn't know which chamber it was in. He said his father kept pulling the trigger but so far the gun hadn't fired. He believed it would fire, eventually.

Andy'd seen Dr. Davis and his medical doctor. He said they told him to take a vacation. Of course, I said "with what money". He started telling me about a festival that Native Americans were having in eastern Colorado. He read about it in the newspaper and we could camp out in the car like we did when we tried to escape the fires. He also said that his mom had suggested we visit his uncle and aunt near Denver. In the past, we'd suggested visiting them and she'd said to leave them alone. Apparently, she'd changed her mind since she'd begun to recognize how much better Andy was doing. 

 

"Besides", he said, "You promised we'd make another trip to Colorado after the fires and before another winter came". 

 

And again, I said, "I never promised we'd go, only that we'd try to go". I didn't remind him how he hadn't contributed to the household budget all summer or how he'd spent a fortune on gas this summer, driving all over the state fishing or playing pool, or about the long distance phone calls he'd made. 

 

We looked at the map and actually talked, rather sensibly, about options. I knew he'd really love to learn more about the Native Americans that were his ancestors and this was a good opportunity. He read about history and battles in the Wild West all the time and often talked about learning more. But from what we could figure from all the windy little roads on the map, it would take forever and a fortune in gas to get there. And we didn't have enough information about what we'd find when we got there. The smarter thing would be to drive towards Denver, call his uncle, and see if we got invited to stay overnight. If not, we could just say "Hello", then find a place to camp out for the night off some back road in the mountains nearby. 

 

Getting packed was a chore. We had to be prepared for all weather possibilities and the likelihood that we'd be sleeping in the car (or on the ground next to the car as was my preference). We didn't have a tent that was in one piece or that we could get up by ourselves. We didn't even have a flashlight that properly worked. And we'd need some decent looking clothes in case we did stay at his uncles, but since we couldn't afford to ruin our few decent clothes we had to have funky clothes for camping out. And it could get very cold at night in the mountains, but over 80 in the day. And, of course, we needed to be prepared for all medical emergencies. My medications, vitamins, herbs, homeopathics, etc. had to be condensed as much as possible. Yet, who knew how long we'd be gone and what we'd need. And then my garden was still producing and it needed to be watered, and the plants I'd just rooted in pots, definitely, needed watering, and oh yeah, what about Daisy? Annie agreed to come with us and protect Daisy. 

 

Somehow we got it all packed, in the car, and Julio (12 yr. old nephew of the landlord) would water the garden in exchange for borrowing a couple video games. We were on our way, or almost anyway. Andy couldn't wait until morning, the logical time to leave. It was 7PM, one hour of daylight left to drive, and we'd camp by one of Andy's favorite fishing lakes a couple hours north of here. Then the phone rang.

The program for battered families, where I'd sent at least 3 resumes over the past 3 years, had an opening in the Las Vegas office. She liked my resume and she wanted to interview me. My sleep problems would not be a problem, someone else liked to be in the office at 8AM. I could schedule appointments whenever I liked. If it turned out that 40 hours were too much, we'd talk about it. It was perfect. Could I come in for an interview tomorrow?

Of course, Any was upset. He swore I hadn't even told him I'd sent them another resume, I thought I had. Anyway, "You know the doctors don't want me home alone! Maybe in another month or two."

I wanted this job so bad. We could have heat this winter if I got this job. But, the last thing I wanted was to get the job and have to call in everyday because he was sick and couldn't be alone. I called back and she was still in the office. I did my best to explain. She said she'd check back with me, if she didn't like any of the other people she was interviewing. And she'd keep my resume active. We got in the car to leave about 8PM with only minutes of daylight. 

 

It was already getting colder and there was a slight chance of precipitation (there's never a good chance of precipitation in this part of the country). This summer, Andy's friends had helped him lower the window on the passenger's side. It'd been broken for two years now and the heat last summer really hurt Andy's muscles. Besides, this summer he always had fishing buddies or pool buddies as passengers. The plan was to prop it back up in a few weeks. I tried to cover the window with a towel, then with a flimsy plastic tarp. At least 5 times before we got to Vegas, we had to stop to adjust it. No matter what I tried to block the window with, it flapped deafeningly. It hurt my ears and I just couldn't stand it. We turned around and went home. 

 

Andy didn't seem as upset as I thought he would be, just disappointed. We'd get the window up somehow and leave the next day, after we'd had some sleep. I fell asleep after taking my clonidine, and woke as usual an hour later. I normally stay up and read in the middle of the night, while Andy slept. But this time he wasn't sleeping. I looked and he was outside working on the car. He'd managed to get the window up and propped with a stick. He said he wanted to see if it would stay up and he took it for a test drive. It seemed to work, and since we were both up, we left.

We went to Lake #13, I believe he called it. It was pitch dark and no one else was around. Andy reclined his seat and snuggled into a blue nylon sleeping back that Joe had left in the car. I laid out a bed by layering a tarp, then a heavy cotton sleeping bag to lie on, and another as a cover. I asked him to join me, but he didn't want to sleep on the ground. He was afraid something would get him, something creepy crawly or one of the coyotes we could hear nearby. Daisy was tied to the back bumper and I figured the coyotes had better things to do then bother us. And as far as creepy crawly things, well, that's why I had a tarp that was significantly bigger then the sleeping bags.

Neither of us really slept, but we rested. It was cold, but the sleeping bag was comfy-cozy as long as I could stay still and snuggled. I really wished I could be less restless. Eventually I could see the outline of the mesas in the background and shapes of a few dark trees, nearer. The horizon became highlighted in a dark pink and that's when the morning wildlife woke. Small dark shapes appeared on the surface of the lake, millions and millions of them. It sounded like water was lapping over rocks, but this was flat land and there were no mountain streams. Then I realized the quacking sounds indicated waterfowl and the lapping was their wings on the surface of the water.

The small line of dark pink grew and the color expanded, red and orange, as gradually the dark shapes became more distinguishable. The lake took on a silver sheen as the sun rose above the mesa. Small groups of birds took flight as others landed, and the occasional tree turned from black to deep-green to green. There were tall grasses around the lake, but they were separated from it by a wide muddy shoreline. 

 

I got up, and shivering I found my jacket and shoes, as Andy got up too. I relieved myself in the weeds nearby before there was much light, but Andy, always more modest, had to go looking for the outhouse. He asked me to wait, as he'd like to walk around the lake with me. I folded the sleeping bags and did some rearranging in the car until he returned. It was incredible, I saw the hoof, paw, and claw prints of well over 20 different species of animal in the mud by the lake. As much as I wished I could let Daisy have a run, I didn't want her to mess with the wildlife. I walked her, a bit, on her leash then put her in the car. We left just as it was getting to be full daylight.

The changes in temperature still amaze me out here. In Florida the temperature doesn't change more then a few degrees at night. If it's 85 during the day, it may cool off to 82 that night. 

 

I was still shivering, with my jacket on, when we left. Seemingly only minutes later I had my jacket off, and I was sweating. The sun beat on my side of the car and I wished I could put the window down. 

 

As I searched for my sunscreen, I became concerned about Daisy. Because we had so much stuff in the car, and because I needed to keep her away from Andy, she was nestled in a very tight space right behind me. She had no way to get out of the sun and the side window in the back only propped open a couple inches. 

 

This was the kind of situation that I knew could become explosive, especially as the traffic became heavier on the interstate. I wish Andy was the kind of man I could easily ask, "Do you mind if we pull over a minute so I can get Daisy some water and put a towel over her window to block out some of the sun (before she has heatstroke)?" But I'd really wanted to stretch my legs and enjoy the view over Raton pass, too, and he didn't understand when I tried to broach the subject. We stopped often so he could pee and take a few puffs from a cigarette, and I grabbed one of these moments to hurriedly try and put a towel over her window and add water to her dish. 

 

It was barely noon when we got to the outskirts of Denver and we'd been on the interstate the whole way. He called his uncle from a gas station and his uncle said he'd find us, as he was on his way out to meet someone for lunch. He said they'd like us to have dinner with them and stay overnight. We arranged to meet later when we followed him to his ranch. It was gorgeous. 

 

Off the frontage road, a dirt road led up to their house. From the front of the house, the view looked out over the interstate where several large new condominiums were scattered over rolling green hills and a few very large mansions nestled, surrounded by trees. The yard around the house was green and carefully landscaped, while in back the land rose sharply. There it was covered in shrubs and wild grasses that were mostly brown. A corral and stable were on the right, with three horses, while a line of electric fence reminded the horses not to cross into the formal yard. They had different wildflowers then we did south, lots of small clusters of reds and purples.

Andy's Uncle Dan seemed happy we'd stopped by, and showed us around. They had a guest room we could use, obviously also used when grandchildren visited as it contained a few baby things and toys in one corner. The house was open and airy, with lots of very large windows and magnificent views. 

 

While we were there, his uncle showed us a photo album that showed the various steps in the building of the house. He'd designed and built the house himself. It was adobe. But unlike where we lived it didn't look like it was made of dirt. The walls were twice as thick as ours, reinforced with steel and finished with stucco. Windows were double paned and there was some sort of central heat and air. There was a separate dining room, but that night we ate in the kitchen. And there was a basement where his uncle made home-brewed beer. There was piano which I was invited to play. I hadn't played in many years, but it was something I'd loved when I was a child and I gave it a try.

Andy's uncle was a retired engineer and I enjoyed talking to him. And his Aunt Phyllis was a retired schoolteacher who did volunteer work giving tours at the state park. They kept very busy caring for grandchildren, traveling, taking care of the horses and yard and helping out friends. Andy relaxed in a way I'd never seen him do before. Sometimes he sat by himself on a couch just reading the newspaper while the rest of us talked, and I sensed a peace within him. I helped his uncle pick grapes and he let me pet the horses. We ended up staying two nights, loving every minute.

Andy had only one nightmare and a few barely noticeable chest pains. He didn't have any mild heart attacks the whole time we were there. And he admitted he felt safer then he'd ever felt.

But the night after we left, Denver had their first snowfall of the season, 7 inches in some places. And whether he was concerned or not, I knew winter was on its way and we wouldn't have heat at all this year unless a miracle happened. We'd had a postcard from our gas company saying the price of propane had tripled and we needed to purchase it by October 1st. A tank of propane, which would last maybe 6 weeks, would cost almost my month's income.

Andy felt the need to spend some time with his mom in Oakdale. I couldn't stay because it was too hard to avoid her cigarette smoke, and an hour visit would not be enough for him. I told him, if he wanted to stay a couple of days, it would be worthwhile for me to drive all the way home and come back for him later. So, that's what I did. 

 

I told him that when I came back I'd bring the weed-eater and I asked him to prepare her. We had to fight back some of the weeds that were engulfing her house and I knew she'd argue. He hadn't prepared her and we faced the argument when I got there. In the past, I'd back down when she forbid us to work in her yard. She'd get upset, arguing she was worried about our health and swearing she was going to do her yard soon. But she wouldn't hire a local teenager as she wouldn't let anyone in her yard, saying she'd get sued if something went wrong. She didn't trust anyone else and she wouldn't admit she couldn't do it by herself anymore. We agreed that it could be too much for Andy, his chest pains had worsened again, but I could do it. Of course, it would have been easier if she had let me do it one or two other times throughout the summer. I told her the only really stressful part of doing her yard was having to argue with her. Andy made her go inside, and he plugged in the extension cord for me and I got to work.

We eventually got home safely, and things were a little smoother for a while.

Andy knew I was concerned about the upcoming election. Every time one of us went to Vegas, we looked around for an office of the Democratic campaign, or at least someone who was passing out signs and bumper stickers. But so far, we'd found nothing. Then one day, when he was in Santa Fe to see Dr. Davis, he found the Democratic headquarters for Santa Fe County. Dr. Davis had told him he should do some volunteer work, so he stopped in and they put him to work. He called me from there and told me to plan on coming in with him the next day. 

We started going to headquarters as often as we felt physically up to it. When we didn't have the money for gas, Elena, the co-chair of the coordinated campaign gave it to us. Twice she helped us when we had flat tires, even buying a new tire out of her own pocket. As they learned of our financial situation, they got permission to put us on the payroll. It didn't take long before Andy's chest pains were preventing him from going in, but he generally felt good enough that I could go in without him. Robert and Elena were putting in 12-14 hr. days, 7 days/week and I could see the stress they were under. Yet, they found time to give us hugs and words of encouragement. The first checks we received were about double what I thought they should have been. When I questioned that we hadn't worked that much I was told, "Don't worry about it!". And when I managed to work only 2 or 3 hrs. before Andy needed me home, they said "Go, take care of your hubby!"

Andy did manage to pull himself together enough to work for his Playstation II when it came out. He'd had an upsetting session with Dr. Davis and immediately upon coming home said he had to go to Oakdale. I'd planned on using the car to go to Democratic headquarters, but he said it was important. He'd just learned about more abuse and had the need to go hug his Mom for saving his life. Before he left, he made a bunch of long-distance phone calls and made arrangement to work for his new game system. He made the 180 mile round trip to Oakdale to spend an hour with his Mom, then he went to work at Walmart in Las Vegas from 8PM until midnight. He got his Playstation II and was told he'd be called in to work another 16 hours to finish paying for it. Then he came home and told me that Jason had called him from Software, Etc. in Santa Fe. They wanted him to come in from 6 to 8 AM and they'd pay him in games for his new system. He laid down, didn't sleep, then left in the middle of the night. By the time he got to bed the next day, he'd been on the go for over 30 hours straight.

It was the end of October, the year 2000, and again we thought there could be no more new alters. I was in Santa Fe working at Democratic headquarters, and I stopped for gas while driving around doing errands. The gas station where we usually go has cameras and they let you pump your gas before paying. If I'd gone there, I'd have been in trouble. But I went to one where I had to pay first so I got out my wallet. All the money was gone, except for $5. The last time I was in Santa Fe, I'd gotten extra cash, almost wiping out my checking account to do it. It had been another month that Andy had had no money to contribute to the household "...because of doctor's bills" he'd said. Yet, he'd taken almost all the money I had on top of it. No one else had been anywhere near my purse or my wallet since I'd last seen the money. No one else could have taken it. I was fuming. Andy hadn't put gas in the car the day before when he'd driven it and that $5 only gave me a little over 1/4 tank, barely enough to make it home. 

 

I had every intention of calling Andy as soon as I got back to headquarters, but as I walked in the door, Robert said, "Oh yeah, let me give you your checks before I forget." He handed me checks for Andy and myself, and again they were more then double what I knew they should have been. As soon as he walked away I burst into tears. It was a good thing it was an unusually quiet evening. I did what I could to compose myself, then found an empty office to use to call Andy. 

 

I didn't even talk to him when he answered, but immediately asked for Rhonda. She was judge and she could investigate and bring charges on whatever alters were involved in the theft. I told her I was reaching my limit and if things didn't change soon, as much as I loved her and most of the alters, I would have to pack up and leave. 
 

She said "Hold on a minute, I'll ask. I don't think any of them did it, but I'll ask."

I heard Rhonda's voice and the voices of various other alters answering her. Finally a new voice confessed. I told Rhonda that I'd leave it to her to take care of their punishment because I was too upset. Then Andy came on to tell me that he was sick again. He said he'd been having “milds” all day and was throwing up blood again. He ordered me to come home immediately. I told him I couldn't. They were paying us, and now because of him, we really needed the money. I told him I'd come home when I could, but it wouldn't be right away. They'd already paid us for more hours then we worked and we owed them.

"You care more about them then you do me!" 

 

"That's not true and you know it. Now cut that out!" 

 

I encouraged him to calm himself down and I asked the alters to help him. Getting upset would just make it worse. I told him to stay downstairs and go to bed where he could relax. 

 

A few minutes later a phone rang in one of the offices. I answered, "Democratic Coordinated Campaign-"

It was Andy. "You have to come home right now. There are 6 new alters and they are trying to kill me!"