Report 2: The Edwards Family, Interview 2: Gemma and Dale Edwards

            Kitty Edwards led me upstairs to her daughter’s bedroom, which was closed, locked, and decorated with a bright pink poster of a pop star riding the Top 40 airwaves.  After Kitty knocked and asked to come in, Gemma, the thirteen-year-old daughter of Kitty and Dale, let us in and hopped back onto her bed.  The room, like the door, was a tribute to the color pink and the music giants of soft rock and country.  Dale himself was not in sight, leading me at first to believe that he was off somewhere else cleaning.

            It only took one question from her mother for Gemma to agree to the interview.  She appeared a tad shy at first but soon took more easily to the process.  Kitty took a seat on the window sill and offered me a swivel chair next to a desk with a purple laptop, which I accepted and readied my notes while Gemma settled in against the wall on the opposite side of her bed and combed her hair.

TC: Hi, Gemma.  It’s good to meet you.  My name’s Howard.

Gemma: Hi.

TC: Mind if I get a little information about you before we jump into my questions?  Anything you want to share about yourself.

Gemma: So just like my school and stuff?

TC: Anything.

Gemma: Okay.  Um, I’m thirteen and I’m in eighth grade at St. Carol’s down the road there.  I’m going to the public high school next year, but Mom says maybe her YouTube will help pay for me to go to a better one, like, the year after that.  And I’m into music.

TC: Interesting.  Now, just to make sure you understand, I don’t want you to feel like you have to answer everything I ask.  If anything makes you uncomfortable at all, just say you don’t want to answer and we’ll go on, no question.  Deal?

Gemma: Deal.

TC: All right.  Can you just tell me how things have been since your dad came back?  Or, if you’d rather I call him Dale, I…

Gemma: I call him Dad.

TC: Okay.  So how have things been with your dad?

Gemma: Pretty cool.  At first I didn’t think I’d, like, want him back in the house after what he did to us and some other people, but now I like it.  He’s little and can’t cause any more trouble, just like Mom says.  And he helps out with, like, chores in the house and stuff.

TC: That’s good to hear.  What about from a personal standpoint?  Has having him back affected your relationship with him much?

Gemma: Oh, yeah.  I wasn’t ever, like, real close with him before he left because of all his… problems, and stuff.  I used to be, like… kinda scared of him, really.  But not anymore.  And it’s helped me know him a lot better.

TC: How so?

Gemma: Well, Mom says he’s not allowed to say no to stuff we say, because he has to earn his keep and work back all the money he stole.  And I figure since he’s here to try and fix himself, part of that should be with how much he knows me.  So I hang out with him sometimes.

TC: Hang out?

Gemma: Yeah.  He’s real fun to have around.  He, like, paints my nails for me and stuff.

TC: Really.  Sounds useful.  Just anytime you ask?

Gemma: Mostly.  The first time I asked, he wasn’t so nice about it.

Kitty: (to Gemma) Tell him about it, honey.

Gemma: (to me) Do you want to hear about that?

TC: If you’re willing to tell it, yes.

Gemma: Okay.  Well, it was a couple days after he got here, and my toes were, like, in real bad need of a pedi, so I asked him really nice to come into my room so I could show him how to do it right.  And he told me to go and… well, I don’t think I can say it in front of Mom.

Kitty: It’s okay, honey.  It’s for the interview.

Gemma: Oh.  Um, okay.  He told me to go and… fuck myself.

TC: I see.  And how did you respond?

Gemma: Well, like, I’m not allowed to use the Matter Reduct-o gun thing until I’m, like, sixteen, so I just went and got Mom to do it, and made him an inch.  And then I just, like, laid my foot on his little body real carefully and told him he had one more chance to apologize and then do my nails or we were gonna have problems.

TC: Did that work?

Gemma: (laughs) He said sorry and he’s never complained again about jobs I give him.  I still sometimes do it, though, cuz it tickles when he’s under there.  Put my foot on him, I mean.  I like putting him between my toes, too.  He makes a good separator if I just feel like painting my nails myself.  It kinda takes a while to do them all if he does it himself.

TC: I see.

Gemma: I promise, I wasn’t gonna, like, squish him or anything.  I just wanted him to get the idea that I’m in charge and stuff.

TC: I understand.  And you’d say things like that have changed your relationship with him?

Gemma: Yeah, totally.  Dad’s so much nicer to me now that he gets how stuff works around here for him.  No more, like, cussing me out or anything.  He tells me I’m pretty and likes to listen to music with me.

Kitty: (to Gemma) Tell him about your date.

Gemma: (to me) Do you want to hear about my date?

TC: Absolutely.

Gemma: Okay.  Well, this guy named Todd from school asked me out for bowling and stuff, and Dad, like, wasn’t so crazy about him and didn’t like that I was going by myself, and wanted to know if he could, like, come along to check on me sometimes.

TC: And what did you say?

Gemma: I said yes, and since he gets to leave the house once a week, I put him in my purse and let him ride along while Mom dropped us off at the alley.  It was a lot of fun, and I let him out to have some fries at the stand.  He said he was happy I let him come to make sure I was, like, okay.

TC: I see.  It was nice of you to include him like that.

Kitty: He’s lucky to have a daughter like her.  I bet most girls your age wouldn’t be so nice, honey.

Gemma: Probably not.  But he’s not coming on the next one.  It made Todd nervous last time.

TC: And what about him as a person?  Would you say he’s been improved by his time here?

Gemma: I think so.  He can’t do, like, bad stuff anymore now that he’s with us and he’s paying back all the money he owes with Mom’s YouTube.  He used to steal from people and, like, deal with some scary people.  He was… scary to people.  Like I said.  But not anymore.

TC: How so?

Gemma: He can’t hurt people anymore.  And he’s still learning how to behave better.  I’m making sure of that.

TC: How are you doing that?

Gemma: Well, like right now.  He didn’t cuss, but he kinda sass-mouthed me, so I had to, like, teach him a lesson.

TC: Where is he?

            At this point, Gemma slid further forward on the bed and pointed to a shoe box on the floor.

Gemma: In there.

TC: In the shoe box?

Gemma: Yeah.  My favorite pink converse got some mud on them from when I was, like, walking yesterday, and I told him to clean it out with his hands cuz his tiny itty bitty fingers are way better at, like, getting stuff out than mine.

TC: And how did he respond?

Gemma: He said he’d do it but he needed something better to clean them with or it wasn’t going to work, he wouldn’t be able to get all the mud.

TC: I see.  And?

Gemma: I knew he was just stalling, so I asked him one more time, and he repeated himself at me.  Like I’m stupid or something.

TC: That must’ve upset you.

Gemma: No kidding it did.  So I put the shoes back in the box, and him in the box, and then told him he can come out when the mud’s all out.

TC: Interesting.

Gemma: Don’t worry.  I, like, poked holes in the side.  He can breathe and stuff.

TC: How do you think it’s going in there?

Gemma: I don’t know.  We can, like, check on him if you want, but he’s still gotta finish his job.

TC: I understand.  I’d actually like to be able to interview him too, if possible.

Gemma: Oh, okay.  I guess he’ll just have more to do later.  Time to come out, Dad!

            Here, Gemma lifted the shoe box to the bed and removed the lid, and then her father, who stood at six inches tall at the time, by plucking him by the back of his shirt.  He made no audible response as she did so and placed him on her right thigh.  Dale is bald with a short goatee, and slightly underweight.  He looked up briefly at me once he regained his balance, but his gaze quickly shifted back to his shoes again.

TC: Hello, Mr. Edwards.

Gemma: (after a ten-second period of no response) Hey, Dad.  This guy’s here to interview you.  Be a nice little man and look up, just like I taught you.

            At this point, Gemma gave her father a small poke in the back and then lifted his chin up with her index finger, forcing him to look at me.

Dale: Hey.

TC: I’m from the Techilogic Corporation and I’m putting together a study of demographics impacted by The Shrink Act.  Would you be willing to answer a few questions for me right now about it?

            Dale’s expression didn’t change until his gaze shifted over to his wife behind me, at which point his eyes widened, and then he looked immediately back at me.

Dale: Yes, I would.

TC: Excellent.  Could you just share the general nature of your experience back here with Kitty and Gemma?

Dale: Yeah, sure. It’s real simple.  I’ve done a lot of wrong to a lot of people.  I know that much, and I’m here to repay it however I have to.

TC: Okay.  And how much of that would you say that line of thinking came about after your arrival here, when it was decided you would forego jail time in order to help earn back money you owe?

Dale: Most of it.  I knew I had to face up to everything once I was caught, and now that I’m here, I guess if I can make things easier for the people I hurt the most, then that’s what makes it worth it.

TC: Interesting.  And how would you say your relationships with your daughter and wife-

            Kitty cleared her throat behind me.

TC: Sorry.  Your daughter and Kitty.  How would you say your relationships with them have been affected by your time here?

Dale: I suppose I can’t really speak to it much, seeing as how I’m the one who’s got the fixing to do, but I think they both know I’m trying to patch things up.  I’m a selfish man, and I used to spend a lot of time away doing things I regretted.  Now, I put that time into trying to make it up to them.  I care about ‘em both a lot, even if they haven’t forgiven me just yet, or ever will.

Gemma: Don’t be silly, Dad.  You know I’ve forgiven you now.

            After saying this, Gemma picked her father up again and lowered him over the side of the bed toward her feet, which were now dangling close to the ground, and placed him atop her right one so that he was forced to straddle it with his arms around a couple of her toes to keep his balance.  As soon as he had a good enough grip to keep from falling, she started bobbing her foot up and down at what I’m sure was a good enough pace to disorient her father.

Dale: Thanks, sweetie.

Gemma: You’re welcome, Dad.  Now gimme a kiss.

            At this command, Gemma’s foot momentarily stopped moving long enough for Dale to plant a light peck on his daughter’s big toenail, before it continued bouncing again.

Kitty: They are so cute together, aren’t they, Howard?

TC: I can certainly see where the bonding comes from.

Kitty: You really can, can’t you?

TC: We’re about done here.  I just have one last question for now.  What about you, Mr. Edwards?  As an individual.  Would you say this course of action as a rehabilitation program has been effective for you?

            At this question, I see Dale’s eyes flash toward his wife again before returning to me, though it’s hard keeping perfect eye contact as Gemma’s foot keeps moving so irregularly.

Dale: Yes.  Definitely yes.  I know I’ve got a long road ahead of me, and I don’t expect forgiveness from many people, but I’m trying, and if I can at least be of use here, then I’d say that’s the most important thing.

Kitty: I told him I’ll let him say that on the next video.  I think people will really take to it.

TC: I’m sure they will.  I appreciate the time you’ve all been willing to give me, and I look forward to following up this interview sometime within the next year if you’ll have me.

Kitty: You’re welcome back anytime.  You’ve been so nice to us.

TC: Thank you.  Mr. Edwards and Gemma?   Thanks to you too.

Gemma: You’re welcome.  (to Dale) Say you’re welcome.

Dale: You’re welcome.

Gemma: That’s my good little Daddy.  Now, do you know what time it is?

Dale: Time to go back in the box.

Gemma: Oh, you’re so good at this.  That’s exactly right.  Better hang on tight.

            Here, Gemma’s foot lowered down into the box with her father still hanging onto it until it was pressed to the side, where Dale dutifully climbed off his daughter’s foot and steadied himself on the rubber rim of the dirty pink Converse.

Gemma: I still see a lot of gross gunk on my shoes, Dad.  Better keep going or you’ll be in there, like, all night.

            The girl’s toes tapped at her father’s face one more time before she removed her foot from the box and then replaced the shoe box lid, sealing its occupant back inside.

Gemma: (to me) Mister?

TC: Yes?

Gemma: I forgot to say before.  But I think things are better because I, like, know where Dad is all the time.  He can’t ever go hide or run away from us like ever again.  I’ve got him right where he needs to be.  And he’s not going anywhere again, not unless I say so.

TC: I see.  Thank you for sharing that, Gemma.

Kitty: She’s got such a strong sense of self.  Don’t you, honey?

Gemma: Uh-huh.

TC: This should about wrap things up.

            Departing from the Edwards residence came shortly after.  The family has concretely agreed to meet with me in sixth months again for another round of interviews to deduce if further progress has been made in Dale’s rehabilitation, his relationships with his wife and daughter, and the general serving of justice.  As I made my way down the walk, Kitty encouraged me to subscribe to her YouTube channel, and Gemma suggested a couple of country songs she wanted me to listen to because my face reminded her of the artist.

            Though it would be something of a discredit to my study to put any real stock in predictions with only one round of interviews completed, I can’t help but feel something is slightly amiss with the system as it specifically pertains to the Edwards family.  All was well on the surface, but my experience as an analyst has taught me it’s difficult to trust everything I see in situations like this.  There was something about the way Kitty and Dale exchanged glances.  As she has the legal right to be in the same room as him at all times, I couldn’t have asked her to leave, though next time, it would behoove me and the validity of my study’s results to politely insist on a solo audience with Dale.

            Further reflection on this matter will undoubtedly continue once I’ve compiled more information from the family and other sources as well.  For the time being, the interviews I collected today are irrefutably a strong statement on the possible interpersonal outcomes of The Shrink Act.  Whether or not that statement is a positive one for the nation remains to be seen.