Encore - The Squatter Episode 3

Transcript

0:02

It's spring 1989, Carmen Rodriguez, Mary Peters and Jax the parrot have just finished breakfast. Martha, who has repeated herself continuously all morning ask Carmen for a cup of tea before getting dressed. Martha, you just had a cup of tea. I will help you get dressed and pour you another cup. Pretty bird, pretty bird. Jax is squaking again and Carmen reminds him that she knows he's a pretty bird. Carmen is slow rushing their morning along because It is the day that she has decided to clean up the mess that Tony left in the basement and report his disappearance to authorities. The phone rings and when Carmen answers her heart skips a beat as an operator says, it's Tony Rodriguez calling collect from a correctional facility. With her hand trembling, she accepts the call. and braces herself for the conversation that is about to unfold. FromNancebeB.This is take care of time, the tales and exhales of caregivers. Um, uh, uh Caregivers are the unsung heroes of our society. Selflessly dedicating themselves to the wellbeing and comfort of their loved ones or clients. Their compassion, resilience and I'm wavering commitment, embody the true essence of caregiving. Shining a light of hope and support in the darkest of times. But what happens when a caregiver is sidetracked or misplaced by loyalty? Our story continues. Hello. It's me, Tony, Carmen, Carmen, just me. Tony. Can you hear me? I need your help. Carmen breath catches in her throat at the sound of Tony's voice. Uh, turmoil of emotion squerling within her relief and then anger. Tony, where are you? What's going on? I'm in jail, Carmen. I messed up bad. Carmen's heart sinks as Tony's words, sink in. The weight of the situation bearing down on her shoulders, like a heavy burden. Tony what happened? Tony. Are you here? Can you hear me? Why are you in jail? It's a long story, Carmen. I got mixed up with Eddie and his friends and made some bad decisions. I need your help. I need you to get me out of here. Carmen's mind races as she struggles to process the enormity of Tony's confession. Grappling with a flood of conflicting emotions. Tony. I don't know. I just don't know what to say. Carmen, please. You're the only one that I can turn to. I need you. Carmen, please. I owe Eddie a lot of money and I need to get out of here before something happens. I have some money hidden in my room, in the basement, and I need you to take it to Eddie by noon. Carmen's heart aches as the desperation in Tony's voice. Torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her duty to Martha and her family. Tony I'm at work. I can't leave Martha. It will be quick. Just get the money, drop it off and come right back. Martha will be fine for a couple of hours. Please Carmen, please. As Carmen hangs with the phone, her mind races with uncertainty and apprehension, Knowing the decisions that she makes in the moments to come will shape the course of events for everyone involved. Carmen, tells Martha that she needs to run to the store for a quick Erin. And that she'll be right back. Martha nods, absentmindedly. Her attention is consumed by the coups and the coaxes of Jax who is perched in his. cage nearby. Unaware of Carmen's true intentions. Martha watches, this karma rushes out the door. The furrow of concern, creases her brow as she wonders what could be so urgent. With a resigned sign martha turns her attention back to Jax, her fingers, absent mindedly tracing the outline of his colorful feathers as she loses herself in thought. Meanwhile, as Carmen makes her way to meet Eddie and deliver the money a sense of unease gnaws at her insides, a nagging voice of doubt, whispering in the back of her mind. But as she pushes the doubts aside, her determination to help Tony overriding her misgivings as she presses forward with her mission. Back at Martha's house, the minutes, tick by and Carmen fails to return. Jack's grows, restless. his keen senses, picking up on the undercurrent of tension in the air. Tadah! With a sudden burst of energy. He flips his wings and squats loudly. His piercing cries, echoing through the silent house. Uh, starltled by the commotion. Martha opens the cage door so she can soothe Jax. And Jack's fleas, his cage flying directly out of the window. Panic rising within her. Martha rushes Should the door, her mind consumed by a single thought. Finding Jackson bringing him back home where he belongs.. Unaware of the danger lurking beyond the safety of her home. Martha steps out on the sidewalk, her body clad only in pajama shorts and a bra. Her bare feet, padding softly against the pavement. As she calls out for Jax Jax jax come back, Jax as Martha wanders further and further from home her. Mind clouded by confusion and fear. Her only focus. Is that a finding her beloved Jax. Carmen arrives at her destination. That she and Eddie agreed upon as Carmen nervously hands over the money to Eddie. Her heart pounds and her chest. The weight of her actions bearing down on her, like a heavy burden. But her anxiety only intensifies when Eddie's expression darkens, his eyes narrowing as he counts bills with practice. This isn't all here. Carmen. Where's the rest of it. Carmen stomach churns with dread, as she realizes that her worst fears have been realized. Tony, you didn't tell her how much she owed Eddie just at the money was hidden in a bag in his room, in the basement. She assumed this was all owed. Panic grips her heart. As she struggles. to find the right words, to appease him, her mind racing with a flurry of excuses. And explanations. The money is not all here. Eddie, please. I. I gave you what was there? I swear. I don't know what happened to the rest of it, but Eddie steely gaze betrays, no hint of sympathy or understanding his lips curling into a sneer of contempt as he sizes her up with a look of disdain. You expect me to believe that Carmen. You and Tony think I'm stupid. You know what happens to people when they try to cheat me don't you. Carmen's blood runs cold at Eddie's ominous is words. The threat implicit in his tone, sending a shiver down her spine. She knows that she's in deep trouble now. Caught the well of deceit, Tony's deceit. Desperate to salvage the situation. Carmen, pleads with Eddie, her voice trembling with fear and desperation, as she tries to reason with him. Eddie, please. Tony said to bring you the bag I didn't know how much money was in the bag. You go tell Tony that if he doesn't have my money, By tonight, he's a dead man. Eddie walks off as Carmen is still trying to reason with him. As Carmen recoils in horror she realizes with a sinking feeling that she's trapped in a mess of her own making. She should never have bought Tonia ticket to New York. All of this is his fault. Back on Martha street. She is still wandering, looking for Jax she fails to notice the concerned eyes of her neighbors watching her from across the street. With each step, her confusion deepens her desperate calls for Jax echoing through the quiet air. Suddenly a voice breaks through the haze of Martha's thoughts. A voice tinge with concern and alarm. As her neighbor approaches her with a furrowed brow and a look of disbelief. Martha, what are you doing out here? Were your clothes. Where are your shoes? Are you okay? Jax. Jax. She blinks in confusion. Struggling to find her voice. As she grapples with the flood of emotions swirling within her. Um, I'm looking for Jax he got out of his cage. I need to find him. He's my bird. He's my bird Jax the concern in her neighbor's eyes deepens. As they take in, her disheveled look. And the distress evident in her voice. with a gentle hand on Martha's arm. Let's get you inside Martha. Jax. Martha, we'll help you find jacks. I promise. But first let's get you inside and warmed up. You shouldn't be out here like this. Come on. Let's get you home. As Martha allows herself to be guided back towards her house, by her caring neighbor a sense of relief washes over her like a wave. The knowledge that she's not alone in her struggle. Offering a glimmer of hope in the darkness. And as she steps back into the warmth and safety of her home, Martha knows that she's one step closer to finding Jax and bringing him back where he belongs. Martha, sit down, please. Your feet. They're bleeding. We need to take care of that right away. I'm going to call your daughter. Okay. She needs to know what's going on. My daughter. Yes, yes, please. She needs to know, she needs to know about Jax as Martha's neighbor listens to mary's urgent instructions to call 9 1 1. A sense of urgency, grips or heart like a vice with trembling hands she punches in the numbers on the phone, her voice shaking, as she speaks to the operator on the other end. Hello. We need help. It's my neighbor, Martha she's in bad shape. She's bleeding from her feet and she's confused. Yes. Yes. I'll stay on the line. As operator assures Martha's neighbor, that help is on the way she looks around Martha's living room and wonders. Where does Carmen the caregiver? She wonders if Carmen is out looking for Jax. Martha help is coming. They're sending an ambulance, just hold on Martha. You're going to be okay. Martha nods weakly her eyes clouded with pain and confusion as she clings to her neighbor's reassuring presence. And as they wait together, they hear the sound of sirens in the distance. Martha's neighbor offers a silent prayers for her swift recovery, knowing that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges, but determined to stand by her side, every step of the way. The neighbor hears sirens in the distance and also decides to try Carmen's phone after all Carmen told her to call, if she ever needed anything. Just as Carmen is preparing to come clean about what she knows about Tony's activities. She received a frantic phone call from the neighbor. They inform her that the police and EMT are on the way to Martha's house. Panicked and caught off guard. Carmen rushes back to Martha street. She stops cold when she turns a corner and finds law enforcement officers coming through the premises. Including the basement where the drugs are hidden. It becomes clear to Carmen that someone has already discovered the drugs. Likely. The police. Uh, Carmen is afraid of coming forward. She retraces her steps she looks on from down the block and waits on the corner. As she sees Mary drive up in a hurry and run from her car up to the sidewalk, to her mother's house only to be stopped by the police. Carmen's eyes began to water and she wipes a tear from her cheek. Wondering how she is going to explain this to a judge. More of Martha's neighbors arrive, adding to the chaos and confusion. With tensions running high and question squirreling carmen realizes that her plans to clean up the drugs and report. Tony missing have been derailed. In the midst of the unfolding crisis, Carmen was now navigate the repercussions of Tony's illegal activities and her own involvement in these activities. With law enforcement on the scene and Martha heading to the hospital. Carmen now faces an uphill battle to explain to the Martha Peter's family, what happened and her involvement in it. Carmen knows. She's probably going to end up in jail. Martha is discharged from the hospital two days later, her body may be on the mend but the ordeal, she and her family have endured leaves lasting scars. Mary insisted that her mother come home with her and she wouldn't take no for an answer this time. The discovery of drugs and the basement coupled with Carmen's mysterious absence and Tony's incarceration cast a dark shadow over the once peaceful home. In the aftermath of the harrowing events. Mary is left grappling with a multitude of emotions. Anger betrayal, profound sadness. And the realization that her trust has been shattered. And as she reflects on the nightmare. That has unfolded. She can't help with wonder. Could this have been prevented. The cautionary tale of Martha's ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the importance of hiring the right caregivers. And their quest to provide the best possible care for their loved ones family's must exercise, diligence and caution., thoroughly vetting, potential caregivers and conducting background checks to ensure their trustworthiness and reliability. But beyond mere credentials and qualifications. It's essential to look for caregivers who possess qualities of compassion. Empathy. Integrity. Individuals who will treat your loved ones. With the dignity and respect they deserve. As Martha and her family embarked on a long road to healing. They were determined to turn their ordeal into an opportunity for growth and transformation. Through education, advocacy and community support. They strive to raise awareness about the importance of responsible caregiving. And the devastating consequences of placing blind trust in the wrong hands. And as they navigate the challenges that lie ahead. They take solace in the knowledge that their experiences. Have not been in vain that by sharing their story, they can help others avoid the same pitfalls. And pitfalls that have fallen them. For Martha and her family, their journey is far from over, but with courage and resilience and the support of the community. They know that they can overcome even the darkest of times. Oh, and Jack's did return home and was reunited with Martha where he served as her loyal companion until her death in 1994. If you would like more information about the symptoms of Alzheimer's. We recommend the Alzheimer's association@aolz.org, Where you can learn about the various stages of Alzheimer's. Please note that this episode features reenactments and dramatize details. While in most cases, the exact verbatim dialogue may not be known. I'll dramatizations are grounded in research. To respect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals involved names and some identifying details have been changed. Do you have an interesting caregiver story that you would like to have told, please email us@podcastattakeyourtime.com. We would love to hear from you. Introducing take care of time. Respite boxes. A sanctuary of self care for caregivers in need of a well-deserved break. Each bimonthly box is carefully curated to provide a moment of relaxation and rejuvenation tailored specifically to the needs of those who dedicate their lives to caring for others from soothing bath salts to indulgent candles are respite boxes, offer sanctuary and tranquility a gentle reminder to prioritize your own wellbeing. Amidst the demands of caregiving. So take a moment to breathe, to unwind and recharge because you deserve it. Order your take care of time, rest at box today and discover the joy of self care in every box. Order your box@takecareoftime.com. Um, uh, uh