Please call me, Virginia Carter,” and she added her cell phone number.
Ginny was sitting on the couch, innocently reading a magazine, when he got back, carrying the bag of groceries, and he diligently gave her the change. And then he started a list of the time he was spending doing errands, so she could pay him for his time. She smiled when she saw him do it and nodded. “Very businesslike,” she said approvingly, and she was surprised to see that his handwriting was steady, legible, and neat.
He spent part of the day vacuuming and cleaning her apartment, and helping her move furniture, and he threw out her long-dead plant with a look of disgust. And that afternoon they went for a walk. They walked past the public school she had in mind for him, it wasn’t far away, although they didn’t know where he’d be living, and he made a face. They walked past a church then, and the face he made was even worse. He looked angry and venomous.
“You don’t like churches, either?” She was surprised. He had very definite ideas. She wasn’t deeply religious, but she had an ongoing sense of communication with God, in a loose form that worked for her.
“I hate priests,” Blue said, nearly snarling.
“Why?” She wanted to know more about him, but he was very private about his life. Like a flower, she had to wait for the petals to unfurl on their own. She didn’t want to push, but she was intrigued by what he said about the clergy.
“I just hate them. They’re jerks. And really fake. They pretend to be good people and they’re not.”
“Some are,” she said quietly. “Not all priests are bad or good. They’re just people.”
“Yeah, but they like to pretend they’re God.” He seemed agitated as he said it, and she didn’t want to upset him, so she didn’t argue the point. Blue clearly had total contempt for them all.
They went to another movie after dinner, this time not in 3D, but they enjoyed it anyway, and talked about it on the way back to her apartment. It was beginning to feel familiar walking along with him and talking, almost as though they had known each other for longer than they had. He had a good sense of humor, and was very articulate, and as soon as they got back to the apartment he asked her how much he’d made that day, helping her. They added it up, and he was pleased at the amount. He grinned happily at her and turned on the TV. She kept checking her phone for messages from Charlene, but she had none so far. She wondered if she’d call back and hoped she would.
She did some work that night on her laptop and saw that Blue had been on the kids’ homeless site again. She wondered if he was looking for a message from someone in particular.
And in the morning, while Ginny was still in bed, Charlene called on her cell phone. She was indeed his aunt.
“Who are you?” she asked Ginny immediately. “Are you a social worker, with an agency for kids? Are you a cop?” She sounded both suspicious and relieved. Ginny explained how they had met and that Blue was sleeping on her couch.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” Ginny asked, curious about her and what had happened, and she wondered if the woman on the phone would tell her the truth. She had a pleasant, intelligent voice.
“Not since September. It just wasn’t working out here. I’ve got three kids in a tiny apartment with one bathroom and no space to move around. My kids sleep in the bedroom. I sleep on the couch, and Blue was sleeping on the floor. That’s no way for a boy to live. It would break his mama’s heart if she knew he has no home.” She regarded his situation with Ginny as temporary, as Ginny did herself. “And he doesn’t like my boyfriend,” she added cautiously, once she knew that Ginny had no official capacity. “He drinks a bit, and they fight all the time. Blue doesn’t like the way he talks to me. He’s very protective, a little too much so at times. They got in a bad argument, and my guy
Ginny was sitting on the couch, innocently reading a magazine, when he got back, carrying the bag of groceries, and he diligently gave her the change. And then he started a list of the time he was spending doing errands, so she could pay him for his time. She smiled when she saw him do it and nodded. “Very businesslike,” she said approvingly, and she was surprised to see that his handwriting was steady, legible, and neat.
He spent part of the day vacuuming and cleaning her apartment, and helping her move furniture, and he threw out her long-dead plant with a look of disgust. And that afternoon they went for a walk. They walked past the public school she had in mind for him, it wasn’t far away, although they didn’t know where he’d be living, and he made a face. They walked past a church then, and the face he made was even worse. He looked angry and venomous.
“You don’t like churches, either?” She was surprised. He had very definite ideas. She wasn’t deeply religious, but she had an ongoing sense of communication with God, in a loose form that worked for her.
“I hate priests,” Blue said, nearly snarling.
“Why?” She wanted to know more about him, but he was very private about his life. Like a flower, she had to wait for the petals to unfurl on their own. She didn’t want to push, but she was intrigued by what he said about the clergy.
“I just hate them. They’re jerks. And really fake. They pretend to be good people and they’re not.”
“Some are,” she said quietly. “Not all priests are bad or good. They’re just people.”
“Yeah, but they like to pretend they’re God.” He seemed agitated as he said it, and she didn’t want to upset him, so she didn’t argue the point. Blue clearly had total contempt for them all.
They went to another movie after dinner, this time not in 3D, but they enjoyed it anyway, and talked about it on the way back to her apartment. It was beginning to feel familiar walking along with him and talking, almost as though they had known each other for longer than they had. He had a good sense of humor, and was very articulate, and as soon as they got back to the apartment he asked her how much he’d made that day, helping her. They added it up, and he was pleased at the amount. He grinned happily at her and turned on the TV. She kept checking her phone for messages from Charlene, but she had none so far. She wondered if she’d call back and hoped she would.
She did some work that night on her laptop and saw that Blue had been on the kids’ homeless site again. She wondered if he was looking for a message from someone in particular.
And in the morning, while Ginny was still in bed, Charlene called on her cell phone. She was indeed his aunt.
“Who are you?” she asked Ginny immediately. “Are you a social worker, with an agency for kids? Are you a cop?” She sounded both suspicious and relieved. Ginny explained how they had met and that Blue was sleeping on her couch.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” Ginny asked, curious about her and what had happened, and she wondered if the woman on the phone would tell her the truth. She had a pleasant, intelligent voice.
“Not since September. It just wasn’t working out here. I’ve got three kids in a tiny apartment with one bathroom and no space to move around. My kids sleep in the bedroom. I sleep on the couch, and Blue was sleeping on the floor. That’s no way for a boy to live. It would break his mama’s heart if she knew he has no home.” She regarded his situation with Ginny as temporary, as Ginny did herself. “And he doesn’t like my boyfriend,” she added cautiously, once she knew that Ginny had no official capacity. “He drinks a bit, and they fight all the time. Blue doesn’t like the way he talks to me. He’s very protective, a little too much so at times. They got in a bad argument, and my guy
Similar Books
