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took a swing at him. Blue left after that. There really is no room for both of them here, and Harold stays here sometimes. When he does, Blue was sleeping in the tub, and we only have the one bathroom. Blue’s father was a lot like Harold—he beat Blue up a bunch of times, and his mama, too. She was such a good woman, and she loved that boy to death. There was nothing she wouldn’t have done for him—it was all she was worried about when she died. I took him in, I promised her I would, but I only had one baby then. With three, I just can’t. No money, no space, no time. He needs to get in the foster care system and get a decent home.”
    “He doesn’t seem to want that, and he might be too old for people to want to foster him. At thirteen, kids can be tough.”
    “He’s a good boy, and smart,” his aunt said lovingly. “He’s had some bad breaks with his mama dying. And his daddy was never around. He went to prison for dealing drugs, and died there three years ago, but Blue hardly ever saw him anyway. I’m the only blood relative he’s got.” It sounded like a sad situation to Ginny, and her heart ached for him. She knew there were thousands of kids like him, but there was something special about Blue, which had touched her heart.
    “I’d like to get him into an adolescent homeless shelter, and he’s agreed to go back to school,” Ginny said hopefully.
    “He won’t stick at either,” his aunt said knowingly. She knew him too well, far better than Ginny. “He always runs away, from everything. He’ll run away from you, too. He’s like a wild thing now—if you get too close to him, he runs. I think he’s scared, or maybe he thinks we’re all going to die like his mama and daddy.” It was a valuable insight into him. “But he’s a nice kid,” she said again.
    “Do you want me to try to get him to come and see you?” Ginny offered.
    “He won’t want to. And if Harold shows up, it’ll be a mess. Just let me know where he is. I can’t do anything for him myself.” She had basically given up on him—he was one more mouth to feed, and a problem she didn’t want, particularly if it upset her boyfriend. Her allegiance was to Harold, not to Blue. It was obvious she didn’t want to see him. He really had no one in the world. He was an orphan in every sense of the word.
    “I’ll let you know if I get him into a shelter. I’m leaving town in a few weeks, and I’ll be gone for several months. I’d like to get him situated before I leave,” Ginny said, but she was even more worried about him now. He had no one to fall back on, no support system, and not a friend in the world, other than her.
    “Wherever you put him, he won’t stay. He’ll be back out on the streets again. He knows how to make it there. And I don’t think he’ll ever go back to school.” It sounded like a dismal fate to Ginny, which his aunt was all too willing to accept. “I’m a nurse’s aide at Mount Sinai Hospital. I tried to get him interested in nursing for a while. He said it sounded like filthy work. He dreams a lot, and thinks he’s going to get a good job one day because he’s smart. You and I know that’s not enough.”
    “That’s why I’d like to get him back in school,” Ginny said doggedly. “He agreed for now.”
    “He always does,” his aunt Charlene said with resignation. “Don’t let him break your heart,” she warned. “He doesn’t get attached to anyone since his mama. I think he just lost her too young.” Ginny was surprised that Blue’s aunt was willing to accept that he was damaged forever, and to let him seek his own fate on the streets, without at least trying to turn the tide. Ginny was willing to do that, just the way she did for the people in the areas where she worked, to change their situation. And Blue was a bright thirteen-year-old boy, living in a civilized city and country. She wanted him to have a chance. He deserved it.
    “I’ll let you know where he is and what