it or not. How does Saturday sound?”
“It sounds like I don’t have much choice,” Elias laughed.
There was a carelessness and honesty in his laugh that warmed Caden. If Elias was replacing cocaine with alcohol, Caden was going to try his damn hardest to replace alcohol with friendship. He knew it wouldn’t be easy but he felt like he owed it to Elias. Not because he was an addict who’d been on death’s door, but because he knew the truth about the way Elias had been treated by his family, even if he hadn’t told Elias that.
“That’s final,” Caden clapped his hands together, “it’ll be fun.”
“If you say so,” Elias jumped down from the counter, “you’ll have to show me how to use that damn machine so I can wash a shirt.”
“I thought you didn’t want to learn?”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’ve changed my mind.”
Hardly containing the grin spreading across his face, Caden showed Elias how to use the washing machine and watched proudly as he loaded and started it. They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the cleaning and taking the bags down to the dumpster in the alley.
When Caden felt their session had naturally come to an end, he felt like he wanted to stick around and somehow spend more time with Elias. You can’t suffocate him. He needs his own space.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Caden reached for his jacket and bag, “I’ll let you get back to your shows.”
“Oh,” Elias mumbled, “sure.”
Was that disappointment or had Elias wanted to get rid of Caden all day? He couldn’t decide. Looking around at how clean the apartment was, Caden felt proud that he had made a difference, even if it was only a small one. He thought about the paperwork he would have to fill in and how he would have to report that he had found evidence of Elias’ drinking.
Finding his conscious battling with his morals, Caden swallowed and headed for the door, reminding himself he was there to work and help Elias. Would getting Elias into more trouble help him? Judging by his record that would only make things worse.
“Elias,” Caden turned, his hand on the doorknob, “I shouldn’t be telling you this but I have to report if I find you using any other substances, including alcohol.”
“Right,” Elias laughed, rolling his eyes, “course you do.”
“Listen. I won’t report anything if you make me a promise.”
Leaning against the couch, Elias’ eyes turned to slits as he waited for Caden to deliver his bargain.
“Just promise me that from now until Saturday you’ll try and stay sober. If you do, I’ll draw a line under your drinking until now and I won’t file it.”
Laughing coldly, Elias dropped his head as he scratched the back of his hair. Caden could feel the tension radiating from Elias’ body and he wasn’t altogether sure that he wasn’t about to punch him in the face.
“Okay,” Elias’ head shot up, “I promise I’ll try.”
“Oh. You mean that?”
“I promise I’ll try,” he repeated.
“You still have my number. If you need me, anytime of the day or night, just call me and I’ll be there.”
Elias nodded, his eyes still dark, narrow slits. That was good enough for Caden. Through the angry and tight expression on Elias’ face, he was sure he could feel something thankful trying to break through. Knowing that his work there was done, he headed down the stairs alone and out into the alley. The smell of baked goods tickled his nostrils but the feeling inside was much more satisfying. Walking home in the late afternoon sun, he started to look forward to their next meeting on Saturday, hoping that he would see a clean and sober Elias for the first time.
Elias had spent the morning staring at his four walls, tossing a ball in the air as he scratched himself at timed intervals. When he noticed those scratching intervals lining up perfectly with the frequent commercial breaks during the trashy reality TV shows, Elias had found
“It sounds like I don’t have much choice,” Elias laughed.
There was a carelessness and honesty in his laugh that warmed Caden. If Elias was replacing cocaine with alcohol, Caden was going to try his damn hardest to replace alcohol with friendship. He knew it wouldn’t be easy but he felt like he owed it to Elias. Not because he was an addict who’d been on death’s door, but because he knew the truth about the way Elias had been treated by his family, even if he hadn’t told Elias that.
“That’s final,” Caden clapped his hands together, “it’ll be fun.”
“If you say so,” Elias jumped down from the counter, “you’ll have to show me how to use that damn machine so I can wash a shirt.”
“I thought you didn’t want to learn?”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’ve changed my mind.”
Hardly containing the grin spreading across his face, Caden showed Elias how to use the washing machine and watched proudly as he loaded and started it. They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the cleaning and taking the bags down to the dumpster in the alley.
When Caden felt their session had naturally come to an end, he felt like he wanted to stick around and somehow spend more time with Elias. You can’t suffocate him. He needs his own space.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Caden reached for his jacket and bag, “I’ll let you get back to your shows.”
“Oh,” Elias mumbled, “sure.”
Was that disappointment or had Elias wanted to get rid of Caden all day? He couldn’t decide. Looking around at how clean the apartment was, Caden felt proud that he had made a difference, even if it was only a small one. He thought about the paperwork he would have to fill in and how he would have to report that he had found evidence of Elias’ drinking.
Finding his conscious battling with his morals, Caden swallowed and headed for the door, reminding himself he was there to work and help Elias. Would getting Elias into more trouble help him? Judging by his record that would only make things worse.
“Elias,” Caden turned, his hand on the doorknob, “I shouldn’t be telling you this but I have to report if I find you using any other substances, including alcohol.”
“Right,” Elias laughed, rolling his eyes, “course you do.”
“Listen. I won’t report anything if you make me a promise.”
Leaning against the couch, Elias’ eyes turned to slits as he waited for Caden to deliver his bargain.
“Just promise me that from now until Saturday you’ll try and stay sober. If you do, I’ll draw a line under your drinking until now and I won’t file it.”
Laughing coldly, Elias dropped his head as he scratched the back of his hair. Caden could feel the tension radiating from Elias’ body and he wasn’t altogether sure that he wasn’t about to punch him in the face.
“Okay,” Elias’ head shot up, “I promise I’ll try.”
“Oh. You mean that?”
“I promise I’ll try,” he repeated.
“You still have my number. If you need me, anytime of the day or night, just call me and I’ll be there.”
Elias nodded, his eyes still dark, narrow slits. That was good enough for Caden. Through the angry and tight expression on Elias’ face, he was sure he could feel something thankful trying to break through. Knowing that his work there was done, he headed down the stairs alone and out into the alley. The smell of baked goods tickled his nostrils but the feeling inside was much more satisfying. Walking home in the late afternoon sun, he started to look forward to their next meeting on Saturday, hoping that he would see a clean and sober Elias for the first time.
Elias had spent the morning staring at his four walls, tossing a ball in the air as he scratched himself at timed intervals. When he noticed those scratching intervals lining up perfectly with the frequent commercial breaks during the trashy reality TV shows, Elias had found
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