“He won’t hurt you,” I whispered to him.
“Toby, honey,” Julia said, calling his full attention the best that she could. She took a seat on the edge of the coffee table. “Melio won’t hurt you, I promise. If he does, I’ll put him in his place.”
“My mom can be scary when she wants to be,” Melio joked as he returned.
“And he won’t hurt a fly,” Julie went on with a soft smile.
Toby slowly peeked up from his hiding place, still so unsure about everything and everyone here.
“You’ll be okay,” I coaxed him. “Melio has a wife, and she’s super nice too.”
“Like you?” Toby asked me quietly.
“Yep,” I replied. “She helped a lot of people; even helped me.”
“Okay,” he said with a blink. He knew his options were taken away, just like mine had been for my entire life. But at least this boy would be able to get a happy childhood and find the love he deserved. I finally did, even if I was no longer a child.
“And you know what that means?” Julia said, gaining Toby’s attention again. “You’ll get to see me and Vidie again.”
“Really?” Toby asked, instantly liking that idea.
“Of course,” I reassured him. I was glad that would at least give me a good reason to get out of the house more often and keep busy. It certainly was better than spending my days shopping for useless stuff I would never use or wear.
I saw his thoughts swirling around in his head as he tried to think a way out of what was to come. I knew that look, the same look that I had countless times. There was no other way if he wanted a safe, warm place to stay.
“How about I bring you by in a couple of days, Toby, so you can see Avidya again?” Melio asked as he changed his stance from one foot to the other.
Toby nodded in agreement.
“Great!” Julia said, slapping her hands on her thighs. “Shall we get you dressed and buckled in, ready to go? Melio would like to get back home.”
Toby nodded again as he pushed himself up and away from me. He kept his head down the entire way towards the man that would be taking him to a new home. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like for the countless children that were in foster care.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said, my voice promising.
“Come along, little man,” Melio said, wisely keeping his hands in his pockets as he led the way out the front door.
“I’ll head out, too,” Carlos said. “You two have a few things that you should talk about.”
Zachariah glared at his father, a glass of amber liquid in his hand as he leaned against the wall that separated the kitchen and entryway. He looked troubled, and I had a good understanding about why. I knew better than to push him on it.
Least of all now.
