“She doesn’t have anyone else to help?”
“I have no idea. Her husband passed away. The kid said he called his grandma, but that she was on a boat and didn’t answer. Other than that, I don’t know much about her.”
“Oh, my. Well, I hope she feels better soon. You need anything else?”
“What do little boys eat?” She’d raised five of them and would know.
She laughed. “In my experience? Lots of everything. Or maybe that was when you were teenagers.”
“Mr. Alex,” Calvin said, coming up behind him. “I’m hungry.”
“Good luck, son,” his mother said.
He hung up and turned to face Calvin. “Okay. Um, what do you like?”
“Pancakes.”
“How about eggs? I can make eggs.”
In the kitchen, Alex rummaged for a pan. Everything was meticulously organized, so he found one quickly. A video camera sat on a tripod across from the counter. Maybe not porn videos then.
While looking for butter, he chanced upon a Tupperware container of cookies. Nice. He brought a cookie to his lips, but paused at Cal’s expression.
“I wouldn’t if I was you,” Calvin said, having followed him into the kitchen.
“What do you mean?” Alex said. Calvin only shrugged, and Alex popped the cookie into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he made a face. “What the hell kind of cookie is this?” Alex said.
“The healthy kind,” Calvin said. “No sugar.”
“No sugar? How do you make a cookie without sugar?”
Once again, he shrugged. “She makes ’em for her videos. Grandma gives me sugar sometimes, but I don’t tell my mom.”
A tricolored, slightly overweight beagle trotted over. Of course, she had a pet too. He offered the dog a cookie, but after a tentative sniff, he turned up his nose and sat, clearly waiting for something better.
“Where’s the dog food?” Alex asked.
“He gots to pee,” Calvin said. “We walk him in the morning, but I’m not allowed to leave without my mom.”
Cleaning up dog piss was low on his list of stuff to do today. “Grab his leash and get your shoes on,” Alex said. “I’m gonna tell your mom we’re leaving for a bit.”
“Okay!” Calvin got a huge smile on his face and ran off.
Alex peeked in and let Julia know they were going to walk the dog. She gave a thumbs up but didn’t say anything. Calvin met him in the hall, wearing his shoes on the wrong feet. “Fix your shoes and put your coat on while I find a key that fits the door.”
There was only one set of keys on a hook near the door, so it only took a second to find which one unlocked the condo. Alex found the leash in an entryway cabinet and leashed up the dog. It was handy to have everything in a logical place. The poop bags were even attached to the leash.
He locked up and hurried to the elevator, Calvin jogging to keep up. As soon as they left the building, Calvin grabbed his hand. It caught Alex off guard, but he figured his mom had drilled that into him to stay safe on the street.
Alex didn’t relax until the dog relieved himself in a grassy spot down the street.
“How far do you walk?” Alex asked Calvin. It was cold, and he didn’t have a coat. At least it wasn’t raining.
“Around the block. Charlie’s real old, so he can’t go very far.”
That would explain why the dog walked at a snail’s pace.
“There’s a place on the roof he can pee too,” Calvin said. “And toys.”
