Todd simply shrugged. He’d seen this before. The few times he had tried to call people for help, they didn’t answer the phone, and he hadn’t had one of his own. He tried using one at the library, but he couldn’t give that number as a call back, so the whole thing went nowhere. Everything seemed to stack up against him. Things that he had taken for granted before now became obstacles that he had to figure out a way to overcome.
“Why don’t you go lie down with Kenny and try to get a little sleep?”
That sounded like a good idea. Maybe if he was rested, he could think more clearly. He went to the bedroom where Kenny was sound asleep on the bed where he’d left him. His son hadn’t moved, and the dog was still there too.
“Try not to worry about things. Okay?” Jameson said from behind him. “Just rest and give yourself a chance to relax. We can talk more later.”
Todd turned and found Jameson not far away.. His eyes were soft and gentle, something Todd hadn’t seen in a long time. On the street, he met hard people, ones who were closed off completely or just plain blank. “Thanks, Jamie,” he said, using the old nickname from high school. He should have moved away, but something held him still. Maybe it was his eyes, or the fact that Jamie actually seemed to like him. “I’ll pay you back for your kindness one way or another.”
Jamie shook his head and then touched his cheek. Todd almost gasped and held still a second before leaning into it. Todd tried to remember the last time he had been touched kindly by anyone. His heart raced, and his breath grew shallow as his mind sort of floated.
“Go ahead and rest. I have work to do, and I’ll be here when you get up.”
He nodded and went inside. The dog sat up, and when he got on the bed, she jumped down and joined Jameson, who closed the door. Todd sighed and tried to release some of the tension. He joined Kenny; the soft mattress and pillow almost felt too good. Still, for the moment he was safe, and so was Kenny. And that had to be enough for now.
It wasstill light when he woke. Kenny wasn’t in the bed with him, and Todd jumped up. He checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t there. Todd hurried out of the room and down the short hall to the living room. Kenny sat on the floor with a half-empty plate in front of him, the dog on his lap soaking up his son’s attention. Jamie sat nearby, the computer on his lap as he typed away.
Relief flooded over him, and he hurried to Kenny. “Did you sleep well?” He tried to keep the ebbing panic out of his voice.
Jameson looked up from his work, met his gaze, and stilled. He must have seen what was below the surface. “Kenny came out an hour ago. We got some cookies and milk, and he’s been playing with Cindy,” Jamie said calmly. “I received a call from my friend, and he said he would get some things together and come over at seven.”
“Do you have to teach classes?” Todd asked.
“Not until Monday. The semester is almost over. That means I’ll have finals to grade, and everything must be turned in pretty quickly. I’m taking extra precautions this year with the materials because there’s been rumors of cheating on campus. Someone seems to have found a way into the college systems to get copies of online exams and tests before they’re given. I’ve taken to keeping my materials off the college network. A few other professors are doing the same, but most of them are continuing with life as usual.” He shook his head as if to try to push all that from his mind. “I have a lot of work over the next few weeks. Not to mention this article to finish and submit.” He smiled. “I have a regular column in an academic periodical that analyzes current affairs, and it’s due tomorrow. Kenny has been helping me.” That was a surprise. Kenny didn’t speak very often, and when he did, it was almost only to him. “Now, I have just one question.” He smiled, but this time at Kenny. “What do you want for dinner?”
Todd was about to answer, but Jameson shook his head.
“You can tell me. What do you like the most?” he asked Kenny.
Todd wasn’t sure that he was going to answer at all.
“B-sketti,” he finally said softly.
“That’s cool. I love spaghetti.” Jamie held out his hand. “Do you want to help me make dinner? We can have spaghetti with meat sauce and some garlic bread. Do you like that?” Kennynodded and slowly got up. Then, to Todd’s near total shock, Kenny took his hand and let Jamie lead him to the kitchen.
Todd followed and sat in a chair at the table as Jamie helped Kenny into an apron and then gave him a bowl and some grapes. “Can you pull these off the stems?” he asked, showing Kenny what he wanted before getting out the pans and browning and seasoning the meat. He also got water on the stove for the pasta. It was like a dance. Todd had always been a passable cook, but never very good. He hadn’t been taught much when he was growing up, but he’d always managed to feed both of them… until everything had come crashing down.
“That’s really great,” Jamie told Kenny. “Now, do you think you can butter the bread? Maybe Daddy can help you.”
Todd moved over, and he and Kenny got the garlic bread buttered and helped set the table. It was so domestic, and Todd could almost feel a sort of warmth and contentment settle over him. Of course, he knew it was temporary, but he was grateful to Jamie for the respite from the streets.
Once dinner was ready, they sat at the table, and Todd helped Kenny. He cut the spaghetti into bites, and Kenny ate with gusto. So did he, if he were honest. It was basic food, but something neither of them had had in quite a while.
“Is it good?” Jamie asked.
Kenny grinned. “Good.”
His son was smiling, and his eyes didn’t have the darkness that fear brought. Kenny was actually talking to Jamie, and even to the dog, of all things. Once he was done, Kenny climbed down and played on the floor with Cindy. Todd almost cried just watching his son be a normal kid. Hell, he laughed through tears as Kenny and Cindy raced around the sofa, taking turns chasing each other.
The doorbell brought everything to a standstill. Kenny hurried over to him, and Todd held his hand and sat on the sofa as Jamie let two men inside.
“Carter, Donald, this is Todd and Kenny,” Jamie said. “He and I went to high school together.” The way Jamie glanced at him made his belly twist in the best way. “And they’ve been without a home for a few months. I’m hoping there is some sort of help that they can get so they can get back on their feet.”
“There are programs. The first thing would be to get them into an emergency shelter.”
“Todd and Kenny can stay here for the time being. Kenny is going to need some stability. Right, Todd?”
All he could do was nod. Maybe it was the lack of nutrition over time, but his mind didn’t seem to be able to keep up.
