“I think the lady was shocked to see the inside of the trailer. The TV was on, even though I’m pretty sure the bill was overdue and days away from shut-off. We tried to wash our dishes but neither of us knew how and would end up just rinsing them and reusing them, so we gave up on that. Flies everywhere, dirty clothes, an overflowing trash can. I’d say we did okay with what we had, but it was definitely not normal or clean. Wouldn’t doubt a rat or two was living in the cupboards.
“She asked us if we wanted to go to In-N-Out, and we both forgot that this strange woman could be an enemy. She had to be one of the good guys if she was about to take us out for burgers and fries. We were running to her van, jumping in and putting the seatbelts on. When we got to In-N-Out, we nearly climbed over each other and fought to be the first one in the door. I’ll never forget how great it smelled after starving for so long.”
The smooth narration convinced me that Erich had mixed feelings about that day—a happy, yet sad memory for him.
“We got our burgers and fries, she got a coffee, and we sat down. She asked when the last time we saw our parents was. I told her I didn’t have a dad, but my brother Steven hadn’t seen his dad in about three years. I went on about how our mom liked rock music and let us watch TV whenever we wanted. I would’ve continued if Steven didn’t say our mom never came home. Her attention was on him after that, and she pushed forward, asking when she left.
“Steven didn’t exactly know time yet and shrugged, saying maybe a few days. But I knew it was more like a few weeks, maybe even over a month, and corrected him. Neither ofus thought much of it at that point. She would come and go, but never left us for so long before.”
“I caught on sooner than Steven, who was stuffing his face. I asked her if our mom was okay. She shook her head and said she didn’t know anything about her. Because our mom wasn’t around, we had to go with her to a new home until they could find her. Neither of us argued, since she promised we’d have better food and there were plenty of other kids.”
He paused, uncrossing his arms to run a hand through his hair. I admired the way it seemed darker in the dim light as it fell back into place—the effort wasted.
I waited for him to continue, facing him with my cheek resting in my propped-up hand. Instead, his eyes drifted across each brown circle on the ceiling. I figured I could ask my questions.
“So… an orphan from Los Angeles ends up finding broken girls to commit petty theft across the country while he runs from his own demons. Great pitch for aNew York Timesbestseller.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him. I wasn’t trying to mock him for telling me. It explained his distaste for going to California and his refusal to bring me earlier that day. I’d feel the same way about Mississippi, even though both were big states and the chances of being recognized were slim.
“That sums it up pretty well.” His lips curved in a short chuckle before he clenched his jaw, his cheeks hollowing in the dim lamp light. “I never left Los Angeles, even after my brother and I were separated. Our mom never came to claim us. I don’t think they ever found her. They found Steven’s dad, but he didn’t want the responsibility of raising Steven, let alone me. He signed off his rights in a heartbeat. If they found my grandma, it must’ve been the same story. Steven was adopted, and I was left to rot in that home for two years before I was moved into foster care. I was thirteen.”
“What was it like?” I asked, slightly astonished the system had split them up so quickly.
“The first home wasn’t awful, I guess. I was put in a smaller one and didn’t have to deal with many issues.” Erich shrugged. “I think they were hopeful someone who knew me would take me in, or that our mom might come back and they could chew her out before finally being rid of me… but they gave up. I was getting older, and they had to do something with me. Not a lot of people want to adopt older kids with behavior issues. It’s easier to take them young so they don’t remember what life was like before.”
“Foster care is a gamble… but I didn’t have it so bad. I was often with couples who either wanted to make a difference or were thinking about adopting but weren’t sure. They tried to be patient. I was a handful. Never lasted long.”
“So that was when Steven was adopted?” I asked.
Erich shifted, pulling a pillow under his head as he lay back. He got comfortable before continuing. He was sobering up faster, and I felt my window for questions closing.
“I was pissed when I was told Steven was adopted. They didn’t let me say goodbye. They wouldn’t tell me anything. He’d forget about me pretty quickly with a new family, but it wasn’t as easy for me to forget him.
“Then came juvie when I turned sixteen. Over the stupidest shit. I was stealing car radios and selling them on street corners.” His eyes darkened as he slipped back into the memory. “I had a one-track mind. I needed to find my brother. I already knew Steven was in New York, so that’s where I needed to go.”
I had a feeling his story was about to get darker, and I wasn’t sure I wanted that part. “Did you escape, or did you just serve your time?” I asked quietly.
“I was let out six months later, but my foster parents never came back to pick me up. So I walked off.” He flashed a mischievous smirk. “By the time I broke into enough cars to buy a Greyhound ticket to New York, it had already been five years since Steven was adopted. I’m not sure what I thought I’d accomplish.” His fingers tapped nervously against his chest again, and I forced myself to stay present.
I had a lot of questions. Did the people in his life not care enough to notice he disappeared? How many foster homes had he been in before shifting to crime?
“What happened in New York?”
He let out a short chuckle. “I got to the place that handled my brother’s adoption, and the front desk lady basically told me to fuck off… politely. I didn’t have a plan after that. Didn’t consider they wouldn’t share that information, and getting there had been impulsive in the first place. Plus, I’d spent all my money on the bus ticket. Didn’t want to go back to Los Angeles.
“I walked outside and made it two blocks before the mental break hit. I started kicking trash cans and yelling. Then a girl yelled at me to shut up and stop kicking her trash can. I was about to yell back until I turned and saw her watching me with big brown eyes that were a lot kinder than her sharp tongue. That was Olivia. Her mother is Mystique Braun—fortune teller, psychic, midwife… and whatever the opposite of a midwife is if you go to her for… you know.” He coughed awkwardly. “Olivia forced me to come inside and meet her mother.”
I nodded, unable to hide the way my lips turned down. The disappointment was lost on my whiskey-soaked companion. I was slightly jealous of this Olivia girl—of whatever she’d been to him—but also curious.
“I stayed with them for a little over a year, trying to figure out where I’d go next. I fell for Olivia… hard,” he said softly.
A sharp pain bloomed in the center of my chest as the pieces clicked into place. Erich and Olivia had history—real history. I’d always assumed he had experience with girls, but I’d never expected a name. A story.
Erich’s face flushed when he caught my expression, and I knew it wasn’t the alcohol this time. “That was too much. None of it matters…”
I shook my head, heat rising to my cheeks. “Don’t. It’s okay. I’m glad you trust me enough to share that.”
He went quiet. The whirr of the vent filled the space as he considered how much more to say. The way his arms crossed over his chest told me he wasn’t willing to go further. “She was with me for a while when I left New York.”
