Chapter 6: Crime will always be a factor

Chapter 6

“All set?” I glanced in my rearview mirror to watch as Jason fastened his son’s seatbelt before securing his own. When he was done, he folded my arms before him and focused his attention out the window without a word.

It didn’t faze me. He’d finally agreed to stay and I didn’t exactly expect him to suddenly like the idea. I put the car in reverse and maneuvered out of the space. It had only been two hours since the breakfast fiasco and Timmy was, after much fuss, clothed, clean and happy in the back seat of my car.

We hadn’t yet fleshed out the details of his stay, but one thing I wouldn’t budge on, was the need for a car seat while Timmy remained a guest in my home. So that’s where we were headed—to the store to get a proper child seat, then off to the doctor for a checkup for them both.

I could only describe this as a heady feeling as I switched to a radio station for children and sat comfortably in my seat with my passengers behind me. It was new for me—certainly a day of firsts and for whatever reason, it put me in a good mood. Jason would come around. I’d make him see that this was a good decision and eventually he would come to feel safe in my company, in my home…maybe even happy.

I smiled at that and glanced again into the rearview, catching his eyes briefly before they narrowed and he turned away. Maybe this was what I needed, something to take my mind off feeling sorry for myself…something to divert all my time and energy into; caring for father and son.

“I was thinking we could stop by the grocery store when we leave the doctor.”

Silence.

“I was also thinking…I could give you a job.”

“I already got a job.” He finally replied and I glanced into the mirror in time to catch his expression; annoyance with just a hint of curiosity.

“I realize that, but we already discussed the fact that a ranch is no place for a kid—”

“And I told you I aint leavin’ him with you.”

“Which is why I found a better solution.” I trailed off, and his eyes narrowed. “I’ll give you a job, that way you’ll be with Timmy in a safe environment and you won’t have to think about leaving him for a second.”

“Last time I checked you gotta finish high school before you can be a cop.”

I chuckled. “No...I was thinking more along the lines of a handy man.” His brows furrowed. “You might have noticed all that junk around the yard...especially out back. I’m renovating. I already did as much as I want to on the inside, but I’ve still got a lot to do outside. I’m building a patio and with my busted shoulder I can use all the help I can get.”

“I don’t know how to build no patio.”

“That’s fine … I’ll be doing it with you so I’ll teach you.”

“How much you willin’ to pay?” he said boldly and when I rattled off what I believed to be a reasonable sum, his eyes widened.

“What happens when it gets built?”

“Then I’ll find something else for you to do.”

“I been living in the world long enough to know that people don’t do squat for you for nothing...so what’s your price…why’re you really being so nice?”

I shook my head. In my profession you learned fairly quickly that you should always proceed with caution and a healthy dose of suspicion was essential in this life, but from what I’d managed to learn from him, he let suspicion guide all his decisions. He might have a kid to think about, but that couldn’t be a healthy way to live.

“Maybe it’s the way my mother raised me…or maybe it’s just the way I was made, but I can’t see someone struggling and turn my back…I won’t.” He said nothing and I continued. “At the end of the day I suppose it all comes down to whether you’re willing to trust that I’ll keep you and Timmy safe.”

“You’re not lying to me are you?” he expression had changed from defensive to one of pleading and I only felt pity.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t want you to be… I think maybe I’m just tired of people lying to me.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about because I’m not. I’ll promise you right now that I’ll always be straight with you…no matter what.”

He bit his lip and turned away and I focused my attention on the road.

“If you really want help with your place then I guess I can take the job…if you’re really gonna pay me what you said.”

I fought back a smile. “Good, then you can start on Monday.”

“I’ll save everything…then when I have enough we can leave.”

He didn’t phrase it as a question but I could sense his uncertainty and I did my best to reassure him.

“As long as you can keep your child off the streets, then you’re free to be on your way. I just want him safe…both of you.”

He nodded slowly before glancing at Timmy, who sat quietly playing with one of the toys I’d purchased when we’d visited the mall. He had no clue he was the cause of any tension, no idea that we discussed his well-being as we travelled to our destination and not a care in the world as he sat in his innocence…just as it should be.

…………………………………….

The department store we entered fifteen minutes later, was nowhere near the size of the mall, but Timmy was as enthralled now as he was then. His tiny legs couldn’t take him across the floor fast enough and he touched everything he could get his hands on.

For a while I allowed him this small chance to explore, and Jason and I followed him around the store, listening to him speak his nonsense and indulging him by looking at everything he pointed to. His little face was aglow with excitement and it was a pleasure to see.

“He’s not always this way…I think maybe he’s just too excited. I won’t make him mess with anything.” Jason, as he was prone to do, apologized on his son’s behalf.

I waved a hand to dismiss his concerns. “It’s okay, let him do his thing. This is just the way kids are.”

“Daddy.” We both glanced down at him and by extension at what he pointed to this time and  Jason crouched beside him to take the item, when Timmy stuffed it into his hand.

It was a stuffed rabbit, almost identical to the one he had sitting in my car, except that his one was green with a large fluffy bow around its neck.

“You already have a bunny remember?” Jason spoke quietly to him.

“An we haf more bunny.”

“One is enough babe. Let’s put this back.” And as soon as he did Timmy picked it up again, his large pleading eyes turned up to his father’s face and I wondered how anyone could deny him anything.

“Pease… bunny gween daddy.”

Jason shook his head and pointed to the shelf. After what felt like ages, Timmy finally replaced the toy, then reached up to take his father’s hand.

“I can get it for him.”

Jason looked at me with a frown.

“No. Timmy’s gotta learn that he can’t always get what he wants.”

“It’s really not a problem...I can just—”

“No.”

“I don’t get what the issue is.”

He pulled Timmy gently down the aisle and the little guy followed obediently, running his fingers over the shelves we passed.

“I aint spoiling my kid.”

I shook my head. “He doesn’t have much of anything to get any enjoyment out of as it is…sometimes people deserve to be spoiled a little.”

“You don’t got a son so you wouldn’t get it. I’m trynna teach him that he gotta satisfy with what he got and he can’t just say he wants something and expect to get it. The world doesn’t work that way for people like us.”

When I opened my mouth to argue he beat me to it. “I don’t want you teaching him otherwise.”

I held up my hands in surrender and he walked away without another word, leaving me to trail behind them up the aisle.

I shook my head. My sister was the same way with her own kids and I could never understand why a parent wouldn’t want to lavish their kids with gifts if they had the means. They deserved to be cherish and spoiled…they were too precious to be left wanting.

I glanced back down the aisle at the green rabbit and decided that I’d come back one day in the week to get it for him…it could be a Christmas gift if they stayed that long.

It was almost an hour before we finally got the chance to do what we really went there for, and armed with my car seat reviews, we went in search of the perfect one. I went over the safety facts I held and we walked through the aisles where they both watched me as I read through the specs on each one.

In the end though, realizing my folly I turned to him. He was leaning against the shelf, the back of his head resting against a lamp which was on sale. “You choose.”

He looked at me in surprise, then very slowly, if a bit uncertainly, he turned around to survey the rows and rows of seats.

“The blue one?” he suggested timidly and I had to smile.

Of course he wouldn’t care about the safety ratings or the specs. I wasn’t exactly sure why I found that adorable.

“Alright.” I perused the fact sheet on the brand he’d chosen, and finding no real fault with it, I pulled the box off the shelf and they followed me to the cashier.

“You sure you wanna spend all that cash on this thing? Timmy can just sit on the normal seat. He aint fussy.” He commented when he stood beside me in line.

“This has less to do with his comfort and more to do with his safety.”

“I’m sittin’ right there beside him...he’s always gonna be safe.” He tried and failed to convince me.

“It’s not so simple.”

“Whatever, it’s your money.” He grumbled and when Timmy pulled on my pants and raised his arms, I looked to Jason in askance.

“Is it alright if I pick him up?”

He shrugged so I did, and little Timmy wrapped his arms around my neck when he was safely settled, resting his head on my shoulder.

He felt like a pillow in my arms...warm and soft, yet fragile and precious.

“I was thinking…” Jason began, shifting from foot to foot in clear impatience.

“Hmm?”

“Maybe we don’t have to go to the doctor…Timmy’s never been sick before and I haven’t got sick since I was a kid. I take care of us.”

“I know you do…but this is just to be sure.”

“Yeah...but...maybe you’re wasting too much money.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not a waste if I’m using it to make sure you’re healthy.”

“Yeah…but you could buy a lot a food with that money…you’d have food for weeks...you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.” He said seriously.

I turned to him. “I’ll still be able to get us all food...this week and the next and the one after that…trust me…it’s not something you’ll have to worry about while you’re staying with me.”

“Yeah…but just in case…I got 30 bucks off this old guy last week… I could give you half for groceries…we don’t eat that much…you know…just in case.” He tried to assure me.

I frowned. You didn’t truly understand what the homeless had to go through until you heard statements like these and it disturbed me more than I could say, but rather than comment on that, I said;

“You stole money from a defenseless old man?”

His eyes narrowed. “He wasn’t that old and I didn’t take all of it…just what I needed.”

He explained as though it somehow made it better.

I nodded slowly. “Let’s just forget put all that behind us.”

There was only so much an agent could turn a blind eye to.

He ignored me after that and reached up to run a hand through Timmy’s hair.

He shifted in my arms. “Go now?” he asked his dad.

“Almost.” Jason assured him… “You hungry?”

Timmy shook his head. “No.”

I handed my card over to the cashier when it was my turn and we finally left the place, the new owners of a sky-blue car seat.

I set Timmy down when we reached the car and solicited the help of Jason to install the seat. It was a simple process which took less time than I’d expected and when we were done Timmy took it in stride when he was strapped in.

“Daddy, wass him?” I glanced in the rearview once I’d fastened my own seat belt to see Timmy pointing to the back of my head.

“That’s Michael.”

“Wass him?” he asked again and I grinned and started the engine.

“I told you babe...he’s Michael.”

“Micha stay an…an come wif me an daddy?”

“Yup.”

He didn’t have much to say after that and we travelled in comfortable silence to our next stop. It was strange how the day had begun…with arguments and accusations. I hadn’t imagine this semblance of civility so soon after Jason’s initial blow up. I could only hope it was an indication of how it would be from here on out.

“We’re here already?”

“Yeah… I deliberately chose a department store close by…didn’t want to miss the appointment.”

“Get Timmy out and let’s go.” I hopped out of the vehicle and locked up behind us when they were out and soon we were making our way across the parking lot and through the automatic doors of the doctor’s office.

“Yes… Michael O’Connolly, I have an appointment at eleven…is she ready for me?” I questioned the receptionist.

“You’re actually right on time, you can go in, the doctor will be right with you.”

“Thanks.” I beckoned to my travel companions and they followed me into the small room. Jason was as uncomfortable as I’d ever seen him. He stood in the center of the room with his son’s hand trapped securely in his, while I grabbed a seat on the bench and waited.

“You know it’s okay if you grab a seat.”

He shook his head. “I just wanna get it over with.”

“Michael, haven’t seen you around in a while, how are you?”

I glanced up when the doc—my longtime friend Annalise entered the room with two clipboards in hand and I stood and greeted her with a hug.

“It’s a good thing too...probably means I’m healthy.”

She smiled. “And who is this little guy?” she crouched before Timmy who stepped behind his father, using his leg as a shield.

“He’s Timmy.” Jason explained and once the introductions were out of the way, I was politely, yet sternly invited to exit the room while she carried out her checkup.

Never one to be patient while waiting, I spent my time flipping through worn magazines, reading the health charts hanging on the walls, pacing the hallway and finally I found myself listening to the ramblings of an old woman who wasn’t very pleased with her ailing husband’s bowel movements.

When the doctor finally exited the room she made a beeline for me and I was quick to meet her halfway, surprisingly anxious to hear what her observations had produced.

“Well you’ll be happy to know that Timmy is a healthy little sweetheart. His father gave me permission to take a blood sample so I can run some tests, but on the face of it, he seems perfectly fine.”

“And Jason?”

She glanced down at her file briefly. “Well apart from mild dehydration he seems fine, but of course I can’t be sure until the blood and urine sample come back. The dehydration is something that can be remedied.” She handed me a prescription and I perused it briefly.

“And that’s it? Remember when I called I explained that they’ve been—”

“Living on the streets, yes I remember and I’ve done all the necessary tests for now. They’re in the clear as far as I can judge without the test results from the samples I took.”

I nodded. “Have you noticed Timmy’s speech?” I questioned because it was something that had been bothering me.

“I have.”

“And? You don’t think it should be more developed at his age? He’s almost three years old…shouldn’t he be speaking in full sentences by now?”

She smiled “It’s true that toddlers at his age do tend to be more advanced in terms of their speech, however everyone develops at their own pace. I wouldn’t worry about that. What you and his father need to do is communicate with him regularly. If you can, allow him to interact with children his age and let him watch a few educational cartoons.”

That’s it? And he’ll just magically start talking the way he should?”

“The way he speaks now is perfectly normal Michael…relax. Like I told you, he’ll develop at his own pace. It’s a gradual process but he’ll get there. Soon enough he’ll be talking so much you’ll wonder how he’s finding so many things to say.”

I smiled feeling reassured and she patted my arm. “Are you sure you want to take on this responsibility?” I could see her concern but it didn’t faze me.

“They need a home and I’ve got one…I’m sure.”

She nodded. “If you think it’s the right thing for you then I wish you the best. You can call me anytime with whatever problems you have.”

“Thanks Ana, I appreciate it.”

“I’ll have my receptionist call you for the test results… take care of yourself Michael.”

“You too.” I called out to her departing figure, then pushed the door of the small room open and entered the space.

The first thing I saw was Timmy standing in the center of the room sucking on a lollipop, behind him, Jason was busy stuffing his pockets with as many of the treats as he could and I folded my arms before me and shook my head.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He spun to face me in surprise, before pulling down his shirt in an attempt to hide his loot.

I sighed. “Put them back.”

“It’s not like she can’t get more. She’s a doctor, she’s got the money.”

“That’s not the point.”

“People who bring their kids here can afford to get them this stuff…they don’t need it for free.”

“That’s not your call to make.”

“I’m not taking all of them…she won’t even know they’re gone.”

“I’ll know…now put them back.”

He glared at me, but stood his ground.

“You can stay there and glare all you want, but you’re not leaving this room with them.”

He shook his head, his expression one of disappointment. “You just don’t understand.”

“I understand perfectly, but just because you can justify something doesn’t make it legal.”

He said nothing and for a minute we both held our ground, firm in our conviction until finally, he relented. I watched him dig into his pockets and pull out the candy, after which he returned them to the jar and turned to me with a frown.

“Is that all of them?” I questioned with a raised brow and he raised his arms.

“You wanna check me?”

I shook my head. “Let’s go.”

I waited for him to take Timmy’s hand, and moved only when they walked past me and out the door.

The trek to the car was a silent one. Once again he failed to understand just where he went wrong and I wondered why it was so hard to teach someone right from wrong.

“Are we still going to the grocery store?” he questioned grudgingly as he strapped Timmy in and I nodded.

“Yeah, close the door.”

We were off.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

ENJOY!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.