Chapter 29
29
Mark had organized the friends he’d called, and they’d arrived with several trucks loaded down with a mattress, bed frames, and a couple of chests. Not wanting Marty and Zannie overwhelmed, he’d left Karen to direct where things should go as he took the kids out. Marty quickly became lost in choices as he wandered the shelves in the Baytown Library. Zannie would pull out an easy reader, sit on the floor, read the book, and place it carefully back before moving on to the next one. His heart ached as he realized while they had the school library, they had probably never been to the large library in town where they could check out as many books as they wanted. He assured them that anything they wanted could go on his card. When they were at the front desk, he had the librarian give them their own library card.
Zannie jumped up and down with hers in her hand as they walked out, and Marty gripped his tightly before asking Mark if he would put it in his wallet so it didn’t get lost.
Then they made their way to Rose’s Ice Cream Shop, where the wide-eyed kids picked out their treats. Sitting at the table, he watched Zannie dig into her sundae, grinning as she shoveled each spoonful. Marty took smaller bites, seeming to savor the cold flavors. His phone buzzed, and he checked his messages. Karen would get the girls and tell them, then she’d be home in about twenty minutes.
While the kids continued to eat, he said, “I’m going to step to the side for a moment to make a call.”
The kids nodded, and he grinned. With the ice cream in front of them, he doubted his presence would be missed. When Brad answered, he asked, “Anything new to report?”
“No. Carla and Alan have disappeared for now. Jeremy has even checked with some of his connections in the drug world out here but came up empty.”
“What about the thefts? I know I’m not officially on the case, but I can’t help but wonder.”
“Nothing to report on those either. There have been no new burglaries in the past couple of days. How are things going with the kids?”
“I have them right now so that Karen can set up the house. The AL and Auxiliary came through. She’s gone to get her girls, and I’m having my dad bring Benji to their house in a little bit. I know it’s a lot, but Karen thinks it’s important for the kids to get used to having people around.”
“Sounds good, man. Will you be in tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Karen will make sure they get to school and also put me down as a contact for Marty and Zannie. I’ll be in and work more contacts on where their mom and Alan might be.”
“Think they’re still in the county?” Brad asked.
Mark placed his hand on his hip and stared down at his boots. “Yeah, I do. I have no idea why, but I just can’t see her leaving the kids. Not permanently. But why I think that I have no fuckin’ clue.”
“It’s because no matter how much shit we’ve seen in this job, you can’t imagine leaving Benji and can’t imagine another parent doing that.”
“You’re right. Maybe they did leave, and she just figured someone would take them in. Christ, what kind of parent does that?”
“One who feels they have no choice?” Brad says. “Hell, I have no answer.”
Mark looked through the glass window and grinned. Marty was helping Zannie wipe her face. “Looks like the kids are finished with their ice cream. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
They disconnected, and he headed inside to help the kids throw away their trash and then load back into his vehicle. He glanced into the back seat. “Okay, guys, you know that I took you out so that Miss Karen had a chance to get your rooms ready and to talk to her girls to let them know you will be staying there.”
“I get to share a room with another girl,” Zannie said, her smile wide.
“Are they gonna be mad?” Marty asked. “If they don’t want to share, we can stay with Mr. Roscoe.”
“They aren’t going to be mad,” Mark assured, hoping he was telling them the right thing. He’d been around Laura and Olivia and couldn’t imagine they would react badly. But then, they were having their household changed. He blew out a breath and hoped all was well with Karen and the girls. He suddenly wondered if he should call his dad and cancel having them come over. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he grimaced. Making this first night a big combined family night might be a mistake.
Before he had a chance to make alternate plans, he was in Karen’s neighborhood. Pulling into the driveway, he spied his dad’s car parked behind Karen’s. The kids alighted from his SUV, and he grabbed the bags of toiletries he’d purchased at the small dollar store before they’d gone to the library.
When he entered Karen’s house, Benji enthusiastically greeted him. “Hey, Dad!”
He dropped the bags by the front door and opened his arms to wrap his son in a hug. He knew that soon Benji would no longer want to greet him this way. Benji would go through a phase of being too cool to greet his old man, and when he grew out of that, Mark knew there would come a time when Benji would thrust out his hand for a handshake. As Benji stepped back, Mark glanced at his dad standing nearby. Straightening, he turned to see Zannie still grinning widely but nervously hovering close to Marty, who was once again wary.
“Benji, I’d like you to meet two friends of mine who will be staying here for a while. This is Marty; he’s nine and in fourth grade. And this is Suzanne, but she likes to go by Zannie. She’s in second grade. Marty and Zannie, this is my son, Benji. He’s ten and in fifth grade at your school.”
“Hey!” Benji said, smiling at the two newcomers.
Mark loved the easy way that Benji greeted the other kids. He had no idea if his dad had explained the situation, but he had a feeling Benji knew that the newcomers would stay at Karen’s until their family situation could be safe.
Zannie’s eyes were wide. “Do you live here, too?”
“Nah. This is Miss Karen’s house. I live with my dad and grandpa.”
As Richard stepped closer, Mark continued with the introductions. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Zannie and Marty. This is my dad, and you can call him Mr. Robbins.”
Richard extended his hand to Marty, who reached his hand out and allowed it to be engulfed in the much larger one. “It’s nice to meet you, young man.”
Richard looked down at Zannie and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard nice things about you.”
Zannie preened, and Mark wondered how many compliments the kids had heard. Karen came down the hall from the kitchen and hurried into the living room. Her eyes landed first on Mark, and he smiled encouragingly.
“Hey, guys,” Karen greeted everyone. “The girls and I were just getting the food in.” She looked down at Zannie and Marty. “Are you ready to meet the rest of my family?”
Olivia bounded into the room, and Zannie’s face brightened as if she were seeing a long-lost sister. “Hi! I’m Olivia. Zannie, you and I are going to be sharing a room.” She turned to Marty. “I hope it’s not too crazy in this house with a bunch of girls. That’s why it’s nice that Benji is here.”
Olivia grinned after greeting Mark’s dad and looked back at Marty. “This is great. Tonight, it’ll be four girls and four guys, so you won’t feel alone!”
Marty stared at Olivia, and Mark wondered if the shy nine-year-old was as blown away by her enthusiastic greeting as his sister was. Shyly ducking his head, Marty said, “Thanks. That sounds really good.” Then he added quickly, “But it’s okay if sometimes I’m the only boy.”
Mark looked at Karen, who immediately knelt in front of Marty. “You don’t have to worry about being separated from Zannie. We’re thrilled to have both of you, and that’s how it will stay.”
Marty nodded, his chest quivering as he inhaled deeply. Mark stepped forward to place a comforting hand on Marty’s shoulder.
On the heels of her sister, Laura walked in. At fourteen, she was already a beautiful mini version of Karen, with a sweet smile. She waved to the newcomers. “Sorry, I was trying to get all the drinks poured. Zannie and Marty, welcome to our home. Olivia and I are really stoked to have you here.”
The announcement of food sent everybody to the kitchen table. The table had six chairs, and Karen had added two folding chairs, making a snug but accommodating fit. A few women from the Auxiliary had brought over fried chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, and buttered rolls. Karen carefully orchestrated the seating so that Zannie sat between her and Olivia, and Marty was on the other side of Mark. Benji was next to Marty, while Richard rounded out the oval between Olivia and Laura.
Zannie and Marty watched Olivia and Laura, mimicking their behaviors. Seeing the girls pick up chicken legs with their fingers, they followed suit.
While Benji and Olivia kept the conversations flowing with Zannie, Mark wondered if Laura’s quiet encouragement had gotten Marty talking about his favorite subjects in school.
Glad to be beside Karen, he occasionally laid his hand on the back of her chair, squeezing her shoulder. She would glance his way and smile, but he could spy a nervous uncertainty in her eyes that she hadn’t had before. He leaned closer and said, “It’s going to be fine.”
She nodded, then her gaze returned to the others at the table. After apple pie with whipped cream for dessert, Laura and Richard volunteered to clean the kitchen while Karen showed Zannie and Marty where their rooms were. Olivia, with Zannie’s hand in hers, hurried up the stairs.
“Let’s follow them and take a look at your room,” Benji said, and Marty quickly scampered after Benji.
Karen and Mark followed, hearing Zannie's squeals of delight. While Karen entered the room, Mark peeked in just long enough to see Zannie standing in the middle of the pink, rose, and white room, her eyes wide with awe and excitement. Karen had washed the clothes the kids had brought and showed Zannie her new drawers with clean items.
Mark winked at Karen when she turned to smile at him, then pushed off the doorframe and walked across the hall. The smaller bedroom was now the perfect room for a little boy. Marty was almost frozen as he stood with one hand resting on the blue comforter and the other clutching a book on top of the bookcase near his bed.
“I have some posters I can let you have,” Benji offered as he looked around. “This is a really good room, but some sports posters will make it even better.”
“I like it just the way it is,” Marty said, his voice small as his eyes roamed the room.
His words tugged at Mark’s heart.
Soon, Richard claimed Benji. “Come on, Bud. I’ll get you home so you can finish your homework. Your dad will follow in a bit.”
Mark hugged Benji, then whispered, “I’m real proud of you, Son. You made Marty feel like he has a new friend, and that’s a very important job.”
Straightening, Mark offered a chin lift to his dad. “I’ll see you back home in just a little bit.”
With lots of goodbyes shouted out at once, Mark waved to his dad and son and then went back inside. Karen supervised Zannie’s bath time, then asked Mark to check in on Marty to make sure he had what he needed for a shower. He had brought in the toiletries for both, and with shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, and new toothbrushes for Marty and Zannie, they were soon ready for bed.
He knew Karen could handle everything but found he didn’t want to leave yet. She met him in the hall and whispered, “Can you stay until I get everyone settled? My girls are okay, but I want to make sure I take extra time with Olivia since she’s sharing a room, and of course, Zannie and Marty need some extra time from me to go over some basics.” She closed her eyes and let out a breath, dropping her head.
He placed his knuckle underneath her chin and lifted her head so that their bodies were very close as she opened her eyes. “I’ll stay.”
“But Benji?—”
“Benji has his granddad, and this is no different from me working late. My guys are okay. And I’ll be an extra pair of hands for you this evening.” If he’d wondered if those were the words she wanted to hear, her lips curving as she breathed relief, was his answer.
“Thank you,” she whispered before lifting on her toes and kissing him lightly.
He wanted to take the kiss back into her bedroom but knew the activities that would follow would have to wait. Glancing up as the bathroom door at the end of the hall opened and Marty walked out in a clean T-shirt and shorts, he gave Karen a quick hug and then turned and said, “I thought I’d see if you have everything you need for tonight and for school tomorrow while Miss Karen gets your sister sorted.”
Marty nodded, his shy smile peeking out. Mark clapped him on the shoulder and steered him into his room.
“I’ll be in soon,” Karen said. Marty looked over his shoulder, and his smile stayed as he nodded again.
Once inside the small bedroom that had been amazingly transformed in a few hours from a storage room to a cute boy’s bedroom, Mark watched as Marty walked over to the chest of drawers. He opened a couple of drawers and pulled out clean underwear and socks, his fingers lingering over the material before he placed them on the chair in the corner. He then found a pair of freshly washed jeans and added them to the pile. A long-sleeved T-shirt followed. Then Marty placed his worn sneakers on the floor beside the chair.
“Got everything you need for tomorrow?” Mark asked.
Marty looked up and smiled. “Yeah.” He shrugged. “I like to lay everything out so it’s easier in the morning. I usually help Zannie get dressed and ready. I don’t want us to miss the school bus, so…” His thin shoulders lifted in a shrug as his words died out.
Mark felt a pang on the left side of his chest at the thought of the little boy, who was close to Benji’s age, having to grow up so quickly, taking on the responsibilities of the adults who were missing in his life.
Mark sat on the side of the bed after Marty picked out a book from the ones he’d borrowed from the library. “Life has been rough for you and your sister, and you’ve done an amazing job looking after her. But now, it’s time for you to be a little boy for a while and let some adults take care of you.”
Marty stared at him with eyes that seemed older and more jaded than any nine-year-old eyes should be. Slowly, he nodded. “Okay.” He looked around the room, and a little smile peeked out. “I can’t believe I have a room here.” His hand lay on top of the comforter. “This is nice. I know Miss Karen felt bad that the room wasn’t very big, but this is bigger than anything I’ve ever had.”
Mark thought of the tiny room in the mobile home that Marty and Zannie shared. They had to sleep on the old twin mattress on the floor. Even with that, the thin cover had been pulled up, and Mark knew now that Marty probably did his best to make the bed every day. And now, knowing how he took care of Zannie, his heart squeezed again.
Karen appeared in the doorway, and Mark stood. Looking down, he said, “Marty, you’ve been a great big brother… the best Zannie could have asked for.”
Marty held his gaze and then nodded. As Karen entered the room, Mark slid by her and whispered, “He got his things ready for tomorrow.” After she glanced at the chair and nodded, he said, “Take your time. I’ll be downstairs. I won’t leave until all is good here.”
The look she gave him was exhausted yet filled with gratitude. He didn’t want her gratitude for being a decent man. What he wanted was for her to be rested and not tired. But they’d deal with all that once she came downstairs.
He squeezed her arm and walked out of the room. Saying good night to Zannie and Olivia, he waved to Laura and then jogged to the kitchen.