A Little More
Moving forward, after much time has passed…
“I’m impressed,” Ronan said, following Daniel through the community center they’d built into the main building of the homeless center their shifter clan had established for anyone who needed assistance. “I had no idea it was so big.”
“It’s not as big as we’d like it to be, but it can accommodate a lot of people.
Here in the center is the gym, but we’ve also got a kitchen and buffet style meals for those staying here.
There’s T.V., cards and games, and there’s another T.V.
for kids in the toy room, and we put one in the reception area, too.
We’ve got accommodations for singles here in the main building — one section for the women, one for the men.
We’ve got eighteen tiny homes on the property as well for families that are struggling, too.
We don’t offer actual treatment for addiction on premise, but we do have counselors who volunteer their time twice a week to be here for anyone who might want to use their services.
Once they’ve seen a counselor, they can be referred to an official rehab program through that counselor — and we pay for it.
We do have rules, though. You can’t come in here strung out and disrupt everybody else, but if you want it, we’ll get you help.
“I just can’t believe y’all have done so much in such a short period of time,” Ronan said.
“Well, you put a bunch of retired, or semi-retired construction workers together, turns out we can accomplish quite a bit. We knew how to buy the land and make sure it was zoned properly. We know about permits, we know about building, the labor’s free.
We get discounts and donated materials from vendors we’ve used for decades, and Brandt still uses.
There are people living here at the center who are working for us on site, so we don’t have to literally work it ourselves — we just oversee it.
We’re hoping to eventually be able to expand, but for now, it’s not a bad start,” Daniel said.
“Not a bad start?! I can’t believe how much you’ve done since the last time I was home. It’s only been two semesters and you basically set up an entire program, and housing for easily a hundred people, or more!”
Daniel opened one of a set of double doors and held it open as Ronan preceded him into the front reception area of the community center.
“Our main office is in this section, and there’s a receptionist on duty during usual working hours, and some of us rotate weekends so our receptionist doesn't have to work seven days a week. After hours, there’s an emergency phone mounted outside the building that anyone can use.
They just pick it up and dial 111, it’ll call whoever’s turn it is to be on duty that night, and someone will come to help them get in and get a place to rest, fed if they’re hungry, and a shower if they want it.
We worry about all the rest the next morning. ”
“This place is great. This is what is needed in every city, every town,” Ronan said.
“It’s difficult to get the funding needed.
We started it by funding it privately. We own it outright.
After it was built, and we were ready to start accommodating those who needed it, we applied for grants, and we spend a lot of time fundraising.
It’s not something you can just put together and expect it to support itself.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough people in the world who actually care if it doesn’t affect them personally. ”
“I’m sure those who live here are grateful.”
Daniel looked around the place, trying to see it with a fresh set of eyes.
“I became acutely aware of the need when I was looking for Remi when he had his meltdown. It really got me, you know? I couldn’t turn away and pretend I hadn’t seen so many people without anything, just waiting for anything to happen, and nothing on the way.
I couldn’t look away. I took Kaid and Brandt, all our people at one point or another to see what I’d seen for myself. This is the result.”
“I’d like to help while I’m home. Even if all I do is cook a meal or answer a phone. I could build a couple of tiny houses, or anything you need.”
“There’s always something that needs to be done,” Daniel said.
“Mr. Daniel,” an elderly man said, sticking his head out around a corner to get Daniel’s attention.
“You need me?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, sir. Food delivery. You want to sign off on it?”
“You can handle it,” Daniel said.
“I’m not sure what all we’re expecting. Can you make sure it’s all here?”
“Sure can,” Daniel said. He patted Ronan on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” Ronan said. He took a few minutes to look around the reception area.
It was a large room, carpeted with what looked like indoor/outdoor carpeting.
There were groups of seats like you’d find at a doctor’s office, and a few small tables scattered here and there.
There were magazines, a commercial sized pot of coffee with trees of mugs, not paper cups, sitting beside it.
There was a hard plastic bin to put your cup in once you’d finished your coffee.
The walls were a soft mint green, with chair molding about waist high all around the room with a natural light wooden color below that.
There was a large double sliding window right in the middle of the wall opposite the front door that housed the receptionist, who was obviously not there at the moment, behind it, along with what looked like a number of administration offices behind her.
Again, it was much like a doctor’s office, but much more welcoming.
The familiar sound of a beloved cartoon caught his attention, and he found himself following the familiar theme song.
He found the source of the music in what must have been the toy room Daniel had referred to.
There were two little boys trying to get a toy train to stay on a track, and both were singing along to the theme song.
“Phineas and Ferb! Is this a Phineas and Ferb video game? I love Phineas and Ferb!” Ronan said.
The boys looked up, both with dark eyes, dark hair, and blessed with a complexion that looked like a never fading tan.
One was about three, the other five or so.
They sized him up quickly, a move that was so much more mature than their actual years.
“Do you know how to make this work?” the older boy asked.
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” Ronan said.
The older boy stepped back, giving Ronan access to the train set they were trying to make work.
The younger held out the train car he was holding.
“Let’s see what we can do,” Ronan said, kneeling beside the kid-sized table the train set was on.
He checked the train cars to make sure they were all on the tracks properly, and finding they were, started checking each length of track.
“Here’s your problem,” Ronan said. “The track isn’t connected right.
” He looked over at both boys. “See this?” he demonstrated as he disconnected the section of track he’d just repaired, then connected it again. “Y’all see that?”
“Yes,” both boys said.
He disconnected it again and moved back. “You fix it now,” he said.
The older boy held one section of the track while his little brother held the other piece of track and they clipped them together, grinning happily at each other when they did it successfully.
“I think it’ll work now. Want to put the train on it and see if it’ll go?”
“Okay,” both boys said. They spent a couple of minutes lining up the train and making sure all the cars were connected since they’d jostled it a little while fixing the track, then they moved over to the controls at the edge of the table.
They looked up at Ronan, who nodded encouragingly, then at each other, eyes sparkling with excitement as the older boy started to press the power switch, but stopped just before he touched it.
“You can do it, Matteo,” he said to his little brother.
Matteo nodded and slapped his little hand down on the button. Almost immediately the train let out a whistle, and started forward, gradually picking up speed as it struggled to pull its cars around the track.
Matteo and his brother let out whoops and jumped up and down shouting happily. Then they ran over to Ronan and slapped the hand he held out in celebration.
“You guys are the best train fixers!” Ronan said.
“That’s cause you taught us!” the older one said.
“Yes, but you’re quick learners. You won’t need me to fix it next time,” Ronan said.
“Can you fix that?” Matteo asked, pointing at the T.V.
“The T.V.?” Ronan asked.
“The game,” the older boy said.
“Is it not working?” Ronan asked.
“It won’t start,” the older boy answered.
“Hmm. Let’s see,” Ronan said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He picked up the controller lying in front of the T.V., and started trying to move the cursor from one option to the next. Nothing happened.
Ronan crawled to the television on his knees, popped the game out, blew in it, then put it back in. The game started again, and Ronan tried to move the cursor after the opening song and credits. “There we go! It just had to be reset!”
“Do you know how to play this one?” the little boy asked.
“I used to. It’s been a while, though.”
“Can you show me?”
“I can.” Ronan moved back to his original spot a few feet from the T.V. and sat down. He held one controller and the boy sat beside him, holding the other. “Okay, do you know how to choose the game you want to start?”
“You pick the person,” he said.
“That’s right. You choose the picture of the character you want to be, then you choose one of the letters that come up after.” The younger boy, Matteo, came and sat right in front of Ronan, almost in his lap, and watched every move Ronan and his brother made on the controllers.
Ronan waited while the older boy did those things, then watched as the child started to play the game, hunting for Perry the Platypus, and running from the evil professor, scaling huge walls, and flying from giant tree to giant tree.
“Very good. But do you know that if you pick one of the apples in the giant trees, it’ll make you giant, too? ” Ronan asked.
“No!” the boy exclaimed.
“Yep, watch,” Ronan said, as he showed Matteo how to do it on his controller, then watched as his older brother tried it on his.
“Now, the only problem with being giant is that you can’t fit through the slide when you try to get away from Candace when she tattles to their mom. So, you’ll have to throw one of the apples at her. If it hits her, you’ll shrink down to regular size and be able to get away.”
“Can I do that?” Matteo asked.
“You sure can!” Ronan said, showing him what button to push on the controller to throw one of the apples from the apple tree at Candace.
“I love this game,” Matteo said.
“Me, too!” his older brother said, laughing and shrieking as his character ran from the sister on the video game.
“Sounds like you two are having fun,” a woman’s voice said from behind them.
Both boys and Ronan turned toward the door.
“Are you figuring it out?” she asked the boys.
“Yes! He showed us how to do it,” the older boy said.
“And the train!” Matteo said, jumping up and running over to the train table. He slapped his little hand against the power button again, and just like before it let out a whistle and started chugging its way around the track.
“That’s incredible!” she said.
“He’s nice,” Matteo said.
“Yeah, he is,” the other boy said.
“He is, is he?” she asked.
“Yeah. We made sure,” the boy answered.
“And what is his name?” she asked.
Both boys looked at each other, then at Ronan, who was staring at the woman like he’d suddenly forgotten how to speak.
Ronan stood up, his legs suddenly feeling like lead weights. “Hi, I’m Ronan.” He walked over to her and put his hand out.
The woman looked at him for what felt like forever, but was only a few seconds before she extended her hand and briefly shook Ronan’s hand. “Hi. I’m Giada.”
Ronan stared at her unblinkingly, still grasping her hand, until she forcibly pulled it back.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, as he realized she’d had to take her hand back because he was still holding onto it.
Giada smiled at him nervously, then addressed her sons. “Are you about ready to go have lunch?” she asked.
“Yes!” Matteo shouted. “Can I have French fries?”
“If you have a burger, too,” she answered.
“Leo? What about you?” she asked.
Leo had already gone back to playing the video game and didn’t hear a word she’d said.
“Leonardo!” she said.
He quickly turned around and faced her. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Are you ready for lunch?”
He looked back at the game, then at his mother. “I guess?” he said, making it sound more like a question than an answer.
“Let’s go, then. I’m sure your new friend has other things to do, as well.”
“Not really,” Ronan said. “I’m just in between semesters and was hanging out here for a little while.”
“Oh.” That was not what she’d expected the man to say. “Well, thank you for helping with the game,” Giada said.
“And the train,” Leo added.
“And the train,” Giada said.
“Will you be here later?” Leo asked.
“I might be. You never know where I might turn up,” Ronan said. “I’m finding all kinds of reasons to want to spend my break here,” he said as he looked directly at Giada.
“Well, if you do come back, come find us. We’re always here with Mom. She works in the front.”
“You’re the receptionist,” Ronan said.
Giada nodded, but again she seemed a little nervous. “Thank you again for helping them out. Don’t feel like you have to come find them. I know you have better things to do.”
“You’re welcome,” Ronan said.
Giada took both boys by the hand and led them away.
Ronan stood his ground, watching the empty doorway Giada had been standing in before she took her boys and left. “Giada,” he whispered. Then he smiled. “And Matteo, and Leo. I get a whole family.”