Chapter 7
Jason woke up ten hours later, still in the same position. Flat on his back, arms star-fished across the mattress. His stomach rumbled at the smell of bacon wafting down the hallway. Across the room, Felix was sitting cross-legged in bed, playing with toy dinosaurs.
Seeing Jason awake, he waved one in the air. “Hi. Want to play?”
“Uh, maybe later.” He rose from the bed and wandered down the hall to the bathroom.
The mirror reflected his black eye, now turning shades of blue and purple, and his cut lip, which was partially healed.
While brushing his teeth, the cut reopened.
He winced, spitting blood-streaked saliva into the sink.
He brushed back his thick mop of greasy hair and splashed water on his face.
The image gazing back looked as dejected as he felt.
On the way back, he ran into Mr. Hendricks, who exited the bedroom across from his and Felix’s. “Morning. Sleep well?”
Jason jerked his chin up slightly, not giving a hint that last night’s sleep was the best he’d had in as long as he could remember.
“Wonderful go ahead and shower. Breakfast will be ready soon... Hungry?”
“Yeah.” Jason locked the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Last night he had been too tired to do more than a quick rinse.
His eyes opened wide as he scrutinized the products lined up for his use.
He grabbed the shampoo and sniffed, luxuriating in its fresh smell.
Pouring a dollop into his hand, he scrubbed his head vigorously.
The rinse water swirled brown at his feet.
At home, the water would turn ice cold within minutes.
Showers were limited to a quick in and out military style.
Even when his dad had a steady income, he was too cheap to update their barely functioning hot water heater.
With a pleasurable sigh, he repeated the process. Reaching for the soap, he took a moment to notice it was not the cheap stuff they used. He lathered his body and sluiced the grime off it.
Wrapping a fluffy white towel around his body, he exited the shower to find a stack of his clothes, washed and neatly folded on the dresser.
His cheeks flushed as he pulled on his clean clothes, embarrassed at how tattered they looked.
Although his body and spirit were battered, feeling and smelling clean helped somehow.
His home always smelled of cigarette smoke and stale beer.
He was always picking up after his dad, but it seemed to go back to cluttered chaos before he knew it.
With a heavy sigh, he headed into the kitchen.
Mrs. Hendricks stood at the stove, one hand on her hip and the other holding a spatula.
She was humming a tune to the radio. Strains of the music wafted through the kitchen.
Our God is an awesome God; He reigns in heaven above.
With wisdom, power, and love, our God is an awesome God.
That’s familiar, he thought. A flash of memory took him back to being a small kid, with his mom stirring a pot on the stove, singing those same words.
A pang of longing filled him until the remembered his dad coming into the kitchen and screaming at her with profanities to stop singing that religious crap.
He shook his head as Mrs. Hendricks placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly, a concerned look on her face. “Jason. Are you okay? I’ve asked you twice now to sit down at the table. Your breakfast is ready.”
“Sorry.” He sat at the table. Delicious smells coming from his plate made his stomach growl; he felt saliva pooling in his mouth in anticipation.
Wolfing down blueberry pancakes, bacon, and a glass of orange juice, his stomach felt like a bottomless pit.
He finished his plate before anyone else was half-done.
Sue offered him the platter of pancakes and bacon. “Seconds?”
He looked around the table with hesitation. Everyone seemed happy and unconcerned, and the platter was still full of food.
“Thanks,” he said quietly as he speared a couple more pancakes and slices of bacon.
She passed him the butter and syrup, then raised the juice container. “More juice?”
Jason nodded and held up his glass for her to fill. Then he dug into his food again.
“What do you think about going to the mall after we clean this up?” Jeff offered.
“Felix needs some new shoes and clothes for school. Lots of after-Christmas sales, I bet. We could stop at the food court for lunch. You boys can have anything you want. Pizza, burgers, hibachi?” He smiled at Felix, “the options are limitless.”
Felix punched his fist in the air. “Yes!”
“You, my son, need a haircut.” Jeff ran his hand over his full head of gray hair. “I’m shaggy myself.”
“I’ll stay here,” Jason muttered.
Jeff folded his hands on the table and looked at Jason. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come with us. We can’t leave you unsupervised. Those are the rules.”
Jason hung his head, cheeks hot, long bangs covering his eyes.
“I don’t have any money, and these are the only clothes I’ve got.
” He inwardly panicked. What if he ran into kids from school?
What if Rebecca was at the mall? In desperation he turned to Sue with a wild-eyed look.
“I have a job and can earn money for my stuff.” Frowning, he glanced at the wall calendar and slammed his hand on the kitchen table.
“I’m supposed to be at work today! I’ll get fired. ”
Sue responded in a soft voice. “The foster agency notified your work that you will not be returning.”
Jason lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. “But I liked my job. They were about to give me a raise after the New Year. Now how am I supposed to earn any money?”
Sue reached out her arm and laid it on Jason’s. “Social Services gives us money to buy clothing and items you need. No worries.”
Jeff nodded in agreement. “The neighborhood schools are just a few blocks away and will be starting back in a few days, so we’ll need to get you ready.”
Jason brushed the hair out of his eyes and blinked back tears. “But I want to go back to my school, with my friends.”
“We understand and wish we could accommodate that, but we can’t.
The foster care regulations state that you have to attend the neighborhood school.
” Sue walked over to Jason with her coffee mug and sat down in the chair next to him.
“I’m sorry, Jason. I know you’ve been through a very tough time. Life isn’t always fair.”
Felix perked up. “You’ll be at my school, Greystone Middle and High School Unified. We can walk to school together.”
Jason swiped his bangs and scowled. I hate my life.
Why couldn’t everyone just leave him alone?
That’s all he wanted. He’d looked after himself for as long as he could remember.
He didn’t need to be in a foster home. Everybody acted so happy...
and fake. His thoughts kept turning inward and darker as he spiraled down.
After a moment, he turned to Sue and pulled out the ragged piece of paper. “Can I use your phone? Social Services took my phone. I want to call my mom. Uh, I’m not sure where she lives, but I have her number.”
Sue took a sip of coffee, then leaned forward. “Has it been a while since you talked to her?”
“Yeah. Couple years. She had to leave before he killed her.”
Sue clutched her hand over her heart and shared a look of concern with Jeff. “Oh no. She couldn’t take you with her?”
Jason shook his head and looked down at the floor. “I was staying at a friend’s house. My dad got drunk and started hitting her. The neighbors called the cops, and she ended up in the hospital. She was six months pregnant but lost the baby. Once she could walk again, she ran.”
He raked his hand through his bangs and took a shaky breath. He handed the piece of paper with his mother’s number on it to Sue.
“I don’t blame her for leaving without me?—”
She read the words and gave it back to Jason. “Of course you can call her. Just one promise, okay?”
“What?”
“If you decide to go to your mom’s, please tell us, and we’ll help you get there safely. If we don’t, the foster care system will consider you a runaway. That will make it harder for you to find placement if it doesn’t work out with your mom. We don’t want you to end up on the street.”
Jason thought for a moment, calculating his odds, then bobbed his head in agreement. “Oh. Um, okay... Thanks.”
Mrs. Hendricks smiled warmly. “You’re welcome.” Her smile curved downward as she pointed at Jason’s bruised eye and cut lip. “Did your dad do that to you?”
“Not this time, but he’s done worse. I got into a... a... fight.”
Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks exchange a glance. He was used to that look of pity from his school teachers and counselors.
“You can use the phone in the office.” Jeff led him into the office and motioned for him to sit down. “Let us know how it goes.”
Hands shaking, Jason picked up the phone and punched in the numbers. On the fourth ring, he heard her familiar voice.
“Hello?”
He swallowed and spoke in a croaky voice, full of emotion. “Mom. It’s me.”
Silence.
“Mom? Are you there?”
More silence, then, “Jason? Jason, is that you?” A long pause followed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. Dads in jail, and I’m in foster care, but the people are really nice.”
“What did he do this time? Where are you?”
“He assaulted a police officer. There’s a bunch of other stuff I can tell you more about when I see you. Where are you?”
“Oh, I’m somewhere safe. That’s all that matters. Real pretty here, with lots of trees.”
Jason clenched the phone, knuckles white. “Mom, can I come and live with you? I don’t want to be in foster care. I want to be with you. They’re making me go to a new school and everything.” His voice quaked as he pleaded his heart out over the phone.
More silence followed.
“I’m so sorry, Jason, but that’s not possible. I’m afraid your dad would track us down. Please try to understand. I need to protect myself and my family. You have a new baby sister.”
Jason shut his eyes as the answer he didn’t want to hear came through the phone line.
A tear slipped down his battered face as his thoughts raced.
He had imagined this call for years, but never thought it would end this way.
Pleading with all his heart, tears flooded his face and his mouth quivered.
In a tremulous voice he begged, “But Mom. I’ll be careful.
Please? I want to see my baby sister and live with you. ”
“I can’t take that chance. I love you, son. I hope you know how much. I need to go now. I’m so sorry.”
There was a soft click, and she was gone. Jason stared at the phone in disbelief. He folded at the waist in the armchair, laid his head in his lap and wept like never before, abandoned and an outcast. No one wanted him—not even his mother.