Chapter One #2
Upstairs in his suite, he searched for some fresh clothes that should fit Todd reasonably well.
He looked out the window when he heard the neighbor kids in the yard.
After taking the clothes down, he went out and spoke to Andrea.
“Is it possible to get a change of clothes for a friend’s boy? He’s about five or so.”
She looked at him for a few seconds as though assessing what he was doing, but bless her heart, she didn’t ask questions.
She went inside and returned with a complete set of clothes, folded and clean.
“Will these work? They’re a little small for Jimmy, so they don’t need to be returned.
” She smiled at him knowingly. “You’re doing a good thing.
” Damn, how did she always know everything that was going on?
“I’m helping an old friend from school.”
Andrea nodded. “I know that the police raided the back of the park today, and I saw you bring home a man and a boy who had obviously been living rough. Like I said, you’re doing a good thing.
” Andrea patted him on the shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything else.” She headed to the backyard, and Jameson returned inside, leaving the clothes just inside the bedroom door.
The water ran for a long time, and then the pipes quieted.
Jameson waited with Cindy in the living room for Todd and Kenny to emerge.
The clothes he’d gotten for Todd hung on him.
The pants were cinched, but at least the T-shirt wasn’t too big.
Kenny’s clothes seemed to fit better, and both of them looked more content.
Todd sat on the sofa, with Kenny next to him, Todd’s arms around him.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Todd shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.
I was in college, and I was keeping my head above water.
I mean, I tried, but I don’t think it was for me.
But then I met Kenny’s mom. She was interested in me, and I wasn’t ready to admit things about myself, so we dated for a while.
She got pregnant, and I asked her to marry me because that was the right thing to do.
But she didn’t want to be a mother and was going to terminate the pregnancy.
” He looked down at the floor. “That thought nearly killed me. But she was the mother, and there was only so much I could do. But then she kept putting it off, and eventually it was too late. I had a good job at Everly Freight, so after she had the baby, I took Kenny, and she left town. She was never happy here, and I think she thought this was her chance. She’d met someone new, and they wanted a different life.
” He held him closer, Kenny’s eyes drooping.
“It sounds like you had a plan and things were working out, though?”
“Oh, everything was good. My mom helped by watching Kenny while I was at work. I took care of him otherwise. But then at two he got real sick, and I missed a lot of work. When they downsized, I was laid off. I tried for other jobs and found work for a while. Mom passed away when he was three. I had a good job again, and we did well for two years. I had savings, Kenny was in preschool, things were pretty good for us, but with a kid and all the costs, we were doing okay. Then the business went bankrupt. I got my final pay and that was it. No notice. They closed, I was out of a paycheck, and within six weeks, we had no place to live. That was March, and we’ve been living in our tent ever since.
I keep trying to get a job or some sort of work, but I don’t have an address.
I do have my important papers and stuff hidden so they are safe.
At least I have copies of those, but everything else is gone.
There was no place for me to keep my stuff, so I sold what I could, and the rest… .” He lowered his head.
God, what the hell was wrong with the world they lived in?
He knew that there were stories about people becoming homeless all over the news, but this was just too much for him to stand.
“Why don’t you take Kenny into the bedroom and lie down for a while?
I suspect you haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in all that time. ” What the hell else could he do?
“Thanks, Jameson. Kenny and I will be out of your hair as soon as we can. He just needs a chance to rest up and eat a little.” He gathered Kenny, and the two of them went into the bedroom.
Jameson followed. Todd got Kenny settled on the bed, and Cindy jumped up with him.
“That was the first hot meal that we’ve had in weeks.
Whatever money I could scrounge went to get Kenny things he needed.
I ate what I could find, and you don’t want to know where I got it.
But I did my best to protect Kenny.” He sat down on the bed, his head in his hands, shaking.
“This is not the life I want for my son.”
Todd’s shoulders shook, and Jameson knew he was crying. “You didn’t do anything to make this happen. This isn’t what you chose.”
“No. Maybe not, but it’s what happened, and now I don’t know what to do to make it stop. Kenny deserves a better life than this. Maybe he’d be better off if he went into care. At least then he’d get enough food and wouldn’t be sleeping in a tent with nothing.”
Kenny seemed to be resting so they left the bedroom, returning to the living room.
“You know that you have the ability to pull yourself up and figure out a way forward. That’s what you need to do for him.
You can use my house as an address and start applying for jobs.
I know that a number of the distribution centers are looking for workers, including .
They always need people.” He would do what he could to help Todd through this rough patch.
The man was scared and worried, he knew that.
“What do you do?” Todd asked.
“I’m an assistant professor at Dickinson.
I teach American studies and critical reasoning.
So, I work a lot. I publish two to three times a year and teach a number of classes.
After a couple more years, I’ll be able to go for tenure, but until then, I have to publish and work extra hard so I can make a name for myself. ”
“You went on with college?”
Jameson smiled. “I went all the way. I like to teach, and I like the research that I do. I think my talent in that area is to make my students part of it.” He got up and took over an old laptop.
It still worked, but he had gotten a new one that would handle more of the dynamic processes his research required.
“You can use this if you want to get online and apply for jobs and stuff. I know it seems hard, but you have to figure a way to keep going forward.”
“You’re actually going to help me?”
“I can try. I don’t know what the exact steps are, but I think I can also try to get you and Kenny some help.
I honestly don’t know what’s available.” He placed his hand on Todd’s shoulder.
“You and I knew each other back in high school, so I’ll see what I can do.
But you have to do your part too… for Kenny.
And maybe tomorrow we can check at the post office to see if there is any mail that’s been coming to your last address.
” Jameson was more than willing to help, but Todd had to be willing to help himself.
Jameson only hoped that turned out to be the reality of the situation.