Chapter 2 #2
Todd followed and sat in a chair at the table as Jamie helped Kenny into an apron and then gave him a bowl and some grapes.
“Can you pull these off the stems?” he asked, showing Kenny what he wanted before getting out the pans and browning and seasoning the meat.
He also got water on the stove for the pasta.
It was like a dance. Todd had always been a passable cook, but never very good.
He hadn’t been taught much when he was growing up, but he’d always managed to feed both of them…
until everything had come crashing down.
“That’s really great,” Jamie told Kenny. “Now, do you think you can butter the bread? Maybe Daddy can help you.”
Todd moved over, and he and Kenny got the garlic bread buttered and helped set the table. It was so domestic, and Todd could almost feel a sort of warmth and contentment settle over him. Of course, he knew it was temporary, but he was grateful to Jamie for the respite from the streets.
Once dinner was ready, they sat at the table, and Todd helped Kenny. He cut the spaghetti into bites, and Kenny ate with gusto. So did he, if he were honest. It was basic food, but something neither of them had had in quite a while.
“Is it good?” Jamie asked.
Kenny grinned. “Good.”
His son was smiling, and his eyes didn’t have the darkness that fear brought.
Kenny was actually talking to Jamie, and even to the dog, of all things.
Once he was done, Kenny climbed down and played on the floor with Cindy.
Todd almost cried just watching his son be a normal kid.
Hell, he laughed through tears as Kenny and Cindy raced around the sofa, taking turns chasing each other.
The doorbell brought everything to a standstill. Kenny hurried over to him, and Todd held his hand and sat on the sofa as Jamie let two men inside.
“Carter, Donald, this is Todd and Kenny,” Jamie said.
“He and I went to high school together.” The way Jamie glanced at him made his belly twist in the best way.
“And they’ve been without a home for a few months.
I’m hoping there is some sort of help that they can get so they can get back on their feet. ”
“There are programs. The first thing would be to get them into an emergency shelter.”
“Todd and Kenny can stay here for the time being. Kenny is going to need some stability. Right, Todd?”
All he could do was nod. Maybe it was the lack of nutrition over time, but his mind didn’t seem to be able to keep up.
“We’re working to get his identification paperwork in order so he can apply for jobs. He has experience but worked for a company that closed.”
“We see a lot of people who have lost their homes in this job market.” Donald spoke softly after sitting in the chair closest to the door.
“There’s no shame in it.” He paused. “My specialty is child services—I’m an advocate for children.
But the crossover to the entire family is becoming more and more expected.
You can’t help the children without helping the parents.
” He opened his case and pulled out some papers.
“There is emergency money available that can be used to help Todd start getting on his feet. It’s not much, but it should allow him to feed the two of them and start to feel some independence again. ”
Finally, he seemed to find his voice, looking at the man with Donald. “What is he here for?”
Donald rolled his eyes. “Carter is overprotective sometimes.” Donald turned around.
“You could smile every once in a while. Todd is homeless, not a serial killer.” He smacked Carter on the shoulder, and he finally seemed to lose that almost military bearing.
“The ultimate end goal would be to help you and Kenny get back on your feet enough to get a place of your own. I checked, and at the moment, the places we have for temporary housing are all occupied, and resources are stretched to the limit.”
“That’s okay. Like I said, they can stay here. So housing isn’t an issue. If you have some emergency funding, that will help them, and then we can help Todd find a job.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Donald stood.
“If you need anything, please let me know. I’m going to leave these forms for emergency assistance.
Just return them to me, and I’ll get them to the proper department for processing.
I also brought some references for writing resumes and filling out job applications.
For a lot of places, they have online processes now.
” He passed them to Todd. “Honestly, I wish I could do more.”
“You’ve helped us already. At least I know we’re on the right track,” Jamie said with a smile. “Todd, are there any other questions that you have?”
He shrugged. “This is all so overwhelming, I guess. For months, things just seemed to happen to us. Kenny and I sort of blew in the wind and did what we had to.” Taking control of things once more seemed like such a huge job, and he wasn’t sure he was up for it.
But he had to be. Kenny was counting on him, so he needed to pull himself together and do what was right for him.
“Jameson, would you mind taking Kenny into the kitchen for a few minutes?” Donald asked. “Carter, you go along with him. Okay?”
They all left, though Carter did so reluctantly. “I know this can be frightening and overwhelming,” Donald said. “Everyone thinks that getting back on your feet is about money, a job, a place to live. But it’s more than that.” He was patient, and Todd nodded.
“I’m afraid.”
“Of what, exactly?” Donald asked in that soothing voice he had.
“Of failing all over again,” he admitted. “What if all of you do all this to help and I end up right back where I was? I failed once before, so how do I know I won’t do it again?”
Donald nodded. “I get that question a lot. And it’s one of those questions that you need to answer.
The best way to answer it is with determination and grit.
It’s got to come from inside you. You can get help, and you have someone determined to try, but in the end, it’s all down to you.
Do you want to return to camping out in parks? ”
Todd shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted. “I’ll do what I have to do to keep Kenny safe.” He himself wasn’t important, but Kenny needed and deserved a home.
“You keep telling yourself that. Let those words give you strength. There will be bumps in the road, but you’ll get there with determination and work.”
Maybe that was what he needed to hear. It was possible for him to take control of parts of his life and make things better.
“Thank you,” he said with more confidence.
They had a plan, which was more than Todd had had a few days ago.
The fear was still there, but maybe, instead of growing and controlling everything, it was beginning to recede.
Donald got Carter, and they left. Todd sat on the sofa, trying to get everything settled in his head. There were forms to fill out and applications to submit. So much to do that it felt almost overwhelming. So much had changed in a matter of hours, and he needed a chance to process it.
“Go ahead and get Kenny cleaned up and ready for bed. I’ll start to organize what we need to do into more manageable steps that will be easier for us to keep track of. We don’t need to do all of this tonight. But first thing tomorrow, we need to get your papers. That’s the first step.”
“Yeah….” He sniffed and did his best to hold it together.
“Come on, Kenny. Let’s get you ready for bed.
” For part of him, the part that remembered life before everything fell apart, it felt so normal…
yet he knew it was anything but. Still, Jamie was there, and that meant he wasn’t alone, at least for now.