Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Daddy,” Kenny said as he took his hand, pulling him over to the table. “You’re not listening…,” he added.
“Sorry.” He had read the offer he’d received three times, and there were still things about it that he didn’t understand. Still, he knew the money being offered was good, and that was the biggest thing, he supposed. “What do you have?”
“I did schoolwork,” Kenny said. Todd wasn’t sure what he was referring to until Kenny showed him a book. He had thought it was another coloring book, but apparently it was a math workbook. “I know all the numbers.”
Todd leafed through page after page of beginning math problems that had been solved. Simple addition and subtraction, all completed correctly as far as he knew. Pages and pages of them. “Where did you get this?” he asked gently, still confused.
“Miss Andrea,” Kenny answered. He pointed toward the house next door. “She gave them to me.”
“Are there more?” Todd asked, and Kenny lowered his gaze before showing him more. One was writing, and the other seemed to be geared around reading and answering questions. He paged through them and realized he had been holding his son back. Kenny should have been in preschool already.
Kenny pulled the book he was using to him and picked up a pencil, opening the book to a page and started working. His numbers were wavy, but legible.
Todd sat next to him, put an arm around him, and they shared a smile. “Do you like doing math?”
Kenny nodded before finishing the page. He grinned, and Todd hugged him tightly, about ready to burst with pride and relief. “Can I watch TV?” Kenny asked, and Todd nodded. Kenny turned on the television and sat on the floor, Cindy curling next to him to watch cartoons.
Rain spattered the windows as he returned to the computer.
He had gotten another response to his job inquiries.
He scheduled an interview for Friday, hoping it would be okay with Jamie.
Now he had two appointments, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he was going to need a way to get back and forth to work.
He had seen bus shelters out near the warehouses, so he assumed that there was a way to get out there.
Maybe after getting paid a few times, he could get some sort of car of his own.
“Hey, Kenny,” Jamie said as he came into the living room. He must have parked in the garage and come through the back.
Kenny jumped up and ran to hug him. “I did schoolwork today.” He practically dragged Jamie to the table to show him.
“That’s amazing. Did you learn to do this all by yourself?” He paged through the book. Kenny showed him the other ones. “How about you keep working in this one, and this weekend, I’ll show you what to do in these books. Okay?”
“Yes.” He grinned and went back to the television.
“Andrea gave him the books. I’m not sure when.”
“She’s been home-schooling her kids for years.
So, I suspect she found some old materials and thought Kenny might get some use out of them.
” He put down his bag with a sigh. “On the test-stealing front, our trap bore fruit. We were able to follow the trail, and the Dean is working on it. My colleagues are happy, and hopefully more people will show themselves. But that seems to be working out.” Jamie glanced at Kenny and then kissed Todd gently. “How are things here?”
“I have two more interviews. One tomorrow and one on Friday. I hope that’s okay. I made them in the afternoons, but I wasn’t sure if that would be okay.”
“That should work.”
“And I got this offer.” He pulled up the email, and Jamie sat down to read it.
“Okay. The money seems pretty good. From the research I did on the internet, it’s more than what the others start their new hires at.
” He continued reading. “Okay. They’re asking that you take a drug screening test, and they tell you where to go for that.
They also explain that there’s a six-month probationary period, which is normal, and that they have various incentive and retirement savings programs that you’ll be eligible for at the end of the probationary period.
” He looked up. “This sounds reasonable to me. They are offering you a first-shift position in the warehouse. It will probably be quite physically taxing, but that isn’t something you can’t handle.
” He seemed to read further. “They are asking for an answer within seven days, which is also reasonable.”
“What do I do?” Todd asked. He was tempted to just take the job, cancel the other interviews, and move forward.
“Relax a little. We’ll send a note confirming that you received the offer and that you appreciate it. We’ll also tell them that you will let them know your answer in the time specified.”
“I already thanked them for the offer and said that I would get back to them.”
“Perfect. That’s all you need to do until next week. Now, just take a deep breath. You have a job offer, and these other interviews are to see if they offer anything that sounds better. Okay?”
“Okay, I guess.” Todd sighed and could finally see his way forward.
“Personally, I don’t think I could work around all that chocolate all day. It would make me hungry all the time.”
Todd shook his head. “I don’t really care for chocolate. So maybe the job would be good for me. I wouldn’t be tempted and stuff.”
“Daddy!” Kenny shouted and ran over to him, Cindy on his heels. He clung to his legs.
“What is it?” Todd asked, looking toward the front of the house, where a face peered in through the windows. He held Kenny close, seething with anger. He wanted to go out and rip the crazy-ass man apart.
“I’m calling the police,” Jamie said. “He was warned to stay off my property.” Jamie had his phone out as Charlie stepped away from the window. Todd continued to comfort Kenny as Jamie reported what they had seen and explained that the person had been warned to stay off the property.
“No, not yet, but I’ll get one of it means you’ll do your jobs,” Jamie snapped, and put his phone on the table.
“They asked if I had a restraining order.” He rolled his eyes and glared out the front windows until a police car pulled up.
Jamie went out in the rain to speak to them before returning inside.
“What are they going to do?”
“The patrol officers said they would look for him, but they didn’t seem all that interested.
I did what Carter told me.” He snatched up his phone and made another call.
“Hey, Carter, it’s Jamie. Charlie made another appearance.
I called it in, but the officers who responded didn’t seem to take things too seriously.
’” He listened and nodded while Todd took Kenny to their room and set him on the side of the bed.
“It’s okay. Jamie is going to help.” He hugged him tight. “I know you’re scared of him, but Charlie is not going to hurt you. I will do everything to keep that from happening.” He held and rocked Kenny as he clung to him. This had to come to an end.
“Thank you,” he heard Jamie say, and then after a few seconds, he stepped into the open doorway. “Carter is going to contact them, so they understand the seriousness.”
Todd nodded as Kenny settled down. Then he laid him on the bed, and Kenny curled up with his stuffie. Cindy jumped on the bed, lying down right next to him. “Jamie and I are going to be right outside.” He rubbed Kenny’s back for a few minutes and then left the room. “He’s scared to death.”
“I know. Charlie is doing his best to terrorize him. Carter is going to do what he can, and he’ll call me back if they have anything. But trespassing is a ticketing offense, not something they usually arrest someone for unless it’s a repeated offence. I can check into getting a restraining order.”
Todd sat in a chair at the table. “How much is that going to cost?” He knew that everything had a price, and he couldn’t afford squat. He was barely holding his and Kenny’s lives together.
The doorbell made them both jump. Jamie went to see who it was and returned with Andrea.
“I saw that man again. I was getting the kids’ toys out of the rain. He was bundled up. I decided I needed to water the pots and accidentally turned the hose on him. Got him good, right in the chest. He’ll be soaked all the way through.” She was trying not to smile.
“Thank you,” Todd said, “for that and the books for Kenny.” He handed the math one to her. She went through it, her eyes wide.
“He did all this already? I gave these to him figuring they might be helpful as prep for kindergarten.” She set it down.
“Whether you decide to put him in school or homeschool, you need to have him tested. If he did this on his own, then he is probably going to need special classes for gifted kids.”
“Would you like some coffee?” Jamie asked, and got her a cup when she nodded, offering her a seat.
“I know he’s smart. He drew a picture of me and Jamie kissing because he said that we looked at each other all gooey. He said it was something grandma told him. But she died just after he turned four.”
“If his mind is developed enough for this type of work, then it’s possible he was already learning at a great deal at that age.” She smiled. “Get him tested, and when you enroll him in school, make sure they have an appropriate educational plan for him.”
Todd could feel himself paling. “Oh God…,” he whispered.
“This is good thing.”
Todd shook his head. “What if I mess this up too?”
“Hey. Kenny being smart is a grand thing. We’ll get him tested, and we’ll work together to make sure he has everything he needs. Just relax and breathe. Take things one step at a time. The old school year isn’t done. We can get him tested and signed up for school during the summer.”