Chapter 17
Charity walked through the lobby of Bright Futures Home after having sent the kids off to school and welcomed the electricians. She’d chatted with Paula for a few minutes and then was heading to her office when the door opened behind her.
She schooled her expression into one of calm and did not leap with excitement when Ramzi walked in with his brother right behind him. The older boy’s gaze darted around as he thought he was expecting someone to jump out and grab him.
Walking over, she smiled. “Ramzi, it’s so nice to see you again.” Turning to the taller boy, she said, “Hello. I’m Charity Whitlock. You must be Ramzi’s brother.”
The older boy held her gaze, his eyes slightly narrowed. “How do you know?”
“The two of you look so much alike.”
Ramzi grinned widely, pride showing in his smile. “This is my brother, Kofi.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kofi. What can I do for you two today?”
The boys exchanged glances, then Ramzi asked, “Can we talk? Like you and I did the other day?”
“Absolutely. Would you like to go to my office? Or would you like to walk around the center while we talk?”
At her last suggestion, a spark of interest ignited in Ramzi’s eyes. Taking her cue from his expression, she smiled. “Let’s do that. Let’s walk around a little bit, and then we can end up in the kitchen. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to get a snack.”
She lifted her hand to gesture the direction they would go and began to walk, glad when both boys fell in step with her. She decided to share information about the center as they strolled, hoping that becoming familiar with the center would make them more comfortable.
Their curious gazes took in the multipurpose room and peeked into a few of the classrooms where the older students were practicing for job interviews. They ventured into the TV and computer lounge and then walked into the boys’ dorm area.
George and Mary were in the process of helping one of the volunteers with laundry, and both looked up with kind smiles as they greeted the boys.
Retracing their steps through the hall that led to the multipurpose room, she overheard Ramzi whispering to Kofi, “Told you it was nice.”
She smiled at hearing his enthusiasm and silently hoped it rubbed off onto his brother.
Assuming they might be hungry, she stopped just inside the kitchen. “I’ve talked a lot as we walked around and am thirsty. Would you like a snack and something to drink?”
Ramzi looked at Kofi for guidance, and Kofi held his brother’s gaze and then nodded. Ramzi smiled and also nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She opened one of the large refrigerators and pulled out milk, hiding her smile. The two boys obviously showed great affection, with Ramzi looking up to his brother and Kofi fiercely protective.
She handed them the glasses of milk and directed them toward the counter, where there were several stools. “Hop on up, and I’ll see what else I can find.”
Before she had a chance to prepare anything, their cook, Sebastian, walked in, wiping his hands on a cloth. Crinkles emanated from his eyes as he smiled at Charity and then greeted the boys. She and he had a silent conversation with just a simple shared look, and he said, “I don’t know about you three, but I could use a sandwich.”
“That sounds great. Thank you, Sebastian,” she said. Looking toward the boys, she added, “Sebastian makes fantastic sandwiches.”
She was quiet as Sebastian got to work, noticing the boys kept their eyes on the cook. Sebastian dominated the conversation as he talked through what he was making. It not only made them feel more at ease but he also created a teaching moment.
“Everyone thinks you have to only use butter outside of a grilled cheese sandwich. But I always smear a thin layer of mayonnaise on the outside. It makes it extra crispy.”
Sebastian expertly laid out the thick slices of bread with two kinds of cheeses, a slab of ham, and some bacon. Before putting the sandwiches together, he toasted the bread in the frying pan, adding a tomato slice and lettuce in the middle. Then he left them to toast a little bit longer before sliding them onto the plates. Charity added apple slices and some potato chips.
“That’s a whole lot of food for just a snack,” Kofi said, his voice holding a hint of suspicion.
“Yeah!” Ramzi agreed, his enthusiasm eagerly showing as he stared at the fare.
Sebastian was already digging into his, and Charity took a bite of her sandwich. After swallowing, she said, “Come on, guys. Eat up.” Then with her eyes on Kofi, she softened her voice. “This isn’t a bribe. This isn’t a trick. I was hungry, and since I hadn’t had breakfast and hate to eat alone, this was just a time to eat something with new friends.”
Kofi regarded her, his expression a mix of contemplation and evaluation. She hoped he’d find what she wanted him to see, and he finally nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Around here, everyone calls me Charity.”
Kofi was in mid-bite when his brow lowered. “Charity?”
She laughed. “Believe it or not, it’s the name my mama gave me.”
Kofi grinned, and Ramzi joined in with a snicker. Minutes later, they finished their meal, and Sebastian reached for their plates.
Kofi intervened. “We got this. Thank you for the meal.” He stood and jerked his head to the sink, and Ramzi followed him dutifully. Sebastian started to move forward, but Charity shook her head.
Sebastian nodded, and with a hearty goodbye, he headed out of the kitchen. Charity wanted to give the boys their dignity. The center had provided a meal for them, and their ability to clean up afterward was their offering. She watched as they worked side by side, even wiping down the counters when they finished.
“Okay, then. Thank you. Let’s head to one of the rooms where we can chat for a while.”
They passed some of the electricians as they walked back down the hall. She waved and greeted them, then noticed both boys stopping in the hall, their attention captured by what the men were working on.
Ramzi turned to her with curiosity in his eyes. “What are they doing up there?”
“They’re installing security to help us keep everyone here safe.”
Ramzi’s eyes were wide as they passed by a few of the workers on ladders, and while Kofi’s expression was wary, Charity noticed his eyes held interest even if his mannerisms were cautious.
They had just entered the lobby on their way to a conference room when Oliver stepped through the door. The footsteps of the boys came to a halt. Turning, she observed them staring at Oliver, their bodies tense and their stances ready to flee.
Her eyes widened, hoping to convey a message to Oliver telepathically. Fortunately, he offered a barely perceptible chin lift, then turned his smiling face to the boys. He walked forward and extended his hand. For a moment, it seemed Kofi was going to leave him hanging. Then slowly, Kofi reached his hand out and shook Oliver’s.
“It’s nice to see you here,” Oliver said.
Charity explained, “We’ve had a tour of the center, checked on the electricians, had a snack, and are now heading into one of the conference rooms to chat.”
Oliver nodded. “You can’t find a better listener than Charity. She’ll take care of you.”
As they turned to move to a room, Kofi stopped and looked straight at Oliver, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Thank you.”
Oliver held Kofi’s gaze, also schooling his expression not to show surprise. Instead, he waited for Kofi to elaborate.
“For letting us go that night.” Kofi’s words were simple and straight to the point.
Ramzi nodded, his head bobbing. “Yeah, thank you. That was nice.”
A meaningful silence slid between the four of them standing in the lobby, but Charity felt as though an important moment was happening and remained quiet.
Finally, Kofi broke the silence. “I know we were wrong. What we did was wrong. I can’t expect you to understand, but… well… we’re… I’m working on some things.” He glanced down at Ramzi and sucked in a ragged breath. “I want more for my brother.”
Oliver moved closer and held Kofi’s gaze. “A man will make a lot of mistakes in his life.” He scoffed and shook his head with a hint of self-reflection. “All men. But we make choices every day. Recognizing the ramifications of our choices and seeking a different way of doing things defines a good man. The fact that you’ve already made that decision at your age is damn impressive.”
Kofi blinked several times, then turned to Charity. “Can he be there too?”
This time, she was unable to contain her surprise. “You also want him to come into the conference room?”
Ramzi’s eyes were large as he stared at his brother, but Kofi turned his appraising gaze back to hold Oliver’s eyes again for a long moment. He nodded slowly. “Yeah. Uh… yes, ma’am, I do.”
She led the way into one of the larger rooms with a small sofa and several comfortable chairs. It was used for some of their smaller group counseling sessions. She inclined her head and gestured toward the sofa, and the two boys sat down, allowing her and Oliver to take the comfortable chairs facing them.
Turning to Oliver, she felt she should explain to make the boys more at ease. “Kofi and Ramzi came in today to talk to me. We haven’t started any specific conversation yet. They did have a chance to meet Sebastian while enjoying a sandwich.”
Oliver smiled and nodded. “Since coming here, I’ve had a chance to have some of Sebastian’s special grilled cheese sandwiches.”
“That’s what we had!” Ramzi chimed in. “He uses mayonnaise on his grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Kofi scoffed. “Grilled cheese? He put a lot more than just cheese on that sandwich.”
“It was so good!” Ramzi exclaimed, still enthusiastic about his meal.
Charity’s heart ached as it always did, knowing that it had taken both desperation and bravery for the two boys to come here. “Okay, gentlemen. Let’s talk.”
Without hesitation, Kofi said, “I want my brother to stay here.”
Ramzi’s eyes widened as he swung his head around to stare open-mouthed at his brother. “No! I’m not staying anywhere without you!”
“I need to get you somewhere safe,” Kofi said. “We talked about this.”
“But I thought you meant both of us. You want to leave me?” Ramzi”s eyes welled with tears, and he struggled to keep them from falling.
Charity knew he’d be embarrassed to cry in front of all of them and discreetly leaned forward to push a box of tissues closer to him. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen an older sibling, worn out from trying to take care of the younger ones, bring them to the center because there wasn’t enough money or food to go around. They were willing for the younger sibling to have all the benefits of the center while they would continue to go without.
“Kofi, how old are you?” she asked.
“I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen in a few months.”
She leaned forward, her tone compassionate. “I admire your commitment to your brother’s safety. You also easily meet the age requirements for staying here. If you meet the qualifications, you can both stay here at the center.”
Ramzi swiped at the moisture in his eyes and looked at his brother, hope replacing despair. “See? You don’t gotta make a choice. You don’t gotta leave me here. We can both stay here. We don’t gotta go back to them.”
Charity’s body stiffened at the word “them,” and the way Oliver’s hands flexed, she was sure he caught the same inference. Deciding not to question Ramzi about what he was referring to, she waited.
Kofi shook his head and hissed, “I can’t do that. It can make things worse.”
Ramzi argued, “They might?—”
“No!” Kofi bit out.
At his harsh voice, Ramzi pressed his lips together, showing how much he wanted to continue but respected his brother enough to remain silent.
Kofi lifted his gaze to Charity. “You said if he qualified. What does he have to do?”
“There’s nothing he has to do. I’m going to ask a few questions and need your honesty. Okay?”
“Sure,” Kofi agreed readily, nodding. His eyes, which had seemed cold since they arrived, now flickered with the warmth of obvious interest.
“Do you know the location of your parents or legal guardians?” She asked the question gently, knowing the answer could create stress.
“Don’t got no dad. Mom ran off with her boyfriend about six months ago when he said he didn’t want to be with a woman who had baggage. She said we were old enough to look after ourselves, so she took off. Haven’t heard from her since.”
“I’m sorry,” she said in earnest. “And where have you been living since then?”
“We stayed in the apartment for about two months without paying rent because we kept telling the super that our mom would pay when she got back from work. But he found out she’d skipped out on us, so he kicked us to the curb.”
“What the hell?” Oliver blurted. “Where did you go?”
She shot a glance his way, offering another wide-eyed expression, silently pleading for him to remain quiet. He sheepishly winced. Turning to the boys, she prodded, “What happened next?”
“I had a friend from school whose dad said we could stay in his basement for a few weeks. They had a sofa bed, and there was a bathroom down there, too?—”
“We had a TV there!” Ramzi interrupted, smiling.
Kofi looked affectionately at his brother, and Charity felt her heart tug.
“They were all right, but by the end of the month, they began asking when we’d move out.” Kofi shrugged. “Can’t blame ’em. We didn’t have no money to pay.”
“She made good cookies,” Ramzi said, nodding his head slowly before he let out a long sigh.
Charity smiled at him, giving him a moment to hang on to a good memory. She had a feeling that he had precious few of those. “Okay, and then where did you go to sleep?”
“Slept at the park for a couple of weeks, but there’s a lot of crazies out there,” Kofi said, his gaze flashing with memories that Charity had no doubt weren’t pleasant. Kofi vowed, “I didn’t want them near Ramzi. I had to get him somewhere safe.”
Oliver’s hand was resting on the arm of his chair. The tension radiating off him was so strong she was surprised they all hadn’t been zapped with his supersonic waves of anger. She reached over to discreetly place her hand on his. Her touch caused his fingers to twitch and then slowly unclench.
“And after the park?” she asked.
Kofi hesitated, and Ramzi looked up at his brother, anxiety drawing his face into a grimace.
Kofi cleared his throat. “We found somewhere to stay. Met someone who said we could live with them.”
It didn’t miss her notice that, for the first time, he didn’t give any details about where they were staying.
“Well, both of you are qualified under McKinney-Vento for homeless services?—”
“Mac who? What’s that?” Ramzi asked.
She smiled. “The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that provides money for homeless shelter programs. It was signed into law by President Reagan way back in 1987.”
“That’s a long time ago!” Ramzi said, eyes wide.
Laughing, she agreed. “What’s important is that the law makes sure that homeless persons, including children, have what they need. So we can do an intake, check out a few things, and then get you qualified so we can provide services.”
“I want this for my brother,” Kofi said, sitting up straighter, his voice filled with surety.
“But Kofi…” Ramzi begged.
“Not me… not now,” Kofi argued. He turned to Charity. “I have some things to take care of first… to make sure we’re both going to be okay.”
Ramzi shook his head and grabbed Kofi’s arm. “We haven’t been apart one night in all this time. We’re not gonna start this now and make things worse. We go back together, take care of what needs to be done, and come here as soon as possible.”
The two brothers stared at each other for a long time. Charity witnessed emotions moving between them as tangible as anything she could touch.
Finally, Kofi sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly and nodding. Pulling his gaze away from Ramzi, he looked at her. “Give us some time… maybe a week at most. And we’ll both be back.”
Charity nodded, hoping they made it back to the center. Others had made the same promise yet had not returned. Her smile was tremulous, and she turned to look at Oliver, seeing the same fear on his face.