Page 86 of One Good Reason

“I could’ve tried harder,” I mewled. “Maybe had I started with Law instead of everyone else, I could’ve done more.”

Rounding my desk, Rossi rubbed my shoulders and consoled me. “Tali, you did more for that boy than anyone else in his life. Believe me, he appreciated your efforts to the fullest. Someone took something from him, and he did what he felt like he had to do. There was nothing that you could’ve said or done to change that.”

“God…” I mumbled. “All this proves is that I’ve gotta get on the ball with this shit. I can’t stand to lose another kid. Not to the streets and for sure, not to the crooked justice system.”

“I know that’s right. If you need any help just let us know. We’ve got your back girl. We see how hard you go for these kids, and we admire you for that. Let us help.”

“Believe me, I will need all the help I can get in the next few months. I’ve got a meeting with the contractor today. As soon as I figure out how soon I can start getting everything set up, I’ll let you guys know.”

“Good. You gon’ be okay girl?”

“I don’t have a choice but to be. I’ve got plenty of other kids to worry about.” I chuckled lightly.

“That you do,” Rossi agreed.

“Give it a few days and reach out to his mother. I want to go see him. I need to put my eyes on him to make sure he’s okay. Tell her if he needs anything to reach out to me, directly.”

“Now that I can do.” Rossi pecked my cheek before standing and leaving my office.

I tried to keep my feelings out of things like this because I knew I couldn’t save every child that I encountered. Remainingneutral was a hard task especially when dealing with kids. I didn’t have one of my own so when I poured into someone, I made sure it was the kids at my job.

Anytime I got a break in my schedule, I spent it around the center with them. I went from being the director to being a confidant for most of them. I don’t know how the previous director handled business but when it came to me and my babies, I gave them my all.

The only good thing about Quan being locked up was now I didn’t have to worry about someone finding him and killing him. That shit would really tear me down.

It took me a few minutes to get my emotions in check, but once I did, I checked the location on Gema’s phone and started my work for the day. I needed to get everything done because I had no plans on coming back after I left for my walk-through.

The more we inspected the school, the more my head pounded. This late in the game, I couldn’t deal with any mishaps. Apparently while they were replacing the toilets and sinks in the second floor restrooms, they came across mold. Now we would have to address that problem before we could finish setting up the restrooms.

“How long you think it’s going to take to rectify this problem?” Law asked.

“I don’t know the extent so at least a few weeks. I’m going to strip the walls and see how far the problem spreads.”

“I don’t have weeks, Jose.”

“I know, Ms. Talitha. We’re trying to meet the deadline but unfortunately the school sat for so long. The state didn’t do their due diligence or anything.”

“Take as much time as you need Jose. We don’t have a choice but to wait it out. I’m ready for it to be done but I can’t risk the board coming in and finding anything. One wrong move will have us being denied.”

While the two of them talked, I walked around the restrooms, noting how it seemed to have been gutted out overnight. There was shit everywhere, tiles were even missing from the ceiling exposing some of the wiring.

“I understand Mr. Harvey. I’m going to call in a restoration company to have them assess it further and once I get an answer I’ll know how to move.”

“That sounds good to me. Talitha, you have any more questions?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You sure?” Law asked for clarification. “Looks like you got a lot on your mind.”

My eyes fluttered out of sheer aggravation. “I do. But I’ll wait to hear what our next move is.”

“Are you sure Ms. Talitha?”

“Yes, I’m sure Jose. Call me as soon as you get an answer.”

“I will,” he agreed.

Jose and Law sparked up another conversation and because I couldn’t stand to hear any more bad news, I walked out of the room and took the elevator back down to the main level. Because I didn’t know how far the damage went, I couldn’t risk the computer equipment being dropped off here. As soon as I was in the car, I was going to put in a call and have the drop off location changed.

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