Page 28 of Personal Foul
Chapter Ten
Rush
I slip my sunglasses down the bridge of my nose, taking a second before my eyes adjust to the change in lighting.
“May I help you?”
“I’m hoping so. I have a meeting with Theresa at one o’clock. Could you point me to where I should go?”
Her eyebrows narrow, a blank look crossing her face.
“Oh, you mean Terri.” She laughs. “You had me confused for a second. She hates being called Theresa. You can call her Terri. Give me a second, let me grab her for you.”
The older woman with strands of gray glittering her hair pushes her chair back from the desk. Her warm smile and rose-colored cheeks immediately give me a sense of comfort. She rounds the table, heading toward the offices lining the back of the room.
Laughter echoes from down the hallway mixed with the sound of basketballs bouncing on the gym floor. After the Back to School Community Cares event, I got in touch with the activities coordinator at the Boys and Girls Clinic, wanting to stop by to visit with the kids again. I got the sense there was much more I could do here to help.
My mind reflects on the last time we were here and how affected Sydney was by Isaac being left here to wait alone, and how his foster guardian had treated him.
I admired how Sydney managed to pull herself together, putting what Isaac needed to the forefront. For those few minutes we sat with him, he was the same kid he had been that day in the gym shooting hoops.
“Colson,” Terri greets me with a warm smile matching the receptionist’s a moment ago.
She is a heavier woman, her hair pinned up away from her face and large, black-framed glasses sit on the tip of her nose connected to a chain around her neck.
“Thank you so much for stopping by. I was hoping I’d see you soon.”
A part of me wonders if she half expected me not to show at all. My heart sinks at the thought of this happening before and how often these kids have been let down.
“Of course! I wouldn’t want to miss it.”
Her eyes light up as she circles the large desk. She reaches for a white and blue lanyard from a hook next to the counter with a visitor’s badge hanging from it. She instructs me to sign in before she leads me down the hall toward the gym.
Once we get closer, I recognize a small group of kids from the Community Cares event shooting hoops, my eyes cueing in on Isaac. One of the boys’ eyes darts over to me, growing nearly the size of saucers, letting the ball dribble to a stop on the ground next to him.
“What’s up, guys?”
I glance over at Terri and she gives me a nod. She reminds me to stop back up at the front desk when I am ready to sign out. I answer with a nod of my own, turning my attention back to the boys.
“Colson!” one of the kids exclaims, running toward me. He looks like he could be a year or two younger than Isaac. If I had to guess, he is probably five or six.
His small arms fly around my waist, hugging me.
“James!” one of the boys I remember, his name Joshua coming to me, scolds him. His eyes dart over to mine in worry, trying to reach out for the boy’s shirt to pull him away from me. A look of embarrassment shrouds his face.
“Hey, buddy.” I crouch down next to him, holding my fist up; he returns the gesture, pounding it.
“Sorry,” Joshua mumbles. “He’s always in everyone’s business.”
“It’s all good.” I smile down at James, turning to Isaac. He’s standing off to the side, the ball tucked under his arm with his foot bouncing on the floor. He appears nervous, evidently not sure what to make of my surprise arrival.
“Did you guys have a good time at the Back to School event?”
The question appears to pull Isaac from his thoughts, his eyes brightening at the mention of that day. All of them nod.
“You weren’t even there,” Joshua mutters, knocking James on the back of his head.
I chuckle at his response, James showing the same level of enthusiasm as the others despite not being there.
