Page 106 of Laila Manning
I needed him to know that he was understood, even if he didn’t understand what he felt and thought, and that Zeke and I were a safe place for him to talk when he wanted to, and a safe place to simply exist when he didn’t.
To say we bonded through that would be an unjust description of the feelings that happened. It was like we linked up, an invisible force binding us together like the links of a chain, welded together into an unbreakable promise.
Nothing would scare me away. Nothing would turn Zeke away.
We were there for him, in ways he didn’t know he’d need until that time came.
“The journaling helps.” He said after a while, letting me into his brain a little more. What a gift it was to be let in, too. I stayed silent as he expanded, “I don’t always know how to put my thoughts into words in the moment, but when I do, I write them down, so when I go back, I have them to read to Andy. I think it makes it easier to talk too, like reading them doesn’t feel as awkward.”
“Good.” I smiled at him, pulling into the parking lot and looking for Zeke. It seemed we had beaten him. “I’m glad you’re finding a way to communicate with your team. And me.” I winked at him as we got out of the car. When we started walking up to the restaurant, I went on, “I like having you around, kid.”
He snorted with the same sarcastic class clown attitude he had when I first met him. “Duh, I’m cool.”
“Yeah,” I ruffled his hair as he groaned and tried to fix it. “And I’m the weirdo still following you around.”
“Meh,” He shrugged, “You’re not half bad.”
He walked up to the host and told them we wanted to sit outside, and I paused, taken aback by the smallest little compliment he threw my way without a second thought.
There was no way that a preteen kid knew what those words meant to someone like me, but I’d hold on to them either way.
In a way, we were healing each other just by existing.
“She said there’s a ten-minute wait.” Kade said, coming back to meet me. “Cool with you?”
“Yeah,” I looked around the downtown scene, “Zeke will be here soon, anyway.” I pulled my phone out to make sure he hadn’t texted me or anything when I heard someone come around the building like they were in a rush.
“Kade!” A voice hissed, and Kade whipped around as an older woman grabbed his arm. “Where have you been?”
“Whoa.” I grabbed her hand and pulled it off Kade’s arm without even thinking. “Don’t touch him.”
“Excuse you!” The woman snapped, scowling at me as she glared my way. “Stay out of it.”
Kade slid in front of me, hardly blocking me at all from the woman’s vile glare, but I recognized it for what it was—his attempt to protect me from it.
Jesus Christ, my heart almost ripped in two. I needed to get my silly feelings in check; I couldn’t melt every time he did something that made me feel like he didn’t hate my guts anymore. I was too damn old to be silly.
“Stop it.” Kade bit back with menace. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” The woman’s eyes were rounded with shock before they darkened with anger. “You haven’t shown up with my money. I have bills to pay!”
“Okay,” I shook my head, pulling Kade backward. “I don’t know who you are, but you need to go away. Now. We’re not doing this.”
She turned her glare my way again as I pulled Kade back another step, but she followed us. We were on the edge of the brick restaurant, thankfully away from the guests, so we weren’t causing a scene. It didn’t take me long to realize the woman was a junkie; she had scabs on her arms and hollowed-out cheeks and wild eyes.
That was a look all too familiar to me from my years dealing with addicted girls falling victim to more than just drugs.
“Damnit, bitch, try to pull my son away from me again, and I’ll cut you!” The woman hissed, pulling a short pocketknife from her pants and flashing it at me. My stomach dropped as I eyed the dirty blade in the middle of the bustling city.
“Mom, stop!” Kade groaned, once again pushing himself between me and the woman. There was no way she was his mom. She lookedway too old, but I couldn’t tell if it was an illusion from the drugs or the dirt caking her skin. The moment my brain caught up though, I recognized the icy hue of her blue eyes behind layers of caked on black eye makeup and God knew what else. “I’m not working right now.” Kade hissed, “I don’t have any money.”
“You got money to be at a restaurant, boy!” She yelled, getting irate. “Don’t lie to me!”
“He’s not.” I argued. “I’m paying for his food. And his shelter. And his life, since you’re clearly incapable of caring for him as his biological mother!” I snapped, anger radiating through my body at the injustice of it all. “And you dare to demand money from him? He’s twelve!”
“It ain’t your business, bitch!” She exploded, taking a menacing step forward with the knife still clutched in her bony fingers.
“Enough.” A menacing voice snapped, seconds before her wrist twisted and the knife fell to the ground, clinking off the cement. Zeke pressed his body in front of Kade and me as he stared the woman down. “You need to leave.”
