Page 26 of As I Am
"My friend, Angel, the one I told you who does tattoos, he had a small apartment. When he got married, he offered it to me. I'd just started to work for Trevor, and I knew with that money, and the money I could still make working the streets, I'd be able to do it."
Carson fell into a steady flow with the traffic as he headed home. "So, what are your dreams? If you could do anything in the future, what would you do?"
Ky bit his lip and shrugged.
"There has to be something you've always dreamed of."
"I guess when I was younger, like really young, I wanted to be a veterinarian. We lived on a small farm, and I used to love taking care of the animals there. When the vet would come around to check on something, I'd follow him around and ask him a million questions." Ky sighed. "But that was a long time ago. Now, I'd just be happy with any job that paid enough for me to live comfortably. Something where I don't have to worry if I'm going to have enough for the bills, or if I can buy groceries."
"You don't have a dream job anymore?"
Ky shook his head. "What's the point? I'd never have it anyway."
"You don't know that. Life changes." Carson wished he could take away all the pain Ky had gone through.
"My priorities are different now. I'll be happy just never having to live on the streets again."
"Did you start working the streets that young?"
"It was how I got a ride from Idaho down to Utah." Ky pulled his hand from covering Carson's. "It was easier when I was younger. Most the guys like the younger boys better. When I started to mature a bit more, business suffered. The last two years have been harder because I'm older."
"That's horrible." Carson's stomach turned.
"It is, but it's a fact of life. I've seen boys way younger than I was out there."
"Doesn't anyone try to stop it?" Carson was horrified to think of boys so young selling themselves. He might have been one of those men out looking, but at least he only looked at the men. He'd seen several guys who didn't look old enough and avoided them as fast as he could. He'd questioned Ky's age, but at least he'd been pretty sure he was over eighteen. It was a relief when he'd found out he was twenty.
"The cops come around and use undercover guys who look young, but you can spot them a mile off. It doesn't do much good. They have programs for the youth, but not enough. The beds at the shelter are overcrowded and the programs aren't realistic. They want you sitting in classes all day learning life skills, yet they don't give you any help in surviving right then. Guys like me need to eat and make sure we have blankets for the winter and shit. They hand you a cheap blanket, a couple of pairs of socks and tell you to get in line at the shelter to eat. It's a joke."
Carson gripped the steering wheel tightly, wondering what more he could do to help the people living on the streets. He had the money, he just needed to know what to do with it. It was something he'd bring up with Ky later once they had more time. "This is my neighborhood, or my parents' neighborhood, I guess. It's where I grew up." Carson turned into a middle-class neighborhood. "I used to ride my skateboard over in that park over there. And my best friend, Jimmy lived right there until his family moved to Florida."
Ky stared out the window, watching each place Carson pointed. "It's nice. Where I'm from, the houses were farther apart. There was a lot of land between the houses since most were small ranches and farms."
"I like having close neighbors. My dad and the guy who lives next door spend a ton of time together. They go golfing, work on cars, or just sit out back talking. I like the closeness of having good neighbors. In California, I have no clue who my neighbors are."
"You said you hated California. Why don't you move back?"
Carson pulled into his parents' driveway. "I've thought a lot about doing that, but with me having to have security and everything, it can make it hard. It can't just be any house. I thought California was where I needed to be when I first made it big, but now I know better." Carson pulled the truck into the garage and shut the garage door before turning off the truck. "Ready to meet my parents?"
Ky took a deep breath. "I'm nervous."
"Don't be. I have the best parents. They'll love you. They might ask a lot of questions. Just tell them what you want to. I'll try and keep them from getting too personal. They'll probably want to show you their garden. It's their life. They have to show it off to everyone." Carson rolled his eyes.
"I loved gardening. We had a huge one when I was growing up. I'd go out and help them plant it every year, then it was my job to take care of it after school." Ky actually looked excited.
Carson laughed. "My parents will really love you." He reached for Ky's hand. "I'm glad you're here with me. I don't just bring anyone home to meet my parents. It's been years since I have." He brought Ky's hand to his lips and kissed the palm softly.
Ky nodded. "I'll try not to embarrass you."
"You won't." Carson pushed his door open. "Grab all your stuff. We will have a limo pick us up when we leave again."
Ky grabbed his backpack and followed Carson.
Carson linked their hands as he pushed the door open, hoping his parents liked Ky just as much as he did.
