Page 146 of Under Her Skin
“Max,I’ll catch up with you later. Seems little Toby here needs some help on a swing,” I call out to Max who’s riding a wave of kids to the house his foster parents livein.
I came here the one time with Max to give the people who run this place the donation we made. But I didn’t get to interact with any of the children. I find it funny I don’t really know what things I should notask.
I give the little boy a push. “So how are you liking ithere?”
“Fine,” he says as he giggles. “I was scared at first, but now I’mfine.”
“How old are you,buddy?”
“Almost four. Thanks for pushing me,mister.”
“My name’s Blake. You can call me that,Toby.”
The little guy is so brave and I find myself thinking about the first day he got here. He said he was scared and my heart nearly broke apart with thethought.
The smell of burgers cooking on an open pit waft past my nose and I remember that I haven’t eaten anything all day. “Wanna go get a burger with me,Toby?”
“Sure,” he says and I stop the swing so he can getoff.
He takes my hand immediately and my heart skips a beat. Man, I’d take this kid home with me if I could. What a littledude!
The man at the pit who’s handing out the burgers gives me a smile. “Hey there. You must be Blake. Thanks for helping us make all this happen for these kids, son.” He hands me a burger and I hand it toToby.
The kid takes a big bite and a little ketchup gets on his cheek. I grab a napkin and wipe it off. With a mouth full of food, he says, “Thanks,Blake.”
“I’m Mr. Strickland,kind of like the principal at this place. I keep the peace. Well, I try to anyway.” The older man hands me another burger then points. “Over there you can find some chips and drinks. Have a goodtime.”
The little kid and I stroll over the direction he sent us and grab the other things then find a seat at a big table full of children. They all smile at me as I take a seat next to my new best bud,Toby.
A little girl with glasses and red curls looks timidly at me from across the table. “You are Mr. Chandler,right?”
“I am. And your nameis?”
“Sally.”
Toby takes a drink of his soda and tells her, “He’s my new best friend. I get to call himBlake.”
Sally looks away and seems a little sad for some reason. “Hey, why don’t you all call me Blake? Mr. Chandler sounds like some oldguy.”
The little girl smiles and takes a bite of her hotdog. With just a little smile she melts my heart. I’m going to have it rough hanging around this place with so many adorable littlekids.
One of the older boys with short blonde hair asks. “So you gotta helicopter too likeMax?”
With a shake of my head, I say, “Nah. I’m kind of new to this having lots of money thing. I haven’t even bought me a giant house yet. I still live in the same one I grew upin.”
The kid says, “Man, if I was rich I’d have me a hot wife and a huge mansion and a helicopter. Just like Maxdoes.”
“He does know how to live, doesn’t he?” I ask thekid.
“Yes, he does.” The boy walks by as he leaves the table. He pats my back. “So you don’t have a chopper or the big house yet. How about the hotgirlfriend?”
Damn! How do I tell all these little adoring kids that I don’t even havethat?
Rachelle
Wind whips through my hair as I drive Peyton’s Jeep with the top off. The weather is beautiful and I need the pleasant distraction from all the thoughts that are flying through myhead.
The turn to the children’s home I make and soon find the little road that I ran down as a little kid, trying to go find my mother. My chest is a little tight but not toobad.
