Page 63 of Galen's Redemption
Galen frowned. “I can do it.”
“I’m sure you can, but right now this is me helping you. Blow.”
And he did. Robert was so proud of Galen for that one simple act of letting go.
“Thank you.” Galen sighed. “Iwon’t ever fit in here. I can’t take care of anyone like you all do.”
“Bullshit.” Robert leaned in and kissed Galen’s cheek. “If there’s one thing I know with absolute certainty, it’s that Galen Merriweather can do anything he puts his mind to.”
Galen looked up, and the pain in his eyes couldn’t fail to move anyone with a heart of stone. “How? I’ve tried, and nothing I did was ever good enough.”
“Come with me.”
He took Galen’s hand and pulled him out of the kitchen. His mother looked up, but Robert only gave her a small smile. She nodded, and Robert wasn’t surprised she understood. He led Galen up the stairs and into a small room, where he closed the door.
“This is my old room. Mom converted it into a sewing room about a week after I left home. I was okay with it, because she neededa place to work, and I…. Well, I think she knew I needed to move on with the life I was building. Do you want to know how I first decided to work with homeless people?”
“Okay.”
The memory was seared indelibly into Robert’s mind, and he hoped when he was old and gnarled, he would still remember it. “We were downtown shopping for school clothes. I was probably about eight myself. There was a guysitting on the sidewalk with a sign saying he’d work for food. Mom gave him some money, then took me in to get some shoes. When we came back out, the guy was still sitting there. I asked Mom to take me to the McDonald’s across the street for a burger. When the food came up, I took the burger off the tray and walked out the door, with Mom hot on my heels. I went over to the man and held out theburger. He peered up at me, and I could see tears in his eyes. His hands trembled as he reached for the food, and by now Mom had caught up to me. The guy jerked his hands away, probably thinking Mom was going to berate me. Instead she knelt down and brought me closer to her.”
“What did she say?”
“‘Robert, can you tell me why you’re doing this?’ I looked at her and said, ‘Because he’s hungry.’She gave me a smile and told me that was the right answer. I held the burger out again, and Mom told the guy it was all right. He still moved slowly, but when he got the burger, he tore the wrapper off and stuffed it in his mouth like he was afraid someone would steal it from him. When he finished, he gave me a toothless smile and said, ‘God bless you.’ That was the moment I decided I wanted tohelp him, or at least people like him. No one should have to beg for food. Our country has so much, and so many are stingy with what they’ve got. I can’t understand that.”
“But that’s me. We had so much, and never once did we think about anyone else.”
“Okay, that’s what I want you to think about. Those people downstairs? Who do you think raised me to care for others? Family. Friends. Helpingout when you can. Those are the lessons that I learned day in and day out. My parents thought those were more important than anything school could teach me, though they did say it was important to be well-rounded.”
Galen’s breath hitched, but he didn’t protest. Robert decided to plow on.
“You say you can’t take care of anyone, and why is that? It’s been hardwired into me since I was a littlekid. And that’s the words I want you to think on. Since I was a little kid. Those are the values I grew up with. You told me you were uncomfortable taking the check back, even though everything you were taught said you needed to be ruthless. Why?”
“Because…. When Noel was in the office and Father showed him pictures from when Lincoln was younger, it turned my stomach. Lincoln was his favoriteson, and still he used him to get what he wanted. I hated him for that. When he told me to get the check back, I kept thinking I could make him proud finally, but the look on Noel’s face? That stayed with me. And knowing I was taking something from him thathewas proud of? I felt about two inches tall.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“What do you mean?”
Robert directed Galen to the chair. “Sit.”
Galen sat but kept his gaze trained on Robert.
“You’ve been trying so hard to impress your father—what changed your mind?”
“My assistant, Olivia. She sat in my office one day and told me about her brother. She segued into how she knew I was gay, how I was too good for the place, and reminded me I wasn’t my father. Dad fired her because she wouldn’t let him fuck her. And now, because of him,my former assistant has no health insurance to help take care of her brother, who has what many might consider a debilitating disease.” Galen sobbed. “And I can’t fix any of it.”
Robert knelt beside the chair and took Galen’s hands in his. “Sweetheart, you can’t fix all the problems. You only do what you can to make the world a better place. Sometimes it’s something big and grand, but so oftenit’s enough to give someone a smile.”
Galen pulled his hand away and scrubbed it over his eyes. “And you believe that?”
“With my whole heart. I can’t solve every problem. If I could, there would be no war, no hunger, no disease, and no homelessness. But I do what I can. There are days it gets me down, because I wish I could do more, but when I feel like I’m failing, I call home. Mom and Dadare always there for me.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Robert thought about it for a moment, but then he had an idea. “Tomorrow morning I want you to be ready at ten. I’m going to come pick you up, and we’re going somewhere.”
Galen gave him a suspicious glance. “Where?”
