Page 72 of Galen's Redemption
And then he had a date to get ready for.
Funny how the thought of Galen made Robert’s insides quiver. He’d had boyfriends before, but never anyone like Galen. Living with Andy had changed him, made him less brittle. He smiled more and actually seemed to be enjoying the life he was carving out, despite his father. Robert had talked to a few contacts about Galen, but when theygot back to him, they told him that it wouldn’t work out. Robert was no fool; he could read between the lines. Daddy dearest had made threats, and he had the money to back them up.
“Brady? Can you do me a favor and start lunch? I need to make one phone call, and then I’ll be in to help.”
“Sure, okay.” Brady popped his head in the door. “Were you serious about me helping cut hair?”
Robert steepledhis hands in front of him. “Yes, why?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” Brady blew out a breath. “I mean, if you’ve got time.”
“Of course. Have a seat.”
As soon as he entered the office, Brady closed the door. He sat down, his hands clenched as he stared at the floor.
“Is something wrong?”
He jerked his head up. “What? No! I just….” He closed his eyes. “I want to learn more about what you do here.After being on the streets, I’d like to give back. If I could maybe one day work up to doing more than volunteering at the shelter, I’d love that. I mean, I’m going to school, and I was thinking maybe I could become a counselor or something. You know, talk to the residents and help out where I can.”
The people in his life never ceased to amaze Robert. He remembered Brady when he was a scaredkid who would jump if he heard a loud noise. Now he had a family, and he was blossoming into an impressive young man.
“I think that would be a great idea.” Robert ran through some places he could look into for scholarships that might help, then realized how the list had dwindled. “Tell you what. How about next week we sit down with your folks and work out a schedule they’ll approve of. I needyou to keep one thing in mind, though. This is hard work. Look at what happened to Bree. Are you going to be able to handle something like that?”
As had become a habit when he was nervous, Brady chewed his lower lip. “I think… I want to say I can. I know I’ll have to learn to deal with loss and failure. But I don’t want to let fear stop me, you know? Maybe if Bree had someone to listen to her,she wouldn’t have turned to drugs.”
Robert knew it wasn’t meant as a slap in the face, but that’s what it felt like. Maybe Galen had been right. Holding on so tight, not letting others shoulder some of the burden, could have very well led to Bree’s death.
“Maybe you’re right.”
A look of discomfort crossed Brady’s face. “I didn’t mean that you did anything wrong.”
“I know you didn’t, but I’vebeen doing this for so long and always believed no one could do the job like me. Maybe my hubris is what caused her death.”
They sat in silence for a time, and then Brady stood. “I need to get the food going.”
Robert nodded. After Brady left, he leaned back in his chair. There was only one person he could think of to talk to about this. He pulled out his phone and dialed. When the familiar voiceanswered, he bit back a cry. He had to be strong—for the people at the shelter, if nothing else.
“Hi, Mom. Can we talk?”
