“She is searching for something Eli and she might not be on the right path to find it, but that’s what we’re here for. She’s alone except for us now, big brother. Help her.”
“She’s not alone, Jamie. She never will be either. Go outside.”
I stared at him for a minute and then walked out the front door to find Adam sulking on the porch, while Heath and Joshua played on the grass. They were kicking at each other, trying to sweep the other guy’s legs out from under him so that he’d fall on his ass. Heath bested Joshua, who fell down laughing and jumped back up for more.
I wondered for the millionth time since I met these boys how they had even survived this long and what the future of our world would be like with them in charge of it.
“I really don’t want to go to this, Jamie,” Adam said quietly as I sat down beside him. “Can I please just stay home?”
“No, buddy. Eli insisted that you come, too, and I agree with him. You’re home too much.”
“Where else am I gonna go?” Adam snapped. “I don’t know anybody here, this town fucking sucks, and I hate every person around me. I just want to be alone.”
“You really hate us?” I asked quietly.
“Most of the time, yeah,” he snarled. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I turned my head away from his. “Not all the time, Jamie. Sorry.”
“I love you, Adam. I’ve loved you since the day I met you. But, you’re different lately. I can see you’re hurting and I don’t know how to make it better.” I said, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. “Please come back to me.”
“I’m trying, but it’s like I’m in a hole that’s so deep, I just can’t climb out,” Adam admitted.
“Honey, I think you’re depressed. I don’t know any other way to get out of that but to just keep trying. Force yourself to sit up, look around and find something, anything, that might make you smile. Even if it’s just for a second.”
“I can’t,” Adam shook his head. “I just want to be alone.”
“No, baby. Alone time is over.” Rather than cave into his demands like I’d done lately trying to keep the peace, I made the sudden decision to drag him out into the world. “You have to come with us this afternoon. Uncle Eli has friends he wants you to meet and they even have kids that are close to your age.”
“Whatever.”
The special moment was gone. Adam rolled his eyes and was back to the angry man-child we were unfortunately becoming accustomed to.
◆◆◆
“How many people are here?” I whispered to Eli as we walked down the side of a large house toward the backyard. “I thought it was a family cookout.”
“I said family, I never said small,” Eli laughed as he worked the latch on the gate.
“I’m not sure about this,” Neva whispered. She’d been in the house with Eli for 15 minutes or more before the two of them came outside together. I was glad to see that Neva had calmed down, but wondered why Eli looked so irritated.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” I told Neva. Joshua and Heath were sticking close by my side and I wondered how to introduce them to the other kids without being ‘that mom’.
Eli took the problem out of my hands when he pointed to some chairs over to the side of the yard for Neva and I to sit in and told all three boys, “Come with me and I’ll introduce you to some of the guys.”
And they were off, leaving Neva and I to navigate through a yard full of strangers as we made our way to the chairs that Eli had pointed out. Luckily, I saw Sonny and he waved me over. I reached for Neva’s hand and dragged her with me to chat with my coworker.
When I walked around the chair facing Sonny and got a look at the woman beside him, I realized that his wife was my realtor.
“Jamie!” Brenda, Sonny’s wife, smiled up at me from her chair. “I didn’t realize you were someone I should know until after you started at the shop and I was just a little busy then.”
She laughed as she nodded down to the little one in her arms and Neva and I went goo-goo over the cute baby.
“How old is he?” Neva whispered. “I’m Neva by the way.”
“Hi, Neva. You’re the best friend, right?” Brenda asked. “He’s almost six weeks and his name is Lucky.”
“Lucky? Oh, I like it.” Neva cooed as she knelt down in front of Brenda. “I love babies.”
“Well, you’re gonna love our little group then,” Brenda smiled. “They’re everywhere. Kids from early teens to Lucky here. Kale and Terra’s little girl, Rain, was born the same day as our Lucky.”
“Oh, one for each of us to hold!” Neva laughed. “I call dibs on this one!”
Brenda laughed and put the baby up to her shoulder for a burp while she and Neva chatted.
I took that time to look around the big yard, which I realized was two massive backyards fenced in together, and saw quite a few faces I worked with and many more I’d seen come into the shop at one time or another this last month.
My gaze landed on Daughtry and I saw that he was staring back at me. I gave him a small smile and pulled my eyes away.
“Beer?” Lout asked from beside me. I jumped and reached for the beer with a laugh, “You’re just too easy to scare. My wife looks at me like I’m dumb as a rock. Doesn’t even jump anymore.”
Just as he spoke about her, a beautiful woman with dark pink hair pushed up under his arm. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at me.
“Cocoa got you to jump, didn’t he?” She shook her head. “He’s turning into quite the prankster.”
“Jamie, this is my wife, Willow. Willow, this is Jamie.”
“The Jamie?”
“The one and only,” Lout confirmed.
“I’ve wanted to get up to the shop to meet you, but the last month has been insane! Work is crazy and I’m hiring new staff; Diamond had to have tubes put in her ears a few weeks ago and that was just nuts.”
“Hi,” I smiled, unsure why it was so important for her to have come to the shop to meet me.
“Vanilla, well everyone else calls her Willow, is one of the girls that jumped Daughtry’s ass to get him to hire you,” Lout explained.
“Oh!” I smiled and stuck my hand out. “Thank you!”
“They’re all really cavemen at heart. He just needed a little nudge.”
“Well, the nudge worked. I’m currently making sure he likes having me in the shop and you guys won’t regret influencing him.”
“Lout said you’re good,” Willow nodded and I relished the praise. “I’m glad you fit in so well up there.”
“Everyone’s been really cool,” I told her. “Not nearly as many problems as I thought there might be.”
“You’ve had problems?” Lout asked, his smile gone. “From who?”
“Down, boy,” Willow laughed. “She’s a smart woman. If she needs help, she’ll get it. Otherwise, she’ll take care of shit on her own. That way no one can say she’s getting special treatment. Am I right?”