Between Two Minds: Awakening by D C Wright-Hammer

Author:D C Wright-Hammer [Wright-Hammer, D C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hammerstone Creative
Published: 2017-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17:

Thanks, But No Thanks

“You’re not my dad! Where’s my dad?” I questioned the strange man who had entered Mr. Fredrick’s office.

As my social worker, Mr. Fredrick stepped in to explain. “Now, Charlie, we talked about this. Mr. Reno and his wife are going to be taking care of you from now on. They’re good people, and I’m sure you’ll feel right at home with them soon enough. You just need to give them a chance.”

Mr. Reno grinned through his bushy auburn beard as he sat in the chair next to me. “Yeah, Son. We’re really excited that you’ll be joining our family. We don’t have much, but we already have a room made up for you. I hope you like baseball.”

I never knew that there was such a thing as an involuntary stink eye until that moment. I couldn’t control myself. He gave me bad vibes and was nothing like my dad.

“No. I like football.”

His grin faded slightly. “Oh, that’s okay. We’ll find something we both like.”

He began talking with the social worker about the terms of my custody, and I kind of zoned out since I didn’t really understand. Mr. Reno had a very average build underneath his black trench coat and wore his hair neatly parted to the side. His red-and-green flannel and tan slacks were nice even if they had some obvious wear to them. The scent of his cologne was tolerable, but judging by the cloud that followed him into the room, I was guessing he used half the bottle that morning. He was chewing gum with his front teeth and snuck in words between chews and breaths, and it was the most annoying thing even for my ten-year-old self.

“Well, Charlie, I know your time with us has been difficult, but leave here knowing that we tried to do our best by you. You have my number if you need anything from me. Otherwise, we’ve already packed your things into Mr. Reno’s car. I wish you the best in life.”

If I had a choice in the matter, I would have stayed with Mr. Fredrick at the Gates Home for Boys, or just “Gates” as we called it. Some of the other guys there were rough around the edges, but I didn’t mind. It toughened me up. Most importantly, I had finally felt stable since arriving around a year and a half before meeting Mr. Reno. But part of me knew that I couldn’t stay there forever, and it was probably best that I went to a regular school and made regular friends. Still, I needed to know something before I left.

“What happens if they find my parents?”

Mr. Fredrick sighed. “Charlie…it is best that you focus on your new life with the Renos. You’ll be notified if any word comes of your folks.”

Mr. Reno stood up and shook Mr. Fredrick’s hand, then motioned for me to follow him out the door.

I threw on my winter coat and hurried along. “Bye, Mr. Fredrick.”

“Goodbye, Charlie.”

We walked silently through the old halls of Gates, and I tried to take in the building one last time.

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