Circles | Jody & Tyler | The Dumping Ground

Valentine

Tyler POV

"What's so urgent you don't have time for your own mother?"

Blowing out my cheeks, my foot tapped nervously against the ground as May-Li glanced at me across the desk and smiled. Everyone was in a pleasant mood today and although I'd have leapt at the opportunity to speak to my mum any other time, the seconds were counting down.

It was a big day. Perhaps, the first of many.

"I've got to get going to the radio station."

"Alright, fine! I was just calling to let you know to expect a delivery next week for your birthday. I'm sorry I can't be there to spend it with you, Ty."

"Mum, it's fine. I can always call you!"

She sighed across the phone, and I winced as it crackled slightly. I could hear noises in the background and found myself imagining her sitting by a bar whilst people danced away in the background. It must've been early morning there.

"I just wish I could be with you, my son."

I smiled somewhat sadly. The distance had definitely placed a strain on our relationship and though I couldn't want for anything more than to see my mum again in the flesh, I knew that she'd made the right decision in moving away.

"We'll see each other soon, I promise. Good night, Mum."

"Bye, Tyler."

I placed the receiver back down as the call ended. Something still gnawed at me; she could've called me on my mobile so why did she choose to ring the office instead? May-Li shuffled her paperwork aside before disclosing all to me.

"I had a call from your social worker. She reckons your mum's settled in well in St Lucia, and that an overseas trip could be arranged if you want to go and visit your mum."

I smiled unexpectedly. This was amazing news! Maybe I'd even get to finally meet the rest of my extended family, get a taste for the sort of life Mum was living now.

May-Li continued.

"She also thinks that you're ready now to start thinking about going to live with your mum, on a permanent basis. And I think you should seriously consider the option. Your social worker reckons by summer, everything could be arranged."

The smile fell off my face. That was soon. Really soon. Leaving the DG was a big deal; it had been my home for the majority of my life. A holiday was one thing but living with my mum... as excited as I was for the prospect of it, I was also really scared.

It would be a great step into the unknown and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that yet.

"She's let your mum and I know that she's looking into the options with visas and college etc. but obviously nothing is fixed as of yet. We wanted to give you some time to think about it."

"I can't," I replied. "It's too soon, I've got college and..."

"Okay. We'll take baby steps but Tyler, if you ask me... you've been ready to leave for a while now. You can't stay here forever."

Something twinged uncomfortably inside me as I nodded and stood up, raking a hand through my hair. I knew that May-Li had a point but the knowledge that my time here could be coming to an end scared me.

I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I entered the kitchen, grabbing an apple and shoving it into the drawstring bag over my shoulder. My eyes rested on the kids at the table who were grinning as they opened pink, glitter-filled cards. Scott seemed bemused.

"Didn't know Valentine's Day was such a thing!"

I nodded knowingly, as he shifted around the counter. Scott was our new care worker, having won the position not long after Mike had left. May-Li had been promoted to head care worker and here we were. Continuing on even though Mike had gone. Thankfully, the environment that Mike had left behind hadn't disappeared... and the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day and letting the kids know that they were loved was bigger than ever.