Ain't No Mountain High Enough

"Even Now"

The next week, we were packing up our stuff to move out. Keto and Veronica were moving back in with their parents, who lived about an hour away, and I was moving in with Arjun and his mother. I felt like I was intruding on his life, but he was insistent that I come with him. And well, I didn't have anywhere else to go.

Arjun came and picked me up, and Keto and Veronica loaded up George and left with the little green car. Apparently their parents had agreed to help pay for the car, but not the apartment. I wasn't going to complain. Their parents were angels compared to what mine had been like.

"Ready to go?" Arjun asked as he put the last of my things in his car.

I stared up at the apartment building, thinking about how much I was going to miss it. We didn't spend that much time here, but still. I sighed and looked at Arjun. "I guess." I let him help me into his car, then waited for him to cram my wheelchair in the back.

Arjun was a very careful driver, but I still flinched every time I thought a car would hit us. It had been two months since the accident, and I was still jumpy. If Arjun noticed, he didn't say anything. I was grateful for that.

Arjun lived in an older part of town with houses that looked like they were a hundred years old. He did his best to keep up with repairs on his own, and I did have to admit that the little brown house looked to be holding up much better than others on the same street. As he pulled into the driveway, I studied the bare trees surrounding his house and all the dead leaves piled around.

"Mom will be happy to see you," he said as he cut the engine. "She's been looking forward to having you here."

"I still feel like I'm intruding."

"Nonsense." He got out of the car and got my wheelchair, helped me into it, then pushed me to the front door. I was relieved that there were no steps leading up to the front porch. He stopped to unlock the door and open it, revealing another screen door beneath it. "Mom, we're here!"

A moment later, a lady with hair that was turning gray appeared at the door. It hadn't been that long since I last saw her, but she seemed older somehow, even though she wasn't over forty years of age

"Oh, Randall, it's so good to see you!" she said in a cheery voice. She came out of the house and gave me a hug, then stood back to look at me. Her smile turned into a frown. "You haven't been eating enough, have you? Or sleeping enough?"

I had to laugh a little. "I'm fine, Ms. Harlow." It didn't convince her, but she didn't question me any further.

"I'm going to get his bags," Arjun said, and he left us to return to his car.

"Come inside before you catch a cold," Ms. Harlow said. She held the door open so I could wheel myself inside the house, though I didn't think I'd catch a cold from being outside. It wasn't that cold, anyway.

The inside of the house was warm, and I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. All of a sudden I was brought back to my childhood, when we'd all have sleepovers at this house. Arjun's mom always did give us the best sleepovers. The memories made me smile.

It wasn't very big, but it had a nicely decorated living room. From the front door, I could see the door that must have led to the kitchen, and there was a hallway that led to the back of the house.

"I can show you your room," Ms. Harlow said. She led me down the hall and to a room that was small, but cozy. There was a bed, a nightstand, and pretty much anything else a guy could need in a bedroom. "It's the guest room, and no one's really used it in a long time, so you can have it now."

"I'm really sorry for barging in on your life like this," I said. I looked up at Ms. Harlow's kind face, and imagined for one second that she could have been my mother. The thought of my real mother made me sick. Who knew where she was, or if she was even still alive.

"Don't be sorry, Randall, this will be nice!" Ms. Harlow said, patting my hand. "Arjun is gone a lot, either at school or work, and I get lonely sometimes."

"I'd be glad to keep you company," I said. "But I should at least pay rent or something. I'm sure I'll get a job here soon, and I can."

"Don't worry about it! You've always practically been my son, anyway!" She grinned at me, then went to help Arjun bring my things in. Well, she had a point there. When I had something going on at school, she would be the one to step in, and not my real mom. In middle school, I spent more time at this house than I ever did at my own.

I stared into the guest room, sighing to myself. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I would get a job, then I could get back on my feet. Well, not literally back on my feet. But maybe Keto, Veronica, and I could get back into that apartment.

I just needed a job.

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Listen to "Even Now" by Barry Manilow

Peace ✌️ ~ A.J.