When You're Home

Cole walked up to the payphone shivering in the cold rain. His eyes darted around at the people passing by as he dug around in his jeans for that quarter he had found on the floor at school earlier. His stomach dropped and he started panicking when he couldn't find it. He checked his other pocket and that's where it was. The eleven-year-old pushed the coin into the payphone and brought the handset to his ear, shakily dialing the one phone number he knew off of heart. He sniffled and wiped his nose. The phone rang for what was definitely seeming too long, when finally the line was picked up. "J-" his breathing hitched and his soaked freezing little body felt a hundred times lighter at even just the initial silence of the line being picked up. "Jake," he managed out, hugging the handset tight to the side of his face. "Where are you?"

"Cole?"

"Yeah yeah- can you- can you hear me?"

"Yeah I can-"

"Pick me up please?"

"What-? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm just at the corner by my building. I found a coin at school today so I- I used that- to call you."

"A coin- what? You're using a payphone?" Before Cole could get anything out, Jake continued. "I'll come right now okay? Just stay right there."

"At the payphone?"

"Yes. I'll be right there right away, okay? Just stay right there"

"Okay."

There was a moment of a silence. "Cole?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it your dad?"

There was another moment of silence. "Yeah," he whimpered and his eyes clouded with tears. He took a shaky breath and forced himself to stay together. "Just come get me." He hung the phone up and brushed his wet hair from his eyes as he looked around. He went up to the doorstep of an abandoned storefront and sat down, the small spot being dry because of how the front door was inside a little cove. He hugged his hands between his knees and watched the afternoon downtown traffic passing by. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Jake didn't answer. Jake was his uncle, so his dad's brother. But he was the furthest thing from his dad though. There was more than one occasion where Cole almost slipped by coming close to calling Jake his dad. Both in front of Jake and even to other people. Even though he obviously wasn't his dad, he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't want him to actually be his dad. Today was Friday and he was going to play Minecraft with his online friend, but that was before he came home from school and realized his dad already blew a whole pay cheque on beer and left the fridge empty of food.

When he saw a familiar dark blue 2011 Ford Ranger slow down with its hazard lights blinking, he gripped the edge of the step and was ready to run over. He wasn't sure yet though if that was Jake or just some random person. He looked over when he heard some horn honking and noticed the truck was blocking traffic. The passenger side window rolled down and a big smile took his face as he saw Jake yelling over at him to get in. He jumped up and ran over. "Jake," he breathed out, standing at the door with his hands on the bottom of the window frame.

"Cole-"

There was more honking.

"Yeah Cole, it's me, now get in. There was nowhere for me to stop and-" he didn't have to even finish before Cole yanked the door open and got in, slamming it behind him when he got into the seat. "Okay," he sighed and, rolling up the window from the controls on the driver's side, he turned off his hazard lights and started driving. "I am so glad-" he glanced at him. "-that you're okay. I was actually so worried," he chuckled. He held his hand and smiled at him. "So what's going on huh? Your dad-"