Happenstance (LGBTQ) [Editing]

Three

"Elliott, sit tight. I have to head back to work because Adam must be wondering where I am."

Mom hugs me and leaves me alone in her office. With her exit, my anxious thoughts quickly returned about us being homeless now. What are we going to do? How could this happen? For the next few hours, I wait for her silently crying.

When she comes in, I hear a second pair of footsteps along with hers. Looking up, I see Adam with my mom. Adam is not your typical-looking businessman. He's for one bald and looks like an ex-bodybuilder. He's a tall man who stands several feet above both of us.

He shines a charming smile my way. The chiseled face of smooth golden sugar skin and charisma.

"Elliot,  it's good to see you again. Sorry, it's under such unfortunate circumstances."

I nod not feeling like talking. Adam doesn't take offense and turns to Mom. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see her wiping the corner of her eyes.

"Andrea, you both can stay at my home until you guys can get back on your feet. If you're okay with it that is.

"If that's okay with you I would appreciate that very much." Mom confirms.

Mom turns to me. I nod so she knows I'm okay with it after all we don't have much of a choice. Being homeless and all. With the decision made Mom begins gathering her belongings. We exit the office.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I let them know.

"Wait up Elliott I actually have to use it too. Adam says.

Mom lets us know she'll be waiting for us downstairs. Adam and I head towards the restroom with me trailing behind him. Out of nowhere he suddenly stops causing me to crash into his broad back.

"Sorry."

"No problem after you Elliott," Adam replies.

I move around him to head in but stopped in my tracks when I see the sign for the men's room. Here we go.

"Can you please direct me to the woman's room?"

Keeping my gaze down because I don't want to see his reaction to my question. I already know how he'll look. I'm used to this. Having to constantly come out to those around me.

"Why?" He asks. Curious.

"I'm a woman," I say.

"Oh it's back where we came, the hallway on the right of the elevator and another left."

••••

After the whole awkward bathroom reveal, Adam and I met up with Mom. Now he's following us in his car back to what was once our home. Mom has this brilliant idea for us to go there and collect anything that can be saved.

The drive over to our neighborhood takes an hour since we live in Long Island. Thankfully since we left before rush hour there's no traffic on the way. We arrive on our street after the most painstaking ride of my life. Turning down the road towards our house.

As we grow closer I feel my heart tensing up. The thumping of its beat felt awfully louder and more intense than usual. I hold my breath for a few seconds and exhale out deeply so I can breathe normally again.

When she parks beside our house I pinch my leg first to grow the courage needed to look at it. Look at what it is now, without imagining what it once was.

Now all I can see is burnt wood which is black as charcoal. The windows have been blown out looking like a tornado came threw and ripped them off. Broken pieces of wood and debris littered and hanging down.

It looks like a haunted house and not like the one-story home Mom and I lived in together. I hear the engine is turned off and Adam's car pulls up behind ours.

We climb out. Waiting for him to come over. When he does he looks hard at the rubble of our home and then at us. Looking solemn.

"Alright let's get this over with."

Mom says shakily. I can hear in her voice she wants to break down again and is barely holding it in at the sight. I nod. So does Adam.

"We have to be careful and cautious. There could be loose wood that can fall off." Adam declares.

We head up and slowly make our way inside. There is no longer a front door to open. I make my way into what was once my room careful of what Adam said earlier.

Stepping over burnt furniture, clothes, everything, and anything that was once here prior. My room is now a black sea of roasted things that no longer look like things. I look around making ash build up on my hands, while I try to find anything that survived the fire.

I make out a burnt teddy bear I had from childhood. It's unrecognizable now though. When I pick it up the thing disintegrates inside my hand.

Fuck. I feel a stinging pain in my chest at the sight. We've literally lost everything now. Our albums our clothes, shoes, and everything that was once significant is now gone.

There's nothing I realize after looking around. Everything in my room is gone. Nothing can be salvaged from all this rubble.

I feel myself tearing up. As I stare at all the destruction in front of me. There's no point in even continue looking or even having hope. Nothing is here now.

Not being able to stomach the sight anymore I exit my room. Following the sound of Mom and Adam conversing to find where they are. I find them somewhere. I don't know since nothing stands out for me to recognize which room they are in. I only found my room since it's on the right as on as enter the house.

Mom and Adam are standing around a black box with a handle and buttons on it. As I get closer I realize it's mom's firesafe. It's where she kept all of our important documents like passports, birth certificates, social security cards, etcetera. The box used to be a dark grey color but now it's the color of ash.

"Mom, do you think the things inside are good?"

She turns to me shrugging her shoulders.

"I have no idea. I'm hoping so. They were all really important. Who knows. This safe was apparently fireproof but let's see how truthful that is if I can get it open."

Please let them be okay. Please I beg you.

Just one thing I'm hoping one thing made it. Mom wacks at the safe with something. Failing to get it open. Adam looks around the room searching for something. He stops going to a piece of metal, or at least that's what I believe it is.

He picks it up going over to Mom.

"Andrea let me try. Maybe this can help."

Mom stops and sets on him seeing he's holding something. She moves away from the safe. Adam tinkers with it for a few seconds and then out of nowhere we hear a crack and then a bam sound.

"You did it. It's open. Oh my god."

He drops the thing he used to do and pries the safe open with his bare hands. Mom looks over his shoulder.

"Elliot come look, baby."

So I go near. Finding all the items inside are still in their original form. None of them looked burned or damaged in any way. Wow.

"They're not burned."

Three voices say all at the same time.

What do you guys think about the characters and story so far?