Trust In Love

Salvation.

"Miss? Miss? Hello? Over here... Miss?" The voice broke into her thoughts, and Jennie looked over to the towpath. A young boy of maybe 13 or 14 was standing. Dark haired, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, really quite unremarkable from any other teenager. Or so she would have thought.

"Miss, please, that's dangerous out there. Mum says we should never walk or sit on the lock gates."

Jennie smiled at him, just a small, sad smile, tears in her eyes. "I'm ok. I just need to be here. Maybe you should go, I dont think you'll want to be here soon." The tears flowed down her face. In her hour of need, the young boy was a guardian angel.

"What's your name, Miss? I'm Xander." He edged closer to the bank. "And this is my dog... Deefer." He grinned and waited for her reaction.

Jennie looked at the scruffy little 'mutt' whose connection to anything pedigree was limited to a yellow tin can of pet food. Deefer yipped and sat at Xanders feet.

"Deefer Dog...." she said outloud and, despite everything, burst out laughing .  "Good name Xander." The laughter died. "I... I just need to sit here a while. Im very sad. Very, very sad."

Xander looked both ways and then told Deefer to sit and stay. The little fuzzball yipped again and lay down beside Jennie's belongings, guarding them proudly.  Sure that his mum wasn't watching from some secret location, he gingerly stepped onto the gate.

"Xander, please, you shouldn't... please. I don't want you getting into trouble on my account."

Truthfully, she didn't want him seeing her jump. He resolutely ignored her and sat down next to her.

"What's your name, Miss?" He asked again, more quietly.

"Jennie." She answered, and Xander held out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Jennie." He smiled at her, and she shook his hand.
He retracted it, and for a moment, they sat, side by side, just looking at the water.

"Did someone make you sad? Someone made my Dad sad. He came and sat here too." He looked at her, and suddenly she saw a boy wiser than his years. "He didn't come home, Miss Jennie.  He was just too sad."

"Oh Xander, I'm so sorry. Did... do you know what happened to him?" She was afraid to ask, but something made her.

"Yes. He killed himself. He jumped in and drowned." It was a flat, emotionless statement of fact. He grasped her hand where it sat on the gate. "Can I tell you something, Miss Jennie?"

She continued to stare at the water, now holding the hand of an angel. "Mum had me the day he died."

"Oh God." She blurted it out, the breath leaving her body. "Oh dear God."

"Yeah, there was something wonderful happening, and he didn't know. Mum couldn't tell him because he did what you did. Left his phone on the bank. If he had, he might not have done it."

"Well, sometimes people get so sad there is no coming back from it. No matter what, good things are happening." She wanted to be kind, just explain that sometimes....

"But Miss Jennie, what if there's something wonderful waiting for you right now? There could be someone who loves you very much, who will spend forever missing you?" He looked at her and smiled a tiny smile.
"I miss Dad, and I never knew him."

Jennie was suddenly overcome for this streetsmart, funny, compassionate little boy. She ruffled his hair and put her arm around his shoulder. "I'm sure he'd be so proud of the man you are today, Xander."

"Thanks, Miss. Do you have someone who'll be sad if you dont come back? If you jump in?" He had no fear of speaking the truth.

"I.. I dont know Xander. Something happened, and they all think I did something bad."

"And did you?" There was no malice, just a child's curiosity.

"No, Xander. I didn't. But a bad man says I did, and now the Police - and my friends - aren't sure." She couldn't keep the tears back again. "Sorry." She sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"Don't be sorry, Miss Jennie. Be brave. Like Mum. She was brave. She looked after me all on her own. Still does. People said she had to give me away. She couldn't look after me on her own. She showed them, Miss." His eyes shone with love and pride.

Jennie smiled, a crumb of something beginning to germinate in her mind. "So you think I should prove them wrong? I should be brave and prove I am who they think I am?"

Xander winked. "Exactly. Mum always says that it's important to be who you were born to be." He nudged her, and she smiled. "You were born to be pretty Miss Jennie." He blushed and looked down, kicking his feet.

"And you, Xander, were born to be a superhero."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, Xander, in ways you couldn't guess."

His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Like... Iron Man? Or Captain America... or.... Loki?" He added without any guile.

If Jennie thought nothing would surprise her anymore, she was wrong.

"Loki?"

"Oh yes! He fought the Dark Elves, he saved Jane Foster, he tried to kill Thanos with nithing more than a butter knife, and now? Now, he holds the universe together. That's a hero."

Jennie laughed. For the first time in such a long time, she really laughed.
"Tell you what, Xander, if all this works out ok, how about you tell him yourself?" She winked and pulled him to her side in a half hug.

"You know Loki?" He was half afraid she was mocking him.

"I promise I do. And I promise to try and be brave, just like you." She carefully stood, bringing him with her.  Together, they made their way back to the towpath.

Deefer trotted over and licked her hand. She stroked his head, and he rolled over for a belly rub.  Laughing, she tickled him, and he yipped happily.

Shaking himself, he jumped up and sat at Xander's feet.

Raking in her bag, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled her name and phone number down. "Now Xander, give this to mum and ask her to call me. I want to tell her what a wonderful son she raised."

Xander smiled and nodded. "I will, Miss Jennie, I promise. But will you promise me two things too?" He stood, hands in pockets, shuffling a little awkwardly.

"Of course. What?"

"That you'll stay away from the canal lock?"

She nodded. I'm definitely happy to agree to that. "And the other thing?"  Now he giggled like a girl and blushed.

"You'll let me meet Loki?" He grinned sheepishly.  Jennie reached out and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, you bet! Now, I have to go. I've wasted enough time, haven't I? I need to go and prove I'm not who they think I am. I'm much, much better!"

Xander grabbed Deefer and clipped on a lead.  "Bye, Miss Jennie, take care!"

"Bye, Xander."  She waved and turned away, heading for the bus. After a couple of steps, she turned and looked back.  Xander was doing exactly the same. He waved madly and ran off.

As she reached the bus stop, Jennie knew that she had her work cut out. To repair things with Susie: to show the court she was innocent.  The one thing she thought was beyond repair was Tom. She couldn't bear to even think about him.

As the bus rumbled off towards the shop, she knew that she still had a couple of hours before Susie would be finishing.

Two hours, with luck, that would determine the rest of her life.