Latchkey Lovers

Ch. 6: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

   I was in and out of foster homes for the next two years, I ran away all the time for hours on end, I didn't want to be with those people. They called me troubled, I was a problem child, I spent days in and out of the hospital from overdoses, and or alcohol poisoning. There were too many overly friendly foster dads and overly bitter foster moms. I even ended up in juvi from attacking one of the foster dads with a pocket knife after he had snuck into my bedroom and tried to assault me; no one believed me I was nothing but trouble. CPS tried to get me through rehab for my addictions which always failed; I needed my addictions too much. And what bothered me the most is I had been barred from contacting Adrick at all, they claimed as an adult man who had tried to take me in he was a danger to me, they claimed he had tried to groom me and that's all his kindness was. I thought of him everyday, the way he smiled at me, his sea glass green eyes that you could swim in, his laugh, and that one meal he had made me and I would cry; I missed him. I missed his kindness, I missed his words of encouragement, I missed his conviction to make life better for me; I would even say I longed for him. I wondered if he thought of me, or if I was just a memory already.

   Lightening crashed, thunder rolled and the rain came down in big sleets. I was done with foster care, I was tired of the shitty foster parents, they were in it just for the money; the foster mom had laid her hands on me for the last time. It was late November my birthday was less than a month away and I would be 18; maybe they wouldn't bother with me now.

   I waited until the foster parents went to bed and I was sure they were asleep, waited for a loud crash of thunder before I opened the window, then looking out it I paused a moment, a two story jump seemed dangerous, but maybe if I rolled when I landed I wouldn't break anything. Throwing my back pack out the window I took a deep breath climbed out the window then dropped from the window seal landing on my back side and rolling; thanking whatever God there might be above that nothing was broken.

   Reaching in my back pocket I pulled out the worn, crumpled paper with Adrick's phone number and address on it then made my way into the city. Once in the city I hitch hiked into the suburbs then once in the suburbs I found someone willing to drive me out to the address by lying and telling them I had a sick relative there. They dropped me off at the end of the long drive, it was already dark, and I could barely see anything in front of my face.

   The wind howled in my ears and whipped my hair about my face and into my eyes as I made my way down the long drive; the thunder rumbling loudly above my head. I was cold and wet; chilled to the bone. But, I pushed on, following the warn dirt and rock path as best as I could in the dark, finally ahead I saw a glowing light from the house windows; speeding up I sprinted for the house. Once at the door I stood there a moment, unsure if I should even be here.

   Reaching out I knocked at the door; I didn't even know if he was home. I waited for a moment then knocked again, still no answer. Turning my back to the door I leaned against it and slid down it, I was wet, tired, and frozen through. Huddling deeper into my coat I bunched up against the door and just slumped there.

   I'm not sure how much time passed as I sat there huddled up feeling defeated, I just know I grew colder, my hands and face turning numb. I didn't hear the car approach, and I was only vaguely aware of the headlights hitting me in the face as they pulled to a stop.

   "Maddie?!" his warm voice called near my ear, "You're frozen through and soaking wet." he continued, then I was being lifted in his too warm of an embrace.

   I felt him juggle me around to get the door open, the warmth of the house washing over me as I shivered in his arms. Carrying me to the couch he laid me on it and started a fire in his fire place, the room warming up even more. Disappearing for a moment he returned with some blankets and threw them over me. The heat flooding through me causing my numb face, feet and fingers to prickle. 

Leaving me he exited the house for a few minutes, I assumed to finish pulling his car around to his garage. I heard him enter the back door then listened as he bustled around in the kitchen, the sound of a tea pot whistling in my ears a few minutes later. Returning to the living room he urged me to sit up.

   "Here, this will help raise your core temperature." he said handing me a cup of hot tea, "What were you doing out there Maddie; trying to catch your death?" he asked in a slightly annoyed yet anxious tone.

   "I...I cccouldddn't han...handle it annnn...ymore." I chattered out, "To...too...mu...much." I continued to chatter, "I wan...wanted to...to come....home...." I finished.

   His eyes widened, "You silly girl." He said tucking the blankets tighter around me, "You should have called me or something." he stated, "Drink up, then you'll need to get out of those wet clothes and dry off; that's assuming your stuff in your backpack isn't soaked too." he let out a sigh and opened my back pack sighing again when everything was indeed soaked, "I'll loan you something to wear, though you've gotten so small you might swim in it." he chided.

   Leaving the room he went down the hall into his room and I listened as he opened drawers. A moment later he returned with a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Laying them over the back of the couch he sat down and watched me sip on the tea quietly, his eyes anxious; filled with anxiety and something else I didn't understand.

   "I'll throw your clothes in the dryer so they can dry, and don't worry about the blankets and couch they'll dry too." he eyed me for a moment, "You look starved, I'll fix you something to eat, it may not be much but it'll at least warm your belly and fill you up." he said then headed off to the kitchen.

   Once I finished the tea, I grabbed the clothes he'd brought out and went down the hall to the bathroom, I grabbed a towel and dried off, then stripping down I put on the clothes. He had been right I swam in his clothes though he wasn't very big himself; I hadn't realized I'd gotten so small. After dressing I made my way to the kitchen, holding the sweat pants up as I went, trying not to lose them and trip over the extra long legs at the same time. As I neared the kitchen the smell of tomatoes filled my nose along with the smell of melting butter and a sizzling sound entered my ears. Taking a seat at the table I watched him cook. Watched as he flipped over a grilled cheese sandwich in a pan, as he stirred a small pot on the other burner; everything done with seemingly extreme care. 

   Grabbing a bowl down he poured what I could now see was tomato soup in a bowl, then grabbed down a saucer and flipped the grilled cheese out onto it; even these acts seemed filled with care to me.

   "It's not much, just tomato soup and a grilled cheese, but soup is good on cold days." he said bringing me the food and setting it on the table, 'Eat up before it gets cold." he said with a smile, "Tomorrow I'll do some actual grocery shopping; I just don't often keep stocked up because I'm gone a lot and it's just me."

   "Still just you?" I questioned, I didn't know why that mattered to me but it did.

   "Yep, just me. I haven't found anyone to snatch me up yet." he laughed softly, his laugh filling me with warmth.

   "I don't know why, you're an obvious catch." I stated truthfully. Because truthfully, in my eyes, he was the most kindest, most generous, most caring person in the world; he was the man that had saved me over and over again.