Relatively Dependent

Relatively Dependent - Part Two

My brother protected me from a lot that went on in our house, he always put himself in danger before he'd let anything happen to me. But the people he had to protect me from weren't sixth grade bullies, they were seriously messed up and dangerous people. For Blake to look after me the way he did, I think that makes him nothing short of a hero. If he was scared he never showed it, if he was hurt he'd grit his teeth and bare through it, if he was starving he'd still feed me before he'd eat anything. I don't know where he found the strength to keep going for me, but he did, he was always there for me and I know it wasn't easy.

The first few nights out of home we spent sleeping on the streets and during the day we'd trek from one soup kitchen to the next so no one would remember our faces. We couldn't go to anyone for help, all of Blake's friends still lived at home and Blake didn't trust their parents would keep what had happened to us from the Police. I would've taken sleeping with one eye open on the streets than a comfy mattress and warm house to sleep in any day if it meant Blake and I would stay together. All that mattered to us was that we stayed together.

On the third day after we'd left home I'd started getting sick from being out in the cold. Blake had given me his jumper but it wasn't going to be enough, I needed to be somewhere warm, get some medicine, but between us we didn't have two coins to rub together. So when I'd reached a point where I was sweating and shaking from the cold at the same time, Blake bundled me up, and we went into at least a dozen stores where he begged for a job and somewhere for me to sleep. Just about every single person he spoke to gave us the same response; one look up and down, a lip curling in disgust at our appearance, and we were shooed out of the store. The last place we went to was our saving grace. We went into a restaurant called Riverview Bar and Grill, which is down on the river, sort of out of the city area. By this point Blake was getting desperate for someone to listen to him and not send us away. I could see it in his eyes as they had grown red and glossed over with tears, he was only holding it together in the slightest.

When we went inside the whole place was pretty quiet, just a couple of men having a drink at the bar and a woman behind the bar cleaning some glasses. It was so quiet that when we stepped inside everyone turned to have a look at us. I've always been a nervous wreck around strangers—think I can chalk that up to Mum's druggie buddies—so when these people all turned around to stare at us I found it so unnerving that I hid behind Blake like a two year old kid. Now that I think back on it they probably just thought we were a couple of tossas' looking for a place that'd serve us alcohol.

The woman staring at us and wiping out a glass appeared to be the only one working so we went over to her and Blake asked to speak to the manger. She gave him this look like it was ridiculous to expect to talk to her manager and she very rudely said, "Take a hike kid." And that was pretty much it for Blake, he kinda' just broke down in front of everyone and blubbered out that it was really important he speak with her manager. The woman changed her tune pretty quick and went to get her boss. We stood there waiting for her to return and when we saw her again it felt like it had been a life time. Blake had pulled himself together but his cheeks were red as anything and his eyes still looked watery, poor bastard, no one would just hear him out.

The manager was so much nicer to us than his staff had been. He came sweeping over to us, put a hand on Blake's shoulder like he actually gave a shit that Blake was upset about something and said, "What can I do for you boys?"

"Please, don't tell us to leave," Blake said.

He wasn't crying anymore but his voice shook as he spoke. I remember thinking how shocked I was to see my brother upset, out of all the things I'd seen him endure he'd never cried, ever. He just wasn't like that.

"I know I don't look the part right now," Blake said as he tugged at the tattered shirt he'd been wearing since we left home. "But I clean up alright and I'm a hard worker. Please Sir, I need a place to work and my brother is sick, he needs somewhere safe to sleep. Please, help us?"

Blake had pulled me around in front of him so I stood right in front of the manager, think he was using me as his bargaining chip.

"You're asking me for a job?" The manager asked Blake.

Blake gave him a nod and cupped his hands to my shoulders, his fingers started digging in tighter and tighter as he awaited the verdict.

"Well, I just don't know that I have any work for you," he said.

"Please," Blake's voice broke as he tried to hold himself together. "We don't have anywhere else to go. I've been to every store in this town and no one will help us, please Sir."

I was so sure we were going to get shown out the door again but after a long silence he huffed out this heavy sigh and gave Blake a nod.

"You can have a room upstairs for the night, we'll talk about what you can do around here tomorrow," he said.

I looked up at Blake hearing that, he had this big beaming smile as he stretched out his hand and the tears came rolling down his cheeks.

"Thank you so much," Blake said as he shook his hand.

"You're welcome," he cocked his head and Blake told him our names.

"Blake and Joel, I'm Charlie," he said as he handed a key over to Blake. "You can stay in room three. Help yourselves to any snacks, and I'll have one of the girls bring up some food for dinner."

"You have no idea what this means to us, thank you so much," Blake said as he wiped his cheeks from the tears. He turned to me and hugged his arm around my shoulders.

Charlie gave Blake another pat on the shoulder, "I have some paperwork to get through, why don't you go on up, get some rest, and we'll have a chat tomorrow."

Blake thanked him again and again, he was saying it so much I'd started tugging on his arm to get him to move. I was keen to go upstairs and find our room, four days on the streets was more than enough for me. When I'd managed to pry Blake from Charlie I ran up the stairs in search of the room we would call home for the next few years.