You're All The Way Over There

Chapter 1

"That'll be one fifty please." Virgil spoke with a small smile. The lady in front of him placed a dollar and fifty cents on the counter.

"Thank you ma'am, have a good day." Virgil said before releasing a sigh. He rubbed his face and slammed his head against the cash register.

"Geez Virge! Calm down!" Virgil stood straight turning to the masculine voice. Next to Virgil stood his coworker of two years.

"I'm never calm Nick!" Virgil cried out sitting on the stool behind Nick. He watched Nicks movements as he tried to calm himself. As someone with anxiety calming down was hard, especially when you were under immense pressure.

'In, hold, out. In, hold, out.' He repeated this process until his heart beat calmed and he went back to helping.

"I can take the next customer!" The fake smile on his face returning as a child came running to him. The child looked scared and on the verge of a panic attack.

"Do you need help kid?" Virgil leaned down to listen to the kid better. The kid's eyes were glossy as he opened his mouth only to release a whimper.

Virgil went around the counter and squatted in front of the child. "What's wrong kid?" Again all the child did was whimper before he soon started spilling tears.

Virgil picked up the child and took him to the Starbucks in the Barnes and Noble. Virgil bought a cookie and gave it to the child. The boy only looked at the cookie before back at Virgil.

Virgil let a small smile go. "Go on, I got it for you." Virgil said as he watched the boy inspect the cookie. The boy bit down on the cookie lighting up as he did so. After the boy finished the cookie he had calmed down a significant amount.

The boy sniffed "Thank you," the boy said a smile on his features. Virgil nodded "it was no problem kid. So can you tell me what happened?" The boy nodded looking up to meet Virgil's eyes.

"My mommy left me here. She was drunk and she left with a guy I didn't know. She said I could find my way home. But I don't know my way home. I came in here hoping I could call someone." The boy finished staring at the dark wood table, tracing the patterns on it.

"I'll call for you." Virgil said angry at how this boy's mother just left him alone. The boy nodded reaching into his pants pocket and taking out a mini book. Virgil took the book and dialed the first number into his phone.

The first number was labeled mommy. Virgil held the phone to his ear and watched the boy walk around the small Starbucks.

Three rings went by before a raspy voice answered. "If this is Patton I'm gonna-"

Virgil interuppted her "yes hello, this is Virgil from Barnes and Noble. Your little boy is here looking for you." Virgil waited for a response.

The woman chuckled a bit "jesus that kid is a pain in the ass. Just I don't know leave him outside I'll be there around seven." Virgil looked at the time on the clock 3:09 pm.

Virgil grinded his teeth "is there anyway you can pick him up now?" The women again chuckled before answering no and saying horrid things that should not be said about a child. Virgil hung up the call searching the mini book. All names that were written were crossed out all except one.

It's label unreadable as he dialed the number. This time instead of having to wait the person picked up after the first ring.

"Yellow!" A preppy voice spoke.

Virgil took a deep breath "yes this is Virgil from Barnes and Noble, we have a little boy here who's mother won't pick him up." The voice on the other end gasped before yelling out "Thomas!"

The little boy must've heard and ran over. "Yes?" Virgil looked at the phone and lowered it to the boy. Virgil could hear a bit of the man's screaming before the little boy bursted into tears.

"Papa! Papa! I'm scared! Please! I need you!" The boy, Thomas, pleaded into the phone. The boy whimpered yes into the phone before handing it back to Virgil.

"I'll be there for Thomas in a little bit!" The man hung up quickly. Virgil looked down at the sobbing boy and picked him up taking him to the kids section of Barnes and Noble.