365 New Days

Chapter 14

Mark knocked on the door with Jacobs phone in his hand. While he waited for an answer, he decided to look around the yard. There was a fenced off area to the left of the house and observing closer, he found that it was a garden. It looked like it would have been lush and green but the cold made the leaves on the plants turn brown. Mark snapped back to reality when the door opened and Jacobs Dad was standing tall in front of him. He wore a gray suit with a black tie and a white shirt. Mark found the lack of color and smile intimidating but he still tried to keep a friendly grin on his face.

"Yes?" His voice was deeper than Mark remembered With a thick accent and a cold tone that made him shiver a little.

"Jacob left his phone by the bakery. I wanted to return it to him."

Mr. García sighed. "Come in then. Make sure to take your shoes off and leave them by the door."

He blurted out a thank you and put his sneakers on a shoe mat. Mark followed Mr. García to the staircase and watched as he positioned himself in front of the first step and yelled something up to his son. Mark was able to pick up a few words; Friend...Phone...Here. He soon heard a SLAM and Jacob came sprinting out of his room. He had socks on so he slid awkwardly on the hardwood floor. He crashed into walls and doors and almost fell flat on his face a lot but he eventually made it to the staircase. Jacob managed to go down six steps before he tripped and missed the rest. That's when Mr.Garcías position started to make sense. He caught his son by the waist before he hit the ground and placed him in front of his friend like he had done it a million times and, judging from Jacobs sheepish expression, he probably had.

"I am so sorry!"Jacob exclaimed when Mark put the phone in his hand. "I thought I put it in my pocket and I was about to go back but then you came and-"

"Hey, It's fine man! It was just an accident."

There was a look of shock on his face that Mark didn't entirely understand."An accident? So-O-oh! Right, yeah, accident I'm really sorry."

"It's alright! But, are you alright? You seem distracted, well, more than usual."

Jacob was about to say something but his Dad put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Go upstairs for a little bit. I would like to talk to your friend."

He opened his mouth to protest but he thought against it and said a small, "Ok." Before returning to his room.

"Let's go to the living room," Mr.García told Mark. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Um, I'm good. Thank you though." He gave Mark a quick nod and led the way.

Sitting with Jacobs Dad felt like being sent to the principals' office at school. The atmosphere was tense and so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about Jacob." Mr. García began. He twisted his wedding ring as he spoke. "He's been having... a rough time adjusting to things."

"Yeah, I-I know."

"So, he told you." Mark nodded. "I was expecting that. Even though he's quiet he still likes to talk. You just need to give him a little nudge." Mr.García smiled a little but his face didn't hold onto the expression. Instead, his lips twitched until he was frowning again. "I really need to thank you, Mark. I thought...he's not the best at making friends. Even in Mexico, he was timid. It's so hard for him. And for you to go and invite him to places..." He shook his head. "It's incredible. I didn't think he would ever be this happy again."

Mark looked at his feet and folded his hands in his lap. "He has nightmares pretty much every night I think. He comes to school with a cup of coffee and dark circles under his eyes. It's not healthy."