Red Converse

Chapter 8: Meeting Ms. Walker

No answer. I wondered if Aaron had forgotten about our plan for tonight. Maybe him and his mom had gone out to dinner, and forgotten about me completely.

I rang the doorbell again.

I tapped my red converse nervously on the wooden porch. It would be so embarrassing if my brothers found out that my only friend ditched me.

I peeked through the window. A woman smiled as she brushed through her son's hair. They were both laughing as they talked.

Something panged sharply in my chest.

He must feel loved. Aaron must feel loved.

The woman that I guessed was his mom finished cutting his hair. She gently kissed his forehead and smiled again. She softly whispered a phrase I don't think I had ever heard Ma say.

"I love you, my handsome boy." The woman pulled Aaron into a hug and he hugged her right back.

Realizing how creepy I must look peering in their window, I stepped back.

I stepped back too far, and soon I was laying in a pile of snow. I heard some moving around in the house.

The front door opened and the woman gasped.

"Oh! Dear me! Let's get you inside!" She exclaimed, looking extremely worried.

She scooped me up in her arms and carried me into the house. I was surprised that a woman with such a small stature could carry a lanky 9-year-old boy. She placed me down on a comfortable couch, and I sunk right in. The smell of fresh baked cookies, the sound of soft Christmas music, and the warmth of a loving home hit me all at once.

I started to cry. The woman started to panic more.

"Ronny! This poor boy! He must've hit his head!"

She ran around the house gathering blankets, an ice pack, a cup of water, a mug of hot chocolate, a few pillows, and some tissues. She bundled me up in blankets and pushed back the hair on my head to check my temperature. I relished in the moment of a mother's love, but then started to cry harder.

"Ronny. Ronny, what do I do?" The woman paced around the room. I turned to see Aaron panicking just as much as his mother.

"I finally have a friend and now I've almost killed him with our porch! Oh dear, dear me." He pressed his hand on his head.

I nearly laughed at the sight of how similar the two seemed. I must've smiled a bit, because Aaron stopped mumbling his worries.

"I'm alright, just clumsy," I admitted as I smiled sheepishly.

"Mama, he's ok." Aaron caught his mom's attention as he held her shoulders. Aaron's mom nodded slowly as if she was taking a moment to let the information sink in. She turned towards me, smiled, and held her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Ronny's mom. My name is Daisy Walker. You must be Peter."

I nodded as I shook her hand. Aaron whined at the mention of his mom's nickname for him, but quieted down when he realized that pouting wouldn't change his mom's endearing title for him.

"Are you ok, Pete?" Aaron asked me, pressing his hand on my head just as his mom had done minutes ago.

"Yes, just a bit overwhelmed," I confessed as I cuddled into the blankets.

"That's understandable. Mama and I can go a little overboard with our worries sometimes. How about we watch a movie?" My best friend offered.

I nodded happily in agreement. I was overjoyed that I didn't have to leave the comfy nest Ms. Walker had created for me. Aaron cuddled in with me as we watched a series of Christmas movies for the rest of the day.

That was how I first met Ms. Walker.