We're Working On It (11 page)

“Where are you going?” Richard asked.

Cory stopped and turned around, the box slipping in his hands. “I’m just bringing this stuff to your office. You want it in there, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Well, where in the hell are you going to put it then? This shit’s heavy.”

“Upstairs.”

“Fuck!” Cory said under his breath as he grabbed a better hold on the box and headed upstairs to Richard’s bedroom.

He stopped just outside the door to Richard’s bedroom looking at the door handle knowing that there no way he could reach it while still holding the heavy box. He shifted the weight of the box to get a better grip on it while he waited for Richard to open the door for him.

“Hmm,” Richard said from behind Cory. “I don’t have the table set up in there yet so...”

“Oh, cripes, come on man. This is getting heavy.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Why don’t you just put it in your room for now?”

“Shit” as he turned and walked through his open door, throwing the box on his bed to get rid of the weight. “Now what? There’s no room in here for it either.”

“Just clean off your desk and set it up there.”

Cory was about to roll his eyes, but instead they bulged, realizing what Richard just meant. He looked at his desk and then back to Richard.

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, you needed one.”

“You bought this for me, didn’t you?”

“Yup”

Richard looked a little blurry to Cory just then. Cory walked over to him and gave him a hug, as Richard slipped his arms around Cory’s back.

Cory looked up at Richard.

“Thank you. I don’t know what else to say, and thank you doesn’t sound like enough.”

“Cory?”

“Yeah?”

“You swore again tonight. Four times. Don’t swear.”

Cory spent the rest of the evening setting up his new computer.

Wednesday at school was dragging for Cory. This was the evening that he was going to be spending with Kevin and he couldn’t make the day go any faster. When they met up after the last class, Kevin was carrying a back pack full of books that he’d be using that afternoon.

“So, you ready?” Cory asked Kevin.

“Yeah, I think I’ve got everything I need.”

They walked the two miles home rather quietly, Cory thinking about how the evening was going to go being alone with Kevin, and Kevin was apprehensive about meeting Richard. As they approached the house, Cory saw that Richard was already home.

“So, this is where you live, huh?” Kevin asked.

“Yup, it’s home.”

Kevin looked at Cory, smiling.

When they went through the front door, the smell of pasta sauce filled them, taking them away from the day at school, mouths already watering. Just then they heard glass breaking in the kitchen.

“Shit!” bellowed out of the other room.

“What happened?” Cory said, sticking his head through the kitchen door.

Richard turned, a little flustered at seeing Cory in the doorway, especially after swearing.

“I just dropped a wine glass. Now I only have three left.”

Cory smiled. “Richard?”

Richard frowned at Cory, knowing what was coming.

“Don’t swear.” Cory grinned.

Richard threw a towel at Cory as Cory entered the kitchen, and was picking up another one to throw when he saw that Cory was followed by the boy he thought had to be Kevin.

As Richard, put down the towel, Cory stepped aside to let Kevin come further into the room.

“Kevin, this is Richard. Richard, this is Kevin.”

“Hey, Kevin, It’s good to finally meet you,” sticking out his hand to shake.

“Ah, it’s good to meet you too, sir,” taking Richard’s hand.

Richard squeezed his hand firmly.

“Cory’s told me a lot about you,” Richard said while letting go of Kevin’s hand.

“Well, Cory lies a lot,” Kevin grinned.

“Yeah, you’re right. I told him all good things,” Cory had to get in.

Richard chuckled for a moment.

“Actually, Kevin, Cory has told me good things about you.”

Kevin shot Cory a look.

Cory smiled.

“Why don’t you boys go up and do some homework or something so I can finish dinner.”

“Okay,” Cory said.

The boys turned and started for the stairs, but Cory turned around just before they got to the first step and turned to peer through the kitchen door.

“How come you’re home so early?” he asked Richard.

“Well, my special lasagna sauce takes about 5 hours to make, so I took off at noon to come home.”

“Well, it sure smells good.”

“Do you guys want a snack to get you by until dinner time?”

“Are you kidding? No, I want to wait so I can inhale that lasagna later.”

The boys turned and ran up the stairs, Kevin following Cory’s lead. When they entered Cory’s room, Kevin looked all around, taking in what was Cory. A boy’s room tells a tale of whomever it is who lives in there. Cory didn’t have much on the walls. He had a bookcase along one wall, but it was only partially filled, mostly paperbacks. His desk had a computer on it but his dresser didn’t have any pictures. His bed was a double and was made, but he had a few clothes draped over the chair. Other than that it was a plain room. Kevin knew that this room wasn’t Cory. It didn’t show him the Cory who he had come to know.

“You’re not in this room, Cory.” Kevin finally said after sensing what the room was.

“Huh? I’m standing right beside you.”

“No. I mean the room doesn’t seem like it’s your room.”

Cory looked around and noticed how bare it really looked.

“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, so it’s, I don’t know, kinda new to me. It used to be Richard’s daughter’s room. When I moved in here, he took most of her things away. He said that he wanted this to be my room, to do what I wanted with it. I haven’t done much yet, huh?”

“It takes time. I didn’t get any of my swimming trophies up until I had been in my room for years.”

“You swim?”

“Yeah, I love it.”

“Me too,” Cory smiled.

“See, I told you, Cory. We’re getting to know each other a little better.”

Cory glowed as he knew that their friendship was growing, becoming more real, stronger.

“Uh, Cory?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, what do you want to know?”

“It’s kind of personal. I hope you don’t mind.”

Cory knew what he was about to be asked. He had told Kevin about Richard, but didn’t say everything else at the time. Kevin had now met Richard, and he probably had a lot of questions. He knew that the moment of truth was here, and he felt that it was time.

“Okay.”

Kevin sat at the desk as Cory moved to sit on the bed, pulling his feet up under himself. This dance was in preparation for the moments ahead.

Kevin looked at Cory for a few moments and knew that he had to get the question out.

“Cory, what happened to you? Why do you have a foster dad?” Kevin finally asked.

“A lot,” Cory replied, focusing his eyes on the bed in front of him.

“Why are you here? I mean what happened to you?”

Cory sucked in his breath. Now was the time.

“My dad kicked me out two weeks ago. Richard found me.”

“But why would your dad do that? What’d you do?”

Cory was not going to go there. That was a place that he couldn’t risk letting Kevin come into. Cory wanted this friendship, probably needing it and he wasn’t going to try to destroy it.

“We didn’t get along very well.”

Kevin looked at Cory for a moment getting up his courage to ask the next question. He hoped that what he had figured out was true, but he didn’t want it to be true. The truth looked ugly to him. But he wanted to know more about Cory, a guy who he wanted to be truly friends with.

“Cory, ah, is your dad the one that hit you?”

Cory eye’s shot open, looking straight at Kevin. How could Kevin know what the truth was? He’d never told him. He couldn’t see that in his eyes.

“How did you know that?”

“I guessed that something had happened to you for you to be with a foster parent, but I didn’t know what it was. I saw your back in the showers after gym. I could see that you had been abused, a lot. It kinda scared me a little at first, but then I wanted to know what had happened to you, to know more about you. I guess I just figured it out after you told me that your dad and you didn’t get along and that he’d kicked you out.”

“Yeah, I ran away that night.”

“So how’d you come to live here?”

“It was just by chance. Richard saw me hitchhiking, and it was raining and I was soaked and I felt miserable. I didn’t know where to go. I just wanted to get away.

“Richard stopped to give me a ride and I’m not sure why he did either. Anyway, he brought me here cuz it was raining and I was tired and well, he tried to call my dad that night.”

“I guess it didn’t go well or you wouldn’t be here.”

“Not at all, but why I’m here didn’t come about until the next day.”

“What happened then?”

“My dad had hit me that night and my cheek was bleeding. The next day Richard took me to a doctor, and I guess the doctor saw my back. All hell broke loose then.”

“Oh, shit. What happened?”

“Well, Richard was fit to be tied. He got the cops and the lawyers involved then. Within days he had me removed from my old home and placed here. He got me a place to live, new clothes and he got me back into school. He even got me my own computer.”

“But Cory, why’d he do all that? He didn’t even know you.”

“That’s the hard part. I couldn’t figure it out either. I liked what he was doing, but I didn’t know why either. But I think I’ve figured it out.”

“Okay, so what is it with him?”

“I guess it’s two parts. He gave me something that I needed. My mom died three years ago, and since that time my dad had turned his back on me, so I didn’t have a mother or a dad. Richard seemed to start caring about me and it grew the more he found out about me. And, I think I’ve given him something too.”

“But what could you possibly give him? You didn’t have anything when he found you.”

“I wasn’t sure for a while, but I think he was also looking for something. I think he was looking for someone to love again, to take care of. His daughter left for college, and then his wife died. So, in a way, I’ve given him a son, and he’s given me a dad.”

Kevin looked straight at Cory.

“He hasn’t touched you has he?”

“Oh God, Kevin, it’s nothing like that at all. I guess the only way to describe it is that we’ve giving each other a family again, something that we’ve both needed.”

“But families don’t just grow on trees, Cory.”

“I know. We were both just lucky, but...” Cory paused before continuing, “...we’re working on it. Just like you and me.”

Kevin smiled. He knew that feeling. “Cory?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah?”

“That’s...what you just told me...that’s...I don’t know. I just think you’re a very lucky kid. I think you both are pretty lucky, you know, to have gotten together.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“Wanna know something else?”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“I think you’re pretty brave. I think you’ve got a lot of courage – a lot more than I do.”

“I’m not brave Kevin. I’m just trying to get by.”

“No, it’s there. Maybe you just can’t see it yet. I could have never been able to go through what you did.”

“I don’t see myself as anything special, Kevin. I’m just me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean. It’s just you.”

Both boys looked at each other for a while. There was nothing more to say. Cory smiled knowing that Kevin now knew more about him. Kevin smiled knowing that he and Cory were working on it, a lot more than a day ago. But in the back of Cory’s mind, he knew that he didn’t really know that much about Kevin yet. But for now, it was good that Kevin knew a little bit more about Cory. Cory knew that he’d get the chance someday to learn more about Kevin.

“Hey, Kevin. You’re good at Geometry, right? I need a little help,” Cory broke the silence.

“Okay, flunky, let me make an Einstein out of you,” Kevin shot back. They worked on their homework for another 30 minutes. The boys had just gotten a lot closer.

“Boys! Dinner’s ready,” came from downstairs.

Both books closed at once. The hunger of missing their afterschool snack just roared.

“Come on, Kev. We can share the bathroom to get cleaned up.”

Both boys headed to the bathroom together. It was a wonder they didn’t get any more water on the floor than they did, given all of the splashing that went on at the sink. Once squeaky, they headed downstairs.

Richard had set the table in the dining room. They ate most dinners there, but the other meals seemed to wind up being eaten around the kitchen table as it was more convenient. But tonight the table looked gorgeous. He had set out the good china and silver. Of course, he was the only one to have a wine goblet.

When the two boys came into the dining room, two sets of eyes opened wide.

“Holy crap!” Cory let out.

Richard scowled at him.

“Oops, sorry.”

“Cory can take his usual place on the right. Kevin, why don’t you have the seat across from him?”

“Thank you, Mr. Mathews,” Kevin replied.

They all sat down at the table, Richard taking his spot at the tables head, that way he could watch both boys. Richard started passing the salad bowl to Kevin first. After all, he was the guest.

“Thank you, sir,” Kevin said as he took the bowl from Richard.

Richard’s eyebrows dropped just a little.

Kevin scooped a small portion for himself, placing it on his salad plate and then passed it across the table to Cory.

“Hand me your plate Kevin. The lasagna’s hot so I’ll dish up from here.”

Kevin handed his plate to Richard and then looked at Cory.

Cory picked up his plate and was handing it to Richard, but had to hold it in midair for a while.

“Let me get Kevin’s first. I’ll get to yours in a second, Cory.

Cory rolled his eyes, but continued to hold his plate out.

When Richard handed Kevin’s plate back to him with a large portion of steaming lasagna, he remarked, “That should hold you for a while. There’s plenty more though if you want.”