All for Acceptance II

By: Rod
(© 2010-2017 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Rod@tickiestories.us

The day had finally come and Rory arrived in the office of James Townsend.  It would be his first day at the home and hopefully the beginning of his career.  Bill, James Phillip and Tony all met to get more acquainted with the newbie.  Considering Rory’s involvement with Jeffrey he was already accepted by the crew and looked upon warmly.  It was discussed just how he would fit into the realm of things, what would be expected of him and what he could expect of them.  He had just gotten settled into his office when it became time for lunch.  Upon entering the dining room he was spotted by Jeffrey who immediately ran to him and gave him a crushing hug.  Jeffrey was almost to tears as he expressed his gratitude in Rory’s assistance getting him away from Professor Saunders and the University into first, the safety of Rory’s relatives and then, back into DCFS custody where he was transferred to the home and then adopted.  It was with the widest of smiles that he introduced his brothers, especially his blood related brother.   Rory was touched by the love evident with all the boys and became more determined to do whatever he could to serve not only the boys in the facility but the men who had hired him.

Chapter 12

Rory’s first week at the home had been a busy one.  It seemed the modis operandi of his employers was to throw him right into the mix and find out if he would sink or swim.  It had been a daunting time but one by one residents where coming to Rory’s office with various problems from feeling a sense of home sickness to learning to deal with a sense of indecision or inadequacy.  Each boy entering the office found a friend ready to listen, he never seemed to give an answer to the problem, and instead, he always raised more questions.  By the time his new best buddy left the office a whole new world of thoughts would be bouncing around in the fertile mind.  A solution may not be quite at hand but an approach was forming and the lad was usually in an improved state of mind and ready to begin a plan of action with a high hope of satisfactory completion.  The most beneficial attribute was the fact that as far as the lad was concerned; he and he alone had come up with the answer.  Rory had just made him think about the problem and in so doing find his own solution to whatever the problem was that him brought him to Rory.

Being single and living alone, once Friday evening dinner was in the oven, Rory decided it was time to get some laundry done.  He had too many other things planned on doing over the week-end, so Friday night was it.  He needed to make a trip to the laundry room in the basement of his building.  He had wished laundry equipment would have been in his apartment but for what he could afford at the time as an assistant in the Psych department, the fact that this complex offered a rather complete and clean facility in the basement of each of the buildings was about as good as he could get.  With his use of a compartmentalized hamper all he had to do was grab the hamper and his detergent, softener and any other treatment items and head for the laundry room. 

Rory entered the laundry room and began to add his clothes to a couple of washers.  At least that was one advantage in the setup, he could use multiple machines and only need to wait the time it took for one cycle to get all of his loads washed.  In the apartment he would have only been able to do one load at a time so it would have taken at least three times as long since in the laundry room he could use three machines at the same time.  As he was loading the machines he looked up as the door opened and a small boy about eight or nine walked in carrying a duffle bag.

“Mister, is there as chance you could throw a few more items in with yours?” asked the little blond. “I don’t have very much and I can’t afford to pay for the machines.”

“My name is Rory, what's yours?”

“Zack, actually Zachery Collins.”

“Glad to meet you Zack, do you live here in the building?”

“Not exactly but I really prefer to try to have clean clothes when I go to school.”

“Where are your parents?”

“ I don't know, they left and I haven't seen or heard from them since.”

“How long ago did that happen?”

“A little over two weeks ago.  I was just lucky I had gotten my clothes before they came and changed the locks on our apartment.”

“Where have you been living since then?”

“Where ever I could.  Rooms like this have seemed to be the best.  I've been able to get into the buildings then into the laundry room.  Since only a few people really use the room in the evening I could usually find a way to not be noticed.  This evening I needed my clothes washed and thought I could trust you to ask to help me.  Will you throw my stuff in with yours?”

“I'm sorry, sure I will, give them here and I'll sort them in.  I guess I kinda forgot your original question and was more concerned with your situation.  How long since you had something to eat?”

“I had lunch at school today so I'm OK, I've been getting breakfast and lunch at school through the week and then manage to tag just close enough to some adult to get samples over the weekend at some of the stores.   Just another reason why I need to keep clean and presentable.  I've been showering at school in the locker room.  I can usually sneak it early in the morning and get in and out before anyone notices me.”

“It'll take about an hour for the washers to finish so how about joining me.  I've got a family size pan of lasagna in the oven that should be just about done and I'll bet if you tried you could manage to eat something.”

“If you're sure I wouldn't be a bother, I would really appreciate it.  I am a little hungry but I've been putting up with that lately, it hasn't been too bad.  Sams© has been pretty good on Saturdays with the number of samples they have out. ”

“Let’s head up to my apartment and get something to eat.  I’m sure our laundry will be safe, everyone here respects everyone else and leaves things alone, besides there are quite a few washers available if someone else needs them.”

“OK, I really thank you Rory you don’t have to take care of me.”

“I think I do, and I’ll explain in a little bit but right now I think some lasagna is calling our name.”

“Are you always this funny?  I’m glad I got up the nerve to ask you for help.”

“So, how about a little salad first.  Would you like French, Italian or Ranch dressing with it?  How about a glass of milk to drink?”

“Three choices, does someone else live with you?”

“No one else, I just don’t feel like having the same kind every time.  So, what will it be?”

“Ranch for me.  I love ranch but seldom can have it.  A glass of milk would be great if you’re sure it isn’t a bother.”

“Bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left.  Go get cleaned up and wash all the way up to the elbows!”

“All the way up to the elbows?  What do you mean by that?”

“I mean don’t miss anything get your hands, wrists and forearms completely clean.”

“If you say so, I just never heard somebody say it like that before!”

“Well, take your time and do a good job.  There’s still several minutes before the bread will be ready and the lasagna needs to sit for about ten minutes before we can serve it.”

“James Townsend, how may I help you?”

“James, this is Rory and I need your help.”

Rory went on to explain what had happened and how he came upon one Zackery Collins.  He further explained the conditions and that currently, he had Zack cleaning up so he could sit down with him for some supper.  James was more than pleased with the way Rory had handled the situation so far and let him know that he would get things in motion, but Rory should expect a call from probably Ted Burke and perhaps a visit later this evening.  James would also see that any paperwork would be started and that Rory in his capacity with the Home was not only OK to care for Zack but legally bound to do so until otherwise decided.  He expected that Ted Burke would ask Rory to put up Zack for the night and bring him to the Home tomorrow.

“I’m all cleaned up, all the way to my elbows!” chanted Zack as he entered the kitchen.

“Good let’s see,” said Rory as he approached the boy and looked at each hand and arm.  “I think you look clean enough to be able to eat.  Let’s sit down and get started.”

“Wow, this salad is great, expecially with the Ranch dressing.  It’s sure better than any I can remember.”

“Didn’t your mom or dad serve you a salad like that?”

“Are you kidding?  They were seldom at home and what I ate was usually what I could scounge from the frig. Or peanut butter and jelly sandwich if we had it and bread.  Salad dressings were whatever packets I found there and I don’t know where they had come from.”

“What kind of work did your parents do?

“Work, I don’t know, but I know they were often gone during the evening and I'd get myself to bed.  They’d come back sometime during the night and may or may not get up when I got up to go to school. Since I often ate breakfast at school I just got myself up and off to school.  I didn’t want to be late or I wouldn’t get to eat. During the evening I would work on any homework I had and then listen to the radio since we didn’t have a TV and then I’d go to bed.  They would get real mad if I was still up when they got home.”

“Ready for some lasagna?”

“Sure, but why did you fix such a big pan if you are the only one around to eat it?”

“Well it’s cheaper to buy the family size, I can eat more than what I’d get in a TV dinner and then the rest I put in the refrigerator and eat at a later meal.”

“Because I’m eating does that mean you won’t have something to eat later?” asked Zack as he started to push his plate towards the center of the table.

“Oh no, I have plenty of food.  Come on and eat.  The only thing I ask is that you take what you want but eat what you take.  I don’t like to waste anything.”

Zack proceeded to pull his plate back in front of him and attack it with vigor seeming to enjoy every bite.

As they were finishing up Rory checked the time and saw it was about time to check on the laundry.

“Zack, I’ll go down and transfer the laundry over to the dryers.  Would you mind rinsing the dishes for me and stack them in the sink?  I shouldn’t be gone very long at all, then maybe we can watch some TV while dinner settles.”

“Sure, I mean you’ll trust me alone in your apartment?”

“Why shouldn’t I.  Have you murdered anyone or robbed anyone lately?”

“You are funny, of course not I’m only nine years old how could I do any of those things?”

“OK, then I think I’m safe just so you’re still here when I get back!”

“Ah you’ve got all my clothes, except what I’m wearing with yours in the laundry room, I ain’t crazy and I don’t intend to run around in these till they fall off, so I’ll be here.”

“Just checking.  I have my key so I’ll lock the door, don’t answer it or let anyone in while I’m gone, OK?”

“OK I won’t throw a party while you’re gone!”

“Now’s who’s being funny? I’ll be back in a few.”

No sooner than Rory’s departure Zack jumped up gathered all the dishes from the table and took them to the sink.  Looking under the sink he found the dish detergent and proceeded to run some hot water and wash the dishes.  He didn’t know how Rory wanted to handle the pan of lasagna but figured that since it was a foil pan he’d probably just cover it and put it in the frig.  Right now though it was still a little warm so Zack moved it to the top of the stove and proceeded to clean up everything else.  He didn’t know just where the dishes went and had a problem reaching the cabinets anyway so he just stacked the clean and dried dishes on the counter top.

“Rory, may I help you?” spoke Rory as he pressed the button to answer his cell phone.

“Hi Rory, this is Ted Burke.  I understand you couldn’t leave all your work at the office and needed to rescue a young man at home.”

“Wasn’t trying to, but it happened, now I just need to have some help to get through the steps needed to be sure all is done right.  Can you help me?”

“I’m sure I can. I presume you are at home?”

“Yes I’m in Franklin Villa over on Franklin Avenue apt 4-C”

“I’ll be there in about 20 minutes if that’s all right with you.”

“Sure I’ll let Zack know I am expecting a friend who can help us with his problem.”

“Good enough, I’ll see you both soon.”

“Sounds good I’ll see you then.”

It didn’t take much longer for Rory to get the clothes transferred to the dryer and he was soon back to his apartment.

“You cleaned up everything?”

“I didn’t know what to do with the pan of lasagna so I left it on the stove top but I cleaned up everything else but left the dishes on the counter since I didn’t know where they went and couldn’t reach the cabinets anyway.  I didn’t want to climb on the counter or a chair and then drop and break something.”

“Zack you did a great job.  Come keep me company and I’ll finish things up while we talk some more.  I can’t believe you did all of this, good man!”

Zack literally glowed with the praise given him.  He wasn’t used to being complemented, just yelled at.  He felt so good he had done something to please this person he really considered as a friend.

“Zack a friend of mine who helps with young people who are having problems, is coming over shortly to talk to us about your problem.  He is a good friend and will be here to help things work out.  I hope it’s OK with you that I invited him over to help us.”

“If you say so.  He won’t take me away will he?”

“No Zack I really don’t believe he would.  What he will do is whatever he can to help you and just remember, so will I.”

“I trust you will, you’ve already been more considerate and helped me more than anyone else I know.  You’ve even done more than my parents usually do.”

“Zack, that’s kind of my job, you see I work with children such as yourself every day.  That’s what I do.  When Ted, that’s his name, gets here we will both explain more about what we do and what we can do especially for you.

To be continued...

Comments encouraged and appreciated

Rod

Posted: 04/21/17