Epilogue

EPILOGUE

FIVE YEARS LATER…

FREDDIE

I checked my watch after I parked in front of the house. I had a welfare visit to perform. The family here was fostering two boys. Both I’d placed, and the foster parents expressed an interest in adoption, particularly because the boys were brothers and they wanted to keep them together. The Thompsons were a gift, because that was what I wanted too.

Their parents, however, were still alive. Dad in jail and Mom about to do a stint there herself. Terminating their rights would take time, but I wanted to see how the boys were doing. I’d come by weekly at first, then once a month after the first six weeks since placing them. The pair of shadows with their big bruised eyes and gaunt faces had filled in.

It was a trend I wanted to see continue. As I slid out of the car, the front door opened and a pair of whirlwinds came racing out.

“Mr. Freddie!” Ryan, the younger of the pair yelled as he raced down the walk to meet me. At five, Ryan still had a lot of fire in him. He’d come out of his shell faster. Warren, all of eight, maintained a deeper reserve. He was too used to stepping between his brother and abuse.

I got it. It was what brothers did.

“Buddy,” I said, greeting Ryan as he gave me a hug. The first time I met them, Ryan wouldn’t even look at me. “I keep telling you it’s Freddie.”

“But you’re Mr. Freddie,” Ryan said, looking up at me with all the trust in the world. “It’s powite.”

Polite. I smiled. “Politeness matters.” Of course it did. “Fine, you win. Mr. Freddie it is.”

“Hey, Mr. Freddie,” Warren said as he reached us. “Mrs. Amy said to bring you in when you got here.”

“Yeah?” I said. “How are you doing, Warren?”

“Not so bad,” he told me. “Got an eighty-five on my math test.”

“Hell, yes,” I said, then held up a hand to high-five him. “Also, we’re going to forget that I just cursed and go with a high energy enthusiastic congratulations.”

Warren laughed. “It’s okay, Mr. Freddie. Mrs. Amy is making cookies.”

“Oh, I like cookies.”

“Me too,” Ryan announced, gripping my hand as I walked with them toward the front door. “Do you wanna know what I learned this week?”

“Tell me,” I said. “I want to know everything.”