Shayna wasn’t sure if things would be awkward following her hasty retreat from Tristan the week before. She was a bit surprised when he greeted them without any indication that he’d been upset by her words and actions from the previous week. Instead, he gave them both a friendly smile and offered a fist bump to Timothy.
And when she picked Timothy up after the class, it was the same. No suggestion of getting together. Of spending time with Timothy. And no inquiry after the state of her car. Which, if she was being entirely honest, she wasn’t sure would make it through the winter. The money she’d been squirreling away for a rainy day seemed to be destined for a newer car.
When they got back to the townhouse, Shayna made them lunch from frozen homemade turkey soup and buns. Lisa wasn’t home which surprised her a bit. Usually, when she wasn’t visiting her mom, Lisa stayed home, choosing to watch a church service being streamed online.
Shayna had tried calling her, but the call had gone right to voicemail. Lisa wasn’t one to ignore her calls, so even though she really had no reason to be, Shayna was concerned. She sent a text, but it remained unread as she continued to check her phone over the next several hours.
Later that evening after Timothy was in bed, her cell finally rang with Lisa’s name popping up on the screen.
“Is everything okay, Lees?” Shayna asked.
There was a long pause before Lisa replied. “Not really. I got a call this morning that Mom was in an accident.”
“Oh no. Was she hurt?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Her leg was crushed, and it took them awhile to stabilize her enough for surgery. She’s going to be in the hospital for a bit then into rehab. Maybe more surgery, I’m not sure. Eventually, she’ll be able to go home, but she won’t be able to be on her own.”
Shayna pressed a hand to her stomach as she sat down on the small couch in the living room. Lisa’s mother was elderly, and Shayna had suspected that at some point, she’d need Lisa to move home with her. It seemed that perhaps, that day had come.
“I’m sorry to hear that your mom was hurt,” Shayna said. “I’m sure she’s grateful that you’re there with her.”
Lisa sighed, and Shayna was sure she was struggling. Though Lisa managed to live her life normally, for the most part, dealing with something like this with her mother had no doubt brought her anxiety to levels she hadn’t experienced in ages.
“I saw her after surgery, but then I came back to her house a little bit ago.” Shayna could hear the strain in her friend’s voice. “I’m going to stay here for awhile.”
“Okay. Keep me updated on how she’s doing.”
Shayna had often envied Lisa’s close relationship with her mom, even though she knew her friend had had a rough patch in that relationship when she’d been in her teens. Since her own mother had passed away when she was young, Shayna didn’t have many clear memories of her. There had been a series of women in and out of her father’s life in the years following her mom’s death, most of whom had been fine.
But then one of them had gotten pregnant, and Shayna—just eight years old at the time—had suddenly had a step-mother. And she’d turned out to be the worst of all the women her father had brought into her life.
“Give Timothy a hug from me,” Lisa said. “I’ll call you again tomorrow.”
“I’ll be praying for both of you,” Shayna said. “Take care of yourself, Lees. Take some moments for yourself, okay?”
“I will.”
After the call ended, Shayna took a moment to allow panic to wash over her. If Lisa made the decision to move home to help her mother, she and Timothy would have to look for a new place. The home they’d had for the past two and a half years would be no more. Just as the home she’d shared with Lorne had gone away with his death.
It only served to remind her how out of her control her life was. Of course, she knew that, had they been given a choice, neither Lorne nor Lisa would have left her in a lurch. She wanted to be resentful, but she didn’t have the time or energy. Rather than wait for Lisa to broach the subject, which Shayna knew would be extremely difficult for her, she would bring it up herself.
Shayne never wanted anyone to put their life on hold or to feel guilty because life moved them in a direction different from where hers was taking her and Timothy. So if it appeared that Lisa wanted—needed—to move to Portage to be with her mom, then Shayna would never stand in her friend’s way. After all, Lisa had moved in with Shayna during the worst time in her life in order to help her out with Timothy.
Shayna owed her the world, and if that meant a change in their life, then so be it. She could do this. It would mean some changes beyond just moving, like no more overnight or extra shifts, and she’d need to find someone to watch Timothy in the mornings before school, but they could do it. If she’d had a larger circle of friends, it might have been a bit easier, but regardless, they could do it.
About a week after Lisa’s mother’s accident, Shayna finally broached the subject with Lisa. She hadn’t wanted to, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be caught off-guard. If she was going to be successful at this, she had to plan ahead. They had to give notice at the townhouse co-op, and then she had to find a new place.
Thankfully, one of the neighbors had been willing to watch Timothy in the mornings and then take him to school along with her own children. Shayna wasn’t sure what she’d do about that once they moved and didn’t have people they knew around them. But that was a worry for another day.
“I don’t want to leave you in a lurch,” Lisa said, her weariness clear in her voice.
Shayna was sure that it wasn’t just a weariness of body, but also a mental weariness. Dealing with all the doctors, nurses, and therapists seemed to have drained everything out of her friend. Perhaps letting Lisa know that she was okay with the move—whether that was entirely true or not—would help to lessen some of the anxiety and weariness.
“You won’t,” Shayna said. “I had a feeling this would be necessary. If you’re sure this is what you need to do, I’ll take care of things with the co-op.”
“But where will you go?” Lisa asked.
“There are plenty of other apartments in the city, Lees,” Shayna said with more confidence than she felt. “I’ve already been looking around.”
“Are you…are you sure, Shay? I really don’t want to do this to you and Timothy.”
Shayna went to stand in front of the small Christmas tree she and Timothy had decorated earlier that night. She hoped that they could at least stay through Christmas, but only time would tell.
“You’re not doing anything to us. I would never expect you to put us above your own family, especially in a situation like this.”
“Mom probably won’t be home before Christmas. Maybe give two months notice to the co-op?”
Shayna moved a decoration from the end of a branch to a more secure spot. It was the tree and decorations she and Lorne had collected over the years since their marriage. She’d kept them even after his death, putting all of them up each Christmas. Next year, they’d be put up in a new place.
“So the end of January then, since we’re at the end of November already?”
“Yeah. I probably won’t be there much, if at all, but I’ll pay my share until the end.”
“Thank you,” Shayna said.
“I won’t have many expenses living at Mom’s, so it will be fine.”
They talked a bit more about the details of the pending move, then they said their goodbyes and hung up. Though the practical side of her said to immediately begin looking through the available apartment listings, instead, Shayna turned off all the lights but the ones on the Christmas tree, then she went to the armchair in the corner. She pulled the afghan from the back of the chair, curling up with it over her.
She rested her head against the back of the chair and stared at the lights on the tree. They blurred then briefly cleared as tears spilled over.
Her defenses were always at their lowest when the weight of her responsibility for Timothy was at its highest. She was forever grateful that she had Timothy, a piece of Lorne left to bring her comfort, but the feeling that she was failing him was always close at hand. All she wanted was to raise Timothy in a safe place, and she’d thought she’d found it, but now she’d have to look again.
“Do you boys have any prayer requests today?” Tristan asked once the lesson was over. Their time of prayer was usually short, with the same requests about school and sports, and the same boys praying.
Timothy had been unusually quiet—even for him—but just before Tristan started their time of prayer, he leaned close to Tristan and said, “I think we’re going to have to move.”
Tristan looked down at Timothy in surprise. He wanted to ask him more questions, but it was almost time for the buzzer that would call them back to the gym. “We’ll pray about that.”
“Thank you,” Timothy whispered before he bowed his head.
Usually he was one of the boys who prayed, but when he didn’t, Tristan got a sense of how worried Timothy was about the situation. Once he’d finished praying with them, they began to gather up their things. When the buzzer sounded, the boys quickly left the room and headed for the gym.
Tristan followed more slowly, Timothy at his side. They hadn’t spoken much outside of the class in the past couple of weeks.
“Why do you have to move?” Tristan asked as they followed the other boys down the hallway.
“Lisa has to move in with her mom to take care of her.”
So they could no longer afford to stay in their home. Tristan’s gut twisted at the thought.
“Have you found a new place?” Timothy gave a shake of his head. “Did your mom tell you when you’ll need to move?”
Another shake of his head. “I just heard her talking to Lisa about it.”
Tristan knew he shouldn’t get involved—shouldn’t interfere—but boy, did he want to. It sounded like Shayna hadn’t even talked to Timothy about the pending move, so if he made mention of it, the end result would most assuredly be negative.
However, while he might not be able to say anything to Shayna, he could try to give the young boy some encouragement.
“I know your mom is going to do her best to find you two a new place to live. After all, she found you this place with Lisa. So, even if Lisa has to move somewhere else, your mom will still find you a home.” Tristan ruffled a hand through his hair. “I’ll be praying that she finds you a home you’re both happy in.”
Timothy looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”
When Shayna showed up at the end of the hour, it took everything within Tristan to keep from asking her if they’d found a new home. Until she mentioned something to him, he couldn’t butt in where he was not welcome. So in addition to praying that they would find a new place to live, he would also pray that she’d confide in him because it was possible that if she didn’t find a place in time, he had a solution to her apartment problems.
The next Sunday, Timothy was still quiet, but Tristan wondered if perhaps it was for an entirely different reason. While the other kids spent the first few minutes of the class talking about the things they hoped they’d get for Christmas, Timothy and the only other little boy from a single parent family sat quietly.
It made Tristan’s heart hurt and wish he could do something for each of them.
Even when his dad had been a single parent with four boys, his income had still been good enough to give them a decent Christmas. Plus, they’d still had a set of grandparents who had the money to indulge them. In fact, they’d probably indulged them even more than most grandparents would have in an attempt to make up for their daughter’s bad parenting.
He didn’t know about the other little boy’s situation, but from what Shayna had said, there were no other family members in the picture for her and Timothy. Add into that a pending move and a car that sounded like it was on its last legs, and she’d probably be focusing on trying to save up money rather than spend it on Christmas gifts.
Unfortunately, Tristan kind of felt like his hands were tied. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries she had in place with regards to Timothy.
He also resisted asking Timothy if his mom had found a place for them to live yet, but as it turned out, the little boy answered that question by asking a question of his own.
Leaning close, Timothy asked, “Have you finished building any of the tiny homes yet? Could we rent one of those?”
“We haven’t broken ground on them yet,” Tristan said, hating how the boy’s face fell at his response. “We aren’t going to do that until the spring, and the first houses will be for people who have bought them.”
Timothy’s gaze remained lowered as he nodded. “I asked Maman again about buying one since it would just be the two of us now that Lisa is moving in with her mom, but she said no.”
Before Tristan could respond, Timothy gathered up his Sunday School papers and trailed after the other boys. Letting out a long sigh, Tristan stuffed the papers and books into his bag then slung the strap onto his shoulder before leaving the room. The class was already settled into their row, and the leaders on the stage had begun to play the closing songs when Tristan joined them.
When Shayna showed up after it was over, Tristan could see how tired she was. He hated to see the toll her situation was taking on her, particularly when he knew he could help them.
Instead of asking questions about things he wasn’t supposed to know about, he smiled and said, “It was good having Timothy in class again. Hope your week has gone well.”
She glanced down at Timothy for a moment before meeting Tristan’s gaze again. “It’s been busy, but that’s about par for the course these days.”
Deciding to test the water just a bit, Tristan said, “Timothy mentioned that Lisa’s mom had an accident. I hope she’s doing okay.”
After a brief hesitation, Shayna responded. “She’s been moved out of the hospital to a rehab place. Lisa said she seems to be doing okay.”
“That’s good to hear. I’ll be praying her recovery goes smoothly,” Tristan said.
“I know she’d appreciate that.” Shayna took Timothy’s hand. “We’d better go. Have a good week.”
“You too,” Tristan replied then turned as another of the boys approached him. After chatting with the boy and his parents for a few minutes, he pulled on his coat and headed for his car.
Thoughts of Shayna and Timothy followed Tristan throughout the next week. It wasn’t until he found himself sitting in front of his monitor at work with a web page of apartment rentals in Winnipeg up on it, that he realized he’d hyper-focused on their situation.
It wasn’t too surprising that he’d ended up doing. From the time he’d been little, he’d had the tendency to focus in on one thing to the exclusion of everything else—particularly if something triggered his emotions. It had been great when it came to homework or school projects, and even better when he needed to troubleshoot something regarding either of his careers. It hadn’t been so great when he’d be playing with his Lego or a video game and his mom had wanted him to do something.
This was the first time his focus had honed in on a person—or rather, persons. He was pretty sure that Shayna wouldn’t accept anything financial from him, which left him with only one thing to do: try to find an apartment that might fit her budget. Of course, he had no idea what that budget might be.
What he did see was that a lot of apartments available on the lower end of the rent spectrum were in the not-so-great parts of the city. He was sure that she would prefer a two-bedroom, which automatically increased the cost.
Tristan leaned back in his chair, scowling at the monitor.
On some level, he’d always known that he and his siblings were fortunate in the life they’d been given. Even though the first house they’d lived in as a blended family had been rather cramped, they had still had a basically stable life.
If there had been financial stresses going on, his parents hadn’t discussed them in front of the kids. Maybe they’d done that because while it wouldn’t have been something worth worrying about for most of them, he and Makayla would have worried a whole lot. Much like Timothy appeared to be doing.
He didn’t doubt that Shayna tried to shield Timothy as best she could, but he was an only child—and an inquisitive one, at that—who probably knew more about the situation than his mom realized. Tristan had grown up with the distraction of his siblings’ antics, so he hadn’t had time to focus on what might have been going on with the adults in his life.
“Hey, man.” Tristan heard the words right before he felt the thud on the back of his chair. “You looking to move?”
Tristan spun his chair around to face Gabe. “Nope. What’s up?”
Gabe dropped down in the chair across the desk from Tristan. “Not much. Just making the rounds while I’m waiting for Maya to finish up.”
“Where’s Aika?” Tristan asked.
His brother beamed at Tristan’s query about his daughter. “She’s with Baba. We’re heading over to Max and Yuka’s to have supper with them and pick her up.”
Tristan had to say that one of the things he enjoyed most about his siblings becoming adults was how they were finding their life partners and growing their families. The next generation was rapidly increasing in number, and Tristan adored each and every one of his nieces and nephews.
Including the ones that had come into the family through marriage, those nieces and nephews ranged in age from infant to teen. He wondered how Timothy would fit in with them.