Work has been ridiculously quiet this week. Julian put in some hours going through all the D.A.R.E stuff we had in the closet. It was such a mess and so disorganized he actually spent two evenings working on it, and since he worked so hard, I marked him off for a bunch of time. He’s a really good kid, it makes me glad I stepped up for him. Now we have all our stuff neatly stacked and organized on the shelves, and we can see what we need and what we don’t. The kid even went as far as putting a clipboard and a sheet of paper on the hook of the door and told me it was to mark down what we were getting low on so we could order more. I was very impressed and I told him so.
Today we’re heading to the school for the family fair that Julian and I have been preparing for. I have the D.A.R.E car all loaded up and ready to go. I just need to pick up Julian and grab us a bite to eat. When I pull up to his house he’s already sitting on the front porch with his head down. He looks upset, and it bothers me. I roll down the window and call over to him. He’s moving a bit slow but I make no fuss over it, just a mental note to keep my eyes on him. “You all right, kid?”
“Yeah. I didn’t sleep well, and then Mom freaked out this morning because I woke her up showering for the event.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry, kid. Maybe shower at night while she’s out, then you won’t have to worry about it.” He nods his agreement and I take off toward the local donut shop to grab us breakfast on the way to the school.
When we pull up to the school there’s a cop directing the traffic of the crafters and volunteers. He moves the barrier out of the way for me and waves me through. I roll down my window and thank him. He sticks out his hand and introduces himself to me as Officer Warren, we shake and I drive on through to where I need to park the D.A.R.E car so it will be seen. We both jump out and begin the process of setting up our table. There will be a few other officers joining us shortly to talk with the kids, but it’s my show, and that means I have to be the first one here.
We have everything set up. Now we can sit and eat our breakfast while we wait for the other cops to show up.
“Officer Ward, I want you to know I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, and I don’t just mean that you stepped up for me in court.” He swallows and takes a bite of the breakfast sandwich I bought him. “Whenever we’re together you take care of me. You make sure I have plenty to eat.” He swallows hard past the lump in his throat. I’m about to speak but he continues. “I know you don’t have to do any of that, shit my mom doesn’t.”
“Listen, kid, I know what it’s like to be hungry, and to have a mother who doesn’t give a shit, that’s why I do it.” I put my sandwich down and turn to him. “I only ask one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You pay it forward. Make something of yourself, be a good person, and when you get older and you have your shit together, look out for those less fortunate.”
He nods. “That’s a promise I can keep.”
What a week it’s been. I got the call on Monday morning that I’ve been officially chosen for the ER nursing position at the hospital, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I rushed right in to fill out all of my paperwork, take my picture for my badge and figure out my schedule for the week. I had to go in for a few hours every day for orientation, and a meeting with my new supervisor. I also was issued everything I need for my shifts at the hospital, like a pager, and the info for filling out my schedule. Next week I partner up with Harper for a seven to seven shift Monday, Thursday, and Saturday to learn the hospital's protocol, and then the following week I start on my own rotation. Between finding a job and meeting with Dr. Miranda, I’m feeling like a million bucks, and to make things even better today I get to spend the day with Keegan. Though he’ll be working, I’m still excited to see him in action and meet his new buddy Julian.
I pull up to the school at ten-thirty. The event kicked off thirty minutes ago and it’s already getting busy. I park my car way down the street and walk back up to the school. The event is free to get into, but there are women at the gate selling tickets that go to the Chinese auction and the games. There are rows and rows of craft tables set up, and as I scan the crowd I finally see him. A huge grin lights up my face as I quickly pay the lady and walk away with my tickets in hand. “Hey, pretty lady.”
“Hey yourself. I love seeing you in your uniform.”
He chuckles. “I think I can tell from the expression on your face.” I slap him playfully.
“Julian, come here.” He comes running over. “Julian, this is my girlfriend, Lexi. Lexi, this is Julian.”
Julian holds out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She laughs. “Oh, you sweet boy. I am far too young to be a ma’am. You can call me Lexi.”
He blushes. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Lexi, Julian is looking for some insight on military life. He’s thinking about joining the Army after he graduates.”
Julian explains that he wants to be an MP so if he decides not to make a career out of the service he can be a cop when he gets out. I nearly died when he tells me he wants to help kids the way Keegan has helped him. “Besides, I made a promise to Officer Ward that I would pull my life together, and this is probably the best way to do it.”
“I can agree with that.” I nod.
“Julian, we have to do our first class, bud.”
“Excuse me.” Julian follows Keegan. He picks up a bin filled with bags and walks it over to the side of the school. It makes me so happy to see Keegan in his element. He’s great with the kids, squatting down to their level. These kids are so young and impressionable, he’s smart to start working with them now. I decide it’s time for me to wander around to check out the crafts, and use my tickets.
Looking at all these tables makes me think of Bailey. She was young but her mom had her late in life, and she would tell me stories about how her mom taught her how to crochet, and they would sit and talk for hours about life while they made things for their local craft shows. I chuckle thinking about her words, ‘It was never my favorite thing to do, but Mama loved that I did it with her. The woman would talk my ear off.’ I bet she’d give anything to be talking her ear off at this very moment.
By the time I’m done looking at all the craft tables and listening to everyone tell me about what they do, the guys are done with their first class, and Keegan catches up with me by the ticket table. “I have a break. Want to grab some lunch?”
“Sure.” He takes my hand and the three of us walk over to get into line for the food. It’s still somewhat early so the line isn’t too long. They have a huge grill set up and it’s loaded with burgers, dogs, and sausages.
“Julian, do you want a burger?” Keegan asks him. He’s suddenly shy and shrugs.
Keegan ignores it and tells the lady at the table he needs four burgers, three bags of chips, and three bottles of water. He instructs her to put two burgers on one plate. In a matter of minutes they’re serving up the food. Keegan hands Julian the plate with two burgers on it and we walk to the end of the table where they have condiments and napkins. Keegan walks us over to the D.A.R.E. car, pulls out a blanket, and the three of us take a seat on the grass. “Eat up, Julian. We don’t have a ton of time, and you need to fill your stomach.”
“So, Julian, why do you want to join the Army?” I want to change the subject hoping he’ll relax a bit. Clearly he’s not taking to his lack of food situation around me too well.
He sighs. “My home life sucks. I need to do something, and there’s no way I can pay for college, so I plan on blowing this place for a while, get my crap together, and then figure out what comes next once I’ve lived Army life a bit.”
“That’s a very mature answer.” I tell him with pride.
“I had some help figuring shit out.” He looks over at Keegan with a small smile.
“Army life isn’t horrible so long as you’re stationed in the states or in a non-combat zone. I’m not going to lie, combat zones are not pretty. They are scary, and there’s a lot to worry about, but if you take your training serious and pay attention to what you’re doing you’ll be fine.” I bite into my burger. “I recommend that you start working out. It will make bootcamp easier, push ups, sit-ups, and run. Work on it a little every day and then you’ll only need to worry about the mental aspect of it.”
“Can’t be any worse than what I deal with now,” Julian mumbles, shoving his burger into his mouth.
I feel for this kid. He shouldn’t be dealing with this, but unfortunately he is, and I want to help him. “You need to take your ASVAB testing to see where you score for military job placement. I know a few people who are still in recruiting. I can hook you up.”
“That would be great, thank you. We do have the testing option at school. I think the test is in a month or so.”
“If they do this like when I was in school, they will have recruiters heading up to the testing. Do not talk to them, avoid them. I will get you a recruiter who will genuinely care about you and your career, not just about getting another new recruit.” He nods his understanding as he balls up his paper plate and napkin. I look over to Keegan who shrugs. I don’t know this kid but he seems off to me. His expression is more than sad. His eyes look lost despite talking about finding his way. I hope we can help him.
Keegan tells me he has to get back to work, but I’m welcome to hang out here. He still has one more class to give with Julian, and I have some things I want to purchase, plus, I haven’t finished looking at the baskets for the auction. I tell him I’m going to walk around and I’ll meet up with him in a bit.