PROLOGUE
Caleb Johnson pulled out his Batman action figure and dug in his toy box for the Superman one. He couldn’t wait to get his Spiderman action figure. Mommy had promised to get it for him as soon as she got paid. His birthday was next week so it would be an early present. He would be eight-years-old.
Caleb glanced down the hall. He could see Mama looking in her mirror. She was wearing her brown uniform and getting ready for work. Caleb could never tell her, but he hated when she went to work at night. It was the loneliest feeling in the world to be at home without Mama being there with him. She had just made him baked chicken fingers and fries—his favorite meal of all time. He loved sitting down at the kitchen table and eating with Mama. It would be a perfect night if she could just stay here and watch TV with him. Or play action figures with him. He would let her be whatever character she wanted, even Batman.
He heard the jingling of her keys and the click of her heels as she walked toward him.
“Honey, it’s time for me to go to work.”
“Okay, Mama,” he said with a nod. She always told him he was a big boy. He couldn’t let her down. He didn’t want her to go to work. He hated being alone.
“Don’t stay up too late, Caleb. It’s a school night. There’s macaroni in the fridge if you get hungry and milk for your cereal. There are some cookies in the cabinet. Don’t have more than two. I know you have that sweet tooth.” His mother teasingly shook her finger at him. “I’ll be back after work.”
“Will you be here before I leave for school?” he asked, his stomach bubbling with nerves.
“I think so.” She ran her hand over his hair. “I’m going to try my best.”
“I like it when Mrs. Robbins stays here with me.”
His mother winced. “Caleb, I’m sorry. I’m a little short this week, so I can’t afford for her to stay with you tonight. I’m sorry, sweetie. But I’m getting more hours so I’ll be able to pay for her next week. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said with a nod. It wasn’t really all right with him, but he didn’t want to hurt Mama’s feelings. She was so sweet and he knew things were hard. They had been for a long time. After daddy died things had changed. Mama went out to work at night and she didn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning. She also worked when he was at school during the day.
Sometimes Caleb wished he had a brother or sister. That way he wouldn’t be alone whenever Mama went out at night. He didn’t mind it so much when Mrs. Robbins stayed with him. He didn’t feel scared when he heard noises from outside if she was there with him. Caleb hated feeling frightened. He liked to think he was a big boy but being alone scared him.
When his mother reached the front door she turned around and looked at him. She raced back to his side and gave him a tight hug and a kiss. “I love you, my sweet boy.”
“I love you too, Mama.”
This time when she reached the door there was no turning back, although he silently said a prayer she wouldn’t leave. The door opened and shut with a clicking sound. He heard her locking the door from the outside. He was alone. And his heart ached with sadness.
**
Caleb woke up to the smell of smoke and ash. A crackling sound was coming from outside his door. Caleb could smell the scent of something burning. Smoke was trickling under the door. He knew you weren’t supposed to touch the doorknob if there was fire outside the door. It would burn his hand. He’d seen it on a TV show once.
Sirens blared from outside his window. He walked over and peeked outside. Fire trucks were outside. He could see ladders and people jumping out of windows. He was frightened. Mama had told him never to open the windows when he was home alone. He was scared.
“I’m only seven-years-old,” he whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
More and more smoke was pouring in. Caleb got up and placed a pillow against it but it wasn’t working. The smoke was still coming and he couldn’t breathe. He started to cough uncontrollably. Maybe he should just hide under his bed where it was cool and dark.
The last thought he had before he lost consciousness was to wonder where his Mama was and whether he would ever see her beautiful face again.
**
“Poor thing. His mother left him in that apartment while she was out partying.” The older woman with the walnut-colored skin shook her head.
“Such a shame. He’s lucky to be alive.” This time a woman with puffy yellow hair had spoken. She had a mean expression stamped on her face. He didn’t like her.
“I heard she was a prostitute,” another woman with salt and pepper hair said in a raised voice. “Terrible.”
Caleb didn’t know what the word meant, but he knew it was a bad thing. And there was no way it could have anything to do with his mother. She was an angel. He didn’t like hearing them talk about Mama.
One of the ladies made a tutting sound. “And she left her son to die in that place.”
“They should have put her underneath the jail.”
“You know he has burns on twenty percent of his body.”
Caleb heard all of the loud whispers and talk about him. The women didn’t seem to care that he could hear every word they were saying.
Mama! Where was she? Why hadn’t she come to find him? He remembered being in the apartment and then a fire had broken out. And he’d been in a hospital bed ever since.
He heard the heavy click of footsteps, followed by a deep female voice. “How many times have I told you to keep your petty gossip to yourselves? If I hear another word out of any of you, you’ll be getting pink slips.”
Things were so quiet now. None of the ladies made a peep.
He kept his head down. The sound of footsteps grew louder. Dark brown shoes stopped in front of him. He swung his gaze up. The woman standing in front of him had jet black hair. She wore it in a tight bun. Her skin was the color of one of his favorite crayons. Fawn.
She sat down beside him on the bench.
“Hey, Caleb. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Molly.”
He nervously twiddled his fingers. “Hi. When can I see my mother?”
“You can’t see her, Caleb.” Her voice had softened. “I’m so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but your mother voluntarily relinquished custody of you, which means you’re not going to see her. You’re not going back home. What happened with the fire was terrible. You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t killed.”
He didn’t care about the burns. At first it had felt like his body was on fire, but now he was getting better. All he wanted was Mama.
Molly looked as if she might cry. “Caleb, you were in the hospital for weeks due to the burns you suffered. You’re lucky they weren’t worse.”
“I want to see her. When will I see her?” He raised his voice, filled with frustration and sorrow. Why had Molly said Mama gave him up? She would never do that. She loved him.
“Caleb, you need to listen to me. I promise you, I’m trying to help. But I can’t change the facts. Your mother signed papers. You are not going to be living with her anymore. That’s why you didn’t see her when you were in the hospital.”
But he had seen her! She’d come in and sat by his bedside when he was half asleep. He knew he hadn’t been dreaming.
Caleb let out a wail. The only thing that had kept him holding on ever since the night of the fire was the thought of seeing Mama again. But it wasn’t going to happen. And it was breaking his heart.
He felt Molly’s arms embracing him. At first he resisted, but then he leaned into her. It had been so long since anyone had hugged him like this.
“What’s going to happen to me? Where will I go?” Caleb asked. He was scared. His whole body was shaking.
“You’re going to a wonderful family. And they live in a beautiful place right here in Florida. Pelican Bay. It’s about three hours from here.” Molly was smiling. “I know you’re sad. I know this is hard. But trust me, you are going to some of the nicest folks I’ve ever met. And you’ll be surrounded by kids.” She chuckled. “They have quite a few. They’ll be your family.”
Family. Mama was the only family he’d ever known. He loved her more than he could ever tell Molly. His heart hurt from missing her. He didn’t know what to think. Or how to act. He wanted to bury himself in a deep hole and never come out. It hurt even to breathe. Why didn’t Mama want him anymore? What had he done to make her not love him? If he knew, maybe he could change it. Maybe she didn’t love him anymore because of his burn scars. Or maybe she thought he’d been the one to start the fire. It made him want to cry.
Stay strong, little man. His mother’s voice buzzed in his ears. Pray. Believe. God is with you. Always.
Caleb had prayed. He would continue to believe. And he would trust Molly. He would go to Pelican Bay and live with this family. God would be with him, even if his mother could not be.