Chapter Thirty-Six
June – Monday
This had to be a first. I was up and wide awake before Roy. I’d never thought that I would see the day. Yet the thought of what I had planned was far too exciting for me to rest any longer.
“Come on, Tank,” I whispered to the gorgeous dog who had well and truly worked his way into my heart. “I’ll get you something to eat.”
As we snuck into the kitchen, not wanting to disturb Roy who was having the first decent sleep that I’d ever seen him have, I felt my heart fluttering with excitement. I’d been taken out of my comfort zone yesterday, and the day before, too. I’d really enjoyed myself, much more than I expected to, and I assumed that today would go the same way.
I set about cooking breakfast with the radio playing on low, and soon the excitement gripped me tightly and I felt my body starting to sway to the music. Gently and slowly at first, but before long I was jumping around and acting like a fool…just because I could.
A few short weeks ago, losing my career would have been the worst possible thing that could happen to me, yet here I was having experienced just that, and I was dancing like a crazy person.
“Come on, Tank, come and dance with me.” I grabbed onto his paws and twirled him around, all the while giggling like a crazy schoolgirl.
“What’s going on here,” Roy announced in mock annoyance, as he appeared at the door. “I’m trying to sleep and you two are making a racket in here.” As I grabbed hold of him and I tried to pull him in to join us, he rolled his eyes and moved straight over to the coffee pot. “You two are very excitable, aren’t you?”
“Well, you would be, too, if you knew what I had planned for you both.” I couldn’t even begin to keep the bright beaming smile off my face.
“Both?” he turned to stare at me. “So Tank can come, too? Okay, now you’re going to have to tell me where you’re taking us. The suspension is killing me!”
“Get dressed, get in the car, and I will tell you on the way.” I wanted to keep the anticipation going for as long as possible, just to keep him interested. I knew he’d love it when we got there, but just like I was, he might have been anxious at first hearing it. “But first, I’ve made you some breakfast.”
***
“The Hangout?” Roy asked curiously as we pulled up outside. “What’s that?”
I was practically bouncing up and down on the seat in excitement, so excited for him to get inside and to have his life transformed like mine was. I’d already communicated with Hailey, she was glad for me to bring Roy, to give her the chance to vet him in whatever way she felt appropriate. She was also happy for Tank to come, to give the kids someone new to play with. I hoped he enjoyed the intense fuss that he was going to get.
“This place belongs to my best friend, Hailey,” I told him with a smile. “She had a difficult childhood, so this became a dream of hers – to have a place where kids could not only just hang out, but where they could get help and stuff too. There are trained counselors and all sorts in there, people to help them with problems, with getting qualifications and jobs… That sort of thing.”
“It sounds like an amazing place,” he gasped in surprise. “And, she did this all by herself?”
“She certainly did. I couldn’t be prouder of her. Come on, let’s go inside.”
As we walked through the door, Hailey swooped on Roy like an eagle, practically stealing him from me. While she gave him the third degree, I introduced Tank to some of the older kids who wanted to take him outside to the courtyard to play fetch with him.
Of course, I worried during the time that we were outside. I was scared about how intensely Hailey might interrogate Roy, but at the same time, I knew that she didn’t want to do anything that might ruin my happiness, so I was sure she’d be kind enough.
“He looks like he’s enjoying himself,” Roy said into my ear, as soon as he joined my side. “And he’s wearing the kids out, too.”
I turned to face him and placed a small kiss on his lips. “Where have you been? Has Hailey destroyed you yet?” I asked, with a little bit of fear coursing through my veins.
“She asked me the appropriate questions, and I think that I managed to satisfy her with the answers,” he replied, before kissing me back. “She knows that I’m not a serial killer or anything, so I think that’s good. She’s making a cup of coffee for us all, so she mustn’t hate me.”
“Ooh, that’s good,” I teased. “At least she isn’t dragging you out by your ear.”
As we waited for Hailey to join us again, I introduced Roy to the kids, but of course, they were all too preoccupied to pay him too much attention. Tank had their focus and that was the end of that…
Well, all of them except for one. Despite everything that was happening, Ali was still sitting alone, coloring in the corner. She was observing everyone through the window, but mostly, she was lost in her own little world.
“I might go for a wander inside,” I told Roy, slipping my hand from his. “You stay out here with Tank if you like…”
“No, no, I want to come with you,” he grinned. “Tank is doing a damn good job of looking after himself.”
I was about to take Roy to the room where Ali was sitting, but before we got there, Hailey grabbed hold of me to hiss her approval into my ear. “He’s so cute,” she exclaimed excitedly. “And really nice, too. He ticks every single one of the boxes. You really are lucky.”
But I couldn’t answer her because my eyes were on Roy. I was watching him walking in to where Ali was, then sitting and coloring next to her. It was almost as if he could sense that she wouldn’t open up easily, and that he needed to introduce himself to her really slowly. That knowledge filled my chest with an intense warmth. He was such a good person, and far too good with children for someone who couldn’t have kids himself. It just wasn’t fair.
“I know,” I finally said as a response. “He’s a good guy.” I wandered from her and went to sit by Ali. This was going well enough, but I wanted to bridge the gap, to make both of them feel comfortable. “Hi, Ali, how are you doing?” I smiled at her, causing her to leap up into my arms in excitement. “Tell me about what you’re drawing here.”
As she explained her artwork to me, I shot Roy a smile and I could see a shift in his expression, one that suggested to me that this place was having the positive impact on him, just as the church did on me. We were slowly introducing our worlds to one another, and that felt great.
“Who’s the man?” Ali eventually whispered to me. “What’s he doing here?”
“This is my friend, Roy,” I said gently to her. “Would you like to shake his hand?”
She hid behind me for a few moments, her entire body heating up with embarrassment, during which time both me and Roy simply waited patiently for her to come back around. I knew that she would eventually, she just needed to time to adjust, and I was more than willing to give her that.
“Hi there, Ali,” Roy joined in the conversation quietly. “I won’t bite, I promise.”
With that, she peered around me and smiled at him. “Hi,” she whispered, so quietly that we could barely hear her. He held out his hand, and she leaned forward and shook it so quickly that they barely touched, but it was enough. I knew that was a huge step for her, so I felt incredibly proud.
“Now, come on; let’s get back to coloring, shall we?” I smiled at them both as Hailey finally brought our drinks through. “I haven’t done any drawing for ages.”
***
“Well, I have to admit, that was an incredible day,” Roy admitted to me, as we got back to his home. “I knew it was going to be awesome, but that was something else. What your friend has achieved there, that was something else!”
“I know, she’s done amazingly,” I nodded along with him. “She’s really made a great place for kids in need to go.”
“And Ali… Wow, what a sweet kid.” He poured me a drink, whilst deep in thought, which made me grin to myself. It seemed that Ali had impacted Roy, just as she had me. “Shy, but great once she comes out of her shell.”
“She’s lost both of her parents,” I explained to him. “I think that probably explains why she’s so quiet. It’s a huge trauma for someone so young… I can only imagine.”
He shook his head in disappointment, sadness filling his expression. “That’s so awful. I can’t even begin to imagine.” He joined me on the couch, clearly thinking about Ali and her life. “At least she has the Hangout to go to – must be a nice change from the orphanage.”
“I know. That’s why it’s so good that Hailey followed her dream—” I started, but Roy jumped in again quickly, as if he couldn’t quite wait to get his next sentence out.
“You know what, I’m going to donate some money to the Hangout, to help Hailey get some more equipment for the kids. I’m sure that there’s a lot they could use…maybe even get some more staff or something.”
That wasn’t why I took Roy to the Hangout, not at all, but as he said it with such conviction, I felt an intense rush of love wash over me. He was so sweet, so kind. I couldn’t believe that I’d found him.
“You’d do that?” I gasped in shock. After all this man had been through, he still had it in him to feel compassion and empathy for others. “That’s so kind of you. I’m sure that Hailey will be thrilled.”
To be perfectly honest, as time went on, I found myself increasingly interested in helping my best friend out, too, I just wasn’t sure how. Now that I’d pulled my head out of my own ass and stopped focusing on my career, I could see what an amazing job she’d done with the place, and I wanted to assist her. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the finances available to me that Roy did. I would find a way though, eventually, I was sure of it.
“Of course, I would love to help out such an amazing cause!” he kissed me lightly as he said that. “Thank you for introducing me to all of that. Especially since I’m in the office for the rest of the week. With things like the Hangout on my mind, I can remember why I’m doing things.” He paused thoughtfully for a second, while I sat up to look at him.
“I thought that I wanted to give up the business because I’d made my money and because I had no drive for it, but now with your help, I’m slowly remembering that there are other things in my life, and I just need to remember them. It’s a good lesson for me.”
“Well, I’m glad that I could help,” I told him with a smile, feeling my heart pound a little bit faster. “Anything for you; you know that.”