“You two did the deed.” She points at me, and I look at her, shocked. Then I look over at Maddox to see if he’s listening, but instead, he sits there looking down at his legs.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“You’re walking with a pep in your step, which means your baggage has been emptied.” She talks in code at the same time as Alex holds up her hand for a high five.
“The eagle has landed,” Alex says, looking at me. “And planted in the nest.”
“I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore,” I state and then shake my head as the two of them giggle. “Hey there,” I say to Maddox, who just looks at me, his eyes not giving away anything. “How did you sleep?” I ask him, and he just shrugs his shoulders, not saying anything.
“I think someone is hungry,” Alex observes, squatting down next to me. “Do you want to go upstairs and get something to eat?”
“Why don’t you go with Alex?” Julia suggests. “You didn’t eat much last night.”
Maddox looks at Julia and then hops off the bench. Alex looks at me and then Julia. “Let’s go. I think there is a cookie with your name on it,” she says and walks with him toward the stairs. He walks a bit behind her, but Alex takes her time.
“What’s going on?” I ask Julia, who looks at me.
“It’s normal,” she explains. “The first couple of days are always new, but it’s sinking in that his mother is probably never coming back.” I have to sit on the bench because it feels like someone kicked me in the balls. “It usually comes after they are switched from foster home to group home.” She sits next to me. “But he was quiet all night, and then this morning I asked if he was okay.”
“And?” I quiz, looking over my shoulder to see if he is coming back.
“He asked me if I was going to take him to another house,” Julia says. “I told him that we were still looking for his mom.” She is quiet and looks down at her hands and then up. “He said she didn’t want him, so she wouldn’t be coming back.”
“I was wrong,” I say, looking forward. “I thought it was bad. It’s worse than that.” I look at her. “Can you imagine how many times she must have told him that?”
“I can tell you from experience,” she says. “He was told that every single day, morning and night.” She gets up. “The only thing that is a blessing is that hopefully he finds someone who gives him all the love so he doesn’t remember this.”
I look at her. “Speaking from experience.” I get up. “He’s going to remember this forever.”
She nods at me. “Well, good news is that there has been no news of his mother,” she says. “She was due to get her check and food stamps and never showed up.” I shake my head. “So either one, she isn’t around, or two, she has money. I’m going with number one.”
“How long before he’s placed in a home full-time?”
“The average is between nine to twelve months,” she says. “It all depends if we find her or not.” She takes a deep breath. “Well, I have to get to the office.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” I say, and she laughs at me.
“I stick to no-strings relationships,” she tells me. “I’m a hollow soul.”
“You lie,” I tell her.
“Maybe,” she replies. “I’ll see you later,” and she turns, walking out backward. “Tell Alex I’ll call her later for the debrief.”
“Debrief?” I ask, confused.
“How long you took?” She holds up a finger. “How many times she had the big O?” She holds up another finger. “Are you a grower or a shower, or are you both?” She holds up her third finger and then looks down at my junk, and I literally shield myself with my hands, making her laugh. “Have a great day.” She turns and walks out of the arena at the same time as my father walks in with Matthew.
We walk to the room together, and I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t hear my name being called. “Hey.” My father hits my leg, and I look at him. “Someone is looking for you.” He points at Maddox standing in the doorway. He is fully dressed in his hockey gear with his hockey stick in one hand.
“Hi,” I greet, “what’s up?” I ask Alex and then look down at Maddox.
“He wanted to know if you were going to be at his practice,” Alex says, looking at me and then down at Maddox.
“Yeah,” I confirm, nodding. “I’m going to be there. Do you want to wait in here while I get dressed?” I ask him, and he shakes his head when he looks over and sees Matthew and my dad.