Page 5 of The Home Game

“Thanks. It’s been tough for sure. She and her husband were my best friends and I’m not sure I’ve really had time to even grieve them, you know?” He looked down at his clasped hands. “Just been so focused on the kids. Trying to help them cope.”

“Poor kiddos,” Matty said softly. “That’s rough. They’re lucky to have you.”

“You think?” Antoni looked up, expression painfully earnest, like he really wanted to hear what Matty thought.

“Hey, it’s obvious you care about them,” Matty said. He reached for a cutting board and a knife. “And that’s what’s important, right? You’re trying to give them a good life, I can tell that much already.”

“Trying, yeah.” Antoni’s laugh was hollow. “God, if I don’t find a place to live soon though, we’re fucked.”

“Yeah? Where are you now?”

“Here in the St. Andrew-Windfields neighborhood but a little west of here, closer to the 401. We’re in a rental that’s way too small but we’ve been making it work. Unfortunately, the lease is up next month and the asshole landlord is jacking up the rent. I was right at the top of my budget already and it’s not rent controlled. What the landlord is asking is just … I can’t manage it. I don’t have a clue why Aunt Sharon brought me to this place. It’s way out of my budget. I’m a fucking teacher for God’s sake.” He let out an annoyed huff.

“What do you teach?” Matty asked, slicing a mini bell pepper.

“English lit and poetry.”

“Umm, not to be rude,” Matty said. “But why did your Aunt Sharon think you could afford this place on a teacher’s salary?”

Matty’s house wasn’t the most expensive place in St. Andrew-Windfields area but it was up there.

“Right?” Antoni shook his head, laughing softly. “I’ve been wondering that since I arrived. My parents are well-off—but … I don’t know. Maybe Sharon thought they were going to help me pay for this place or something?”

“Is that something your family could do?”

“Oh yeah, they actually gave me enough for a down payment on a home. I’m really grateful. But it’s not enough for a place like this.”

“Why were you hoping for this neighborhood?” Matty asked. St. Andrew-Windfields was one of the pricier areas of Toronto. “Why not move to the ’burbs or something?”

Antoni blinked. “Because I already have to commute nearly forty minutes each way to get to my job and I don’t want to pull the kids out of schools they already love and—”

“Woah. Sorry.” Matty grimaced. “Guess I just put my foot in my mouth there.”

Antoni gave him a halfhearted smile. “No, it’s okay. I understand the question. But the kids are currently in this district and the last thing I want to do is disrupt things even more for them. They need that stability, plus the schools are great. And yeah, there’s the out-of-area admissions option, of course, but it’s extremely competitive and I can’t be sure all of them would be able to get in. I can’t run all over Toronto shuttling the kids around to different school districts, you know? There aren’t enough hours in the day.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a lot,” Matty agreed, amazed by the rush of words leaving Antoni’s mouth. He seemed to be on a roll.

Antoni nodded. “Right? I have my job too and I have to scramble for babysitters half the time. My family helps out as much as they can but my mom has MS and—”

“MS?” Matty interrupted.

“Multiple Sclerosis. It’s an awful disease. Basically her immune system attacks her own nerves.”

Matty grimaced, stuffing the small peppers with herbed cream cheese. That did sound awful.

Antoni must have caught his look because he nodded. “Yeah, exactly. Her brain and body slowly stop communicating with each other and it gets progressively worse with every year. She’s getting treatment, of course, but she has the type of MS where she has periods of relapse where it gets worse for a while and then better and there’s really no way to know when she’ll feel really good and when she won’t. She hasn’t had a flare up yet—not since I got the kids—but it will happen eventually. And my parents have been so amazing through this whole thing but I just can’t put any more on them than I already do, you know?”

“Yeah, definitely. That sounds tough for all of you.”

Antoni swallowed hard, nodding. “I love the kids so much but I’m fucking overwhelmed and I just need this housing thing figured out now.”

“Well, why don’t you eat something? I know it won’t fix anything you have going on but at least you won’t be overwhelmed and hungry.”

Antoni offered him a faint smile, the tension in his shoulders softening. “Thanks. This has been really kind of you, Matt.”

Matty shrugged. “You seemed like you needed a break. And please, call me Matty.”

CHAPTER TWO

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