Page 56 of Half Blind

Ayanna and Bria stuck out their tongues and waved at him. He waved them off, wishing them well on their school day. Colette hung back, waiting for Helen to arrive in the kitchen. Jared rose, saying morning and heading to the bedroom. He needed to shower, shave, and get his morning going, but later in the day, he planned to sit with Colette to have a chat.

****

BEFORE HE KNEW IT,the day was gone. It was fifteen minutes before four and his wife would be home soon. He'd taken out a few chops to grill for dinner to give Helen a break from cooking, but this afternoon, he also wanted to give the lady a break from Colette, who followed Helen about like a lovesick puppy.

“Colette,” he said, “grab you a drink and snack and join me on the porch. It's cool out, so maybe get a sweater or something.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “Am I in trouble?”

“Of course not,” he told her, going out the front door. There were two rockers, one close to the door and the other facing the yard. He opted for the second one, giving the girl space to exit inside of the home if she felt she needed to get away from him.

He sat comfortably, pleased with the design Jack had come up with for the new space for him in the home. Having his own bathroom was an unexpected bonus, and he couldn't wait to move into the area. Jared was also surprised to learn there were pre-fabricated room additions available and all that was needed was a foundation, which would be cinder blocks versus concrete, and next week, he'd have a space to house the old life he was moving here. However, first, there needed to be space for him and the child he’d once tried to rescue to connect.

Colette took a seat. She side-eyed him hesitantly, uncertain what this was about. He seemed in no hurry, but finally he spoke.

“When my father died, I was 12,” he told her. “I became the man of the house with the weight of caring for three sisters on my shoulders. At 15, the circus came to town and I called myself running away to join it. They let me join, which lasted for a day. You know what they made me do? Scoop up elephant shit.”

Colette started to laugh. Jared found nothing funny about it, and to this day, he never went to the circus or a zoo, for that matter. Mostly, he avoided any interactions with animals if he could help it, especially elephants.

“Yeah, laugh. I was home in time for dinner, stinking to high heaven and hating the existence of any elephant,” Jared said. “Colette, we all want to run away from what we think is hard, but scooping up shit is far more difficult and smellier.”

“Are you saying I need to scoop up your shit?”

“No, I'm telling you that running away solves nothing,” he told her.

“I remembered you. I also remembered the ugly things I said when you tried to help me. Over and over, man after man that paid my uncle for time with me, I cried myself to sleep, wishing I had taken your hand,” she told him.

“Well, here we are with a second chance for us both,” he said. “As whatever I am supposed to be to and for you, count on me to protect and guide your steps, but I want to know what you need.”

“I don't know what you mean,” she said to him, her eyes wide almost in trepidation of what would come out of his mouth next.

“Think about what you need to be happy. What do you need to plan for your future? Tell me what you want to do,” he inquired.

“I never got past the idea of getting away from my uncle,” she told him. “The only thing I imagined was going to bed at night and feeling safe to sleep. Of course, I wanted to read and go to school. I'm so far behind. I can’t even ride a bike.”

“Okay, we have a starting point,” he said as the Sheriff’s cruiser pulled up. Colette tensed. “Relax and be cool. He's a busybody who is going to take exception to a blond, blue-eyed child living here. He's not here to take you away, but he will make it troublesome.”

Inside the home, Helen had remained close to the door to eavesdrop on the conversation, one out of protectiveness, and two as a reinforcement for either person on the porch. She spotted the Sheriff's vehicle arriving.

Jared calmly spoke, “Helen, come out and bring a chair with you.”

She jumped, not realizing he'd known she was there. Helen did as he instructed, grabbing a straight-back chair and a cup of tea, coming onto the decking, and sitting next to Colette. The Sheriff parked, taking in the blond girl sitting on the porch.

Shortly after getting the bulk of himself onto his small feet, the Sheriff made way to where they awaited his arrival. Lemon pulled into her parking spot as well, coming home for the evening. She exited the vehicle with her briefcase and an armload of papers. Her face was flustered as she nodded to the Sheriff, walking a few steps ahead of him to reach the porch. Jared, on his feet, reached for her briefcase, providing a welcome home kiss.

“Baby, how was your day?” he asked.

“Rough. These kids just aren't prepared for adulthood; so many excuses,” she said, taking the seat Colette stood to let her have. “Sheriff, how can we help you?”

He looked about, then at the blond girl as Bria and Ayanna arrived. He sucked on the over-sized front tooth, “I see you got a new girl. She seems out of place here, and why ain't she in school?”

Colette, to their surprise, answered the man in a Slavic language. She made direct eye contact with the Sheriff, sharing the one or two Ukrainian words her Uncle's Thursday night client used with her. Everyone tried not to react. Helen, however, stifled her giggle.

“She normally gets that reaction from people,” Helen said as Colette smiled, showing off the teeth, which were making progress, but still rather yucky.

The Sheriff balked. “She don't speak no American?”

“We are teaching her English,” Lemon told the man.

---