Page 57 of Half Blind

“They couldn't find nowhere else for her to live, and why is this drifter calling you baby?” The Sheriff asked, “I thought he was moving on?”

Bria and Ayanna arrived on the porch. “Hey, Pops,” they said to Jared, offered Myrtle a kiss, taking their foster mom’s briefcase and the stack of papers then heading inside.

The Sheriff was totally confused. “Did they call you Pops?”

“Poppsss,” Colette repeated, saying the word slowly as if she were proud of the one English word she'd mastered, then pointed at the house.

“Go on inside. Work on your lessons,” he said to the girl.

“I work,” Colette repeated.

”Doo-zhe doh-bre,” Jared said, looking back at the Sheriff. “It translates asvery goodin Ukrainian.”

“You speak Ukrainian,” the Sheriff asked, appearing more baffled than before.

“Yes, which is one reason she was placed with me and my wife,” Jared said, reaching for Myrtle as she stood. “Baby, the contractor came today and the backhoes arrive tomorrow. Things will be done well before Thanksgiving.”

“Speaking of Thanksgiving, I need to call our cousins and Mom to see what the plans are,” Helen told them. “So much to do, so little time. Jared, am I cooking the chops, or are you?”

“I'm grilling dinner tonight,” he said. “I'll get it started in a minute.”

“Sounds good,” Helen said, nodding to the Sheriff.

The Sheriff stood, quietly seething, wanting to ask questions to which he had no right to the answers. His eyes went from Myrtle's face to her hand. The ring was also on the drifter's hand. Jared was over the man's meddling.

“Let me walk you to your vehicle,” he told the Sheriff. “Baby, I'll be in shortly.”

Lemon kissed him again as Jared left the porch. The black Ford F-150 was parked in the drive, but the tailgate was down. As he approached the truck, he made a point to close the tailgate. The Sheriff's eyes went to it and got large. He recognized the Seraphim.

“Yeah, I'm in your backyard,” Jared said, happy the man knew and understood what he saw on the tailgate as well as its meaning. “My watch starts on Monday.”

The Sheriff wanted to know, “Is that you informing me or a warning?”

Jared paused for a moment, “You seem like a good guy. I'm hoping that I can be a silent partner for you. College towns are a hotbed for trafficking or worse. My job is to keep watch. I don't interfere or intercede. I simply keep watch.”

“You planning to watch me?”

“Are you planning to watch me and my family?”

“Your family?”

“My family, Sheriff,” he said. “This is my home. Myrtle is my wife, and those girls, by law, are my wards. They too, are under my watchful eye.”

The Sheriff huffed, “I don't like you.”

“I. Don't. Care,” Jared told him as a delivery truck arrived. “Oh, our new mattress. The one she has is soft as a pillow. Daddy is going to sleep well tonight.”

Jared watched the color physically drain from the Sheriff’s face. A smile so wide and deep covered Jared’s entire being in a moment of satisfaction. A little faith and an invitation for a new life awaited him. His wife understood what he needed to feel at home in his new role as husband and guide to the girls. Colette was smarter than she let on, and there was a connection between them he would foster.

He waved goodbye to the Sheriff and went inside to show the men where to bring the new mattress. He also noticed the first thing off the truck was a recliner.

“She got me a Big Daddy chair,” he said, feeling emotional. “This is going to be alright.”

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