Page 82 of Heart of a Hero

“Will Benji come over to play again?” Zannie asked.

“How about tonight?”

“Yes!” Zannie threw her arms into the air, and all was right in her little girl world.

Mark looked at Marty and could see the relief in his body as he sighed heavily and then grinned.Now, if I could only help make all their problems go away so easily.

34

Karen stopped by Roscoe’s house, entering after he called out for her to “come on in.” She smiled at him sitting in his recliner. He put his feet down and smiled in return.

“You know, I miss those kids like crazy,” he said as she sat on his sofa. “But knowing they’re okay and in a better place makes this old heart happy.”

“I’ve loved having them.” A week had gone by, and they had all settled into a calm routine. Her girls adapted very well to having Zannie and Marty living with them. Benji had also come over several times, and Karen could tell that Marty loved having another boy close to his age to play with. There had been no signs of their mom or Alan, and she wondered if they had abandoned the kids completely.

Now, smiling at Roscoe, she said, “They are wonderful to have with me.”

He nodded, then asked, “How about your girls? They doin’ okay?”

“They’re good. Olivia has taken to Zannie and easily shared her room. Laura is my introspective child, and she’s fine, too. She even said that she was glad there would be younger kids around when she went off to college in four years.”

“What a sweetie,” Roscoe said, his smile widening.

“I reminded her that this situation was temporary. I’m sure the kids will go back with their mother whenever she is found.”

“Waste of a good life, if you ask me,” Roscoe said as a frown crossed his face. “Even if she’s found, she’d have to get clean, and I don’t see that happening. Or stop hanging around loser men, and I sure as heck don’t see that happening.”

Karen sighed as she nodded. She’d seen enough drug addicts over the years to know Carla had a long road ahead of her if she wanted to get her children back.

“If she doesn’t, what’re you going to do?” Roscoe asked.

Blinking, she jerked her chin back slightly. “Um… about the kids?”

“Yeah.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing she had no idea what to say. “I would keep fostering them,” she finally admitted, knowing it was true.

He smiled again. “You’ve got a good heart, Ms. Karen.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head.

“Well, I’ve lived a long life and seen a lot of people. So, believe me when I say you’ve got a good heart.”

“Speaking of hearts, let’s check yours.”

He chuckled as she pulled out her stethoscope. After a moment, she tapped his knee and grinned. “You’ve got a good heart, too.” When she packed up to leave, she said, “The kids talk about you. I think they’d like to come visit.”

Roscoe’s smile now lit his face, and his eyes sparkled. “You bring those kids anytime, Ms. Karen. I’d love to see them.”

Waving, she left, feeling lighter than she had all day. As she drove away, she sucked in a deep breath.Mark and the others now know that Alan was the thief, and he must have been following me.That didn’t comfort her, but knowing she wasn’t a suspect was a welcome thought.

At the end of the day, she called Laura before she pulled out into the parking lot. “Hey, sweetheart. Did everyone get home and off the bus?”

“Hey, Mom. We’re all here. Zannie met up with Marty, Benji, and Olivia after school and got on their bus. I got here a few minutes before them, and we’re all inside.”

“Good,” Karen said. “I have lasagna already cooked and just needs to go into the oven for warming. I should be home in about twenty minutes.”

“Oh good,” Laura said, then laughed. “I’m gonna put you on speaker so everybody can say hello.”

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