Page 28 of Always Be True: Tino
Chapter 7
Three hours later, Tino stashed all of his stuff back in his toolbox and shut the lid. After waving at Clarence, he headed down the hall that would take him past the computer lab one last time. Maybe Natalie was ready to call it a day, too.
No such luck. It was clear that she and the group of IT volunteers were still at it. From the number of frowns on their faces, they’d run into a snag along the way that might not be unraveled anytime soon. Natalie happened to glance up just as he passed by the window. When she waved but made no move toward the door, he waved back and moved on. Considering the hard day she’d put in, he hoped for her sake they finished up soon.
Outside, he paused to draw in a lungful of fresh air, glad to be breathing something other than paint fumes and sawdust. Maybe his mood would improve if he had something better to look forward to than eating leftover pizza while watching some lame movie on pay-per-view. Granted, Jack had told him he was welcome to hang out at his place and play computer games with him and Ricky, but Tino had given his invitation a pass. The idea held little appeal, not that he didn’t love his brother and his new family. He did. However, sometimes spending time with them only reminded Tino of everything that was missing from his own life.
Unlike the hellish early childhoods that both Jack and Mikhail had experienced, Tino had started off life as the only child of two people who truly loved him. Being the center of their little three-person universe had been amazing, and it killed him that he barely remembered what his parents had looked like anymore.
Most of the time, he tried like hell not to think about those special times, but tomorrow was the anniversary of their deaths. Even now, after fifteen years, images from that night sliced through his mind like jagged pieces of broken glass. A tire blowing out had killed both of his parents and destroyed Tino’s world in a single moment. Worse yet, the distant relatives who’d been saddled with him afterward had done nothing at all to help him rebuild it. God knows he’d done his best to fit in, worked so damned hard to earn his place in their family. No matter how hard he’d tried or what he’d done, he’d never been able to win them over.
Looking back, it was clear to him that all they’d cared about was the small trust fund his parents had left for him. Funny how both his welcome and the money had run out at the exact same moment. For the second time, his life was turned upside down and inside out. A series of foster placements had followed—some good, some bad, none of them home.
Then he lucked out and ended up on Sergeant Joe Lukash’s doorstep. The retired soldier and his wife, Marlene, had welcomed Tino with open arms, saying that he had a home with them as long as he wanted one. By that point, experience had told him not to believe such promises. After all, if his own kin didn’t want him, why would a pair of total strangers be any different? Especially ones who had already taken in another foster kid. Why would they have needed a second surly teenager giving them grief?
Tino smiled. From the first, he and Jack had vied for Joe’s affection and approval, occasionally using their fists to stake out their territory. However, when Mikhail had joined the family, Tino and Jack had immediately joined forces to put the intruder in his place.
Joe had cut the three of them only so much slack before resorting to some of the same tough-love techniques he’d learned back in his drill-sergeant days. How many times had they cleaned his already-immaculate vehicles or vacuumed the same carpet they’d done the day before? It was amazing they hadn’t worn the windows thin from washing them inside and out at least once a week for some infraction or another.
Even so, somehow Joe had transformed three badly scarred teenagers into the trio of close-knit brothers they were today. With her endless supply of cookies and patience, Marlene had done her own part to heal their hearts and teach them to trust again. No amount of gratitude would ever repay the pair for what they’d done for the three of them.
As a result, that he still missed his real mother and father always left Tino feeling guilty and disloyal to the people who had saved his soul. Regardless, tomorrow he’d take flowers to his parents’ graves and catch them up on his life. Natalie’s image filled his mind. He couldn’t wait to tell them about her. Yeah, maybe it was crazy to talk to a pair of granite headstones, but he always felt better for having made the trip to see them.
He’d never told Marlene about his visits, but he suspected she would understand better than most. After all, she had regular conversations with her late husband. Maybe he’d even invite her to come with—
“Hey, mister! Watch out!”
“Everybody down!” Tino flashed back to Afghanistan, taking cover from incoming fire. He flung his toolbox aside as he dropped to the ground and covered his head. Reality came crashing back as a basketball bounced on the ground within inches of his head. Son of a bitch, could he look any more like a complete fool? Cursing under his breath, he pushed himself back up to his feet and dusted off his clothes.
To buy himself a few seconds to regain control, he trotted over toward the fence to pick up the basketball. By the time he returned, a ragtag bunch of kids had set his toolbox back upright and collected the screwdrivers and other things that had spilled across the pavement. They stared at him, their eyes wide as they glanced at him and then back down where he’d hit the ground.
“Sorry, sir. The ball got away from us.”
Tino bounced the ball a couple of times before shooting it back at the kid who’d spoken. “Not a problem. Guess I forgot where I was for a minute.”
A deep voice joined the conversation. “No sweat. I’ve hit the deck a few times myself since getting back.”
Tino flinched but at least he managed to stand his ground this time. Damn, how had the other man managed to slip behind him without him noticing? He adjusted his stance to where he could face the newcomer and still keep an eye on the kids. His head told him that none of them presented any real threat, but his fight-or-flight instincts hadn’t yet made it back from their momentary trip back to Afghanistan.
The other man stood still, patiently giving Tino all the time he needed to pull his act together. Finally, Tino offered his audience an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, kids. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Then he stuck his hand out to the other man, who shook it with a firm grip. “Tino Gianelli. I left the army a few weeks ago, but things still manage to sneak up on me once in a while.”
“Jay Tobin. I was with the Seals.” After pointing to his left leg, which was made up of metal rods and screws from the knee down, he added, “I’ve been out almost two years now.”
Tino never knew what to say, what kind of comfort he could possibly offer, but then Jay had probably heard it all by now. Besides, the kids were getting restless. “Do you coach these guys?”
“That I do.” He nodded at the boys. “Time to get back to work. Do it like I showed you, and I’ll be with you in a minute.”
The two men watched as the small mob of boys sorted themselves out into some semblance of order and began running a drill where one boy dribbled toward the basket to make a shot while a second waited to snag the rebound and pass it on. Once they got into the flow, Jay glanced at Tino and then down at his toolbox.
“I take it you were working inside today.”
“Yeah. I helped unpack the new computers for the lab and then helped paint the gym.” He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to add, “I’ve got the time, and it’s something to do.”
“Having fun with all of that?”
Something in Jay’s voice made Tino hesitate before answering. “It’s okay. I like the people, and it feels good to be useful.”
