Page 61 of Always Be True: Tino
Luckily, Rosalie was already back. She held out two bottles of water and a juice box. “I thought Tino might like some water, too. The juice is for his friend.”
A gap in the crowd finally revealed Tino’s young companion, a girl who looked to be about ten or so. “I’m not sure I’ve ever met her. What’s her name?”
“There’s no reason you should know Maya. I’m not sure what her story is, but I know she only recently came to stay with one of the local foster families. If she’s new to the system, it’s not surprising that she’s feeling a little overwhelmed by the crowds and hanging out with a bunch of strangers.”
She turned her attention back to her young charges. “Okay, boys, time to move on. There’s still a lot of the zoo left to see, and I don’t want you to miss out on any of the cool stuff.”
Natalie stayed and watched Tino as the others walked away. By this point, he’d knelt down on one knee to be closer to Maya’s eye level as the two of them talked. Natalie’s heart ached for the little girl, but it was nice to see that Tino had finally coaxed a smile from her. The man was a charmer, all right, and she loved that he would go to the trouble to help Maya relax enough to enjoy the outing.
As much as she wanted to spend time with Tino, she didn’t want to interrupt the pair’s animated conversation. Fortunately, he happened to look in her direction and immediately motioned for her to join them.
When she was within hearing, he performed the necessary introductions. “Natalie Kennigan, I’d like you to meet my friend Maya. We need you to settle an argument for us.”
“Nice to meet you, Maya.” She handed Tino his water and then offered the little girl the juice. “I’ve always found arguing with Tino here to be thirsty work. What do you two need my opinion on?”
Tino gave Maya an encouraging look. She waited until she’d stuck the straw in her juice before speaking. “He says elephants really are afraid of mice. I think that’s only in cartoons.”
Natalie laughed. “I’m with you on that one, Maya.”
Then she added in a stage whisper, “I think we both know who really is afraid of mice, and it’s not the elephants.”
She rolled her eyes in Tino’s direction, which set Maya to giggling while he looked mildly insulted. “Hey, now, you two! No fair ganging up on me like that.”
One of the parents approached them. “Maya, you better come along, hon. We’re moving on now, and it’s important that we keep the group together. I can’t make sure everyone is safe if we get too scattered in this crowd.”
The little girl’s smile faded a bit, but she took the woman’s hand without complaint. Tino watched her walk away with the oddest look on his face. Sadness, maybe, or even grief. Then the expression disappeared so quickly, Natalie almost doubted that she’d even seen it. Almost.
They fell into step with the rest of the group and wandered on down the path that looped its way through the zoo. “That was quite a conversation you had going with Maya. Was it all about elephants and rodents?”
“No. I’d noticed how she kept hanging back. All those matching green T-shirts help the adults to keep an eye on the kids, but it’s pretty easy for one little girl to get lost in the crowd.”
“Is she not having a good time?”
“Good enough, I suppose. It took some coaxing, but she finally said she’d only been at this foster home a few days. I’m guessing she hasn’t quite got her legs under her yet.”
“Did she say how she came to be in foster care?”
“Some temporary family thing.”
Tino unscrewed the cap on his water and took a long drink. Rather than press him for more details, she changed the subject.
“Are you busy Tuesday morning? I thought maybe you’d like to go with me to visit my grandfather. He always appreciates company, and he’d like to meet you.”
“If Jack doesn’t need me on a job, I’ll be glad to go with you. Any chance your grandfather plays chess?”
“He loves chess, but sadly the last time we played, he suggested we go back to playing checkers instead. I’m sure he’d appreciate a worthy opponent.”
Tino looked intrigued by the idea. “I’ll let you know after I talk to Jack.”
“Great.”
Then she skipped ahead several steps before adding, “Now, let’s go see the elephants and see if any of them are up in the trees after seeing a mouse.”
With his longer legs, it didn’t take him long to catch up with her, but at least the last of the shadows had disappeared from his eyes. “Very funny, lady. There will be retribution for that crack.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Oooh, I’m scared.”
“No, you’re not, but you should be. I will get even, and when you least expect it. The only reason you are safe right now is that I don’t want to scare the kiddies.”
