Page 2 of Single Teddy
I guided Bear back to my car and put him in his car seat, fighting with the tangled straps once again for a few seconds before fastening securing Bear’s seat belt.
When I turned to get into the car, I found Autumn staring at me from the passenger side with a smirk and she got in the car with me.
I must have been staring because she turned to me and chuckled.
“What? Do you want to drive through these strange, new streets in the dark without a friendly face?” she asked as if daring me to say yes.
I admitted defeat. She was right. Maybe this would be best with company. I mean, wasn’t that why I was here in the first place?
I turned the engine on and tailed Goodman through the streets of his home island.
There weren’t many questions asked on the way to wherever we were going. I imagined the tough questions weren’t appropriate in Bear’s presence and the easy ones seemed superfluous considering the circumstances and the late hour. And even if they weren’t, I was too tired to talk.
Fifteen minutes later, we stopped in front of a large two-story building, and while I handled Bear, Autumn and Goodman took our luggage out of the trunk.
Before Autumn could knock, a kind Black man with curly white hair, a glorious white mustache to match, and dark eyebrows opened the big, wide door and welcomed us into Luna’s Lodge.
I paused and turned to my commander.
“Sir, I…I can’t afford a hotel,” I tried to speak quietly so as not to insult Mr. Rogers and, well, because money wasnota nice subject to talk about, but Goodman groaned and shook his head as if I’d spat on the man.
“Don’t be stupid, Teddy! I told you I’d take care of you, and I meant it,” he said it like an insult, which was probably why it took me an extra moment to decipher his meaning.
“I can’t…I can’t let you spend your money?—”
“Don’t worry, Teddy! Mr. Rogers is a friend, and your stay isn’t free. I’m sure he’ll find odd jobs for you to do in exchange for room and board until we can figure out the next steps,” Autumn said.
“Of course, young man. Don’t worry,” Mr. Rogers said and took his glasses off to greet Bear hanging by my leg. “Do you like dogs, young man?”
Bear gave the faintest of nods, and Mr. Rogers straightened and turned to look inside the house.
“Prince! Here, boy!”
A scraggy old mutt rushed into the hallway and looked Mr. Rogers in the eyes before Bear dropped to the floor and called the dog over.
The dog approached him warily at first, sniffing and backing away a few times before it licked Bear’s fingers and head-butted his chin, which caused the most wonderful sound in the world—Bear’s giggle.
Gosh. It had been so long since I’d heard it.
Maybe…maybe he would be all right after all. Maybe this was what he needed. A fresh start away from the mess of a life he’d had before.
“Come on, Teddy. I’ll show you to your room,” Mr. Rogers said, but before I could follow, Goodman grabbed me by the shoulder.
“We’ll get going, but call us if you need anything. And I’ve sent you an email with Bear’s school and address for tomorrow morning.”
Once again, it took me a minute to register what Goodman had said, but this time, it had nothing to do with how he’d said it and everything to do with what he’d said.
School. I had to worry about school now. I had to drop Bear off and pick him up, make sure he kept up with the other kids and did his homework, attend PTA meetings and school functions, engage with other parents and guardians…
Fuck!
This was a whole new reality.
A new reality I was sosounprepared for. Life would never be the same again, would it?
“Plus, we got him all the supplies he needs, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Autumn said and pointed upstairs. “We’ve put it in the room already.”
“Thanks. Thank you both,” I said, feeling weaker than I ever had.
