“I appreciate your help, officers,” Anna said as she walked the two uniformed policemen back to their cruiser. “If there’s ever anything I can do for you, just let me know.”
She pressed two fingers to her brow to ward off a headache. The last thing she needed now was a migraine, but the swirling darts of light she had seen the moment she arrived at work warned her that one was on the way, whether she needed it or not.
Vandals had paid a visit to the BMW dealership overnight, leaving sixty-two flat tires, one for each auto on the front lot. Every car tipped slightly, though the direction varied depending on which tire was punctured.
Their insurance would cover the damage, and already a crew was hard at work replacing the pierced tires. Surveillance cameras had captured the entire episode, and one of the teenagers was well known by the officers on this beat. It was just a matter of time before the police apprehended the boy and his cohorts, but Anna knew from Lily’s work with troubled families that it usually took more than arrest and punishment to turn these kids around. She just hoped they wouldn’t make a habit of taking out their frustrations on Premier Motors.
“Anna Kaklis, you have a call on line two. Anna Kaklis on two,” the loudspeaker barked.
As she pushed through the glass door into the showroom, a sharp pain pierced her forehead. The moment Holly or Brad arrived on the lot she would hand off this mess and head home to bed. If she waited too long, she wouldn’t be able to drive herself.
“This is Anna Kaklis. Can I help you?”
“Hi, honey.”
Anna slumped into her office chair and closed her eyes.
“I struck out. Sandy was right about the social worker not telling me anything.”
“Not even how he was doing?”
“Nothing. He said he couldn’t give out that kind of information.”
“Well at least you tried, sweetheart. You knew it was a long shot.” Anna held the silent phone for ten full seconds. “Lily, are you still there?”
“Yeah…I made an appointment to see John Moss in person on Monday morning.”
Anna felt a surge of panic as she imagined Lily going off to San Francisco and returning with a small child in tow. She took a deep breath and calmed herself with the reminder that Lily had promised not to take any steps on her own.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Of course.” She couldn’t help her agitated tone as her headache grew more pronounced by the second.
“Please don’t be upset with me, Anna. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Anna sighed as she ground the heel of her hand into her forehead in order to quell the pain. “Lily, I’m not upset. Well, actually I am, but not with you. You know how annoying a flat tire can be?”
“You had a flat tire?”
“I had sixty-two of them. A couple of kids came through the lot last night and popped one on every single car. And if that’s not enough, I’m getting a migraine.”
“Anna, you should go home and go to bed.”
“That’s just what I plan to do. Can we talk about this later?”
Within two minutes of hanging up the phone, Anna was in the ladies’ room throwing up. That was a sure sign her headache would get worse, and as soon as Hal arrived at the dealership, she enlisted him to drive her home.
Careful not to jostle the bed, Lily sat on the edge and gently placed the icepack on Anna’s forehead. “Does that feel good?”
Anna grunted.
In the four years she and Anna had known each other, she had witnessed a half-dozen such headaches, but it was clear this was one of the worst, already spanning two full days. “Should you take some more medicine?”
“What time is it?”
Lily leaned sideways to see the clock on the bedside table. “Almost nine.”
“I guess.” Anna shifted the icepack to one side. “Just the painkiller, not the one with caffeine. I need to sleep this off.”
She helped Anna sit up long enough to take the pill and then eased her back against the pillow. “I’m going to sleep in the guest room again tonight so I don’t bother you.”
“Mmm…that’s probably best.”
That proved to be a good decision, as Lily tossed and turned all night. Her head was filled with thoughts of what she might discover in talking on Monday with the social worker in San Francisco.
She was surprised the next morning when Anna appeared in the kitchen. “I bet you’re starving. What can I fix you?”
“Just some toast…maybe hot tea.”
Lily jumped up to prepare it as Anna slid onto the bench behind the small table in their breakfast nook. “How’s your headache?”
“I think the worst is over, but I’ll probably go back to bed. I’m sorry I’m such rotten company.” Anna took a sip of tea. “I know you want to talk about your sister’s son, but I don’t think I can right now.”
“It’s okay.” Lily sat across from her with a cup of coffee. “I guess there really isn’t much to talk about right now anyway. I just need to go check things out first.” What she wanted most from Anna was a show of support that she should do whatever was needed for the boy, even if that meant bringing him to LA for a few weeks while she worked on getting him into the best permanent placement. There was no way to know for sure about Andres, but children who had been neglected early in life tended to have an array of problems, both physical and behavioral. Lily suspected it would be difficult to find a suitable home, but she knew how to champion that for him. She hoped Anna would agree that the important thing was the child’s well-being, not whether or not they were mildly inconvenienced for a few weeks.
Anna gave her a weak smile. “I can tell you’re worried. Don’t be. I was a little freaked out the other night, but I know we’ll do the right thing.”
That was just what Lily needed to hear, and she felt a wave of relief. “I love you, sweetheart. I want you to feel better.”
“Me too.”
“I was thinking of taking Chester for a long walk today. Is that okay, or would you rather I stayed home in case you need something?”
“You can go.” Anna planted a kiss on the top of her head as she walked by toward the door. “I’m going to take another pill and conk out.”
Lily tightened her seatbelt as the jet banked right over the ocean on its way up to San Francisco. The flight would take only an hour, but the minutes would drag by as her excitement grew.
Andres Parker. The social worker had called him Andy. Like Lily and her sister, he bore only his mother’s name, though his given name suggested Latino heritage. According to Moss, his father had been murdered in a gang-related shooting, and the only known relative was Karen Parker Haney. Moss had hedged when it came to specific information, but he implied that he had ruled her out as a guardian for Andy. Lily shuddered to think that had even been a consideration. He would have been better off homeless at four years old.
She smoothed the wrinkles from her olive-green dress, one of the conservative outfits she usually saved for court appearances. She needed to make a good impression on John Moss in order to gain leverage in securing the best placement and care for the boy.
Other than a name and birthday, Lily knew almost nothing about Andy Parker. Was he healthy? Was he happy? Did he have any special needs? What did he look like? The file Sandy had pulled together showed that in just the last year in foster care, he had already lived in four different homes. From her experience with the foster care system, that was a red flag, usually signaling a child who had difficulty adjusting to his or her environment, or a child with unmanageable needs. Given his home life with his mother, that wouldn’t be a surprise.
The bigger question for Lily was what she would do if she found him. If his care was inadequate, how could she help him? If there were legal matters involved, she certainly could advise and assist, but the fact remained that, even as his aunt, she lacked standing. She couldn’t insert herself into the decision-making process where this child was concerned unless she assumed the role of guardian. If she eventually decided to do that, she first had to pass muster with Moss.
“Feeling better?” Hal asked from the doorway to Anna’s office.
“I lived,” she answered. “I appreciate the ride home the other day.”
“No problem. Kim was worried about you, but didn’t want to call in case you were sleeping.”
When he left, she shut her office door and took a seat behind her cluttered desk. Then she placed a call to her sister. “I need some advice. You got a minute?”
“This better be good. I only get about three minutes of adult time every day.”
Anna related the news about Lily’s nephew and her trip to San Francisco to meet the social worker.
“That’s amazing. Lily must be thrilled.”
“She’s pretty excited.”
“No wonder. This is huge. How come you’re not jumping up and down?”
From her sister’s elated reaction, Anna got a sinking feeling in her gut that her quest for support would go unmet. “Because she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. That kid could have all sorts of problems. His mother was into drugs, and he’s been bounced around from one place to another.”
Kim didn’t answer, which caused Anna to panic even more.
“What if she comes home and says she wants that boy to come live with us?”
“That boy has a name,” Kim said sharply.
“Andy. What if she wants Andy to come live with us?” She was annoyed to hear herself on the verge of hysteria.
“You need to calm down. You know Lily wouldn’t bring him home unless you were all right with it.”
“I know that.” She also knew she was getting ahead of herself. “What I’m worried about is what’s going to happen if she wants to bring him home and I don’t. How do I tell her no without sounding like a heartless bitch?”
“Oh, you’re not going to like this.”
Anna had the same feeling.
“I think you need to try looking at it through Lily’s eyes. She lost her mom and then out of the blue, she loses a sister she never knew she had. Try to imagine how important Andy must be to her.”
“So in other words…” She wanted Kim to spell it out.
“Don’t even think about telling her no.”
Anna added guilt to the range of emotions she was experiencing. She wasn’t surprised by her sister’s admonitions, and grudgingly admitted to herself that Lily’s perspective was more important than her own. It didn’t quell her anxiety, though, nor her hope that Lily would find the boy—Andy—already placed in a good home with a bright future.
Lily swung her crossed leg nervously in the reception area of the busy government office, growing anxious that this might turn out to be a wasted trip. John Moss was forty-five minutes late for their appointment, apparently called out this morning by police to a domestic disturbance involving children. She understood these types of emergencies—as an attorney working with disadvantaged families, she had been called out plenty of times herself—but she hoped Moss could resolve the matter quickly and still have time to meet with her today.
Everywhere she looked around the office people were on the phone or scrolling through information on their desktop monitors. About half the desks were empty, their owners likely in the field checking on the status of their charges. The waiting area was overflowing.
A middle-aged woman stepped up to the other side of the long counter. “Is there a Lilian Kaklis here?”
“Yes, right here.” She hurried up to the counter with her purse and folders.
“I have a message for you from John Moss. He’s going to be tied up for another hour or two. He apologizes, but he’s dealing with an emergency this morning.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Though it was frustrating to wait, at least she was sure he remembered their appointment. Maybe he would even feel a bit guilty for having her cool her heels for so long and he would be more cooperative about releasing information on Andy.
When she turned back to the waiting area, she found that her chair had been taken. With an hour to kill—and nowhere to sit—she headed outside in search of a coffee shop. Using her cell phone, she left Moss a message that she would return at eleven thirty. As she moved forward in the line to order her coffee, her phone rang, the caller ID registering an unknown local number.
“Ms. Kaklis, John Moss here. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I just got your message.”
She hoped he wasn’t calling to cancel. “I understand how emergencies are. I just hope you’ll have time to see me.”
“Absolutely. I’ve been stuck here waiting for a policeman to sign a release form, which he just did, so I’m leaving the scene now. Why don’t you meet me downstairs in twenty minutes? We’ll grab some coffee and talk about Andy Parker.”
“That would be great, Mr. Moss.”
“Call me John. Mr. Moss was my dad.”
“John. I’m Lily, and I’ll be right in front of the building.”
True to his word, twenty minutes later a slender man in his late thirties rounded the corner and strode toward where Lily had been pacing nervously. Only a few inches taller than she, he was dressed in khaki chinos and a tweed sports coat, and his striped tie hung loosely from the collar of his denim shirt.
“Lily Kaklis?”
“That’s me,” she answered, her smile fixed in place as she held out her hand. She couldn’t say why, but she liked him at once.
“John Moss. Nice to meet you, and I’m really sorry I kept you waiting.”
“I understand. It happens to me in my work all the time.”
“What kind of work do you do?” He gestured with his hand in the direction of the coffee shop where she had just been.
“I’m an attorney, a family services attorney at a legal aid clinic in LA. I do a lot of work with social services on getting kids in the right placement.” She wanted this man to know that she knew her stuff, and also that she was his comrade.
He stopped abruptly on the sidewalk. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but would you mind terribly showing me some ID?”
Lily opened her wallet and pulled out her driver’s license. “You want to see my state bar card?”
Moss inspected the driver’s license and handed it back. “That won’t be necessary, but thanks for the offer. I Googled you on Friday after you called.”
“So you already knew what kind of work I did.” She wasn’t exactly annoyed by the pretense, but it heightened her awareness that this was a serious matter.
He pushed his hands into his pockets and looked at her sheepishly. “Actually, I knew what kind of work Lilian Kaklis did. I just needed to make sure that was you before I started talking about Andy. I’m sure you’re aware of all the privacy restrictions in place regarding kids in state custody.”
“Yes, but we covered that on the phone last week, so I’m hoping we’re past all of that. You must have had a good reason to ask me up here.”
He began to stroll toward the coffee shop. “I was… intrigued.”
“Intrigued?”
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t believe you when you called on Friday. I thought you might have been another reporter. Some guy called last week trying to find Andy so he could do a survivor story, showing everyone how, because of the police actions, some poor child was now orphaned.”
“You thought I was a reporter?”
“Yeah, but when I found your bar listing, I did some checking on your maiden name and found your adoption records. They were never sealed, you know, so linking you to Karen Parker Haney was pretty easy. Her paper trail goes back quite a way with us.”
Lily scowled at the mention of her birth mother. “So now that you’re convinced that I’m related to Andy, will you tell me about him?”
“I am satisfied that you’re related to him, but I’m going to want to know more before I give away any confidential information.”
“Such as?” Lily realized her heart was starting to race as she got closer to finding out something.
“Mostly, I just want to know what’s in this for you.” They each ordered coffee, paying separately, and climbed the spiral staircase to the loft, where they sat at a small table overlooking the entrance.
She toyed with her paper cup as she chose her words. “I’ve lived in foster homes too. If there is anything I want, it’s peace of mind that he’s all right, that he’s in a good home where he’s being taken care of.”
“And what if he isn’t?”
Lily’s stomach lurched. “Is there something wrong with him?”
“I didn’t say that. I just want to know what you plan to do if you find out…say, that things aren’t as good for him as they should be, or even that they could be. What will you do?”
“I…think that I would…” she stammered, suddenly feeling like a dog that had chased a car and caught it. “I suppose I would try to do whatever I could to make it better. Maybe ask for a new placement, or some extra services. It would depend on the circumstances.”
“And would you ask as Andy’s aunt? Or as a lawyer? Or as your garden-variety critic of the system?”
“I don’t know exactly what I’d do. But I’m not a critic of the system any more than you are. In fact, I’m a part of it too. I want what’s best for all these kids.”
“Let me just ask you point-blank, Lily. If you found Andy’s situation to be lacking, would you be willing to take him into your home, as his aunt?”
She sighed heavily, her frustration mounting. “Can’t you just tell me how he’s doing?”
“I can,” he replied calmly. “But I want to know what it means to you. You obviously care about Andy, or you wouldn’t be here. I care about him too, and I want what’s best for him.”
Lily felt her face turning red at the gentle reproach. John Moss had all the traits of a first-rate social worker. If she weren’t able to see for herself how Andy was doing, she was at least relieved to know that the boy had this kind of advocate.
“Are you interested in custody?”
“No, it’s just not…” Not what? Not something she could ask of Anna?
“That’s too bad. I would like very much to place Andy with a relative who can give him some stability. His grandmother—your biological mother—has asked for custody.”
Lily was stunned to hear this. “Karen Parker? You’ve got to be kidding!” Her mind raced back to the cocktail waitress she had seen in Oakland last year, hardly the motherly type. “Why would she want Andy?”
“I can’t say for sure, but we got an adoption petition from James Lafollette. He’s one of those litigation attorneys. It’s my guess he approached her about filing a wrongful death suit against the police department. Being Andy’s guardian would help her case a lot because it would give her legal standing.”
That possibility fit perfectly with her view of Karen Parker. “You’re not actually going to place him with her, are you?”
He shrugged. “Not if I can help it. As I told you on the phone, I looked into her situation back when Andy first came to us, and we made the decision then that he was better off in regular foster care. But she wasn’t asking for custody then.”
“Can’t you just make him eligible for a private adoption? Surely, you’ve got enough ammunition against Karen Parker to keep him from going to her home.”
“That’s what I’d argue for him, but you know how judges are about wanting to place kids with family members.”
“John, his whole life would be ruined. Karen Parker isn’t anyone’s family. She already had two kids she didn’t take care of.” Lily was so angry she was ready to cry.
“That’s why I’d like another option.” Moss wore his poker face, but he had to know he was pushing all of her buttons. “What kind of life do you want for Andy?”
“I just want him to be saved from all of this. I want him to have a happy childhood and be loved. I want him to have a chance to make something of himself.” She blinked back tears at the thought of how Eleanor Stewart had rescued her from what would have been a life of despair.
The two sat silently, sipping their coffee for several minutes. Finally, John spoke. “My car’s in the garage around the corner. What do you say we take a little ride out toward Candlestick Park?”
Lily jumped to her feet immediately and pitched her empty cup in a nearby bin. “Thank you.”
Lunch was the proverbial rubber chicken, made worse by the cold, sticky fruit sauce on top. The eight diners at Anna’s table had practically fought over the bread basket, giving up on the main entrée and the too-cooked mixed vegetables. At least the salad had been edible, and now she was looking forward to the chocolate mousse.
This was the annual Entrepreneur Awards Luncheon for the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. As one of last year’s winners for her sweeping acquisition of three new dealerships, Anna was seated near the speaker’s table with several of the movers and shakers who had made their mark in LA’s business community. The subject of conversation at Anna’s table was the mayor’s promotion of a small business tax break. Anna favored it, as did several others, but some of the more successful businesses felt they were subsidizing their competition.
To Anna, it seemed the Chamber membership was divided into two factions, one that focused solely on the needs of the business community, and another that championed improving the quality of life throughout the county through things like mentoring, youth programs and neighborhood franchising. She was part of the latter group, especially since, through Lily, she had gotten a closer look at the struggles of those on the lower end of the economic spectrum. Bettering their lives would have a positive impact on everyone.
A tapping on her shoulder took her away from an anti-city hall tirade.
“Dave, hi. How are you?” Dave Cahill owned a string of office supply franchises throughout southern California. He was the Chamber’s vice president, and would ascend to the top job after the next election, two months away. Like Anna, Dave and his businesses were ardent supporters of several projects that benefited children, either in the schools or in the neighborhoods.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wonder if you’d mind joining a few of us for a short meeting after lunch. I promise it won’t take long.”
“Sure.” She nodded. If Dave was getting behind something, chances were she would too.
“Great. We’ll meet in the Palm Room down the hall. Oh, and Geri just ordered a sandwich tray,” he added with a nod toward her unfinished lunch.
“Then I’ll definitely be there.”
Anna walked into the room after the luncheon to find a small group of the Chamber’s elite members, including several past officers. Anna knew them all because she had served as the organization’s treasurer a few years ago.
“Anna, thanks for joining us,” Dave said eagerly.
When she saw the smiles throughout the room at her arrival, she realized with trepidation that this meeting was about her. “Hi, everyone.” She glanced about nervously. “What’s this about?”
“This is about your campaign for vice president. Everyone in the room wants you to run, and we’ll all do our part to help you get elected.”
Anna had worked like a dog the last time she had served the Chamber. However, she knew from others who had held various posts that only the job of president was more demanding than treasurer, so the vice presidency wouldn’t be a huge burden.
“Why me, Dave?” There were lots of Chamber members with more business experience than she, and Anna was almost certain she wouldn’t get much support from the old guard.
“Because you’re the kind of leader we need, somebody who has shown that she knows how to operate a sound business and make it grow.”
Geri Morgan spoke up. “Somebody who can be a good role model for other women and young people in the business community.”
Dave leaned in and added, “And somebody who cares about the whole community, not just her own business interests. I hope to start the ball rolling on some new projects during my term, and I’d like to see someone coming along behind me who will keep them going.”
Anna was staggered by their praise. “Well, I…”
“Just say the magic word, and we’ll worry about the rest.”
Anna sucked in a deep breath. It was a two-year commitment, as the charter called for the vice president to automatically succeed the president. If Lily took the job as executive director of the guardian ad litem program, they would both be swamped again, but at least she would have a platform for advocating better business practices and more community involvement. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
The room erupted in applause, and everyone rushed forward to offer their thanks and congratulations.
Lily squirmed in anticipation as Moss spun his Honda Civic south on 101 toward the infamous stadium on Candlestick Point.
“What kind of work does your husband do?” Moss asked.
Lily chuckled at his assumption. “She sells cars.”
Momentarily perplexed, Moss recovered nicely as understanding dawned. “And do you two have any children?”
“No, but we have a basset hound, and my spouse and I seem to take turns acting like children from time to time.”
“I know what you mean. My wife says I do that too.”
“Do you have children?” She genuinely liked this man, and was glad the wheels of fate had landed Andy’s case on his desk.
“Two boys, twelve and nine. I tell you, sometimes after a really tough day, I have to go straight to their rooms when I get home and tell them how much I love them.”
She was tempted to tell him she was interviewing to become the director of the guardian ad litem program, but decided to save that for even more leverage later. “Believe me, I understand. We see some horrible things in this line of work. Still, I like knowing that I’m doing something about it.”
“Me too. Here we are.”
Moss parked and led Lily up the steps to the porch of a narrow three-story house. The garage took up the ground level, so the front door entered on the second story. They were expected, as he had called on the way over.
“Nice to see you again, John. Come on in.”
“Hi, Mary Beth. Sorry about the short notice.”
“Not a problem. We’ve just had lunch.”
Moss and Lily entered the small living room, where he made the introductions. “Lily, this is Mary Beth Shull. She and her husband have been foster parents with us for about eight years.”
“Hi, Mrs. Shull. I’m Lily Kaklis,” she eagerly offered, barely able to avert her eyes from the three young boys huddled around the TV. If one of them was Andy, he was awfully big for four years old.
“Call me Mary Beth. Even the boys do.”
From the abundance of gray hair, Lily surmised Mary Beth was in her mid-fifties. She doubted seriously that any of the children in the room belonged to her and her husband. In fact, besides the actual presence of the boys watching the TV, there wasn’t much evidence that children lived here at all. There were no toys, games or books of any kind in the room. Things were neat and orderly, giving the impression Mary Beth ran a tight ship.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for letting us come.”
“It’s all right. I told Andy someone was coming to see him, and he slipped upstairs to the bedroom without finishing his lunch. He’s pretty shy.”
“Can we go up there?” Lily realized she was shaking.
“Right this way.” She fell in behind Mary Beth, and Moss brought up the rear. Straight ahead at the top of the stairs was a small bathroom, the upward toilet seat a sign that its last visitor had been one of the young boys. To the left was a closed door, presumably the Shulls’ bedroom. The room on the right was open, with two sets of bunk beds visible from the doorway. Apparently, all four of the boys shared this small room.
“Andy?” the foster mother called.
Lily stepped into the room behind her, her eyes drawn immediately to movement in the corner behind the tall chest of drawers. A small boy squatted low, his green eyes wide as he watched them enter the room. Even in his crouched position, Lily could see that he was quite small for his age, probably less than thirty pounds. His complexion was slightly darker than hers, and his curly hair was brown, both evidence of his Latino parentage.
“Andy, do you remember John?”
If he did, he didn’t let on.
“Hi, Andy. How are you, buddy?” Moss smiled a friendly greeting to the boy. “I brought someone to see you today. This is Lily. Can you say hi?”
Lily slowly squatted, careful not to crowd the child in the corner. From here, she noticed that his hands tightly clutched a small toy car. “Hello, Andy. What’s that you’re playing with?”
He didn’t answer, but meekly held out the toy for her inspection, as though afraid she would take it from him. He was dressed in oversized red gym shorts, most likely hand-me-downs from children who had stayed with the Shulls over the last eight years, and a faded blue T-shirt with a racecar on the front.
“That’s a nice car. Is it fun to play with?”
Andy nodded and pulled it back.
“He really likes to play with cars,” Mary Beth interjected. “We have about five or six of those little cars here that he keeps hidden under the bed so the other boys won’t get them.” She walked to the lower bunk on the left to retrieve his stash.
Andy followed her with his eyes, seemingly anxious about his secret place.
“One of my friends likes cars too, Andy,” Lily said.
“Behavior-wise, he’s not a whole lot of trouble,” she went on. “He doesn’t talk much and he plays by himself a lot. But he’s a very picky eater, and he doesn’t wash himself very well.”
Lily had learned some of those same things about herself from the adoption papers her mother had saved.
“How’s his asthma been?” Moss asked.
“He has asthma?” Lily was momentarily startled by this piece of information. She still had a few problems with the condition, and knowing its hereditary nature, she wondered if Kristy also had suffered with it.
“From what I can tell from his records, it seems to be a little worse in the summertime. I had to move him down to the couch the other night because his coughing was keeping the other boys awake.”
The image of the small boy alone downstairs in the night almost broke Lily’s heart. She knew the most effective medication for an asthma attack was a double-edged sword at night. It usually stopped the coughing, but stimulated the senses, making it difficult to fall asleep.
“Mary Beth, why don’t we go back downstairs for a while and let Lily visit with Andy?”
Alone with the bashful boy, Lily adjusted her dress and sat cross-legged on the floor. His wide eyes never left her as she reached out to drag the other cars over to the space between them.
“Which one of these is your favorite, Andy?”
Wordlessly, he slowly crawled the few feet to where she sat and pointed to a small convertible.
“This one?”
He nodded, still not making a sound.
“I like that one too. Can I see the one you have in your hand?”
Obviously reluctant, Andy gave up the small black Pontiac Trans Am with flames painted on the hood.
She was accustomed to talking with anxious children, and knew a few tricks for establishing a sense of trust. “This one’s very nice too,” she said, quickly handing it back to him.
He clutched it to his chest.
“So which bed is yours?”
He walked to the lower bunk. “This one.”
“It looks like a fun place to sleep, like having your own little room.”
“I can climb this,” he said, grabbing the ladder that led to the upper bunk. In a flash, he began to demonstrate.
Lily shot up from her sitting position, readying herself to catch him. “Wow, you’re a good climber, Andy.”
They had finally broken the ice, and Andy spent the next half hour showing her how he could cross his eyes, balance briefly on one foot, and almost reach the top bunk when he clumsily jumped up from the floor. Next, he showed her his other pair of shoes, and the five T-shirts and two pairs of shorts in the bottom drawer of the nightstand.
Time flew as he entertained her in the crowded room upstairs. She was delighted that he had opened up, and thrilled to watch him show off. It was surprising to see him suddenly become subdued when John and Mary Beth appeared again in the doorway.
“We’ve been having a lot of fun,” she said, still smiling at Andy, who had retreated to sit on his bed against the wall.
“We’ve been hearing all that fun,” Mary Beth said in a tone that made it sound like an admonishment. Obviously, they had heard the jumping downstairs. “You haven’t been climbing on the ladder, have you, Andy?”
He looked down without answering.
“Uh, that was my fault. I asked him if he could and he showed me. Sorry, I didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to do that.” She didn’t want Andy to be punished, especially since he was only showing off for her.
“Andy knows he’s not allowed to do that. Don’t you, Andy?”
He nodded solemnly.
Fortunately, that reprimand was his only punishment, and Lily shot him a quick wink and a smile to lessen the blow.
“I need to be getting back to my office, Lily. Are you about ready to go?”
Lily wasn’t at all ready to leave. She had enjoyed every moment of her time with Andy, and found herself strangely moved by the connection she felt. She ducked under the top bunk to say goodbye. “I have to go, Andy. Do you think I could have a hug to take with me?”
“Oh, he doesn’t really like physical contact that much. That’s probably from being abused when he was with his mother.”
Lily flinched at the mention of possible abuse, but was more annoyed that the foster mother had said something so insensitive in front of Andy. Her protective instincts were on high alert. She coaxed him one more time. “Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?”
Slowly he crawled to the edge of the bed, rising up on his knees to wrap his small arms around her neck.
Lily’s eyes quickly filled with tears at the tender gesture, and she hugged him fiercely to her chest. “Maybe I’ll come back to visit you again sometime. Would you like that?”
Andy nodded and Lily slowly stood. She looked back one last time at his bright green eyes—eyes like hers—whispered her goodbye and started down the steps.
John was quiet in the car as they pulled away, probably aware that she was working hard to compose herself. Finally, he broke the silence. “So are you satisfied?”
“Satisfied with what?”
“Satisfied that he’s doing okay. That’s what you came to check on, isn’t it?”
“He seems to be relatively healthy, except for the asthma she mentioned.”
“His last checkup was pretty good. And the Shulls take pretty good care of the kids that stay there.”
“But he doesn’t seem to be particularly happy. I guess that’s not all that unusual for kids in foster care, is it?”
“Yeah, he might do a little better if there were fewer kids there. The Shulls are only certified for two children, but they’ve had four at a time for most of the last year.”
“And the other boys are so much older. You always worry about the little ones getting bullied, or picking up bad behaviors from the older ones. Isn’t there somewhere else he could go?”
“You know what it’s like. We just don’t have enough beds for the kids that need them. All in all, the Shulls are doing a pretty good job.”
“She seems nice enough, but you’ve got to admit she’s a little severe. There were four children in the house, and the only toys they had were the little cars hidden under the bed. And Andy acted like he was afraid of her when she said that about him climbing on the ladder.”
“Lily, I understand what you’re saying, believe me. Our house looks like a toy box in every room. But a lot of these kids come into foster care with absolutely no sense of order or rules. It isn’t such a bad thing to have them learn a few boundaries.”
“But they’re still kids, John. And I didn’t like how she talked about Andy being abused with him sitting right there in the room.”
He shrugged noncommittally.
Here in south San Francisco, they were only minutes from the airport. “Would it be too much trouble for you to drop me at SFO?”
“No problem.” He crossed traffic to get into the turn lane for the freeway. “Will you be coming back?”
“I can’t say anything for sure, but I hope so.” She needed to explain all of this to Anna, to make her understand her sense of responsibility. “Could I ask you a huge personal favor? Will you just keep me posted on how he’s doing?”
Moss never took his eyes from the road. “I will if you’ll do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Will you go home and think about taking him in?”
Lily’s stomach fluttered at the suggestion. When she felt Andy’s arms go around her neck, she had been ready to scoop him up and take him home right then. “That’s not a decision I can make by myself. I have to talk to Anna about it. I just don’t think this is a good time for us.” The excuse sounded feeble, but Anna was entitled to her reservations. Besides, Andy wasn’t just any child. He was a child who had been abused and neglected, and he probably would have a lot of emotional difficulties to overcome.
“But it’s a good time for Andy. He’s doing okay, but I think he’d thrive if he got the right attention, especially if he was the only child in the home.” John steered the small car into the departure lane. “What’s your airline?”
“United,” she answered, picking up her folders from the floorboard and hooking her handbag over her shoulder. She already had a boarding pass and could go straight to the gate. With luck, she could walk onto an earlier flight than her five o’clock departure.
John maneuvered in front of the United Airlines section and pulled to a stop. “How about as a temporary shelter?”
Maybe she could convince Anna to let him come just for a while, especially if it improved his chances of getting permanently placed in the right home. “Could we do it without Karen Parker finding out? I don’t want any contact with her, and I don’t want her to know where I live.”
“She’d probably find out eventually. Her lawyer would be right on top of it.”
“I don’t want that woman in my life, John.” The prospect of Karen knowing her business was repugnant. Lily stepped onto the curb but waited to close the door. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you however I can to get what’s best for Andy, but this isn’t something I can do right now. I really appreciate all you did today.”
“Please think about it, Lily,” he pleaded, not even trying to conceal his disappointment.
She sighed deeply and looked away, knowing that, despite her words to the contrary, it would be all she thought about.