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“THIS IS PROBABLY A stupid question, but are you sure that's what he wants?” I ask. “Maybe we should read his mind, just in case.”
Sandalphon replies, “It seems a bit obvious, but you're welcome to try. He's probably sobered up a bit since the last time we attempted to hear his thoughts.”
I take out my quartz crystal, which seems a bit silly, since Sandalphon's mind reading powers make mine look like a joke. I guess I still need practice, though. I clear my mind, grip my crystal, and focus. This is my best attempt so far—Robert's thoughts flow into my mind right away.
“Screw him. I'm never going back there. Why'd I have to have the worst dad in the world? I wish he would've died instead of Mom. I bet he'd miss me if I was dead. Maybe I should off myself to punish him.”
I reluctantly report to my instructor, “It sounds like he's having suicidal thoughts.”
“Sadly, that isn't uncommon,” Sandalphon says. “Keep listening. If he sounds like he's serious, we'll take action.”
More of Robert's thoughts flood into my head. “Nah, I'm not going to let him get the best of me. I shoulda moved out a long time ago. I've got other people I can stay with. I'll get one of them to take me in.”
It sounds like Sandalphon's right. Robert is just looking for a place to crash.
“We do need to find him a place to stay,” I conclude. “Do you have any suggestions?”
I'm still holding the crystal, so I hear a name, whispered in my head. “Jenelle.”
“Jenelle?” I exclaim. “Isn't that the name of Robert's ex-girlfriend?”
“It is.” Sandalphon points at an incoming bus, roaring in our direction. “I think he intends to visit her.”
“Is that... bad?” A moment later, the bus stops, and we all climb on. As Robert pays the driver, I notice that most of his rolled up bills are singles. If he's lucky, he might have thirty bucks. You can't survive on thirty bucks. What's he going to do?
“I don't think Robert and Jenelle parted on the greatest of terms,” Sandalphon says. “In fact, I know they didn't. We should brace ourselves for a potentially ugly reunion.”
I suggest, “Maybe we could convince him to visit someone else instead?”
“If you think that's for the best, you can try,” Sandalphon says. “Personally, I'm curious to see how Jenelle reacts to him.”
Not gonna lie—I'm curious too. I sit behind Robert and listen to his random thoughts during our twenty-minute bus ride. Mostly, he's hating on his dad, but he does think about food a few times. He's already worrying that he won't have money to eat. Poor guy.
“If you'd like, you could try to manifest money for him,” says Sandalphon. “I usually don't do that, though, because the only way to manifest easy money for your charge is to get someone else to drop theirs. I only do that if a charge is really desperate.”
“You should never do that!” I lecture my teacher. “That's almost like stealing!”
Sandalphon looks sweet, but I swear, he's a rebel in disguise. I would have liked to banter a bit longer, but Robert arrives at his stop, and we follow him from the bus. Jenelle's apartment is just two blocks away, but the walk feels long, because Robert shuffles down the sidewalk at a snail's pace. Every step he takes is oozing with depression.
When we reach Jenelle's apartment complex, I say, “I kind of feel sorry for him.”
“That's good. You should always strive to have empathy for your charge, especially when they make mistakes. They need someone on their side, someone who won't judge them too harshly. Oftentimes, having a spirit guide with them will unknowingly boost their mood.”
We reach 2-A, and Robert knocks on the door. Seconds later, the ex-girlfriend appears in a low-cut shirt and heavy makeup. Jenelle's initial reaction to Robert is far from promising.
“Oh god. What do you want?” she snaps at him.
Raising his duffel bag, Robert says, “My dad kicked me out.”
“Good. He probably should have kicked you out a long time ago!”
I already don't like Jenelle. She has an air of superiority and a really unfriendly face.
“Can I stay here for the night?” Robert asks. He sounds hopeful, but I already know what Jenelle's going to say.
“No. Are you crazy? My sister's in town. I don't have any space for you.”
“Can you let me crash on the couch or something.”
“Nooo,” Jenelle reiterates, in singsong voice that sounds seriously condescending. “Try someone else. Have you contacted Travis yet?”
“No.”
“Well... try him. Do you have a phone?”
Robert shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Who the hell doesn't have a phone?” Jenelle whips out her phone and smacks it against Robert's head. “Here. Use mine to contact him.”
I don't know who Travis is, but Robert sends him a message. Judging from the look on his face, he doesn't like the reply.
“Travis is out of town with his girlfriend. He'll be gone for a week.”
“Okay... try Benjamin then,” Jenelle says.
Robert sends another text and gets another disappointing reply.
“Ben just got a new roommate,” Robert reports. “He says sorry, but he doesn't think I can come.”
“Well... whatever.” Jenelle reclaims her phone from Robert with a roll of her eyes. “I can't stand here and baby you all day. I'm sure your dad would change his mind if you came crawling back to him. He has before. If you don't go back to Daddy, you're letting your pride get in the way.”
“I don't know, Jenelle. He seemed pretty serious this time.”
Jenelle pockets her phone, rolls her eyes again, and makes the most exasperated huffing noise that I've ever heard. “Okay... what do you want me to do about it?”
“Can you take me somewhere?”
Jenelle's face softens, and for a moment, I wonder if she's actually going to be nice.
Nope.
“I'm sorry, but I'm, like... really busy,” Jenelle says. “I'm too busy to be your taxi driver, that's for sure.”
Robert takes off, but not before mumbling, “Thanks for nothing.” He heads back to the bus stop, looking heartbroken and rejected.
I ask Sandalphon, “What do we do?”
“I'm not sure. I was hoping a solution would reveal itself as we followed him around. At the moment, I'm stumped.”
If Sandalphon's stumped, we're in serious trouble. He's usually the one with the magical ideas.
“Maybe... does he have any other friends he could reach out to?” I ask.
“Perhaps.” Sandalphon takes out his LightTab, presumably to check. “I don't see any names we haven't heard yet. It appears he's lost contact with many of his high school friends, so... we might be out of luck.”
I wish Sandalphon would be a little more encouraging. I've almost accepted that we'll fail this mission and Robert will be homeless.
Back at the bus stop, Robert takes out a photo of a pretty lady with a baby on her lap. The picture looks aged, so it's definitely not recent. I wonder who she is?
“His mother,” Sandalphon answers the question in my head. “And now... I think I might have an idea.”