Dirty Laundry by Gibslythe

Day 9 Ch. 33

Christmas Eve Day

1:05 P.M.

Walmart was busy. No, more than busy; it was hell.

Sophia and Lance could've left the building long ago, could've already been home. But no. Besides Lance's gift - one that he was still unsure about - Keith also had his heart set on finding gifts for other Sanchez family members. It wasn't that Keith wanted presents in return. No, if anything he didn't want gifts. What he did want? Was to show this family just how much they meant to him, even if one day they'd be completely gone from his life.

It was hard looking for gifts, especially in a busy Walmart the day before Christmas. Keith had thankfully managed to find a few things; all with Sophia's help of course. There'd been a new plastic train set for Mateo, one Keith had seen the boy admiring in a Christmas advertisement. Josie was to receive a sketchbook paired with professional prismacolor colored pencils. Sophia had urged Keith to draw a picture on the front page (it was going to be terrible, though Keith was sure Josie would appreciate the sentiment.) Benji had been hard to shop for, but in the end Keith decided on a white shirt with a terrible logo on the front. Keith knew for sure the teenager would find it humorous.

Rosa though, Rosa's gift was the hardest. Keith had been at a standstill, staring blankly at the Walmart aisles with absolutely nothing in mind. What did one get Rosa Sanchez? She was the most amazing woman Keith knew; he wasn't sure any gift could ever come close to being worthy. Rosa deserved everything - and what did Keith have? A couple twenty dollar bills lingering between the seams of his wallet.

It wasn't until Sophia and Lance walked aimlessly through the Walmart book section that Keith found it. He'd just found a large book on constellations for Cleo, and just as he set the shiny hardback into the cart, he saw it.

It was small, a simple paperback novel with a yellow cover. There was a thirty percent off sticker glued to it's left corner, covering half of the title. Except, Keith didn't need to know the title - he would know that book anywhere.

The novel was Keith's favorite book of all time: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It had been Keith's best friend; a piece of American literature he'd been forced to read in middle school. At first Keith hadn't thought anything of it- up until he was two chapters in. After that he was hooked, something that turned into more than just a school assignment. It became his everything, his companion. When he was sad or lonely (a feeling that was never foreign) he'd read it, stroking the pages like a child clinging to their mother. It brought him comfort during times when no one else could. He'd kept the school copy, never daring to part with it. The book had become tattered with use, filled with notes and tear stains that Keith would be proud to call his own.

He lost it in a move between foster houses. He'd cried for hours.

The novel wasn't something your typical thirteen year old boy might enjoy. It was a simple book; the story of a young, motherless girl who'd ran away, all to find herself falling into the arms of three single women in South Carolina. It was through this story that the main character, Lily, learned about motherhood - the effects it can have, the importance it carries, the strength that women hold. These were lessons Keith would've never learned on his own, and it was through these lessons that Keith felt it - he felt loved.

Keith didn't believe in God. But if that book was the bible? Hell, he just might.

"This," Keith whispered, gripping onto the book with shaking hands. "This is what I'm getting for Rosa."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, observing the book's cover in question. "Are you sure?"

Keith nodded, his jaw set. "I'm positive."

It wasn't that he thought the book was a good idea. No, Keith knew the book was a good idea. Rosa was the first woman that had come into Keith's life and done more than just feed him. She'd made an impact, she'd made him feel loved. Rosa triggered a feeling in Keith that warmed the bottom of his belly and soared to the tips of his hair. It was a feeling that made Keith feel so entirely valid, like he was wanted, and that there were parts of him to be valued.

There was only one other thing that ever made Keith feel that way - and it was that book, the one sitting on the Walmart shelf with the thirty percent off sticker.