A Foster's Home

Chapter 8

Billy was grateful that he had the room to himself. It gave him a perfect opportunity to find out more about Freddy's parents without him knowing. He wanted it to be a huge surprise for his brother, and closure from all the pain. Freddy went with Victor to the grocery store to clear his head away from home.

As much as he was against it, Billy went through Freddy's things. He searched his desk, the boxes, the sketchbooks..., anything that can tell him where Freddy's parents are buried. He even considered calling Freddy's social worker, but he wanted that to be his last resort. He wanted to try to find them himself.

Billy looked into a box labeled My Parents' Things. There must be something there that might give him the answer, or at least a lead. In it were comics, photographs, and a bunch of snowglobes. One of the snowglobes were of a family of three sitting by a Christmas tree. A little boy--that looked a lot like Freddy--sat between his two parents with a big smile on his face. The snowglobe must've been specially made for them. All of them were.

Billy picked up one of the photographs. It was of Freddy and his parents at a park having a picnic. Billy saw that Freddy got his dad's hair and nose and his mother's eyes and mouth. His dad was the one who held the camera since his arm was extended. He held his family with his other arm. His mother had her arms around her son and her cheek laid on his head. Freddy looked around five years old. His arms were around both his parents and his smile showed that he was missing his two front teeth. They were a beautiful family and really showed how much they loved each other. Billy smiled at the picture. He just had to find Freddy's parents.

He gently put the picture back in the box. As much as he loved seeing the happy family, the box wasn't going to give him answers.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. In a panic, Billy put everything back where he found it as neatly as possible. He ran out of the closet and closed it. "Yeah?"

The door opened and revealed Rosa. "Hi, Billy. I was just wondering if you wanted a PB&J sandwich since I was making one for Darla."

"Sure, that'd be great."

"Okay. What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just hanging around by myself."

"Okay, well, I'll call you when your sandwich is ready."

Billy only nodded.

Rosa walked out of the room and to the kitchen. It was only when she got downstairs that Billy mentally kicked himself. Of course Rosa would know something about Freddy's parents! She would've asked his social worker about them, right? She seemed like the kind of person who would do that. If not her, then hopefully Victor.

He grabbed his notebook from his bed and ran after his foster mother.

"Rosa, can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course. Is it something that we need to sit down to talk about?"

"I guess? But it's not about me. It's about Freddy."

Rosa gave Billy a sympathetic look. "Billy, I know you want to help your brother to find closure and comfort from his past--and I love that you care so much--but what's Freddy's past is his business."

"But that's the thing. He already told me everything. He told me how he lost his parents in a car accident and how his leg got messed up."

Rosa looked confused. She placed the bread on a napkin on the counter and turned her whole body toward her foster son. "Then what else is there to tell you?"

"His parents."

Rosa's face didn't change.

Billy flipped to the page in his notebook where he put the names of Freddy's parents. He put it in front of Rosa's face a little too close. "These are his parents. They're out there somewhere and I want to find them, for Freddy."