A Home For Timmy (boyxboy)

Chapter 8- Part Two: When the bottle is in fact half empty.

“It’s good he has someone to care for. I was starting to worry he would never find a nice boy and settle down.”

“It isn’t like that mom.” I interjected and she fixed me with a pointed look.

“I’m serious...they’re just guests.”

“Yeah and you’ve fallen in love with them.”

I started to shake my head, then paused. In some ways I suppose she was right. Somewhere along the way I’d started to care deeply for them both, and while I could see that those feelings were reciprocated by little Timmy, Jason remained unmoved. Three and a half weeks and he sometimes still regarded me with caution, still struggled to open up and kept our conversations to a minimum.

It was a damn shame that it didn’t stop me from feeling the way I did. I did love them…like a man loved his family. They were just the sort of people you couldn’t help loving. But to be in love…in love with Jason? I didn’t know that I would call it that, having never experienced the emotion myself, but I cared about him…maybe more than I should, but god help me, it was there.

I ignored my father’s concerned stare and tipped the bottle to my head, before depositing what was left on the table before me. I’d been with my fair share of guys; One night stands, a few quick minutes in an empty bathroom stall. I’d even tried a few doomed-from-the-start relationships, but no matter how long they lasted or how much I’d come to care for any of them...it had never been like this.

The question that kept popping up into my head was why exactly was it like this? I still didn’t know him...not really. In the weeks he’d lived under my roof, the only real facts I’d learned was that his father was a dick, he’d dropped out of school pretty young and he  was more than a fan of orange juice.  How could you really care for a person whom you knew next to nothing about?

Timmy on the other hand…Timmy I knew. I knew the things that made him laugh and smile; like a good tickle, a funny face and a clean bunny. I knew the things that made him cry; like forcing him to put clothes on, bedtime and when either of us scolded him.

 I also knew the things that made him scared; like being all alone in a dark room, the sound of the vacuum and sitting on the toilet without someone holding his hands. I knew him. I understood him and this knowledge justified how I felt about him.

But Jason? Jason was a mystery. A man who cared more for his son’s comfort than his own. Who raised Timmy with a firm voice and a gentle hand. Whose stubbornness knew no bounds.

Jason, who used a dictionary to teach himself words he didn’t understand while reading. Whose love for books surprisingly surpassed my own. A man who tried to hide the fact that he actually enjoyed working with his hands. Who frowned when he was upset, smiled when he was happy and had yet to laugh in my presence. 

A man who kept his every thought, every feeling bottled up and finally, a man who’d been hurt so many times by the world, yet still had the courage to fight back.

I shook my head. No…I didn’t know him at all, so whatever it was that I was feeling was simply inexplicable.

“What’s going happen to them when the patio’s done?” Dad once again interrupted my thoughts and I glanced up at him. “It’s been weeks in the making; can’t be long now before it’s complete.”

I’d already thought this through of course. “Turns out Jason’s pretty good with cars. Figured I could get him a job down by Uncle Niko’s garage.”

The chief didn’t look impressed. “Yeah? And what’ll happen to the kid when he’s working?” his eyes narrowed. “You’ll be back to work  yourself in two weeks. Whose gonna take care of the boy?”