Our Boys

Easter Gifts

"Hi," the boys greeted in unison.

"Hi boys, you had a good day?" Cal responded, excusing himself from the conversation so he could face the boys more easily and bend down to their level.

"Uh huh, we made you something," Ethan told him. "Both of us together."

"Well that's very kind of you."

Josh pulled off his Pokemon backpack and pulled out the card they had made. It was in the form of large egg, covered in hundreds of small balls of scrunched up tissue paper, forming bands of bright colours. On the inside, Ethan had written 'HAPPY EASTER MR CAL FROM ETHAN AND' then Josh had added his name in his more hesitant hand.

"Wow boys!" Cal gushed. "That looks sick! That's much better than what I could ever do."

"It's for Miss Sarah as well," Josh added solemnly.

Cal smiled. "And she'll love it, I promise you. Now..." Cal lowered himself down even lower and whispered to the boys.

JJ had been watching from a distance, but confident that the boys were in good hands and enjoying themselves, he let them be. He was vaguely aware that the boys had moved around to the small cafe, sometime seeing them coming back out of the room with Deji, both grinning happily.

By the time Simon walked back into the waiting area, the boys were standing in front of Cal's laptop, playing an Easter egg hunt game he'd found on the internet.

"Hi boys!" he greeted.

Josh instantly abandoned his game and ran to Simon, who for his part dropped the plastic bag he was holding onto the corner of the closest table, and scooped up the slight boy - backpack and all - into his arms.

"Wow, you're getting heavy," he commented. "You got bricks in that bag?"

Josh grinned, then shook his head.

"Ready to go home?"

This time Josh nodded. Every time Simon said that word 'home' it gave him a wonderful warm feeling. In those months living in an shopping centre, and before that living on the streets and in the group home, eating out of rubbish bins, trying to look after Ethan, all he wanted was a real home, with someone to look after him and make him feel safe. In his imagination, it was a home in the country, far away from the madness of the city. Now all his dreams had come true.

...

On Saturday the weather was kind to them, it was dry and sunny, though cold. They went riding. Tobi was confident enough to ride on his own now and charged off ahead of them. Ethan rode on Neil in front of one of the stable hands, Josh rode, albeit on a lead rein, on Illuminate, a black, blaze faced pony of about fourteen hands. The horse had rarely been ridden since Simon had moved in and turned out to be something of a 'character', but he and Josh had made a connection and in just two weeks the two were firm friends.

In the afternoon, as it got darker and colder, they retreated inside to toast marshmallows over the open log fire, play games and watch movies. Finally, the boys were tucked up in bed, bathed and fed and happy. JJ sat on the floor beside the two beds and read Matilda, while Simon leaned against the wall and just listened, enjoying the sights and sounds before him. JJ had always been the storyteller. Simon used to read to his nephew; having the boys in the house kept bringing back memories of the boy and his older brother, but though these memories were often emotional, they were not painful.

...

Sunday morning - Easter Day - the boys ran into the kitchen when they were called to breakfast, cards in hand. Ethan's card was clearly a bunny; it was neatly made with grey tissue paper, with a pale blue collar, white tail, pink nose and black eye.  Remembering the neatly made egg cards the boys had given out on Thursday, it was clear to JJ who had done most of the work on those ones. Clearly the boy had something of an artistic streak.