Away!

Chapter 54

I step out of the steaming shower feeling already a bit better. But just a bit. This boy is extraordinary. He certainly is. I know no one, not one person who would have taken someone like me home. I slowly dry my body and my hair with the soft towel. It smells like safety and gives me a homey feeling. Everything about this place screams 'home'. I miss my friends. I miss my parents. But mostly I miss Tobias. He is somewhere out there. Probably still in this city. In a hotel. Maybe he went back to his father. Marcus...
A small knock on the door wakes me up. "Hello? Beatrice? Are you okay?" I hear little Tobias's voice.
"Yes. I am."
"I brought you some dry clothes. Mummy said you can stay here until tomorrow if you want."
"Wait a second. I'll just talk to her." I unlock the door and he lets the clothes fall behind the door. "Thanks." I say.
"No problem. Just come downstairs when you're ready." "Yeah. I will. Thank you again."
"I'll see you downstairs." He just answers and then I hear him walking away.
I take a look at the clothes. A plain black shirt and a grey sweat pants. I use my own underwear. I slip into the a bit too big clothes. They probably belong to Anna. I open the bathroom door and hear soft voices from downstairs.
"Tobias picked up another person. A girl. Her name is Beatrice. I don't think she is from here. She stood crying in the rain. Soaking wet. Her boyfriend just left her and Tobias saw her in the rain. You know what he is like." I hear Anna say.
"Yeah, I certainly do, How long will she stay?" A mans voice answers. Probably her husband and Tobias father. I take that as my clue and step down the stairs. "Hello. My name is Beatrice." Anna and the man turn towards me. "Hey." Anna says softly, "are you feeling better again?" I nod. "I do actually. Thank you so much for everything you already did." Anna nods and then points to the man standing next to her. He is tall, taller than Tobias or Uri. He has the same hair color as little Tobias and a few stubbles of beard. He is handsome for his age. "This is my husband Christopher." Christopher nods towards me and then sticks out his hand. I smile and shake it. "Hello." He smiles as well. "Hello, Beatrice."
Anna guides me back into the kitchen and we all sit down around the kitchen table. Little Tobias is playing with some toys in the connected living room. "So, Beatrice, how long do you plan on staying?" I shake my head. "Not long. I have to get back home. Maybe just until my clothes dried. I want to bother you as few as possible." Anna shakes her head. "You are not bothering us. At least stay until you ate something." I smile and then slowly nod. "Okay then. I will stay until dinner and then I'll take the next train home." They both nod.
"Okay then. I'll just prepare dinner." Anna says and stands up. "Oh, can I help?" I ask. She shakes her head. "No, I think Tobias will want to play with you." We both smile and I walk over to little Tobias. "Hey Bea!" He says happily and pulls me down to him. I kneel next to him. He opens his mouth but then closes it again. "Wait here!" He says and then jumps up and runs out.
I have to smile and lean against the couch. It's soft and warm. I feel how cold my heart feels despite this warm atmosphere here. Despite this little boy. My Tobias left me and now I am all alone. Maybe he wrote me, maybe he... maybe he is searching me. I scramble to my feet and wipe a tear from my cheek. I walk over to my jacket and cramp out my phone. I switch it on. Just one message from Chris, asking whether I am ok. I switch it off and let it slip into my back pocket.
I know that I should probably answer but I am going to see them tomorrow anyways. And I am not in the mood to explain anything to them right now. I just have to cope with everything myself.
Little Tobias returns with a fire truck in his hands. "Here, you'll play this one. His name is Beatrice from now on. I just got him." He smiles down at all his toy cars and picks up a blue police car. "This one is Mike, the green one is Sarah, the yellow one is Spencer, the purple sport car is Tommy, and now the red fire truck is for you." I frown. "Mike, Sarah, Spencer and Tommy... Are those the one..." he nods smiling. "The ones I took home. I think mike was about two years ago. I saw him crying in a corner on the street. Mum was talking to this salesman and so intent over. He told me that he addicted to something that made him sick. I don't know what it was. He always called it little blue ones. His pills weren't really blue though. Mostly they were see through but I guess you can say that they were a bit turquoise. Well anyways, I begged mom to take him home and she finally allowed. You know, my mum is a social worker and she can't resist people in need. When he was home he played with me. Now he visits us every second weekend. Sadly only every second because he is in a clinic right now. He said that the little blue ones weren't good for him. I never saw him taking them." I shake my head. If I understood this right this little boy helped a meth addict called Mike get over his addiction... that is more than extraordinary. That is a freaking miracle.
I smile at him in awe. But he doesn't even notice. He just starts telling me about the other three. Apparently Sarah was from Germany and was robbed of all her money. Anna gave her the opportunity to call her parents who transferred Sarah money for a flight.
Spencer was homeless and would have frozen to death without little Tobias. He took her home but never heard of her again. Sad his eyes eye the small yellow car. "I always hope to see her again, you know? I just want to make sure she is alright." I nod. "I am sure she is. You can't save everyone." He shakes his head. "No i certainly can't." I smile and softly bump my fire truck against his yellow car. "What about Tommy?" He starts smiling again. "Tommy was an exchange Student we had for six months. So actually I didn't really 'find' him. But I liked him a lot and so he got into my collection." I have to smile. "Let's Play now little Tobias." He nods and sits up straighter. And then I get a crash course in little boys car playing.
"Ok, dinner is ready." Anna calls.
I let my fire truck drive into the station and jump to my feet. I stretch out my hands. "Come on. Dinner." He takes my hands in his and I pull him up. "I'll be first!" He yells and starts running. Squeeling he runs in front of me towards the kitchen. I have to laugh and follow him. This boy made me smile not six hours after I lost the love of my life. He certainly is extraordinary.