The Beginning of the End

12. All That Matters

"Hey Davies! Let me grab that for you." Dan insisted as he grabbed a heavy bag from the boy.

"Thanks Mr. Espinoza," Matt Davies replied with a relieved grunt.

Dan shook his head with an exasperatedly amused smile as he took the bag from the fifteen year old.

"Man, how many times have I told you? You can call me Dan. Mr. Espinoza makes me sound old."

Matt laughed and grabbed a small bag from the back of the truck. "Sorry Dan."

"Hey, it's cool." Dan replied as they made their way into the warehouse.

Dan had really gotten involved with volunteering with a local charity organization. All of the employees were volunteers and they resold the donations they received a reduced rate. The warehouse-turned-store had everything from furniture to clothes to food, anything you'd find at your normal super market. The vibe was great and it felt like a breath of fresh air to Dan, a clean-slate.

He knew it wouldn't make up for all of his corruption and the hurt he caused in the past, but at least doing this on the side, he felt like he was becoming a better member of society. Helping the less fortunate without pay made him feel a bit better about himself than he had in years.

He had also made many new friends through the volunteer program, including fifteen year old Matt Davies. The kid had it rough. His dad bailed after his mom got pregnant, mom was on drugs and arrested for possession and child endangerment when Matt was one. He was taken in by his aunt and uncle who were older in age and had five children of their own, so sometimes Matt got overlooked at home. Apparently he used to get teased a lot in school because he had darker skin while his family was white. He knew his mom was white (he was living with his mom's sister), so the only things Matt knows about his father is that he's of African descent, a dead-beat, and if his dad didn't want to know him, then he didn't want to know his dad, according to what Matt has said.

One of Matt's goals in life was to do something good and make a difference in the world for kids who grew up like him.

Unfortunately, money was tight in his house and between school and helping to take care of his cousins, Matt was having a difficult time finding an actual job to start saving up for college. Right now, he used this as a way to build up his resume in case, by some miracle, he was able to go to school. If not, he said the military was an option because they would pay for school after he served for a few years.

Dan was proud of the kid and gave him a ton of credit for wanting better. He'd even mentioned getting Matt involved in the police force. Matt thanked him for the offer, but he thinks he wants to go into more of a social work or political position.

Matt was polite, ambitious, but most of all, brave and hopeful.

He and Dan became fast friends, a long with a few others, and Dan began to take Matt under his wing since Matt's uncle worked twelve hours a day and was nearing retirement.

"So do you have any plans for the weekend, Matt?" Dan asked as the two finished stocking clothing in the correct places.

"Uh, I'm not sure. Might watch some Netflix. Might read. I'll have the whole house to myself, so I've gotta figure out how to entertain myself."

Dan's face fell and he asked, "Family going out of town?"

"Yeah," Matt sighed, "One of my cousins has this big piano recital in Vegas, so they asked me to look after the house. There's been a lot of break-ins in the neighborhood lately, so they want someone there just in case."

Dan stopped stocking and looked at Matt with bewilderment. There's no way he would leave Trixie at home alone for the weekend especially if there was a recent history of robberies!