Salvation - 59. Chapter 58

It took me four days to finish reading that book. I was amazed at what he accomplished. Taking another tour of the house, I could visualize the boys. I never realized that there were people like Carleton. Yes, I felt comfortable calling him Carleton after reading his book.

It was early the next morning when Steven came for a visit. “Robert, I think you have finished the book, right?”

“Yes, Steven, I have finished. Your father was quite the man. I don’t know if you will find a person to take his place. This house is way too big for one man.”

“Yes, it needs to be filled with boys, and based on our research, you are that man.”

“What research? I was looking for a place. I wanted to leave the city, and a condo was too restrictive. I wanted a place in the country where I could walk around and not be bothered by other people. Living in a city is not something I liked. I lived there because of my work.”

“Yes, we know that. When we decided that we needed someone to occupy Dad’s house and to carry on his work, we hired investigators. They provided us with four names, and of the four, we selected you. The other three were placed on hold, pending your acceptance of continuing Dad’s work.”

“But, I own this house, and what if I don’t want to do that?”

“Robert, I think you will want to do that. We know that you have paid for food for the homeless in your city. You have walked through the parks on the weekend, offering sandwiches. You can do this. As for the house, you didn’t buy it. The money you paid is in a trust fund to provide the initial operating costs of setting you up as Dad’s replacement. The papers the county clerk gave you have a clause that if you decided not to continue, your money would be returned to you along with additional funds for any inconvenience resulting from you having to move. Robert, you are the man for this job. Give it a try. We know your heart is in the right place.”

“I don’t know if I can do what your father did. Yes, I offered food to those who were hungry, but I could walk away. If I did what your father did, I couldn’t walk away.”

“No, you couldn’t walk away. When you read his book, did you ever think, ‘I couldn’t leave that boy on the street’?

Robert had to think about the boys in the book. He realized that he couldn’t walk away if he were in Mr. Jeffries’s position, and he had the resources to help.

Steven saw the look on Robert’s face change. He knew they were right in picking this man for his Dad’s replacement. “Robert, let’s take a ride.”

Steven knew he was going to put Robert to the test. Arriving in the city, they went to a restaurant in one of the city’s poorer sections. Walking in, they were met by a young man.

“Hello, Uncle Steven,”

“Hello Alex, where is your dad?”

“He’s in the kitchen on a special project.”

Steven knew that the special project was a boy from the streets being fed. When Dave heard that Steven had found a replacement for Dad, he started to recruit street boys. “Robert, let’s go to the kitchen, I’ll introduce you to my brother who owns this restaurant and is the chef. He’s a graduate of a prestigious culinary school in Europe.”

Walking into the kitchen, Dave was seated at a table talking to a boy about 14 years old. Seeing Steven, he went to meet him, knowing that the man with him was Dad’s replacement.

“Steven, it’s nice to see you, and this is?”

“Hi Dave, this is Robert Barre. He has taken over Dad’s house.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Robert, this young man is Carlos. He’s 14 years old and sweeps the floors here, after we close. He needs a home, Steven.”

They looked at Robert. He was watching the young boy eat. “Carlos, is that good?”

“Yes sir, Uncle Dave always makes good food for me.”

“You eat here often?”

“This is the only place I eat. I don’t have any money and Uncle Dave lets me sweep his floors for the food I eat.”

“Where do you sleep?”

“In the park or some overnight places, if they let me.”

Steven and Dave watched Robert. Robert sat down where Dave was sitting.

“I think he’ll be the first.”

“Yes, I think you’re right. He’s showing interest, but he may need a push.”

“Robert, do you have room for Carlos in your house.”

Robert looked at Dave and then Steven. They were both smiling. “Carlos, let’s go and see where you sleep. Dave, we’ll be back for something to eat in 30 minutes.”

I watched Robert’s face as we followed Carlos. When he showed Robert where he slept in the park, two other boys were sleeping under a dirty and torn blanket. When they saw Carlos, “Did you bring us anything to eat?”

“No, I’m sorry. These men wanted to see where I slept.”

“Boys. Get-up, and I’ll buy you something to eat.” I looked at Robert. “Robert, these boys need you. You have that big house. You have all of those beds. Look into yourself, into your heart, and make the right decision.”

Robert looked at the boys; he saw the faces of hope. He knew he couldn’t walk away. Giving them lunch in the daylight was one thing, but seeing them where they slept and knowing they were hungry was something else. That was the moment he knew he would accept the mantle of Mr. Jeffries.

“Boys, get up. We’ll go and get something to eat and then you can come home with me. I have plenty of beds for you.”

“Robert, I knew we made the right decision. My brothers will contact you when they have a son for you.”

After taking the boys back to the restaurant for dinner, they took the boys home. That night, Steven went to a special place, “Dad, we found your replacement, and he now has three boys living with him.” A soft mist seemed to develop. There were Dad and the young man who was the driving force behind Carleton Jeffries.