Starlight in the Heavens - 11. Chapter 11

Part 11 - Brian

All I ever wanted was to fit in. Hard thing to do when you were afraid. I did try, sometimes, but it was so hard to open up. When I was little, the other kids pretty much left me alone. Now and then, I would try to talk to some of them, try to make a friend, but it was so much easier to just sit in my room and read. In my books, I could have friends. I could go on adventures, ride horses, race cars and motorcycles, be a star athlete, do anything and be anyone.

Yeah, anyone. Anyone, but me.

Then came middle school. I thought fitting in was hard before. Man, what a joke. I couldn’t do it. I tried, really I did. But in the end, I found things a lot easier just to fade into the background. Eventually, I think the others just forgot I was there.

My mom started watching me when I was in high school. Well, as much as a mom could when she worked full time, had five kids to raise, and a husband who thought he was God's gift to the world. I remember her coming to my door one afternoon and asking me if everything was okay. Right. Seventeen years old, sitting on my bed with a book in my hand, no friends, hardly even anyone to be called an acquaintance.

“I’m fine, mom. Why?”

“Oh. Well, you just seem so quiet. And I wanted to make sure you knew you could talk to me if you need to.”

Ha! Good one.

“Yeah, sure mom, I know. No worries, I’m fine.”

No worries. I picked that up from reading about ‘Down Under’. God, I love books. It’s amazing, the things you can learn.

Of course, now I know a little different. All the book knowledge in the world can’t completely prepare you for the day you step out, grab the world by the balls, and introduce yourself. Well, at least it taught me a bit about self defense. That, a full length mirror, and a ton of self discipline. Something early on had told me I would need to be able to take care of more than just myself.

So now the time has come. Taking down the thugs that wanted them was actually easier than I thought it would be. Getting the woman and kid to trust me...well, that might take a little more panache.

In the end, it was the kid that made the decision.

“Come on, Mom. We need to go with Brian.”

“Are you sure, Anthony?” Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. “What if he’s like the others? What if we go with him and he tries to hurt you too?”

Watching them talk, it almost seemed that the boy was the adult and the woman was a scared child. But what she was whispering shocked me. Hurt him too? Why would anyone want to hurt the kid? I could understand, not agree mind you, but understand the desire most men would have to keep the woman. She was beautiful, although, the look in her eyes was all too vacant. But hurt the kid? He was like innocence personified. Well, yes and no. He had the innocence of a child, but also, he radiated a maturity far above most of the adults I’d come across in my twenty-seven years in this world.

I decided to give them some space to discuss their options and walked across the grass to a picnic table. It was near the rest stop bathrooms, so I could also keep a look-out for any interruptions that might come from the people that had stopped in the last few minutes. I watched them as they talked and noticed, for the first of many times, how lost the woman seemed. There were times when she looked as normal as the next person. But, if you really watched her, you could actually see her diminish... almost as though a part of her was being cut out and dispersed into the air. Her hair, though long and full, lacked the luster you would expect. And she was far too pale, with washed out green eyes that seemed to fade even more when you tried to gain her attention.

At first glance, I figured the boy, Anthony, to be about five years old. He was a cute kid with honey colored hair, sun kissed skin, and a smattering of freckles across his button nose and cheek bones. He looked healthy, whereas, his mom seemed to be on the thin side. I wondered if she gave the food they found to him rather than eat any herself. I’d have to improve on their situation after gaining her trust. No more hiding out and searching through ‘God knows what’ to find nourishment.

After listening to Anthony speak, though, I had to wonder if maybe he was only small for his age. No five year old I’d ever come across spoke with the clarity and maturity that this boy did. And the directness of his gaze, like a royal blue laser piercing to the center of your being, made him seem far older than those around him.

I sat a little straighter when they began to walk closer, Anthony, pulling his mother behind him.

“Mr. Walsh,” Anthony said, but I interrupted with, “Please. Call me, Brian.”

His smile was immediate and made his face seem to glow.

“Brian, we’d like to accept your offer of a ride. I think that you are probably heading in the same direction we would like to go.”

“Cool,” I couldn’t help but smile at this little person talking so much like an adult. “I’d be glad for the company. Do you think your mom will give me her name now?”

I looked up from his shining face to the woman standing behind him. She had a tenuous smile that transformed the lost look to one of hope. I was glad to give her that.

“Mandy.” She raised one hand in greeting. “I’m pleased to meet you, Brian. Anthony says you are a good man and that you are on a straight path.”

“Well, I don’t know how straight it is, but we’ll get where we’re going.”

Anthony giggled a bit at my comment, and I had a strange idea that he knew me even better than I knew myself.

“Mister... Brian, your path is straight even if your feelings are not of the norm.”

“Of the norm?” Mandy seemed a bit confused at her boy’s statement. But a few seconds later, she nodded and smiled. “Ah, I see. Like your father.”

She took no notice of my startled expression, and turned to face the parking area. “Shall we go?”

We made our way to my one and only real possession, besides my clothing. A 1965 Shelby GT350, the only thing I took when my parents disowned me at eighteen. I’d spent two years and countess hours restoring it, and there was no way in hell I was going to leave it behind to be trashed by my homophobic father. She was a bit dirty after traveling through the Arizona desert, but I figured I could give her a good cleaning once we decided to stop. The back seat area was small, but then, so was the kid.

I watched his eyes sparkle when we stepped closer to my baby.

"This is your car?"

His delight was only magnified when he started to jump up and down, clapping his hands, and giggling.

"I was right. I was right. See, mommy, Brian's the one."

Okay. I have to admit. That part confused me. But his enthusiasm far outweighed any concern I might have had. The boy was different, but so what? Weren't we all?

I unlocked the passenger side door and pulled the seat forward so Anthony could get in. Once the seat was pushed back into place, I helped Mandy in and made sure the seat-belt was fastened around her thin frame. She settled back and closed her eyes, after giving me a small smile.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?"

"For being you," was all the answer I got.

"Sure."

I closed the door and looked around before rounding to the driver's door. This had been a nice spot to stop. So many of the rest stops along the way were dry and arid. This one was green. Whoever took care of it, I was sure it wasn't the state, had taken the time to put in grass and plant cottonwoods. An irrigation system kept it all watered, so it was a small oasis in the desert heat. The picnic tables were all covered with cabana roofs to keep the sun from burning those that rested. The bathrooms were large and kept very clean. A nice place. I was glad I stopped.

Once I got in the car, before I belted myself in, I turned and looked into the back seat.

"All fastened in, buddy?"

Anthony's smile radiated from his cherubic face, giving me warm flutters all the way through my body.

"Sure am."

"Good. How about we stop on the way to get some grub?"

Anthony bounced as he giggled, in the way only small boys can, and nodded.

"That okay by you?" I asked Mandy as I pulled the seat-belt around and clicked it into the lock.

When I looked up at her, her eyes seemed a little bit less faded. It made me wonder how long they'd been on the run, and how long since she'd trusted anyone to help.

"Please," she said. "But, I don't have much money."

"I don't recall asking for any." I patted her arm, and hoped she saw the truth in my next words. "I don't know what you are running from, and I'm not going to ask you to explain. Something tells me that I need to help you guys... that I've always been meant to help you. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

I started the car and pulled onto the interstate, heading east. It wasn't a lie, or a come-on that I'd told her. I didn't understand it, but something inside told me that to get to the final end of where I wanted to be, these two people were important. And it felt good, being with them... knowing that they needed me. I hadn't felt like a complete person in a long while... not since getting my first job and being told I was a valuable part of the company as a whole. I'd never really felt an important part of blood family, but right at that moment in time, with these two—I did. They were my family.

"So, little sister, the next town up has a great smorgasbord. You want to give it a try?"

I glanced over at her in time to see her expression of astonishment as she stared at me, change to delight as she once again settled back and closed her eyes.

"That sounds wonderful."

The giggle from the back seat told me Anthony was all for it.

Mandy trembled a little when entered the restaurant. I watched her eyes flit about at the occupants as they went through the food lines. It was past lunch and early for dinner, so it wasn't as crowded as it could have been. But as I'd told her, it was a good place. And, it was right off the interstate, so there were quite a few travelers in amongst the locals.

She flinched momentarily when I put my arm around her shoulders, but relaxed at my warm smile. I quickly took one of Anthony's hands before he could run off toward the food.

"We have to pay first, bud."

"Oh." Anthony looked at our clasped hands then at his free one. "Um, Uncle Brian, I think we should wash our hands."

My heart stuttered, and I felt a warm flush creep up my neck. In his innocence, he'd just shown me more love and trust than anyone had ever before in my life.

I dropped my arm from his mother and knelt to his eye level.

"You really mean that?"

"Well, sure. Just look at my hands."

"No. I mean, when you called me Uncle Brian."

The kid scrunched up his forehead as he thought. He studied my face and the piercing gaze of his blue eyes delved straight into my soul. Then it was as if a light went on and he laughed.

"You're funny. You know that?" He pulled my hand as he started for the bathrooms. "Come on, Uncle Brian. I'm hungry."

Mandy followed closely, and turned into the women's as I took Anthony into the men's. I was Uncle Brian.

During the time we spent eating, I watched the other patrons. Each one, when they glanced in our direction, would stop and gaze at Anthony. Most would smile and sigh before turning away to continue with what they were doing. But there were a few that gave him looks that made my skin crawl. They would take a step or two in our direction, until they noticed me watching them. At that time, their faces would flush, and they would quickly turn away. Of those, all but one immediately left the restaurant.

We finished eating and I went with Anthony back into the men's room to clean up. That one was there. He was standing at the sink with his hands under the water, and stared at Anthony as he went into a cubicle to relieve himself. He tried to look non-committal as he turned back to the sink, but I could see him still staring at the cubicle door through the mirror.

His eyes twitched when I cleared my throat.

"I think maybe your hands are clean now," I said and nodded my head toward the sink.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess they are."

He shut off the water and pulled out a couple paper towels. His gaze went back to the cubicle door when the toilet flushed.

Anthony opened the door and went to the sink. He was too small to reach it, so I lifted and held him still so he could wash his hands. Through the mirror, I watched as the man licked his lips and began to move closer.

Possession. That was what was in his eyes. He wanted Anthony. What for, I didn't bother to ask. Instead, I put Anthony down and moved him behind me.

"You need to leave now," I said in a tone that brokered no argument.

When he took another step toward us, I raised my voice. "Now!"

That seemed to break his attention and he looked up into my face. I don't know what he saw there, but I knew that if he hadn't turned and walked away, I was more than ready to break every bone in his body. Maybe, that came across in the look in my eyes.

My body was shaking when Anthony's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Uncle Brian?" His voice was small, timid, and little bit afraid. "What did he want?"

I dropped to my knees and hugged his small body to my chest. "I don't know, bud. But, you don't have to be afraid of people like him anymore. You got that?" I felt his nod against my cheek. "So long as you and your mom are with me, I'll keep you safe."