Chapter 42: Kids
Jake went back home with his mom. I was reading on the deck when Berta showed up.
"Hi, Berta," I greeted her.
"Hello, Francis. Your dad's been singing about 'manpower, horsepower, coal, and steam.' What kind of depravity did he find this time?" she asked deadpan.
I put the book aside. "Not his fault this time. Uncle Alan was hoping that the three of them - including Judith - working together on Jake's fourth-grade tribute to the Industrial Revolution would help him get back with his allegedly gay ex-wife."
Berta scoffed. "You somehow managed to suck the intelligence out of two generations, didn't you?" she added dryly.
I laughed, and we both went into the kitchen.
"Hey, Francis," Alan finally noticed I was home.
I gave him a nod. "Hello, Uncle Alan."
"I heard you got into a fight at school on Monday," Alan mentioned while sorting through a stack of mail that had just arrived
"It was nothing - just a regular high school fight," I dismissed.
Charlie smirked. "The important thing is that my son won. Look, not even a mark to tell the story," he said, gesturing toward my face.
"Now you need to tell the whole story," Berta urged, already sitting down, ready for the gossip.
"I just told my friend's ex-boyfriend to stay away from her. He didn't like it and was about to start something, so I struck first - and the rest of his group came after me.
Turns out my group was bigger - basically five against one - I barely had to move," I explained.
Those who have money just need to know how to use it. Those who have money and power only need to decide how hard to crush.
"My group and I got a warning, while the others were expelled," I concluded.
It was pretty clear the school was favoring me. The ones who got beaten up were the ones who got expelled.
"How can that be fair?" Alan gave me a puzzled look but paused for a moment before exclaiming, "Oh, God," as he read one of the letters.
"What?" I asked.
"It's from Judith's lawyers," Alan revealed. "Really? Good news?" Charlie inquired.
"No, it's not good news. Judith filed for divorce," Alan snapped. "I can't believe she blindsided me like this - being all nice and friendly to my face while her lawyers were working behind my back," he grumbled.
Berta and I quietly slipped away. It was already good enough that we didn't say anything ironic to Alan.
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Charlie and Alan went to Jake's rehearsal while I headed to my usual Thursday activity.
"Here we are - the place I come to every Thursday," I said, introducing the group home I volunteered at in West LA.
In expensive neighborhoods like Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu, you rarely find one due to the high costs.
"Is this an orphanage?" Marissa asked in surprise.
"Group home," I corrected softly. "Since the Child Welfare Reform Act of 1997, we don't use the term orphanage anymore."
"I'm dating Mary Poppins?" Summer muttered.
I rang the doorbell, and it opened almost immediately.
"Kids, step aside!" the woman at the door called out.
As soon as I walked in, a wave of fourteen children between six and nine years old swarmed me.
"Jake!" "Brother Jake!" "Uncle Jake!" echoed through the room.
"Halt!" I commanded, making them stop for a second. I chuckled lightly. "Every time, it's the same thing," I teased them gently.
"Elly," I called the oldest, a nine-year-old girl. "I brought ice cream," I said, handing her the bag. "Go grab the cups, please."
The kids started getting excited again.
"If I see any of you fighting over ice cream, you won't get the second surprise I brought for you," I warned, earning a collective nod before they all rushed toward the kitchen.
Then I turned to the woman who took care of all of them. "Sister Agnes, I brought my friends. You already know Haley - these are Summer and Marissa."
After they greeted her, Sister Agnes turned back to me. "What was that fight you got into?"
"'You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people; you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.' Leviticus 19:16," I quoted, choosing the Bible verse against gossipers.
"You can quote the entire Bible and I'll still press you. You're not hurt, are you?" she asked.
"No, just a regular high school fight," I dismissed.
Noticing Marissa getting a bit uneasy, I called them over. "Come on, girls - let's go talk to the little gremlins."
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After everyone enjoyed the ice cream, it was time for homework - only after that could they go back to playing.
Marissa, Haley, and Summer helped out as well.
"Is that your girlfriend?" Elly asked me.
"Yep, the brunette one," I replied with a grin toward Summer.
"They're all so beautiful," she added.
I patted her head. "You'll be beautiful too, Elly."
Tommy, one of the six-year-old boys, innocently commented, "I liked your last one better," earning an immediate smack on the head from Elly.
He ran off to complain to Sister Agnes.
I noticed Haley and Marissa holding back their laughter, while Summer seemed to be plotting something.
She stood up and muttered, "I'm going to win that boy over."
"Sit down, Summer," I said, a bit exasperated. She paused for a moment before sitting beside me.
We kept helping with homework; afterward, the boys and I played video games with some new titles I had bought, while the girls stayed with my friends, braiding hair.
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A few hours later, the four of us were at the edge of Santa Monica Beach, illuminated by the lights of the amusement park just ahead.
Leaning against the guardrail, with Summer resting in my arms, she murmured, "You are a mystery, Francis Jacob."
"My cousin is a muffin on the inside," Haley joked, though there was only affection in her tone.
Marissa was simply staring at me
I shrugged. "I don't care if people see me as soft, a bad boy, or a nerd. And I especially don't need to keep proving my masculinity - I know what I like."
"Yeah, I have no doubts about that," Summer added suggestively.
"Get a room, you two," Haley scolded
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