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“Of course, buddy.” I shove the unhelpful thoughts down and give Elijah a big smile. “Got all your stuff?”
“Yeah.” He looks at the floor. “So, are you really going to pick me up, too? I saw Dad’s list. There’s a lot on it.”
I chuckle and then pull him close, helping him with his backpack as we head toward the door. It weighs a ton, and I wonder what Elijah’s fancy private school has him working on.
He grabs a paper fish that’s colored with a rainbow array of spots and waves. Elijah has clearly worked hard on it and handles it carefully.
“Of course, Elijah. I’ll be there. Your dad’s list is totally doable. Trust me. I used to work for this large family in Ireland, and they had a lot more on their daily to-do list. And they had a goat!”
Elijah gapes at me.
“No way. Really?”
“Yup, and I had the pleasure of feeding it quite often. He had a taste for shorts.”
The boy’s laughter fills the vestibule, and I giggle along with him. I’m only humoring him a little.
The goat was a thing back with the O’Connors, and Elijah’s dad’s list is only mildly ridiculous. It’s all normal errands and housework, with the worst of it being the pleasure of cleaning the kid’s room.
Lego landmines, here I come.
However, Elijah is especially sweet for a ten-year-old boy, and I can tell it’s been a while since he’s had an adult in his life he can count on.
The divorce.
My dad had filled in some of the details about how Noah was still going through a messy divorce and that the relationship ended badly. He wasn’t specific, but I’ve learned my dad’s poker face pretty damn well at this point.
He was furious on his friend’s behalf.
I didn’t want to push Noah for details seeing as we just met but knowing might allow me to be more sensitive to their unique situation. Maybe Elijah will give me something to go on?
We get situated in the car, and I punch in the address for the school from Noah’s list into my car’s GPS. It’s not a long drive, per se, but it gives us the chance to talk more—and talk Elijah does.
“Your car is nice. It’s more comfortable than Dad’s. There’s, like, nowhere to put my stuff. Not that he drives me often.”
I hear Elijah shuffling in his seat.
“I wonder if my mom still has that other car. I think she took the big one with her. It’s an SUV.”
He takes a quick breath to fuel his lightning-fast chatter, and I stifle a laugh.
“So, you were in Ireland. That’s so cool. I’ve been out of the country a few times with Dad, but I usually have to stay in the hotel.”
I look back in the rearview mirror and quickly see that he’s brought an apple to munch on.
“I’m sorry. That’s no fun. Maybe next time you can ask him to do something fun with you.”
Loud crunches echo through the car as Elijah chews.
“Maybe. He’s always so busy. He works like all the time.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Hopefully, I’ll be able to help with that. Your dad won’t feel like he has to do so much because I’ll be there to help.”
I eye Elijah again. He’s staring out the window with a look I know all too well. I’ve seen it in my mirror.
Loneliness.
“My dad worked a lot, too, when I was growing up. He still does to a certain extent.”
