Page 79 of Sheltering You

“It’s when you walk from house to house and sing Christmas songs on people’s doorsteps.”

“That’s weird,” Rabie said.

“No kidding. But then we go back to the house, and Mom feeds us. So, you know, there’s always food.”

“And presents?” Rabie asked. “I have heard of many presents.”

“This I have also heard,” Jasmine said.

“Yeah, presents.” His tone was solemn. It was a moment before he spoke again. “Sometimes, all the decorations and presents get in the way of the real meaning of Christmas, though. Basically, it’s a huge birthday party for Jesus. I think we forget that.”

“And does the food get in the way?” she asked.

“Oh, no.” He shot her a grin. “The food is the most important part.”

They left the residential area and its lights behind, entering a world of darkness and trees.

Twenty minutes passed before they turned onto another well-lit road, this one much less charming than the last.

Rabie piped up again. “Where are we now?”

“Still in West Virginia.”

“Where are we going?”

Derrick chuckled. “We’re headed to the interstate.”

“But to where?” He was practically wailing with the whine.

“When we know,” Jasmine said, “we will tell you.”

“I know what you need.” Derrick’s voice took on a teasing tone. “Dinner. What sounds good? There’s everything a boy could want.” He nodded to the brightly lit fast-food restaurants that lined both sides of the road ahead.

There were too many options, most of which Rabie wasn’t familiar with. Derrick ended up parking at the back of a strip mall lot and summing up the menus at all the different places and offering his personal opinion about each one.

Finally, Rabie chose Bojangles, a restaurant she’d never heard of that Derrick had described as “a Southern place with fried chicken.”

The last thing she needed after the heavy breakfast donuts.

They used the drive-through to pick up fried chicken sandwiches and french fries for the boys and a grilled sandwich and coleslaw for her, along with three iced teas. Hers was so sweet that she dumped half out the window and filled the cup with water from one of the bottles they’d brought from the cabin.

Sitting in another dark parking lot, they ate their meals and then icing-topped, berry-filled biscuits Derrick had insisted they try.

The man could put away more calories in a meal than she could eat in a week. Rabie tried to keep up with him as if it were a competition, and she didn’t miss how he watched the man, seeking to emulate him, seeking his approval.

Somehow, Derrick had connected with Rabie, gaining his trust. Considering how they’d met… Considering Rabie had every reason not to trust Derrick, it was impressive.

But then, Derrick was a good man, and his goodness shined through. She and Rabie both were fortunate to have found such a friend.

She’d already known that, of course. But as they spent time together, as she got to know him even better, she was more and more aware of what she would lose when this was all over.

His friendship and everything else they could have been to one another.

After they finished their dinners, Jasmine collected the empty bags and cups and tossed them in a trash can.

Derrick maneuvered the car back onto the road, and a few minutes later, he angled onto I-70. He’d found a classical music station, and between that, her full stomach, and the low hum of the road beneath their feet, she found herself yawning again.

Rabie played on his video game in the back until, after a couple of hours, Jasmine decided it was time for him to sleep. “Put that away and close your eyes. You need to get some rest.”