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“Underwear, Minty. Can you believe that? Fucking underwear. And while the powers that be fuck around trying to find the politically correct way to hand out fucking underwear, they’re tossing condoms like candy.”
“It’s horrendous, darling.” I stroked his hair back from his forehead.
We were supposed to go out to see a movie tonight, but he showed up at my door positively wrecked so I invited him in instead. Now I curled up sideways on my couch, leaning against him while he slouched back, his head resting on the back.
“I may be able to help.” I scratched his scalp lightly, brushing his hair back from his tired face.
Dull, grey eyes swung in my direction. “How? Everything has to be approved by the principal and the board. It’s a fucking ridiculous process. If a girl requests a pair of underwear in grade nine, she might get them in time for graduation,” he bit out bitterly.
“I run a shelter. A small one. My best friend, Amber, is a social worker. The woman who runs the shelter with me, she’s also a social worker. We’ve got connections out the wazoo. Let me put my feelers out. See if there’s an organization already approved and in place. Then we just need to drum up some funding. It won’t take long.”
“I feel bad for wanting instruments now,” he admitted.
“Lucky, education is important. It’s vital. It shouldn’t be a toss-up between underwear and educational equipment. Underwear should be a given.”
He nodded.
“This girl, the one who thought she was pregnant, is she safe?”
His laugh was hollow. “Physically, I think so. She’s just surrounded by assholes.”
He threw his forearm over his eyes. “She’s agreed to talk to the social worker at school. Hopefully they’ll get to the bottom of it.” His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times in his throat. A tear rolled into his hairline.
Carefully, I set my glass of wine down on the coffee table and slipped his beer from his hand. Swinging my leg over his lap, I nestled down, my head on his chest. Both his arms came around me tightly, my entire body rising with his deep, shuddering breath before settling in comfortably.
His grip loosened bit by bit until he slumped into sleep.
I kissed his cheek, whispered, “I’ll be right back,” although he did not answer. I covered him with a blanket and retreated to my kitchen table with my laptop, the plan already taking shape in my mind.
Ezinne and Amber knew each other well. Amber went out to the house once a month and ran sessions for the ladies on various topics, all aimed toward empowerment. Within ten minutes I’d sent them both an email detailing the problem. Amber held a master’s degree in social work, her area of study, community resources. Ezinne had worked in this community for her entire career, and I swore she knew everyone and everything. My specialty was funding. We could do this.
I opened up the search engine and started compiling a wish list of musical instruments.
Lucky stirred on the couch, and I realized with a start that more than two hours had passed. In that time, both Ezinne and Amber had gotten back to me with a total of five possibilities, organizations that were already approved and working with the school board. We only needed one to take us in as a special guest and allow us to distribute care packages.
“Hey,” I called quietly before standing up and walking toward him. “Um,” I stopped and clasped my hands together in front of me, suddenly unsure. “I think we’ve got a way in. I just need a few days to secure funding.”
He stilled, his head cocked to the side. “What?”
I twisted my hands together then forced them to relax and linked them together loosely in front of me. “Um..”
He shook his head. “I heard you. Come here.” He grasped my hips and pulled me down to straddle his lap, his face pressed against my breasts. “Thank you,” he breathed. “Even if it doesn’t happen, thank you.”
“It’s going to happen.” I massaged his scalp firmly. “We’re just going to piggyback in on someone else. We will essentially be donating to one of the pre-approved organizations and helping them to distribute. Amber is going to contact them tomorrow; she knows most of the people involved. I’ll work on funding. Ezinne will wrangle the girls to put together the care packages.”
He didn’t speak, but his hands began to roam up and down my back.
“Are you hungry?” he asked gruffly. “Or can you wait?”
“I can wait,” I assured him.
Digging his fingers into the cheeks of my ass, he stood from the couch.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he boosted me further up, nuzzling my temple with his nose. Turning, he stalked down the hall to my bedroom.
I remembered the mess, in stark contrast to the rest of my condo. “Um, I should warn you-”
He stopped short and drew his chin back to look at me, a small smile on his face. “That a bomb went off in here?”
