“Marcus,” Ava began, but he shook his head with a stern frown.
“Ava, you can’t force Angel to accept your aid. If you try, she’ll disappear only to end up who knows where. As Angel learns she can trust you, she might accept more,” Marcus explained in a gentle voice, and I shivered. Even though he smiled brightly, I knew the first time I met him that Marcus understood me in a way most people couldn’t. He had to do what it took to survive, no matter how horrible, and he remembered what it was like.
“But,” Ava tried again, and Marcus gently cut her off.
“No, Ava.” Her eyes closed, and she sighed. Upon opening them, she met my gaze, and I saw her concern while biting my lip. With a smile, Marcus indicated the break room, and I sighed before walking towards it. I thought he might linger to talk to his wife until I returned, but he followed me, whistling a cheerful tune.
Tears burned my eyes again, but I refused to let them fall and clocked out while placing my vest in my locker and retrieving my wallet. After putting it in the pocket of my worn blue jeans, I followed Marcus with a soundless sigh while he led me to his car. Ava smiled with a nod of approval when she noticed me following her husband like an obedient duckling. She returned her attention to the customer in front of her once she was sure he took me care of in the way she desired.
My first night in this town, Wolfram, I stopped in Ava’s gas station to find something to eat. Marcus was the only one inside the store, reading at the register until I approached, and he quirked his brow when he looked up from his book. I felt his eyes look over me, taking in the worn duffel bag on my back. When I dared chance a glance, he nodded to himself with a thoughtful frown. After introducing himself, he bought the doughnuts and soda I had, closed the store, and walked the mile to Mr. Sanchez’s apartment complex with me.
I was in such a state of shock, I answered his questions numbly, and Marcus explained my plight to a sympathetic Mr. Sanchez. He offered me an all-inclusive, furnished apartment for less than the hovel I lived in before. Tearfully, I thanked both men, and they shook their heads with sad smiles before showing me around the two-bedroom apartment. Mr. Sanchez called it small, but I referred to it as my haven. This was the nicest place I’d lived since the accident. To have an actual bed was more than I dared hope for in years.
While it wasn’t the latest and greatest, there was a fridge, a washer, and dryer, and even a dishwasher. Hell, I had dishes. Well, they weren’t mine, but Mr. Sanchez said I could use them. And, if they got broken, he told me not to worry about it. He’s so kind, and I was grateful to him and Marcus. While my mattress might not be new, it was lovely, and the sheets Mr. Sanchez gave me were so soft. Once I signed the modified lease Mr. Sanchez provided, and the keys were in my hand, Marcus took me shopping.
While he softly cajoled me along, he explained where he came from. His mother threw him out at fourteen because her boyfriend didn’t like him, and he learned how to survive on the streets. Adapt or die is the creed he and I live by. Well, Marcus got into street fighting and clawed his way to survival. It wasn’t until he met Ava that he got out, and while distrustful of her, Marcus knew he wanted to be with her. He said everything was a battle, that he was feral and had to learn to trust people again. In his eyes, I saw the scars that doing whatever it took left behind and shivered.
With a gentle voice, Marcus convinced me to let him buy in bulk things that wouldn’t expire, so I’d always have a stocked pantry. I balked many times in the store, but he waited me out, talking soothingly all the while. I told him I felt like a spooked animal and Marcus chuckled while assuring me I looked like one. When I asked why he helped me, he sighed and explained that I don’t have the teeth required to survive for myself.
Shocked, I backed away, and he followed me step for step until I met his gaze to find only concern in his eyes. After I slumped my shoulders in defeat, Marcus helped me pick out the necessities like a new toothbrush, hairbrush, feminine products, shampoo, conditioner and soap. I shook my head when he approached the clothing section, and he nodded his acceptance. I didn’t need new clothes to survive and that he agreed let me relax ever so slightly.
However, when I saw an adorable teddy bear and my feet faltered, he grabbed it, a box, and bought both despite my protests. Afterward, he took me to the oddly open post office where he commented how it would be such a waste if I didn’t tell him where it needed to go. His smile when I begrudgingly gave him the address was so beautiful it stole my breath for a moment. Then, he handed me a blank piece of paper, and I tearfully wrote a note which he folded and placed on top of the bear. After, he sealed the box and paid an outrageous fee to ship it overnight. When I thanked him with tears in my eyes, he smiled and chuckled while ruffling my hair.
“The awe in your baby brother’s eyes when he opens that box is all the thanks I need,” Marcus assured me with a kind smile. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I hugged him as tight as I could and sobbed into his shoulder.
The next morning, Marcus waited
