Wally, chapter 2
Title: Wally
Chapter 2
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg
Summary: Reid's uncle Angus dies and that brings him to Oakdale. The title will be explained later in the story but I guess you figure out who Wally is....
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Thanks to zzzfreckles (Pamela) for the beta
"Hello Reid, how are you? Where did this question about marriage suddenly come from? To be honest I have no clue about Andrew's ideas about marriage. I know that he has had a girlfriend at school and he had to be a groom a few times when she was the bride, but they were 5 or 6 years old maybe. It's hard that we can't ask him, right? Sometimes it looks as if you didn't know the person you have been in love with but that's not true Reid, you knew him and you loved him like he loved you. If you guys didn't talk about it then it wasn't a deep wish of him I think. Come over if you are home again, we have to get a meal together and have a chat".
Home again, he said it but the apartment Andrew and I had shared didn't feel like home anymore and less so now I was here, more than a thousand miles away. The fact that I felt so lost was because so many aspects of my life right now had changed, my boss send me on a vacation so I didn't have the daily structure of my work and I didn't know where I belonged all of a sudden. It irritated the hell out of me but being here with nothing to do, made me think and look back.
I was glad that it was light again, when darkness had me in his grip everything seemed darker, more hurtful but after a good breakfast I started my lease-Daihatsu and went to my house.
It was cold but sunny. I nodded to the neighbors and opened the door where the smell from the past slapped me in the face. I opened a few windows and looked around in the living room. There was nothing here that I wanted to keep, everything was old and shabby.
I sat down behind a desk and opened a drawer; this was the place where Angus always did his administration. I was glad that he had been a structured man because every bill he ever got was put chronologically in a few binders. Everything could be burned.
It was weird but suddenly I kinda envied Angus, there was nothing he had to worry about anymore, Although my work was giving people time they wouldn't have had otherwise death wasn't a very concrete thing for me but here it suddenly hit me. Life was about tasks, worries, inconveniences, trouble, it was always heavy. I did my work in a good way but I always lost, every one of my patients died.
My life with Andrew had been good though, we made a promise when we started dating that we wouldn't fight because he had done that a lot with his ex and he didn't want that again. I was okay with that because I also thought that fighting was a waste of time, if people just listened to what I had to say life would be simple.
Andrew was the first who laughed about me, the only one who took the time to show me how it was done, how you could get people work for you instead of against you. He was charming and nice to people, things I learned from him. I had been such an asshole for so long.
I flipped through the bills and things that had been important to my uncle and realized that what had been meaningful to him wasn't for me. That same notion hit me when Andrew died and I had to decide what to do with his stuff. I had kept some things he was attached to and I gave his brothers and parents a few things but most of his stuff I kept in the basement, not sure what to do with it. I didn't need to keep stuff to remember him, he was in my head and heart and not a piece of clothing or Play-station could change that but it seemed rude to throw it away.
I had changed, what other people were thinking became important to me, why I had no idea. It wasn't a good thing either, to try and live up to expectations you didn't know or understand but it wiggled its way into my head, the doubt.
And now I was here in Illinois, needing to decide about stuff that I wanted to throw through the window. I startled when I heard someone knocking on my door. Who the fuck was bothering me? I didn't know anyone here in this village of the damned.
When I opened the door I saw a young man smiling at me, a Chicago Bulls cap front site backwards on his kinda longish dark blond hair.
"Hey I'm Wally, I heard that you have stuff you need to get rid of, can I take a look?".
I smiled. "Oh yes come in, I was going through some things and I have no idea what to do with it, maybe you can look around and see what you can use so I can burn the rest", I said and held the door open for him.
Wally walked in and turned around. "Well, I have been here a lot so I know what Angus had, just tell me what you want to get rid of and I'll put it in the truck".
I looked at him. "You knew my uncle?", I asked. This was weird because Angus seemed more of an autist that I was, I didn't expect him to know people in the city.
"O yes, I came here a few times a week at the end, we brought him food and sometimes when we had time we read him a newspaper, he was almost blind so he was more and more dependent. He hated it but he tolerated our care".
"The thrift shop brings food to people?", I asked.
"Ah well, you aren't from here right, our organization is quite big, we have a store but we also have a kitchen were people work who can't find a job. Other volunteers bring the food to people who can't cook for themselves. We also organize a kind of daycare for people who ......how shall I say this......are sick. We try to relieve the volunteer caregivers during daytime so they can do something else than care for their loved ones. And we have a house where the employees live. You have to come and visit our organization sometimes, it has a great vibe".
All the things the guy said reeled me. "And you are working there as a ...?" I asked.
"Yeah well, they call me the boss, but I am not a bossy type so they call me Wally, my organization is called Wally’s.
"And you are paying all these people?", I asked.
"No, we are all volunteers, most people who work and live at Wally’s are drop outs from society, kids who ran away from home mostly. We try to give them structure and love so that they can rebuild their confidence and fly out when they are ready".
"Oh wow; it's a miracle that someone your age is interested in doing something like this, most guys want to get a good education and make a lot of bucks", I said.
"Maybe, but I am not interested in that. Money is not always a good thing to have you know; it can make you lazy and focus on things that are not important. I can buy a nice car but I don't need the status".
"Can I get you a coffee?", I asked, craving to hear more interesting stuff coming from the guy's mouth. "Maybe you can explain why you are such an exception".
The guy casted his eyes and put his hands in his pockets; "That's kinda personal mister ......", he said.
"Reid", I said, "I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier. Of course you don't need to give up your privacy for me; I didn't know I hit a nerve. I just...you made me curious, that's all. I'm not nosy".
"Hey, no sweat, I am an easy guy but I had learned to define my boundaries. So what can I do for you? Do you want me to go through the stuff with you? Maybe we can figure out what you want to keep together".
We walked through the living room and I looked around. "You can take it all really, I only have bad memories about the place so I'd like to buy some new stuff. I'm not even sure if I am going to keep the house".
"Okay", Wally said and walked to the big chair where Angus used to sit in. "So let me get this straight, you want to donate everything here to me without having new things, is that wise? Maybe you can use it until you have a couch of your own".
I shivered thinking of sitting on that worn out couch. "No, I am sure, please take it. I have some serious thinking to do but I am not living here while I do that, I have the bridal suite at the Lakeview".
"That's....okay that's big enough for one", Wally said and smiled. "Can you help me move the things to the truck? Usually I do my job with a few volunteers but no one was available so I went here by myself".
We carried the things to the truck and the emptier the room got, the more I could breathe. It wasn't a small house now that the big things were removed, I could definitely see myself living here after I had found a good constructor.
But did I want to live here? It depended on so many things, if I could find a job here for instance, a challenging job. The new neurological wing sounded promising but....
"Hey, are you with me? We have to put the dresser in the car as well, then you see the room at its full potential. And then you can give me the coffee you promised me".
"Yeah sorry, I thought it would be easy to move here and get rid of the house but it seems to have other ideas, it whispers to me, to stay here and start a new life".
"Tell me all about it after we have moved that huge bitch", Wally said, nodding at the buffet.
He was strong, my visitor, his arm muscles showed that he had done a lot of hard work. We lugged the piece of furniture in the truck and went inside.
"Can I also make you a sandwich?", I asked, "I’m starving".
He looked at his phone for the time and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can make time, I have to eat anyway. So tell me what life you are trying to run away from".
Talking about respecting privacy.
"I haven't decided yet but coming here I realized that I have some skeletons in the closet here and that I have nothing to go back to really. It's weird but for the first time in my life I feel a little lost. Things that kept me going aren't that important anymore.
So ....I have no clue what I am going to do. The first thing was to empty the house and see if I could make it mine. And last night I spoke to someone in the Lakeview and he told me about a new wing at the hospital, so things seem to fall in place since I am here. Maybe it's good to stand still for a while and see if I can find some people I knew when I went to school here".
I gave Wally his sandwich and coffee and sat down across from him. "I don't believe in faith but since Noah told me about the hospital here I suddenly see a life for myself in this place, an opportunity. So I decided that I am going to explore all options".
"So you spoke to Noah", Wally said.
"You know him?", I asked.
"That counts as personal, so let's talk about something else. It would be great to have a new neurologist here, Bob is worried that no one will come this way to replace Channing and then he can't retire".
"But I am a neuro surgeon, I don't know if there's room for me here", I said.
"Even better, Bob has made a huge OR because he got the money but he couldn't find the right candidate, call him, here let me give you the number".
"But I haven't decided yet", I sputtered.
"Yeah that's true, sorry for stepping in, I am so used to make quick decisions that I start to hover. I hear that a lot. So take your time and do what feels good. Great sandwich by the way".
"I used to be just like you but now...", I said.
"What are you trying to run away from?", he asked again. Tenacious type.
I could make a snarky remark about privacy but somehow it felt good to talk to someone about my life.
"I am not running away I guess but I am at a point in my life where nothing is an automatism anymore. My partner died and I was sad but I kept on working and slowly I wondered why, why did I have to listen to all the heartbreaking stories of my patients? Why should I keep on living in a house that was ours but isn't mine? And then Angus died and my past came to haunt me. So it's fair to say that I am a wreck".
Wally shook his head. "No you're not but maybe you haven't been taking care of yourself enough lately. I can see that you need control and you have been able to put the grief aside but that's not how it works doc. Maybe this is the time to think and...I don't know.....grief and heal. Maybe you can live here for a while and see what life brings you".
I looked at the man with his cap and old clothes and saw for the first time how much compassion he had in his eyes. He seemed to care about me and my struggle.
"I'm not good at that", I said.
"Maybe you need to find your own way of coping doc, everyone has his own style and maybe you need to be busy and find your way and you don't need to lie on a shrink's sofa to do that.
You can come to Wally’s and I’ll give you something to do, maybe you can help the kids in the house finding a job, work on their cv, or play a little table tennis. Help with their homework, whatever you want to give is fine. But don't feel obligated, only do it if you are up to it".
"You want me to teach some drop-outs? It's obvious that you don't know me, I am a jerk when students are lazy, I don't have patience. You will throw me out in no time".
Wally smiled again. "I said that you can do what you want, but maybe this is a good challenge for you, these kids are not lazy, they all have a dream and we want to help them to achieve it. They didn't have a chance you know. But if you are keeping the prejudice then maybe it's not a good idea that you come and work for us".
Why did I say that? Suddenly my total jerkdom came back and spoiled the good conversation we had. Maybe it was because I had the feeling that Wally saw right through me, that his enthusiasm dragged me into a trap I couldn't escape from, that my life here on the countryside was a given yet, I had no idea why I kinda froze. Or maybe I did, I didn't want him to make a choice for me, I didn't want to be stuck in this one-horse town, I missed my life, my old life in which I had been so happy with my man.
Grief is like a devil in disguise, it suddenly hits you when you least expect it and when you can't use it. I swallowed back the tears that were forming in my throat, I didn't want Wally to see me like this, he listened to horrible stories all day from kids and now he had to deal with a sentimental fool. I tried to get rid of a stain on the only table that I wanted to keep: the old coffee table.
So absorbed in my own world I forgot about him, the man that listened to my story. When I felt his hand on mine I was sucked back to the here and now. It was a nice touch, a warm gesture and like a icicle in the sun I warmed up, melted, and that could feel unstable but somehow I seemed to find my own form back, the flowing form of ice, the form in which things floated instead of freeze, the form in which I could go on with my life somehow.
What a melodramatic symbolism boiled up from deep within me, I didn't know that I could be so spiritual. I finally looked up and was caught by eyes that were caring, forgiving, understanding. He knew what pain was, pain you couldn't deal with, that was so big that you had to hide it deep inside yourself until it would break through the thick walls you had built to keep going.
But he was not the man to tear the walls down, nor was this empty house the place. I wanted to go to the hotel and call the desk to arrange a massage for me, or maybe I needed a bath, anything but floating in green sparkled brown eyes that held a promise of wanting to be there, to help me. I didn't want to be helped because when I started to share there would be a flood with no end and I wasn't ready for that.
He saw it and pulled his hand back. "Come Reid", he said and pulled me up. "Don't stay alone here, you need to close the door and do something. You can come with me to Wally’s or you can do something else but don't stay here in this state you're in".
He pulled me up and I could only laugh. "Are you always this bossy, I asked?
Wally smiled. "I'm afraid I am, but only when I need to". He opened the zipper of his coat and showed me a t-shirt with "the boss" on it.
"The kids gave it to me for my birthday and I’m proud of it. They need someone to guide them and to make the rules, and if that has to be me, that's okay. I can do that. But they also know that they can come and talk to me whenever things get tough. And although you are not my pupil Reid I want you to know that you can call me. Or come by our house. You can drink coffee with us and see what we do. But take your time"
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Written by: Parishs
Rating: pg
Summary: Reid's uncle Angus dies and that brings him to Oakdale. The title will be explained later in the story but I guess you figure out who Wally is....
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Thanks to zzzfreckles (Pamela) for the beta
"Hello Reid, how are you? Where did this question about marriage suddenly come from? To be honest I have no clue about Andrew's ideas about marriage. I know that he has had a girlfriend at school and he had to be a groom a few times when she was the bride, but they were 5 or 6 years old maybe. It's hard that we can't ask him, right? Sometimes it looks as if you didn't know the person you have been in love with but that's not true Reid, you knew him and you loved him like he loved you. If you guys didn't talk about it then it wasn't a deep wish of him I think. Come over if you are home again, we have to get a meal together and have a chat".
Home again, he said it but the apartment Andrew and I had shared didn't feel like home anymore and less so now I was here, more than a thousand miles away. The fact that I felt so lost was because so many aspects of my life right now had changed, my boss send me on a vacation so I didn't have the daily structure of my work and I didn't know where I belonged all of a sudden. It irritated the hell out of me but being here with nothing to do, made me think and look back.
I was glad that it was light again, when darkness had me in his grip everything seemed darker, more hurtful but after a good breakfast I started my lease-Daihatsu and went to my house.
It was cold but sunny. I nodded to the neighbors and opened the door where the smell from the past slapped me in the face. I opened a few windows and looked around in the living room. There was nothing here that I wanted to keep, everything was old and shabby.
I sat down behind a desk and opened a drawer; this was the place where Angus always did his administration. I was glad that he had been a structured man because every bill he ever got was put chronologically in a few binders. Everything could be burned.
It was weird but suddenly I kinda envied Angus, there was nothing he had to worry about anymore, Although my work was giving people time they wouldn't have had otherwise death wasn't a very concrete thing for me but here it suddenly hit me. Life was about tasks, worries, inconveniences, trouble, it was always heavy. I did my work in a good way but I always lost, every one of my patients died.
My life with Andrew had been good though, we made a promise when we started dating that we wouldn't fight because he had done that a lot with his ex and he didn't want that again. I was okay with that because I also thought that fighting was a waste of time, if people just listened to what I had to say life would be simple.
Andrew was the first who laughed about me, the only one who took the time to show me how it was done, how you could get people work for you instead of against you. He was charming and nice to people, things I learned from him. I had been such an asshole for so long.
I flipped through the bills and things that had been important to my uncle and realized that what had been meaningful to him wasn't for me. That same notion hit me when Andrew died and I had to decide what to do with his stuff. I had kept some things he was attached to and I gave his brothers and parents a few things but most of his stuff I kept in the basement, not sure what to do with it. I didn't need to keep stuff to remember him, he was in my head and heart and not a piece of clothing or Play-station could change that but it seemed rude to throw it away.
I had changed, what other people were thinking became important to me, why I had no idea. It wasn't a good thing either, to try and live up to expectations you didn't know or understand but it wiggled its way into my head, the doubt.
And now I was here in Illinois, needing to decide about stuff that I wanted to throw through the window. I startled when I heard someone knocking on my door. Who the fuck was bothering me? I didn't know anyone here in this village of the damned.
When I opened the door I saw a young man smiling at me, a Chicago Bulls cap front site backwards on his kinda longish dark blond hair.
"Hey I'm Wally, I heard that you have stuff you need to get rid of, can I take a look?".
I smiled. "Oh yes come in, I was going through some things and I have no idea what to do with it, maybe you can look around and see what you can use so I can burn the rest", I said and held the door open for him.
Wally walked in and turned around. "Well, I have been here a lot so I know what Angus had, just tell me what you want to get rid of and I'll put it in the truck".
I looked at him. "You knew my uncle?", I asked. This was weird because Angus seemed more of an autist that I was, I didn't expect him to know people in the city.
"O yes, I came here a few times a week at the end, we brought him food and sometimes when we had time we read him a newspaper, he was almost blind so he was more and more dependent. He hated it but he tolerated our care".
"The thrift shop brings food to people?", I asked.
"Ah well, you aren't from here right, our organization is quite big, we have a store but we also have a kitchen were people work who can't find a job. Other volunteers bring the food to people who can't cook for themselves. We also organize a kind of daycare for people who ......how shall I say this......are sick. We try to relieve the volunteer caregivers during daytime so they can do something else than care for their loved ones. And we have a house where the employees live. You have to come and visit our organization sometimes, it has a great vibe".
All the things the guy said reeled me. "And you are working there as a ...?" I asked.
"Yeah well, they call me the boss, but I am not a bossy type so they call me Wally, my organization is called Wally’s.
"And you are paying all these people?", I asked.
"No, we are all volunteers, most people who work and live at Wally’s are drop outs from society, kids who ran away from home mostly. We try to give them structure and love so that they can rebuild their confidence and fly out when they are ready".
"Oh wow; it's a miracle that someone your age is interested in doing something like this, most guys want to get a good education and make a lot of bucks", I said.
"Maybe, but I am not interested in that. Money is not always a good thing to have you know; it can make you lazy and focus on things that are not important. I can buy a nice car but I don't need the status".
"Can I get you a coffee?", I asked, craving to hear more interesting stuff coming from the guy's mouth. "Maybe you can explain why you are such an exception".
The guy casted his eyes and put his hands in his pockets; "That's kinda personal mister ......", he said.
"Reid", I said, "I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier. Of course you don't need to give up your privacy for me; I didn't know I hit a nerve. I just...you made me curious, that's all. I'm not nosy".
"Hey, no sweat, I am an easy guy but I had learned to define my boundaries. So what can I do for you? Do you want me to go through the stuff with you? Maybe we can figure out what you want to keep together".
We walked through the living room and I looked around. "You can take it all really, I only have bad memories about the place so I'd like to buy some new stuff. I'm not even sure if I am going to keep the house".
"Okay", Wally said and walked to the big chair where Angus used to sit in. "So let me get this straight, you want to donate everything here to me without having new things, is that wise? Maybe you can use it until you have a couch of your own".
I shivered thinking of sitting on that worn out couch. "No, I am sure, please take it. I have some serious thinking to do but I am not living here while I do that, I have the bridal suite at the Lakeview".
"That's....okay that's big enough for one", Wally said and smiled. "Can you help me move the things to the truck? Usually I do my job with a few volunteers but no one was available so I went here by myself".
We carried the things to the truck and the emptier the room got, the more I could breathe. It wasn't a small house now that the big things were removed, I could definitely see myself living here after I had found a good constructor.
But did I want to live here? It depended on so many things, if I could find a job here for instance, a challenging job. The new neurological wing sounded promising but....
"Hey, are you with me? We have to put the dresser in the car as well, then you see the room at its full potential. And then you can give me the coffee you promised me".
"Yeah sorry, I thought it would be easy to move here and get rid of the house but it seems to have other ideas, it whispers to me, to stay here and start a new life".
"Tell me all about it after we have moved that huge bitch", Wally said, nodding at the buffet.
He was strong, my visitor, his arm muscles showed that he had done a lot of hard work. We lugged the piece of furniture in the truck and went inside.
"Can I also make you a sandwich?", I asked, "I’m starving".
He looked at his phone for the time and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can make time, I have to eat anyway. So tell me what life you are trying to run away from".
Talking about respecting privacy.
"I haven't decided yet but coming here I realized that I have some skeletons in the closet here and that I have nothing to go back to really. It's weird but for the first time in my life I feel a little lost. Things that kept me going aren't that important anymore.
So ....I have no clue what I am going to do. The first thing was to empty the house and see if I could make it mine. And last night I spoke to someone in the Lakeview and he told me about a new wing at the hospital, so things seem to fall in place since I am here. Maybe it's good to stand still for a while and see if I can find some people I knew when I went to school here".
I gave Wally his sandwich and coffee and sat down across from him. "I don't believe in faith but since Noah told me about the hospital here I suddenly see a life for myself in this place, an opportunity. So I decided that I am going to explore all options".
"So you spoke to Noah", Wally said.
"You know him?", I asked.
"That counts as personal, so let's talk about something else. It would be great to have a new neurologist here, Bob is worried that no one will come this way to replace Channing and then he can't retire".
"But I am a neuro surgeon, I don't know if there's room for me here", I said.
"Even better, Bob has made a huge OR because he got the money but he couldn't find the right candidate, call him, here let me give you the number".
"But I haven't decided yet", I sputtered.
"Yeah that's true, sorry for stepping in, I am so used to make quick decisions that I start to hover. I hear that a lot. So take your time and do what feels good. Great sandwich by the way".
"I used to be just like you but now...", I said.
"What are you trying to run away from?", he asked again. Tenacious type.
I could make a snarky remark about privacy but somehow it felt good to talk to someone about my life.
"I am not running away I guess but I am at a point in my life where nothing is an automatism anymore. My partner died and I was sad but I kept on working and slowly I wondered why, why did I have to listen to all the heartbreaking stories of my patients? Why should I keep on living in a house that was ours but isn't mine? And then Angus died and my past came to haunt me. So it's fair to say that I am a wreck".
Wally shook his head. "No you're not but maybe you haven't been taking care of yourself enough lately. I can see that you need control and you have been able to put the grief aside but that's not how it works doc. Maybe this is the time to think and...I don't know.....grief and heal. Maybe you can live here for a while and see what life brings you".
I looked at the man with his cap and old clothes and saw for the first time how much compassion he had in his eyes. He seemed to care about me and my struggle.
"I'm not good at that", I said.
"Maybe you need to find your own way of coping doc, everyone has his own style and maybe you need to be busy and find your way and you don't need to lie on a shrink's sofa to do that.
You can come to Wally’s and I’ll give you something to do, maybe you can help the kids in the house finding a job, work on their cv, or play a little table tennis. Help with their homework, whatever you want to give is fine. But don't feel obligated, only do it if you are up to it".
"You want me to teach some drop-outs? It's obvious that you don't know me, I am a jerk when students are lazy, I don't have patience. You will throw me out in no time".
Wally smiled again. "I said that you can do what you want, but maybe this is a good challenge for you, these kids are not lazy, they all have a dream and we want to help them to achieve it. They didn't have a chance you know. But if you are keeping the prejudice then maybe it's not a good idea that you come and work for us".
Why did I say that? Suddenly my total jerkdom came back and spoiled the good conversation we had. Maybe it was because I had the feeling that Wally saw right through me, that his enthusiasm dragged me into a trap I couldn't escape from, that my life here on the countryside was a given yet, I had no idea why I kinda froze. Or maybe I did, I didn't want him to make a choice for me, I didn't want to be stuck in this one-horse town, I missed my life, my old life in which I had been so happy with my man.
Grief is like a devil in disguise, it suddenly hits you when you least expect it and when you can't use it. I swallowed back the tears that were forming in my throat, I didn't want Wally to see me like this, he listened to horrible stories all day from kids and now he had to deal with a sentimental fool. I tried to get rid of a stain on the only table that I wanted to keep: the old coffee table.
So absorbed in my own world I forgot about him, the man that listened to my story. When I felt his hand on mine I was sucked back to the here and now. It was a nice touch, a warm gesture and like a icicle in the sun I warmed up, melted, and that could feel unstable but somehow I seemed to find my own form back, the flowing form of ice, the form in which things floated instead of freeze, the form in which I could go on with my life somehow.
What a melodramatic symbolism boiled up from deep within me, I didn't know that I could be so spiritual. I finally looked up and was caught by eyes that were caring, forgiving, understanding. He knew what pain was, pain you couldn't deal with, that was so big that you had to hide it deep inside yourself until it would break through the thick walls you had built to keep going.
But he was not the man to tear the walls down, nor was this empty house the place. I wanted to go to the hotel and call the desk to arrange a massage for me, or maybe I needed a bath, anything but floating in green sparkled brown eyes that held a promise of wanting to be there, to help me. I didn't want to be helped because when I started to share there would be a flood with no end and I wasn't ready for that.
He saw it and pulled his hand back. "Come Reid", he said and pulled me up. "Don't stay alone here, you need to close the door and do something. You can come with me to Wally’s or you can do something else but don't stay here in this state you're in".
He pulled me up and I could only laugh. "Are you always this bossy, I asked?
Wally smiled. "I'm afraid I am, but only when I need to". He opened the zipper of his coat and showed me a t-shirt with "the boss" on it.
"The kids gave it to me for my birthday and I’m proud of it. They need someone to guide them and to make the rules, and if that has to be me, that's okay. I can do that. But they also know that they can come and talk to me whenever things get tough. And although you are not my pupil Reid I want you to know that you can call me. Or come by our house. You can drink coffee with us and see what we do. But take your time"
Chapter 3