<span style="font-size: 15px">Chris was shocked by the man being so kind. Understanding. He just listened and offered input. There was no demanding answers, no shouting, no claims of abuse or neglect, it was just weird. This man cared about his son's safety and care so much that he called him there just to talk about his turbulent home life. Every child needed a teacher or authority figure like that for the kids that really were hurt. For children like the one he had been. He nodded and left the room to go get Brock. <br/>
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"Dad!" Brock hopped off the swing and pointed at his friend. "This is Jeremy, his dad can't pick him up today, can we take him home?" <br/>
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"Uh, I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Adult legal reasons, nothing bad for you, but here--" he pulled out his cell phone and unlocked it "--why don't you call someone, maybe your dad. Just to see if it's alright that I can take you home. I don't want anyone to come here and worry, alright?" <br/>
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"My dad's a lawyer so he knows stuff like this. He can help you, he can help anybody," Brock looked up at him and he couldn't help but smiling at him. He was just too precious. "But as a lawyer, you know it would be a crime to not get me an ice cream on the way home. I have eighty-seven cents, I counted." <br/>
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"That's extortion, but sure, we'll get you ice cream. Give me your coins." His son dug in his pocket and pulled out two quarters, a nickle and two pennies -- not eighty-seven cents, but that was alright. He'd have to help him with that later, but for now he'd take the offered money and call it enough. He was actually impressed he had managed to pay him money. In return he gave him a dollar. "Technically, you will buy the ice cream, so your mom can't-- so... um, loopholes, it'll be a loophole that I can use." He turned his attention back to Jeremy, who stared at his phone, the keypad up but still not hitting any buttons. It was getting late, too late for a child to be left alone, it had just been the two of them when he walked outside, and he happened to know a very helpful teacher who wanted to assure the well being of his students. <br/>
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"Come on, I'm sure we can help you contact someone in the office." The boy handed him his phone back and looked down at his feet. Chris felt a pang of familiarity, he empathized. He led the boys to the front office and Brock wanted to stay until he was picked up, so they stayed until the sun went down. The receptionist wasn't patient and constantly shouted at him to just take the kid home, but he couldn't do that. He was practically opening himself up for a lawsuit or being blamed for something he didn't do by whoever saw him. He didn't want the kid to suffer, but if he was implicated, then Brock would suffer and he couldn't have that no matter what. <br/>
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"Sir, it's seven o'clock and school let out at two forty-five. I'm exhausted, and I'm sure the boy can walk home." <br/>
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"I'm sorry Ma'am, but that's not how this is going to work. Your job is to stay behind that desk and handle school matters until they are settled. This is not settled, so you will stay, just as I have and will, because this is what you signed up for working when you started working at an elementary school," he offered the most faked smile that he could. "And know that you're probably missing out on all the stuff you don't have waiting for you at home." <br/>
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He had been kicked out of the office and so he sat outside the school with the two kids. He sighed, unsure what to do. The office's records were old and the phone number listed wasn't the child's family anymore, and after the fourth call, the receptionist stopped calling and that's when the harassment began. He had probably been cruel but how could someone be so callous? There was a boy who was being temporarily abandoned at the worst and forgotten and worthless to his family at best (at least that's what he could imagine him thinking) who needed support and she decided that her time alone was more important than helping someone who truly needed it? So, it was cruel, but he felt vindicated by the way Jeremy and Brock stayed with him, Brock seemingly very content to keep Jeremy busy while they waited. <br/>
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The sun was set and he was getting phone calls from Edith that he had been ignoring. Eventually, he decided he had to answer because seven times was a lot even for her. He walked a few feet away, keeping his eyes on them from the side. He held the phone to his ear. <br/>
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"Where is Brock? Is everything alright? What happened? Was it bad?" Edith asked, rapid-fire style. <br/>
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"Everything's alright. Brock is fine. There's a boy he's friends with that needs a ride, but you know I can't do that without a third party that isn't also a child to be with me if I do that. I could get into trouble, and then where would that leave you and Brock?" <br/>
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"Oh, so it's me and Brock now? I'm not incapable of supporting him, is that what you're saying?" </span><br/><br/><span style="font-size: 15px">"What? No, of course that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that I don't want to put you two in danger because I decided to be a bleeding heart. I know what happens, I see the papers, and I can't be accused of anything suspicious without losing my job. Just somebody making a crude joke could get me fired, and since you don't have a current job, you wouldn't be able to afford the mortgage on your own. You couldn't do that and pay the other bills... you're not incapable, but you're making this harder than it has to be." <br/>
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"The kid can probably walk home, right?" <br/>
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"Edith, come one, he's seven and it's dark outside." <br/>
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"It wouldn't have been dark if you let him walk earlier." <br/>
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"Do you even hear yourself? What happened to you? You were sympathetic, you know why I can't just let him go home, walk home. You know my past, so yeah, it's personal now because the kid is just... he just reminds me of myself and that cannot be a good thing." <br/>
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"You can't save everyone." <br/>
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"Alright. I'm done with this conversation." He hung up and muted his ringtone before sitting back on the concrete with Brock and Jeremy. Brock and Jeremy had been staring, but when he looked at them they both turned to speak with each other. </span>