A New Chance – Chapter III

The Lawyer’s Family

Chance wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not. This had to be a dream and any moment he was going to wake up cold and uncomfortable under the overpass. He expected to wake up when the guard came to get him out of his cell. Surely, he was about to wake up when he saw Andy waiting for him. Instead of waking up, he climbed into Andy’s Ford and they left the detention center together. He finally convinced himself he wasn’t dreaming and fully awake but he waited for the catch. If it was real, there was going to be a catch. This was not how things worked out for Chance Bell. Maybe Andy was taking him home to work? Maybe Chance was going to work out his debt in some form of labor? That made the most sense to him.

He didn’t know where they were going but he did notice they drove out of downtown. Then into neighborhoods. The houses started to get a little bigger. Still, they drove on. The neighborhoods a little cleaner and quieter. Still, they drove. Then his mind seized on a new thought or horror. Maybe Andy was going to sell Chance on the black-market and he would wind up in a different country? That seemed more plausible than a do-gooder court appointed lawyer taking him home. He shook his head to clear out those thoughts even though he couldn’t get rid of them completely. They simmered in the background.

They rode in silence because Chance was too busy thinking of every possible scenario in his head. With every turn in the road, he waited for the catch.

Until they pulled into a cul-de-sac and drove toward the largest house. They drove past a gate and down a long driveway shielded by trees. Chance looked at Andy.

Andy smiled. “I married wisely.”

Chance nodded but suddenly panicked. It was one thing to be taken in by some do-gooder lawyer. He was appreciative of Andy getting him out of jail and figured at best, he’d be in some modest home waiting for his hearing. Maybe just a level or two up from what he was used to. But now he knew he jumped a few levels. He was so far out of his element he knew he wouldn’t be able to fake his way in this world. Unless, he was here to work. That had to be the catch. Andy brought him here to work for him as some kind of housekeeper or gardener. He was going to work for Andy and probably stay in some kind of gardener’s shack in the back. He leaned forward a little to get another good look at the mansion in front of him. Even a gardener’s shack in the back was probably going to be bigger than his previous house. Definitely way better than under the overpass. He could do this.

The car pulled to a stop. Andy looked at him and smiled warmly. “Ready to meet the family?”

Chance nodded slowly but couldn’t say anything.

“It’ll be great,” Andy said and climbed out of the car and got his briefcase from the backseat.

Chance got out slowly and stood up. The Ford he was standing next to didn’t seem to match the driveway they were in. Maybe Andy had a side job and he was the gardener here? But Andy headed straight for the front door. Chance got his bag out of the back then looked around him and followed nervously.

“Honey, I’m home,” Andy called out and Chance swore he heard a slight echo.

“In here,” a woman answered him.

“Drop your bag here, we’ll get it after dinner,” Andy put his briefcase down by the bag. “Come and meet the missus,” he said and walked through a large hallway. A grand staircase wound its way up to the second floor. Paintings lined the walls. Not Walmart paintings either. When Chance was five, his grandma was still alive and worked at an art museum that summer as a custodian. His mom worked two jobs so his grandma would sneak him into work with her. He spent hours that summer in the art museum looking at paintings. The artwork in the Simpson home reminded him of what he saw that summer.

Chance followed Andy as they made their way to the kitchen. A petite blond stood at an island chopping vegetables on a cutting board. She stopped when they walked in and smiled. “You must be Chance,” she said and set the knife down. She wiped her hands off on a towel and extended a hand to Chance. “I’m Andy’s wife, Marabeth.” She smiled but it wasn’t what Chance would call a warm smile. It reminded him of the professional smile his mom would get from the lady at the welfare office. A courtesy smile. It told him his suspicions were correct. Andy’s wife wasn’t happy he brought his work home with him.

“Chance Bell,” Chance said and blushed a little when he realized she had already said his name. They shook hands and she washed her hands in the sink. “Jonathan is in the other room playing video games.”

Andy nodded his head. “I’ll take you to meet JJ.” His smile was on the opposite end of the spectrum of his wife’s.

Marabeth resumed her vegetable chopping.

Andy led Chance through more of the house as they followed the sound of mayhem and destruction. They walked into another room and a young man about the same age as Chance was playing a video game.

“JJ,” Andy said. “Pause the game for a sec.”

“Ah,” JJ complained but obeyed when he saw Chance. By the expression on his face Chance could tell he wasn’t a surprise for JJ.

“This is Chance Bell,” Andy said smiling. “He’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

JJ looked Chance up and down. “You play?” he asked.

“Some,” Chance replied looking at the large monitor. He had never played on this size of screen before though.

“Cool,” JJ said. He reached into a console in the couch and pulled out an extra controller. He tossed it gently to Chance. “I could use some help here.”

Chance was grateful he didn’t drop it.

“Chance, this is my son Jonathan James,” Andy said.

“Ah, just call me JJ,” he said. “The only one that calls me Jonathan is my mom.”

“And your grandpa,” Andy said.

“Only when he comes to visit.”

Andy nodded his head.

Chance shifted his weight unsure of what to do.

“Well,” JJ said. “Let’s see what you got.” He nodded at the gaming chair next to him.

Relieved Chance sat down.

Andy nodded as they started the game and raised his voice over the sounds of the game, “I’ll be in the kitchen talking to your mom.”

JJ gave him a thumbs up and Chance nodded. Andy watched them for a moment and then turned back to the kitchen.

After a few minutes, JJ broke the silence. “So, you were in jail, huh?”

Chance braced himself. “Yeah,” he said without taking his eyes off the screen.

“What was that like?” JJ asked.

Chance shrugged. How was he going to explain it to this sheltered kid? “Bad,” he said.

JJ nodded. “Cool.”

That was the extent of their non-game conversation until dinner.

The same couldn’t be said for the conversation in the kitchen, however.

“I can’t believe you brought a criminal into our house,” Marabeth said keeping her voice low but emphasizing each word.

“I couldn’t just leave him there. He doesn’t belong there,” Andy said while reading the directions for the rice. “I mean, who deserts their kid like that?”

“You think he belongs here?” she asked while vigorously tossing the salad.

“Careful there,” Andy said watching her. “We don’t want to eat that salad off the floor.”

“You brought him into our home and you left him with our son,” she said nervously.

“It’s okay, I told him if he was going to steal anything to steal my stuff only.”

She glared at him.

“I’m joking, you know I’m joking.”

“You and your jokes. I need you to guarantee me our family is safe.”

He grabbed her hands. He waited until she made eye contact with him. “I would never have brought him here if I didn’t think we were safe. If I didn’t think you and JJ would be safe.”

She looked at him.

“It’s just temporary. Once he has his hearing he’ll go with Child Protective Services. We’ll be fine, Beth.”

She sighed. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

That helped her relax a little bit. “I’m still not happy with you.”

“You rarely are,” he smiled.

A hint of a natural smile formed on her lips. “That’s true.”

He kissed her. He’s a good kid. Give him a chance.”

She sighed. “I’ll give Chance a chance.”

His smile grew bigger. “You know, I was going to say that.”

“I figured. I thought I’d beat you to it.”

“You snooze you lose,” he said and pulled out dishes to set the table.

Moments later when the four of them sat down to dinner she still wasn’t fully relaxed but she was willing to try. If her husband was correct to trust him, she was willing to help.

Chance didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone. He tried to be as polite as he knew how to be. But he felt inadequate in his preparation.

“So, Chance,” Andy said passing him the salad. “After dinner I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

“I assume out back?” Chance asked.

The three of them looked at him.

“Some kind of gardener’s shack where I’ll be working?”

“You’re not here to work,” Andy said. “You’ll be staying in the basement. We use it mostly for storage but there is a bedroom down there…”

“The bedroom time forgot,” JJ said.

“We’ll clear it out and make room for you.”

“That’s okay. I don’t need a lot of room. I travel light.” Chance said with a smile.

He noticed Marabeth actually smiled a little but this time it was more natural and warmer.

Andy continued. “We’ll get you some clean sheets and there’s a shower down there. You’ll be the only one down there so you’ll have some space.”

After dinner, Chance helped gather the dishes and take them into the kitchen. He started to wash the dishes by hand.

“We have a dishwasher for that,” JJ said.

Chance laughed nervously. “Ours was always broke so it was easier to do them by hand.”

After the kitchen was cleaned, Chance grabbed his bag and followed Andy down the stairs. Again, he was surprised. Some space. That’s how Andy described the basement. Chance figured he could fit about his three previous homes in the space. It was cluttered with boxes and household furniture but it didn’t matter to him. He was excited to see a bed. A real bed with blankets and not a cot.

“Here are some clean towels,” Andy said and showed him where the bathroom was. “I figure you are probably pretty beat so you’ll want to rest. There are clean sheets on the bed all ready for you. Tomorrow we’ll clear some of this out and make it a bit more livable for you.” He pushed a box out of the way with his foot.

“Oh, this is great,” Chance said. “Really. I appreciate all of this.”

“Well, we will still make it a little better for you tomorrow.”

Chance nodded his head and looked around. “Why are you doing all of this for me?”

“What do you mean?” Andy asked.

“What’s the catch?”

Andy put a hand on Chance’s shoulder. “You remind me of someone. Trying to do your best but life keeps knocking you down. Am I right?”

Chance shrugged. “I guess. Who do I remind you of? You?”

Andy smiled. “That would be so cliché, right? But no. My dad always talked about when he was a young man, probably about your age. He had lost both of his parents and was left to fend for himself. Someone took him in and helped set him on a good path. A path that led to my mom – thank goodness – and eventually to his career. He always told me that if I ever get the chance to pass on that type of kindness, I should seize the opportunity.”

“You chose me?”

“I chose you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.”

Chance nodded his head and stepped into the bedroom. “Thank you.”

Andy nodded. “Good night,” he turned toward the stairs.

“Thank M…thank your wife for me.” Chance said.

“You can do that yourself tomorrow morning,” Andy winked and walked toward the stairs.

Chance looked around still not entirely sure he wasn’t dreaming.