Page 30 of Rescued
“The goat barn?”
Theo grins. “Yep. I’ll introduce you to my favorite girl, Lila.”
As we walk, he talks. About nothing, really, but it makes me feel better. “She was just a baby when I first visited. Bottle-fed and everything. Only a week or so old. She’s grown so much now, but she seems to always be able to calm me down when I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
I follow him wordlessly, and when we step into a barn, we’re nearly bombarded by goats.
“Lila,” he calls out, and a little ball of brown and white comes flying at us. “Wanna sit in the hay with me? She’s a big baby. She’ll come cuddle in your lap like a dog.”
“Like a dog?” I echo as I sit down next to him in the hay.
He nods. “Yep. She’s spoiled.” Gesturing toward me, he smiles. “Pat your thighs.”
I do, and Lila does exactly what Theo said, curling into my lap and resting her head on my thigh. “Oh wow,” I breathe, staring down at her. “What a cute little girl you are.”
“You can pet her. She’s an attention whore. She’ll love it.”
I rub my fingers over her head, and she pushes into it, which makes me laugh, so I do it again. The more I stroke her head, themore relaxed I feel, and the next time I open my mouth, words start pouring out.
“I grew up in eastern Tennessee, in a town even smaller than this one. My mom was a drug addict. She didn’t start that way, but she met my stepfather, Melvin, and well…” I take a deep breath, not daring to look up at Theo. “Then she was all about meth or crack or heroin. Whatever she could get her hands on.”
Theo hums but doesn’t speak.
“We were poor. Like… don’t-know-where-our-next-meal-is-coming-from poor. It was rough. I left when I was twenty. Melvin was an abusive prick, and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
“That’s understandable,” Theo says softly.
“I regret it.”
“Leaving?” he asks.
I shake my head, then nod. “Yes and no. Honestly, no. But also, yes. I know that’s confusing.” I take a deep breath. “Fuck.”
Squeezing my eyes closed, I focus on the fur beneath my fingers. “Can I tell you something no one else knows?”
“Of course.”
“I left people I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“Friends?” Theo guesses.
“That too.” I open my eyes, keeping them glued to Lila. “Siblings. Salem and Nora. When I left, they were twelve and seven.”
“So fifteen and ten now?” Theo asks.
I nod. “Yeah. Mom was clean when I left. But…” I sigh. “Right after I got to Silverpine, Salem called and told me CPS removed them. They’re in foster care. I’m trying to get them. I just rented a house in town, and I have a home visit next week.”
Theo squeezes my shoulder. “That’s really great, Arlo. That’s amazing, really. A big responsibility, but great.”
I finally look up at him. “You’re not going to tell me you don’t think I can do it?”
Theo’s eyebrows draw together. “Of course not. It’s gonna be hard, I’m sure.” I nod, and Theo continues. “But… life is full of hard things. Being without your siblings is hard; knowing they’re in foster care is hard.” He shrugs. “Raising kids is hard, I’m sure. Being everything you’ll need to be for that at what? Only twenty-three? That’s hard too. We get to choose our hard, though. And it sounds like you’ve chosen yours.”
“You really think I can do it?” I ask, heat flooding my face at the way my voice cracks.
“Of course I do. You might be young, but you’re one of the steadiest people I know. I was surprised to find out how old you were. But given what I know of your childhood now, it makes more sense.”
I look back down at Lila. “Thank you.”
