Orphan Train(89)
There’s a pause, and then Jack says, “Uh-huh.”
“We have a lot in common, actually.”
He laughs a little. “Come on, Moll.”
“You can ask her.”
“Listen. You know how much I care about you. But let’s get real. You’re a seventeen-year-old foster kid who’s on probation. You just got kicked out of another home. And now you’ve moved in with a rich old lady who lives in a mansion. A lot in common? And my mom—”
“I know. Your mom.” Molly sighs loudly. How long is she going to be beholden to Terry, for God’s sake?
“It’s complicated for me,” he says.
“Well . . .” Molly says. Here goes. “I don’t think it’s so complicated now. I told Vivian about stealing the book.”
There’s a pause. “Did you tell her that my mom knew?”
“Yeah. I told her you vouched for me. And that your mom trusted you.”
“What’d she say?”
“She totally understood.”
He doesn’t say anything, but she senses a shift, a softening.
“Look, Jack—I’m sorry. I’m sorry for putting you in that position in the first place. That’s why I didn’t call you last night; I didn’t want you to feel like you had to save my butt once again. It sucks for you, always doing me a favor, and it sucks for me, always feeling like I have to be grateful. I don’t want to have that kind of relationship with you. It’s not fair to expect you to take care of me. And I honestly think your mom and I might get along better if she doesn’t think I’m trying to work all the angles.”
“She doesn’t think that.”
“She does, Jack. And I don’t blame her.” Molly glances over at the tea service drying in the rack. “And I have to say one more thing. Vivian said she wanted to clean out her attic. But I think what she really wanted was to see what was in those boxes one last time. And remember those parts of her life. So I’m glad, actually, that I was able to help her find these things. I feel like I did something important.”
She hears footsteps in the upstairs hall—Vivian must be on her way downstairs. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’m making breakfast.” She flicks on the gas burner to warm the oatmeal, pouring a little skim milk into it and stirring.
Jack sighs. “You’re a major pain in the ass, did you know that?”
“I keep telling you that, but you don’t want to believe me.”
“I believe you now,” he says.
A FEW DAYS AFTER MOLLY ARRIVES AT VIVIAN’S, SHE TEXTS RALPH to let him know where she is.
He texts back: Call me.
So she calls. “What’s up?”
“You need to come back so we can deal with this.”
“Nah, that’s okay.”
“You can’t just run away,” he says. “We’ll all be in a pile of shit if you do.”
“I didn’t run away. You kicked me out.”
“No, we didn’t.” He sighs. “There are protocols. Child Protective Services are going to be all over your ass. So will the police, if this gets out. You have to go through the system.”
“I think I’m done with the system.”
“You’re seventeen. You’re not done with the system till the system is done with you.”
“So don’t tell them.”
“You mean lie?”
“No. Just . . . don’t tell them.”
He’s silent for a moment. Then he says, “You doing okay?”
“Yup.”
“That lady is okay with you being there?”
“Uh-huh.”
He grunts. “I’m guessing she’s not a certified foster care provider.”
“Not . . . technically.”
“Not technically.” He laughs drily. “Shit. Well, maybe you’re right. No need to do anything drastic. When’re you eighteen, again?”
“Soon.”
“So if it’s not hurting us . . . and it’s not hurting you . . .”
“That money comes in handy, huh?”
He’s silent again, and for a moment Molly thinks he’s hung up on her. Then he says, “Rich old lady. Big house. You’ve done pretty well for yourself. You probably don’t want us to report you missing.”
“So . . . I still live with you, then?”
“Technically,” he says. “Okay with you?”
“Okay with me. Give Dina my best.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” he says.
TERRY IS NOT PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO FIND MOLLY IN THE HOUSE on Monday morning. “What’s this?” she says, her voice a sharp exclamation. Jack hasn’t told her about Molly’s new living arrangements; apparently he was hoping the situation would somehow magically resolve itself before his mother found out.