Lost Boy

I sat hunched between a soggy cardboard box and a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant on Sycamore Street in downtown Los Angeles. Tears were coursing down my young face and because Mother Nature decided to be a bitch that day, those tears were mixed with the slow drizzle she decided to deliver. My clothes were soaked as were all my beliefs in family. I'd been out on the street for two days and it didn't look like I'd be going home anytime soon. I was cold, wet and really hungry.

My new step-dad, Robert, was the reason I'd been out here for two days. Before he married my mom he seemed to be a nice guy. That all changed after they were married. He would cuddle me and it never felt right. Then he started to move his hands in places, that even at six years old, I knew were not right. I tried telling my mom and she didn't believe me. I tried keeping my distance from him. That didn't work. He always wanted to "tickle" me. He'd done it before and it didn't tickle, it hurt. He had held me down on my bed and "tickled" me. I didn't want that to happen again so I said no and walked away. He grabbed me from behind and slammed me against the wall and began slapping and punching me. The pummeling stopped when I kicked him and ran. I'd never seen him so angry so I ran out the door and hadn't stopped running for two days.

I was tired and while I knew I should keep moving my small body needed to rest. Black and blue marks had formed on my upper body and arms. I needed to stop and recoup whatever energy I had left. The alley, dumpster and cardboard box looked good as a hiding place. The evening had turned cooler as well as having the rain fall and I began to feel the chill. My body did the only thing it could, shiver. My eyelids closed from exhaustion and the next thing I knew a hand took mine. I felt frightened thinking that Robert had found me. I almost didn't open my eyes. I must have just about jumped out of my skin, however, for the next thing I knew another hand took hold of my shoulder. The touch was tender and caring, not vicious, so I opened my eyes.

I looked up to see a young teen-age boy of about fifteen. He was smiling at me in a way that reassured me that I had nothing to fear from him. He put his finger to his lips as if to say 'be quiet' and then he motioned to me to follow him. My little body had stiffened sitting on the ground for so long that I had a hard time getting up. He reached back for me and helped me to a standing position. He was a gentle soul intent on helping me. His smile was warm and his eyes so inviting that I had no problem smiling back into those blue eyes of his.

We left that alley from the exit away from the main street. We covered several other streets and ended up in an older, boarded up house that seemed to be abandoned. I say seemed because while the outside looked ready for the wrecking ball, the inside had been cleaned and well kept. The furnishings were of scavenged pieces from curbsides, but all of it was in good condition.

He left me in the kitchen while he went looking for something. When he returned he carried a t-shirt and socks to wear. He gave me a towel and showed me where the bathroom was. "Go change and give me your wet clothes to wash and get ready for you later. What's your name?"

I didn't answer him right away. He pointed to the bathroom and I went to clean up and get out of my wet clothes. While I had changed, he started a can of chicken soup for me. As he closed the cabinet above the stove I noticed many cans of food in there. The refrigerator stood close by and he poured a glass of milk for me. "Gabrielle, my name is Gabrielle."

He gave me that warm smile again and sat down next to me. "Well Gabrielle, my name is Callen. It's nice to meet you. How old are you?"

I looked into those eyes of his and knew I could trust him. I don't know how I knew this but I did. All I knew is that I didn't feel like I was in any danger. "I'm six. How old are you? What is this place?"

He chuckled a bit. "I'm fifteen and I guess you could call this Neverland."

My face must have shown my confusion. "Neverland?"

He rose to get my soup. "Yeah, like in Peter Pan. What were you doing in that alley?" He brought my soup to me. As he placed the old cracked bowl on that table and a spoon, he seemed to wait for my answer. He reached out and tousled my hair. It was kind of like having a big brother.

I began to eat my soup hoping to leave the discussion of the alley and Robert for later.

He sat back down across from me. "You are free to stay in Neverland. All I ask is that you clean up after yourself and not bother other people's stuff. There are two other boys staying here. They are at school now. You'll go tomorrow. I have an arrangement with a retired teacher and she'll love having a little girl there. Eat your soup and I'll take care of your clothes and a place for you to sleep."

I dug into that soup and soon the bowl was empty and my eyelids grew heavy. I fell asleep in that chair but woke up in another room in a small bed. The room was tiny but tidy and there was a dresser up against the wall. There were two towels and a facecloth on top and a cute little lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. It almost felt like I was back in my own room at home but it was different at the same time. My own clothes sat atop the dresser so I got dressed in them.

I had no idea how long I'd slept, but I felt much better because of the sleep. I went out to use the bathroom and then I began investigating my new home. There were two floors. The second floor had three bedrooms and a bathroom. I had one of them and the others were set up in a dormitory way. Each room had two sets of bunk beds but only one room had signs that someone lived there. Callen had said there were two boys living in the house with us. The other bedroom looked like it was waiting for inhabitants.

I slipped down the stairway to the first floor where I knew the kitchen was. The living room had hand-me-down furniture that had been cleaned for use here, a dining room with a large table that twelve people could eat at and another bedroom. There were no furnishings, just a duffle bag and a bedroll. The duffle bag had a name on it, "G Callen." I wondered why he didn't have a bed. He deserved one.

I heard the back door open and then Callen entered the living room. "You're awake! I'd like you to meet someone."

A small woman with dark hair, came around him and gave me a once over. She smiled at me and looked at Callen. "She is adorable." She turned back to speak to me. "Gabrielle, it's nice to meet you. Mr. Callen crack open the cookies and make some tea please. We all need to talk."

Callen walked back into the kitchen to do her bidding. My small mind wondered if she was his mom. Why would she call him Mr. then? "My name is Henrietta Lange…you may call me Hetty." She gave me another long look through those round glasses that she wore. "How did you come to be in that alley?"

My first reaction was to run. I didn't want to tell anyone about Robert and his tickling never mind this strange woman. I told her a small bit. "My mom married a bad man."

Hetty reached out for my hand and in the process saw the bruising that had risen on my arms. "Did he do this?"

I sensed that Callen had trusted her enough to bring her here. "He hurts me. He tries to touch me in places that he shouldn't. I kicked him and ran. I didn't want him to hurt me again. Did I do something wrong? You won't send me back there, will you?"

Hetty rose from her chair and sat on the couch next to me. "I have to talk with your mom. She needs to know where you are and why you are here. I will keep you here to protect you, but while you're here you need to help Mr. Callen and the other boys keep the house neat and your own things put away. There may be other chores as well. Do you understand?"

I nodded in response to her question but the idea of Robert knowing where I was scared me to death. "What if my mother wants me back right away? What if she doesn't believe me about Robert? What will I do then?"

Miss Lange squeezed my hand. "I won't let anything happen to you and neither will Mr. Callen.

Right on cue Callen entered with a teapot, two tea cups, a glass of milk, a creamer and a sugar bowl. He'd opened the cookies in the kitchen and placed them on a small plate. When he set them on the coffee table Hetty offered me some and the glass of milk. She began speaking again. "I have no intention of returning you until Robert is gone so you have no worries. Besides no one seems to be looking for you, yet. Eat up, those cookies are not going to stay here forever. The other boys will be here soon and the cookies will be gone."

We sat and ate cookies and drank tea and milk for a while. Miss Lange got up to leave and motioned for Callen to follow her into the kitchen. "Keep a good watch on her. Her step-father will want her back if for no other reason as to keep her quiet. See that it doesn't happen and I will talk with the mother. She may decide to leave her with us to keep her safe. Till tomorrow Mr. Callen."

Callen knew what he had to do. "Good Night Hetty."

I stayed in that house for two more years. My mother was told where I was and that I was safe. She visited every week and she felt grateful that I was safe and not at the hands of a predator. She started the divorce process but in the end she didn't have to continue. Robert was caught with a child and arrested for pedophilia. It seemed that his fellow prisoners didn't care for pedophiles and because of their treatment of him he committed suicide. My mother was free and so was I.

Callen and I became close during those two years. He called me his little sister and I enjoyed having an older brother. About the time I left he was graduating from high school and heading off to college. Another boy who'd arrived before me took over Callen's post. He was a good choice for the job.

Hetty came around less often. Callen told me that she was spending more and more time out of the country. When the time came for my mom to take me home Hetty came home to see me off. She referred to me as her little one. Now when I think of it I find it amusing.

I said good bye to my adoptive family and went home with my mom. I missed them all.