Hunk knocked on the metal side of the old screen door, balancing a small box covered in Saran Wrap on his other hand with practiced ease. He had to wait patiently for the old lady who lived there to reach the door, but he still greeted her with a warm smile.

"Afternoon, ma'am. I've got your dinner!" he stated cheerily, watching her face pull into a delighted, toothy grin.

She took the box with shaking arms, and the small carton of milk started following the pull of gravity off the side of it. Before it had the chance to reach its untimely demise, Hunk snatched it back up, taking the box back after a moment of thought. "How about I just take this inside for you. That okay, Mrs. Angelle?"

The old woman nodded, taking a step back to let him in. "You're too kind, Hunk," she rasped.

"I'm happy to help," he replied. He wasn't technically supposed to enter houses, but he couldn't help himself. It wouldn't kill anyone.

They only spoke for a few minutes before Hunk had to move on. He waved one final goodbye and headed down the cracked pavement to his truck.

That had been his last delivery of the day. He could still smell the aroma of mashed potatoes from the back seat, and he closed his eyes as he breathed it in.

It was a simple thing, the scent, but it reminded him of home. Especially of his mother, though there was no possible way that food could equal hers. Hunk sighed and clutched the small gold band on the chain around his neck for a brief moment, smiling at the warmth he received from it. His mother's wedding ring. All of her sweet words and gentle lessons encompassed in this one tiny item provided him with a sense of deep calm and comfort, even after she'd passed.

Well, can't sit in front of this house forever, he thought. With one final glance around for good measure, he started the drive back to the little building that housed the Meals on Wheels kitchen.

It had been several years since he'd joined the program. He had always been fond of assisting others in any way he could; it was a way of giving back to the people who had done so much for him first. Everyone in their little town shared their families amongst each other, helping to raise one another and keep good company. They'd always been a huge support through his life, especially when his mother died, and he wouldn't trade that bond for the world.

Hunk's gaze scanned the ground to the left as he navigated the streets. Kids kicked deflating soccer balls amongst each other, squealing in delight as they rattled the chain fences that divided the houses. Others raced their hand-me-down bikes that had lost their initial shine, but certainly not their charm, whizzing past Hunk in his meandering speed. He whistled absently; home was a nice place to be. Home was comfortable.

A flash of blue caught his eye to the right of the truck, and he quickly slammed on the brakes before a teenage boy hopped across the street.

The dark-skinned guy flashed an apologetic smile and gave a curt wave, but didn't slow down. Once he was out of sight, Hunk had to remind himself that he hadn't hit anyone and he was allowed to breathe again. He'd run off so fast that Hunk didn't even get a chance to call out to him.

That encounter reminded him of how nervous driving around this place made him. People were always dodging around cars, especially kids. He couldn't handle the idea of running someone over.

Regaining his bearings, he pulled up to the small building, letting the sound of gravel crunching under the tires usher away the thoughts.

The place had once been a home before it had been remodeled as the Meals on Wheels base in southern Louisiana. It was shaded by a large tree to the left and had at least three entrances. Hunk used the front steps.

The door opened with a groan. Inside, a wooden table sat in the center of the room. Small groups of people chatted around or gathered their things to leave. One woman entered from the adjacent hallway that led to the kitchen, her face pulled taught around the wrinkles into a smile when she saw him. Her coarse hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she had on a light blue apron with flecks of food staining it.

"Hunk," she said, "back so soon? You're getting faster every route you go on." She shook her head. "Not stealing the boxes, are you?" she teased. The woman—her name was Mrs. Durell, but everyone here referred to her as Nanna—had always used that joke with Hunk's mother.

"Not this time, Nanna," he responded, taking up his own apron from the rack by the hallway. "Just learning the routes better."

Nanna scoffed. "You learned that at least two years ago, boy."

Hunk shrugged. "Still can learn. Oh, are the kids here?"

The woman opened her mouth only to be drowned out by loud shouting followed by a crash in the kitchen. She sighed, the crease in her brow deepening. "You bet."

Hunk chuckled momentarily. "I'll take care of it, you just sit tight." At the sound of another crash, Hunk tightened the back of the apron and hurried towards the commotion.

"You gotta pay for it now!"

"Do not!"

"Yeah-huh, that's the rules. Nanna said so."

Hunk stepped up to the two children with practiced caution. "Alright, guys, we don't need to wreck the whole kitchen," he said, eyeing the three stainless-steel bowls lying on the ground.

The little girl broke her threatening stance and stared up at him, clutching onto an odd robot-looking toy that was nearly half the size of her. She donned a pout that could melt a person's heart down to a puddle as she gazed up at him, but Hunk knew it was just a practiced act she used to get people on her side.

"Rolo broke my toy," she whined.

Her brother huffed. "You ran into the counter."

"You were chasing me!"

"Hey, hey!" Hunk called. The siblings' attention snapped back to him. "Nyma, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. Accidents happen, right?"

She nodded solemnly, her tight curls bouncing in their pigtails.

Nyma and Rolo were orphaned as babies, dropped off one day at the door of that very building in scraggled cloths, side by side in an old box barely big enough to fit the both of them. Nobody really knew if they were really related, only that they were sent together. Nanna had taken them in and raised them, and as they grew they often accompanied her to work on weekends. And wreaked havoc while they were at it.

Rolo tugged at his sleeve. "Can you fix it for her?" he asked. At least he was concerned for her.

Hunk smiled. "Who do you think I am? Go fetch me a screwdriver in the second drawer from the counter."

The boy nodded briskly and scurried off to retrieve the tool while his sister frowned at the toy. Hunk could now tell that she was the only thing holding its leg up to the body where it had snapped off. It wouldn't be difficult to fix from what he could see.

Squatting down to the floor, he held out his hands to Nyma. "Can I see the robot?" he questioned politely. She nodded and laid it out gingerly on his arms.

"Take care of it, I bought that myself," she said, holding her head up proudly as Rolo reappeared by his side.

"Wow," he replied, taking the screwdriver from Rolo, "that's a pretty big step in being responsible." The thing looked strange, having what he thought looked like cats for limbs, but he didn't judge her.

The two kids sat on either side of Hunk as he found the screw that had fallen on the ground and tightened it into place. He swung the leg back and forth to test it out, nodding when he found it satisfactory.

"Alright, one fixed robot, coming up," he said with a dramatic flair. Nyma squealed and snatched it up, hugging it tight.

"I knew you could fix it! Rolo didn't think you could."

"Hey!"

Hunk sighed. "Guys, not again." They really were always fighting against someone or each other.

Rolo stuck his tongue out at his sister, and she looked about ready to whack him over the head with her newly-fixed toy.

"Rolo, what do you say to Nyma for breaking her robot?" Hunk asked.

The boy sighed. "Sorry," he muttered, the way kids said it when they didn't really mean it.

"Good," she replied, quickly adding "I forgive you" after seeing the warning look in Hunk's eyes.

They turned to scurry away, but Hunk called Nyma back before she could escape, leaving Rolo to run to Nanna.

"You forgot something," he pointed out with a smile.

She mouthed a small oh and cleared her throat loudly.

Holding out the robot in all it's odd-colored glory, she looked at it straight on and spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't take better care of you. I'll work on that." She hugged it close and turned to Hunk.

"Why do we do that?" she asked for what had to be the hundredth time. She loved to hear the explanation, and he couldn't blame her. It was a fun myth his mother had taught him when he was younger.

Hunk pretended to be in thought for several moments and snapped his fingers. "Ah, I remember. When we have something important to us," he began, "we have to let it know that it's loved. If we're careless with our things, they'll disappear and end up with someone who wants to be really responsible with it." Nyma looked at him, trying and failing to conceal her wonder as she gripped the toy tighter.

"So, if you do your part in showing love, that toy will return the favor by making you happy." Hunk's fingers absently found their way once more to the gold band hanging from his neck.

Nyma smiled brightly. "I'm glad I know that better than Rolo does."

Hunk laughed. "Maybe you can teach him."

She nodded one final time and ran off to find him.

With a yawn, Hunk got back to his feet and retrieved the fallen pots. They clanged together loudly as he stacked them and returned them to the cabinet. How had they even opened that for it to fall out?

Nanna was still sitting at the table when he found her. One look at Hunk and she shook her head slowly. "This place would look like hurricane season got angry if we didn't have you to straighten things out."

"I'm just doing what I can," he replied with a brief yawn. "I can get back to the kitchen and-"

"No," she cut him off, "you're going home and getting some rest."

Hunk was about to retort when the look in her eyes shut his mouth. He knew better than to argue with an old southern lady.

Still, after he hung up his apron and headed out the door, he lingered. "When's the next truck coming with-"

"Home."

"Sorry."

Hunk walked slowly down the side ramp, testing out the area where the wood was going soft.

Feeling comfortable with the rest, he walked at a normal pace. Suddenly, a splintering sound resonated through his ears, and he was falling before he realized it.

He blindly reached out for something to latch onto, but only met air. He scrunched his eyes shut to brace for the impact on the ground, but it didn't come.

Opening one eye, he saw a familiar-looking figure bracing him up with his shoulder.

"Help me out a little?" he asked with a strained laugh.

"Oh, yeah." Hunk righted himself on the ground, sighing with relief. "Sorry about that," he said, jiggling the rest of the rail. "Needs repairing."

Looking at his face, the teenager seemed to be about the same age as Hunk. He smiled brightly, dusting off his pants. "Need anything else, mystery dude?"

From Hunk's perspective, he seemed way less of a mystery than this stranger in front of him. He was a little on the thin side, his hair was somewhat frazzled—Hunk assumed that was from running in front of cars-and he held an air about him that made him seem both young and old.

"You're the guy I almost ran over earlier," Hunk said before he could catch himself.

The other's eyebrows rose. "Oh, that was you? Sorry about that, buddy. In a rush, you know?"

Hunk nodded absently. Why was he apologizing?

"By the way, I think it would be a good idea to get that rebuilt completely instead of just fixing one part, but what do I know," he stated simply.

"Uh...yeah," Hunk replied, still somewhat dazed. "I'm Hunk, by the way." You were supposed to give your name to a rescuer, right?

"Hunk, huh? That's a cool name. I'm Lance." He extended his arm in a relaxed greeting, and Hunk took it, somewhat at ease having a name to put to him.

Lance glanced around for a few moments of silence. "I guess I'll get going, then," he finally said.

"Me, too. Thanks again for helping me."

"Hey, thanks for not running me over." Lance laughed before they exchanged goodbyes and Hunk turned and walked away.

Lance still looked like he was in a hurry, but didn't make any moves to leave until Hunk entered his truck.

As he was driving out of the lot, he looked in the rearview mirror to see Lance bending down to pick something up. Hunk hadn't noticed him drop anything. Weird, he thought.


Once Hunk reached his apartment, he let himself fall onto the couch. He'd have to make dinner soon, but he wanted to just take a nap.

They really did need to replace things at that place; more than the ramp, too. It wouldn't be long before it all fell apart.

And what was with that guy, Lance? He'd stumbled on Hunk twice in only an hour, both times seeming at once rushed and relaxed. Whatever he was, Hunk hoped he could get it resolved.

Every time he was nervous, every time he needed comfort, Hunk reached for his mother's ring. It served as a reminder of her kindness, her strength, and most importantly, her forgiveness. Over the years he'd learned the implications that forgiveness could have. He never wanted to lose that lesson.

But he'd lost the ring.

Frantically, Hunk sat up and ran his hands over the couch, desperately feeling for the warm metal. When he turned up nothing, he dug through his pockets. Still nothing.

Reasonably, it had to be somewhere he'd been. He dropped to his knees with a huff and crawled along the floor until his head hit the front door. Tears streaked down his face as he snatched up his keys and ran to the truck. He searched the seats and the floorboards, but there was no sign of it.

"No, no..." he whispered. In the two years he'd had it, not once had he so much as misplaced it. Now he couldn't even find it.

He was getting fully in the truck to drive back to the kitchen when an image played through his mind.

A boy, bending over to retrieve something on the ground. Right where Hunk had been standing.

Lance had the ring.


Finally updating this, so I can make an announcement I made a long time ago on my other fic. I now have a writing blog on Tumblr pidge-writes! There I'll post updates, small excerpts in between chapters, and ideas for upcoming stories. It's also a great place to just stop by and say hi, because I'd love to personally know your thoughts or just chat. Thanks!