Homeless. It never occur to T.K. that he would be without a home while running away. He checked his GS's clock and it read "5:30 P.M." T.K. began to worry; if he don't find a place to sleep, he would be out on the streets for the night. With a sigh, he continue to walk down the dirt road. He was in a middle of field with the only dirt road for miles on end. "Hmm, being a runaway child is boring. Nothing special ever goes down. You just running and running," T.K. complained, trudging along the side of the road. This went on for the next hour and and forty-five minutes.
He approached a sign and stopped to read it. "Barkley city limits. Population: 450. Hm, I guess that this the end of the town," T.K. realized. He squinted his eyes and looked down the road. In the distance, he could make out a small, cozy home and a modern truck. T.K. smirked, "Maybe someone could let me stay there for the night. Alright, time to put on the Mutombo charm." He speeded up his pace and made it at the front door in no time.
"Alright, let's do this," T.K. spoke as he knocked on the door. There was a short wait as the door opened, revealing a elderly African American male. The man had a white balding haircut, white five o' clock shadow, and rounded reading glasses. He wore a gray t-shirt with a graphic that said "Foxy Grandpa", black sweatpants, and matching gray slippers. He looked like he was getting comfortable for the night; however, he wasn't agitated about. He scanned T.K. up and down, "Why hello, son. What brings you to my humble abode?"
"Sir...I was wondering if I could stay here for the night? I even pay you for it," T.K. promised, taking out a hundred dollar bill.
The old man shook his head, "I don't want your money, sunny, but can I ask why? Don't you have a home to go to?"
"No sir. My father was caught in the crossfire of a drive by. He died on the scene. I've been on the run ever since then," T.K. explained.
"My god, that's tragic! Did they ever find the killer?" The old man asked, shocked from the random act of violence.
T.K. nodded, "Yes they did. The scumbag is currently serving a life sentence as we speak. So please...may I come in? I only be in there for the night and be out by morning, I promise!"
"Hmm...seems reasonable. Alright just for one night, now come on in," The old man invited, stepping aside.
T.K. was thrilled, "Yes, thank you so much!" T.K. stepped inside and took in the scenery. The living room had two couches, a flat screen smart T.V., and a medium sized table in the middle. The smell of mothballs kicked T.K. in the face, assaulting him and his nose. "Ugh, smells like moth balls," T.K. muttered, plugging his nose.
The old man held his hand towards his ear, "What was that? Speak please, my hearing ain't what it used to be, son."
"I said that this place has nice halls," T.K. lied, putting on a fake big grin.
"Oh, thank you, uh?" The old man froze as he didn't know his name.
T.K. introduced himself, "T.K."
"Orenthal Jenkins, but just Jenk, son," Jenk also introduced himself. There was a long silence as the two pondered their next move.
"So, T.K., are you hungry? Surely you worked up an appetite from walking," Jenk started.
T.K. nodded, "Yeah, the only thing that I ate was a burger down at the diner at town from earlier. I can eat."
"Well how would you like my special hot dogs?" Jenk offered, walking towards the kitchen.
T.K. followed him, "I would like that very much sir." Later, they were at the dining room table. Jenk began to tell stories from his past. T.K. didn't want to be rude, so he listen to the stories. "Finally, my neighbor came over my house after we broke his window playing ball. He wasn't mad but he told us that we had to fix his window; furthermore, we had to find another place for baseball. My mama tanned me and my brother hides for not speaking up sooner," Jenk concluded, taking a bite of his New York dog.
"Wow, that stinks, sir. How long did it take you and your friends to fix it?" T.K. asked, taking a huge bite out of his bacon chili cheese dog.
Jenk stroked his chin, "Almost three weeks because we have to pool our money together and save it. Windows aren't cheap ya know."
"Obviously! Say you have a bathroom? I need to take a shower for the night." T.K. informed, finishing off the rest of the dog.
Jenk stood up, "Certainly! Follow me." The two walked down the hallway in front of them. At the end, they stood at a door with a vintage poster. The poster had a cartoonish bear on a toliet with a caption that said, "Only you can go number two." Jenk opened the door and showcased the small bathroom. "Ok first, towels, big and small, are in the counter on you right. Second, make sure you're completely dried off before you come out. Finally, there's no lever to change the temperature, so you have to use that wretch to do it. Sorry, I've been meaning to get that fixed," Jenk apologized.
T.K. shrugged, "No biggie, Jenk. Thank for all of this!"
"Not a probelm. I'll leave ya to your business," Jenk stated, leaving T.K. alone.
In the shower, T.K. began to think about everything that happened. "This has been a ride, and it has been only a day. I wonder if Lincoln and the others are looking for me. ...Nah they possibly couldn't right? I'm not kin to them, so they couldn't be doing just that. Meh, only time would tell I guess. Alright, let's get out," T.K. thought as he washed the soap off of him and turned off the water. He grabbed the towel nearby on the toliet and began to dry off. After that, he put on some boxers and shorts. He then put on some deodorant under his armpits and put on a shirt. He grabbed his dirty clothes and walk out of the bathroom.
"Hey, Jenk, thanks for the-" T.K. trailed off, witnessing the ancient man had dozed off while he was watching T.V. "Hmm, must of doze off. Oh well, let's watch some Tivo," T.K. thought happily, sneaking the remote from Jenk's clutches. "Oh, Normal Cartoon, and a new episode! Bonus!" T.K. exclaimed as Jenk stirred in his sleep, mumbling incoherently.
Author's Note: I want to clear something up. Don't think that T.K. is like the greatest thing to happen to the Louds because he's not. Sure, they have great times with him, but that's it. Like Clyde, he's like a sibling in law to them. Besides, they have each other to make even more good times and T.K. is a bonus to them. I hope that this doesn't confuse you. Thanks for reading!
Yo momma's side dude, out!
