I Ain't Got It All That Bad
Joey Phillips couldn't believe his luck—if a person could call it that. When Dr. Bailey told him to come home with her, he didn't even know if he'd heard her right. So, he stayed quiet. If she really meant it, she'd repeat it again. "Come home with me. With my family." She said it again!
"What?" He asked confused.
"Stay while you finish high school, while we fill out your college applications." His heart dropped to the ground. College?! Even with his good grades, it was such a far away, intangible concept, but looking at the woman's face, he suddenly saw it. A future that didn't include hiding and scrounging. Joey Phillips would be going to college. In a year and a half anyway. "And after you've been away at school, come back and eat Thanksgiving dinner and… and do your laundry," she told him with a smile. "And maybe talk about what career you want."
Joey was still in disbelief. Who would want a 18-year-old homeless kid? Who would want him? Was it… "Look, I don't need money from the county. That's not what this is about." Joey nodded slowly. Of course, she didn't need money. She was the Chief of frickin' surgery. "I have an extra room, extra food, extra love to give." He thought that a sad look had passed through her eyes, but maybe it was him projecting. He was still a little sad, too. His siblings, Sarah, Ernie and Frank, had all found homes, good homes, and he was stuck in the hospital because there was nowhere for him to go.
He opened his mouth to tell her that he appreciated it, but he didn't want anyone's pity. He could take care of himself. "I… I have a son who loves to play video games. And a husband who will understand eventually." Her face had been so bright and so happy. Maybe, she really did want him.
"You're serious?" He asked with a smile creeping across his face. One thing he didn't want to do was get his hopes up.
"When have you known me to not be serious?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Before he knew it, he was answering: "Yeah, yeah. I'd like that." The grin on his face could have lit up the entire city of Seattle.
"You… okay. Yeah." Miranda looked shocked that he'd agreed and he wondered if he said the wrong thing. Maybe it was just a kind gesture and he was supposed to decline politely. She brought him in for a tight hug. And it was the first one he'd shared with someone outside of his siblings in such a long time. He felt like crying, but happiness overpowered that feeling.
When they pulled apart, Joey looked down at the shorter woman. She reached up and touched his cheek. The gesture felt familiar, warm. Something he hadn't felt in years. "Alright." And just like that, Joey Phillips had a home. A real home!
In the kitchen, Joey and his younger brother, Tuck, looked at one another. Tuck nodded and Joey called for Miranda: "Mama B, can you come here for a second?" On the table, they'd set up a slice of bread that had peanut butter spread on it. Tuck had convinced him to do a Tik Tok prank and they were trying it out on her.
"Give me one second," she said from the study. Tuck set up his cellphone so that it was recording inconspicuously and they sat at the island waiting. A minute later, the woman sauntered into the kitchen. Miranda Bailey was, if he were being honest, his favorite person in the whole world. She'd brought him home with her and his life had changed drastically. She was so kind but took no mess and he loved that about her. So different from his birth mother, but the love she showed him was the same. "What's up?" She asked with a wide smile.
"We want you to see this life hack Tuck found on Tik Tok," Joey told her trying not to laugh.
She sat down at the table next to Tuck and Joey sat on the other side of her. "Watch this, ma," Tuck started. "They say all you have to do is do your hands like this." The youngest rubbed his palms together. "Then, I hold my hands over it to warm up the bread." Mama B had one eyebrow raised looking from one son to the other. "Voilà!"
Joey put his hand over the bread. "No way!" He said overreacting properly. "How!?"
"What? I don't believe that. Scientifically…"
"Mom," Tuck remarked at the same time Joey was groaning: "Mama B."
"I'm going to have to do it again if you don't hurry," Tuck told her.
"Okay, do it again. I'm ready," she said. "But I want to go on record saying that I do not believe either of you."
Tuck began warming his hands again. "Okay, okay." He held his hand over the bread and Mama B glanced at Joey before she pushed Tuck's hand onto the sticky bread. "What the—!?"
The other two howled as Tuck took the bread from his hand and tossed it toward Joey who was bent over the island cracking up. It landed on the side of his face, hitting his pants before falling onto the floor. "Yo, bruh!" Joey yelped.
Mama B just stood up walking around the island. "Did you two forget who I am?" The boys looked at each other and laughed harder and louder. Before going home with Mama B, his laughs had been few and far between. Nothing was funny. But now, he was enjoying his young adulthood and he had family and friends and a room! His own room with his own stuff. Stuff that he didn't have to steal, stuff that fit his body and style. And electronics! He had a phone, tablet, TV and laptop and a game system. He'd never had any of those things before. Anything he needed or could ever want, they provided. Not in a spoiled kind of way, but in the way that let him know they cared.
Then there was Tuck. His younger brother who was the best friend he'd ever had. They'd bonded instantly and the love between them was anything but fake. "Young'ns, you cannot kid a kidder," she told them gleefully clapping. "Plus, I saw that trick already. Good try though. Go ahead and tag me in that when you post it." She did a little dance sidling up to the refrigerator. "I'm about to heat up the leftover pizza, who wants?"
"Me!" Joey said reaching for paper towels to wipe off his face.
"Me, too, please," Tuck echoed getting his phone and watching the video. The sound of the three of them playing around filled the kitchen.
"What's going in here?" Ben asked coming through the threshold. The man he called "Pops" chuckled before he even knew what had gone on. That's how he was quick to laugh and slow to anger. He always gave good advice even if that advice was "Go ask Mama B, son, I don't know." And Joey loved that he called him "son". He hadn't had a dad since he was five; and being around him felt good. Through cacophony and wild gestures, they told him what happened, showing him the video and the four of them started another round of unstoppable laughter. Joey looked around at the other three happy faces. Everything was so good.
That night, Tuck came into his room and flopped down on his bed. "So!"
Joey had looked up from scrolling on his tablet. "So?"
"There's a party tonight and I wanted to know if you want to come?"
"But tomorrow's Friday." Tuck made a face conveying that he didn't really care. "We have school in the morning, Tuck. I know they didn't say 'yes' to this," he added. Mama B and Pops were lenient, but some things were just out of the question.
"They didn't, which is why we'll have to sneak out when dad goes to bed. And we'll have to be back before mom gets home."
Did he know who their parents were? "You're insane," Joey laughed.
"I'm going to call your parents," the teacher, Mr. Jefferies, said to him.
"I don't care. My parents died when I was five," Joey said lifting and dropping his shoulders casually. The entire class had turned to him. Usually, he tried to stay out of the way and quiet, almost becoming invisible. But today, Mr. Jefferies had pissed him off, trying to embarrass him claiming that he didn't do his work since he hadn't turned it in. No matter how much he insisted that he had done it, his teacher didn't want to listen. And he was telling the truth. The work was done, he'd just forgotten it at home. He'd known as soon as he stepped out of the house on the way to the bus stop that it was in his room, but he was afraid to go back and get it. Joey didn't want Miranda and Ben to think he was irresponsible. But also, he didn't want to get into trouble.
Now look at him. In trouble. Because he'd talked back and shrugged. The way he often did when adults had threatened him in the past. Only this wasn't the past. This was now, three months into living with his foster family. He had a brand-new mom and a brand-new dad. Not only did they care, but they didn't tolerate disrespect to teachers or anyone else. Remembering this, he tried to straighten up for the rest of the class so that Mr. Jeffries wouldn't feel compelled to make the call. No such luck. By the end of the day, the three of them were sitting in the man's office.
Miranda and Ben had kept their faces straight while Mr. Jeffries talked. Some of which was inaccurate, but Joey didn't dare correct him. When he got to the part about mentioning his deceased parents, Miranda's body had tensed. And, suddenly, Joey felt like a hot bowl of crap. When they were finished, she said: "Thank you, Mr. Jeffries. Miranda and Ben shook the teacher's hand and walked out of the door.
In the car, he thought he'd get yelled at, but everything seemed… normal. He and Tuck sat in the back and the three of them were talking and laughing as the radio played. For some reason, he'd expected the worst; shouting, perhaps, or threats to send him back to wherever. Why he thought that, he didn't exactly know because never once had they raised their voices to him maliciously. They loved him and treated him like he was theirs. He didn't want them to think he didn't appreciate them as parents and hated that he'd said what he'd said. His stomach churned waiting. "Are you two hungry?" Miranda asked turning in her seat a little. A smile decorated her face.
"I'm starving, mom," Tuck told her taking out an earbud.
"Yes, mo—ma'am," he answered. He'd wanted to call her "mom," but it hadn't felt right. He had a mom. She wasn't alive, but she was still his mom. And Miranda already had a son. And probably hadn't been looking for another when he fell into her life. The idea zipped in and out his brain. What to call them then?
Facing the front, she said to Ben: "Oh, let's go to the Cheesecake Factory."
"Yes!" Tuck and Ben exclaimed.
"Joey, is that good with you?" Ben asked making eye contact in the rearview mirror. He could only nod. He'd never been there before and he was allergic to seafood. Hopefully, someone remembered.
At the restaurant, Miranda asked Tuck to go inside and put their name on the list. Joey sat in the back, waiting nervously. Now, they were all alone. The two of them got out of the car and moved into the backseat with him. It was tight and he knew he was about to be reprimanded, but the closeness felt nice. "So, you got in trouble today, mister," Miranda said after a long bout of silence.
"Yes."
"Do you want to tell us what that was all about?" Ben asked.
He was near tears and his heart was doing somersaults. Just start apologizing, he thought. "I l-left my homework in my room. And he—"
"Mr. Jeffries," she said.
"And Mr. Jeffries said that I didn't do it and when he said… that he was going to call you, I shrugged."
"And…" Ben prodded.
Joey took a deep breath. "I said I didn't care," he said leaving out the part about his dead parents. "And I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."
"Did you do your homework?" One of them asked.
"I did. It's in my room. I just forgot it." He waited for them to scold him. "I remembered it on the way to the bus stop, but…"
Miranda put her arm around him. "Why didn't you come back for it?"
"Because I didn't want to get in trouble," Joey admitted.
"That's not how it works. You don't get in trouble for forgetting," Ben started. "You get in trouble for when you talk back to a teacher."
"And when we have to come down to the school and listen to him prattle incessantly." She smiled at Joey. "Okay?"
"Okay."
"You're allowed to make mistakes, son," Ben said rubbing his head. "It's okay. You just have to grow from them."
"I'm sorry. I won't do that again."
"You'd better not," Miranda said smoothing his arm. She winked him. "We are… well, we're your guardians—"
"Just say 'parents,' baby," Ben told her. "I mean, if that's okay with you, Joey?"
There were tears in his eyes. "Yes."
"Regardless of what you call us, we love you." He turned to her with his eyebrows raised trying to determine if she was lying or not. "It's true," she said.
"I love you guys, too," he said for the first time. But it wasn't the first time he'd been moved to do so. Miranda, Ben and Tuck were his family.
The three of them exhaled. "Good," Miranda said and she kissed his cheek.
"Perfect." Ben opened his door and Joey started to say something and stopped.
"What is it?" She asked clearly reading his mind.
The door closed again. "What is it, son?"
"Nothing."
"Go on. You can say it," she said to him.
"I thought you were going to yell at me." Ben exaggerated a frown. "Or get mad."
Miranda took her hand from his shoulder and picked up his hands. "No. That's not how we operate. We talk, alright."
"Some of us more than others," Ben added dramatically pointing at his wife, blowing her a kiss. Joey liked how they interacted. They were truly in love. And their arguments could be a little nerve-wrecking, but they always made up. They were goals.
"Alright," he smiled.
In the Cheesecake Factory, Tuck mentioned that he wanted to get the shrimp scampi, but Ben told him to pick something else. "Joey's allergic," Ben said nonchalantly.
"Oh, my bad, bro."
"It's okay," Joey laughed.
"So, wait, I can't have seafood every again?"
Joey and Ben laughed as Miranda cut her eyes at the youngest teen. "I meant… I'll have the chicken a burger." After eating the really good food and even better dessert, the four of them went home. That word made goosebumps appear on his arms. Getting courage, he went to their bedroom and knocked on the door. Miranda giggled. "Um, come in." She was already in bed and Ben was sitting on the edge. Joey pushed the door open.
"Yes, sir?" Ben asked. He liked how the man always addressed him with a title. Miranda patted the bed and he sat down next to Ben.
"Um, I was wondering if I could…" The words got caught in his throat. "If I could call you something."
"Something like what?" Miranda asked as her head leaned to the side.
Joey fidgeted. "Other than… 'Miranda and Ben' or 'foster mom' and 'foster dad'." It seemed to take forever for one of them to say anything. They looked at each other and then back to him. "Or if it's weird, just… never mind." He started to get up and she pulled him down into a hug.
"I know you're not much of a hugger, but…" She sniffled. "I would love that."
Ben hugged him, too. "I would really love that."
After brainstorming they'd landed on "Mama B" and "Pops". After another hug, he walked to the door. "Oh, and go ahead and bring us your phone, tablet and laptop," Mama B said pulling the covers up to her neck.
"Huh?" Joey asked puzzled.
Pops added: "They are ours for the week. Since you don't care."
The teen's mouth dropped open. "I…"
"What was that?" She interrogated.
"Nothing… Mama B."
"What'd you say?" Pops responded squinting.
"I didn't say anything… Pops." They all grinned goofily. "Okay," he said going to get his stuff. Before he closed their bedroom door for the night, he could hear Mama B giggling again.
"Have you even ever snuck out before?" Joey had done his fair share of sneaking around and Tuck knew that, but he remained quiet, shaking his head.
"No, but…" Tuck sighed dramatically. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, it's supposed to be a surprise, but Journey will be there."
At the name "Journey," Joey became quite intrigued. Her name sounded like a warm breeze every time he heard it, said it or thought it. They had a couple of classes together and he knew she was the prettiest girl in school. The two of them had been dancing around each other their entire senior year. She was pretty and so smart. They liked one another, everyone knew it, but even with encouragement from Pops, he couldn't bring himself to ask her out. Maybe tonight was the night? Twisting his face, he wondered if even the gorgeous Journey was worth the punishment that awaited them if they went. "I don't know, man."
Tuck shrugged feigning nonchalance. "Fine. Stay here and miss this party, but don't say I didn't ask you."
"Your parents are doctors and this is your best reverse psychology?" The younger one grinned slowly. "Alright, I'm going, but you are taking the majority of whatever we get for doing this, got it?"
"I promise." They slapped hands. "So, how do we get out of here?"
They agreed to meet in the basement in 20 minutes. While he changed silently, Joey listened for the familiar sounds of Pops snoring. It was so familiar that he knew the patterns and whether or not he was sleeping or just "resting his eyes". After creating a somewhat passable fake body in his bed, he grabbed his phone, charger and wallet and carefully moved down the stairs. It took a minute of tip-toeing before he made it to the basement where Tuck was. "Did you fix your bed?"
"Yeah, what's next?"
"The doors are all alarmed, so we go out of this window." Climbing on a table and out of the window, they were free, leaving it cracked a little, so they could get back in. "Where's the, uh, party at?"
Tuck licked his lips. "Kelly's house."
They started walking the three blocks to Tuck's girlfriend's house. "Wait… Didn't you tell your mom that Kelly's parents were out of town and her aunt was staying with her?"
"Yeah, but, uh, her aunt had to work or something."
Joey grabbed Tuck's shoulder. "Who else will be there?" He could see the hesitancy on his brother's face.
"You, me, Kelly and Journey." Shaking his head, Joey started to walk back home. His anxieties were getting the best of him and he hadn't even seen Journey yet. "Wait, wait, wait. Where are you going, man?"
"Home." If they went back now, it wouldn't be so bad if they were caught.
"We'll just watch a movie or something and then go right home, Joe, please."
"You couldn't wait until the weekend to see her?"
"Either way we're getting in trouble. Might as well keep going."
The boys looked at each other and laughed. "Damn it. Come on, man."
Tuck practically jumped on his back. "Yeah, boy!"
At the house, Tuck texted Kelly and she came to the door. "Hey, guys, come in," she said taking Tuck's hand.
Sighing, Joey followed them into the house and the boys took their shoes off at the door. Journey had her back to them on the sofa. When she turned around, he got real butterflies. Her smooth dark brown skin, long burgundy box braids and bright smile captivated him. "Hi, Tuck. Hi, Joseph."
He blushed. Aside from Mama B when she was upset with him, Journey was the only one who called him that. "Hi, Journey."
"Sit down, y'all. Make yourselves at home." Joey cleared his throat and sat on the same sofa as Journey. He didn't see the girls shoot looks to each other over his head. "So, uh, what do we want to watch?" Kelly asked glancing around the room.
The four of them picked a movie and settled in. At some point, he and Journey were only inches apart. She reached for the popcorn that was in his lap. Thinking about what Pops would probably do, Joey held his breath, moving closer to her. "Finally," she said cuddling up to him.
A girl he liked had never been this close to him. Joey was slightly panicking. He placed an awkward arm around her that soon felt like the most comfortable thing in the world. And she smelled so good. Something happened on the screen and everyone else cracked up, so Joey joined in. Journey looked up at him and if he didn't know any better, he would have figured that he was supposed to kiss her. Suddenly, his phone beeped in his pocket, scaring the crap out of him. Pulling it out, he saw a message pop up:Mama B: Where are you? Tuck had apparently gotten the same message because he was staring at him.
"Should we answer?" Joey asked quietly.
Tuck nodded. "I'll say I'm in our bathroom first and then wait a few minutes and say you're… in the basement." They sent the messages and held their breaths. No reply came.
Ten minutes later, Tuck and Kelly claimed that they were going to get something from the kitchen leaving him and Journey alone. He knew his little brother and his girlfriend were making out. Were they supposed to, too? He didn't know what to say. His tongue felt leaden. "Are you liking the movie?" She inquired. He nodded. "Have you seen it before?" Joey shook his head, his heart pounding in his chest. "Are you okay?" That was a proper question. He usually had no trouble talking to her, but they had never been alone like they were now, close and unsupervised.
Finding his voice, he said: "I'm nervous."
Journey exhaled. "Me, too." She sat up and grabbed his hand.
"I'm happy to b-be here with you and all, but our parents are going to flip."
"I told Kelly that we should have just waited," she groaned squeezing his hand and Joey felt his blood pressure spike. "I don't know why we let those two talk us into things." She grinned and he noticed that she had a great smile.
"Me either. Kids." They laughed falling into each other. Realizing that their faces were only an inch apart, she said: "S-so, I guess you two should go?"
Nodding, he said: "Yeah, we should." He stood up only half-aware that she was still holding his hand. Joey looked down at their intertwined fingers; then up at her. The feeling rose in him to kiss her again, but maybe they should talk about it first? He shook his head. "Tuck!" They moved toward the kitchen and paused before going in when they heard whispering.
"We're coming in," Journey said out loud. The two of them walked in to see Tuck and Kelly looking into the fridge. "Um, Kells, they need to go. This doesn't feel right."
"Alright, alright." After putting on his shoes, he walked with Journey outside.
"It was fun while it lasted, right?" He asked. It was her turn to nod. "But I do want to ask you… if, uh… um, you might want to go out sometime?" Journey stared at him and he started to backtrack.
"With you?"
Joey laughed. "Yes, with me. If my parents don't kill me."
She began smiling. "Yes. I would love to." With a quickness that almost threw him off balance, she hugged him.
He flinched a little and turned his head, allowing their lips to meet, accidentally. "Sorry! Sorry!"
Still holding him, she said: "It took you long enough." They moved in for another kiss. This one longer and, he wouldn't tell anyone except Pops later that that had been his first kiss. As they went into for a second helping, the door opened.
"I am all ready," Tuck said.
They said goodbye and walked the three blocks back, both lost in their own musings. Five houses down, Joey paused. "We need to get our story straight."
The brothers thought for a second. "I got it," Tuck began, "we can say the girls called us because they were afraid or something."
Joey nodded thinking of Journey and their kiss. "Got it."
His phone beeped again. Pops: Strike 1. They raced home and rounded the house searching for the open window to the basement. Except there was no open window. It had been closed and locked.
"Didn't you leave it open?" Tuck whispered, agitated.
"Yeah. I did. You saw it," Joey countered frantically.
While they walked toward the front of the house, Joey hoped they'd be able to get inside without seeing either of their parents. That would almost ruin the night. The night he'd gotten his first kiss and asked out the girl of his dreams. And how she'd kissed him back and agreed to go out with him. Though they hadn't decided on a date or time or even a place. Joey was thinking all of this when he looked up to see Mama B and Pops sitting on the front porch swing, rocking slowly. "Joseph Jared Phillips and William George Bailey Jones."
"Yes, ma'am," they answered together not taking another step toward the house.
"Tell us again where you were?" She asked looking from one teen to the next. "Something about a bathroom and the basement, was it?"
Seemingly, their brains had become smooth because neither remembered the lie they were supposed to tell. They stayed quiet. "Strike two," Pops said.
"We're waiting." Mama B looked right at Joey, breaking him with the slight squint of an eye.
"We went to Kelly's house. Her aunt wasn't home and we were watching a movie," Joey confessed in a soft voice. Tuck sighed. "And I am so sorry."
The youngest teen nodded animatedly. "Me, too. Sorry."
A look passed between his parents and Joey wrung his hands together. He hoped they wouldn't be too mad. Nothing bad had happened. "Strike three," Pops told them.
Mama B stood and put her hands on her hips, pushing back her robe. "I'm glad you're safe." Tuck and Joey shot one another quick looks. "We'll deal with this in the morning. I am exhausted. Everybody, go to bed."
"Baby, I gotta go to work soon," Pops said as he ushered the other three inside, popping the back of his sons' heads.
"Well, I hope you do a better job of fighting fires than you do with making sure your kids aren't meandering around the neighborhood at…" She checked her watch. "11 o'clock."
The boys did their best to hold in laughter, but looking at their father's perplexed face and they lost it. "Do you want strike four?" He asked with the smallest of smiles.
"No, sir," Joey and Tuck said together smirking.
"Get upstairs and we'll talk punishments after school tomorrow," Pops told them.
In his room, Joey got undressed, sniffing his shirt several times over. It smelled just like Journey. He folded it and put in the corner of one of his dresser drawers. Getting into bed, he yawned. There was a knock on the door. "Come in."
Tuck walked in and sat on the bed next to him. "Tonight was fun, right?"
Joey feigned nonchalance. "It was alright."
"Did you kiss her?"
"Mind your business," Joey blushed.
"You did. I knew it. See, aren't you glad I made you sneak out?"
He pushed his younger brother. "I'm not answering that." They high-fived and Tuck walked out of the room.
A little while later, he texted Journey saying that he had a good time and he enjoyed the kiss. Before he could retract his written feelings, the message was delivered, read and loved. Three bubbles appeared and he bit his nails, impatient. Journey3: Me, too. Your a good kisser. Another message came through: NTM on my grammar *you're XD
The door opened for a second time and Joey dropped his phone pretending to be asleep. "Stop faking," Pops said moving into the room. Turning to him, Joey smiled. "I'm heading out, but I wanted to make sure you two knuckleheads were in actually in bed this time."
Joey gestured. "Here I am."
"Good," Pops said shaking his head. "Have a good night. And stay put, will ya?"
"I promise." When he was closing the door, Joey said: "I got my first kiss tonight. With Journey."
The older man's lips curled. "Is that right?" He asked coming to sit on the edge of the bed. The young man nodded. So?"
"First, it was an accident." Pops wiggled his brows. "No, really, it was," Joey laughed. "But the next one was on purpose."
"I hope you were a gentleman like we talked about."
"Yes, sir."
"That's what I'm talking about." They fist-bumped. "And it's a good thing you saw her tonight because you won't be seeing her again until you're 25." Joey's eyes widened as the man laughed. "Goodnight, son." A soothing feeling came over him and Joey Phillips went to sleep with the biggest smile on his face.