"Hey, Kid," the driver's voice registered on the edge of Joe's consciousness. He had fallen asleep shortly after being picked up but, fortunately, he had been so physically and emotionally drained, his sleep had been dreamless.
Joe's eyes flickered open. "Where...where are we?" asked Joe, sitting up straight and looking out the window.
"Grand Rapids, Michigan," the driver answered. "My stop is only a few miles away so you will have to get out."
"Thanks for the ride," Joe said gratefully as the driver pulled off the road and brought the truck to a standstill.
"Anytime," the driver replied kindly as Joe got out of the cab and closed the door.
The truck pulled back into traffic leaving Joe alone but within walking distance of a bus stop. Forty minutes later, Joe exited the bus in the center of town. His stomach rumbled and he knew he would have to eat soon since all he had eaten yesterday was the combo for lunch at Barney's Burgers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cash he had on him. Three dollars and eleven cents. It might be enough for a sandwich, he thought. But not a room at the YMCA later that night.
Taking a deep breath, he started down the street. First things first, he decided. He needed a job but in order to get one he would have to have the energy to look for one. He set about looking for a cheap place to eat.
"Have you heard anything?" demanded Fenton, storming into the house the next morning a little after eight. He had been all over Bayport, even going to Joe's favorite haunts two and three times in case he had missed him before but to no avail. It was the feeling of hopelessness as much as the exhaustion that had forced him to return home alone, hoping Joe had returned home in his absence.
"No," Laura informed him. She had jumped up when she heard the door open and rushed to greet him. "Fenton, there's something terribly wrong with Frank," she continued. "He broke down and started crying lat night while he was on the phone. He cried until he fell asleep about five this morning."
"And he didn't say anything?" demanded Fenton hoarsely. Had Frank heard about Joe? Was he dead?
"No," Laura replied. "Chief Collig called," she added. "He said they had been looking for Joe all night. They checked the hospitals, the restaurants, the school, the cemetery, everywhere but no one had seen him since the last time we did."
"Where's Frank?" Fenton asked tiredly, rubbing a hand across his forehead.
"On the sofa," Laura answered. "I managed to get him there while he was crying."
Fenton gave a nod to acknowledge he had heard her then entered the living room. He sat down on the edge of the sofa and put a hand on Frank's shoulder. Frank opened his bloodshot eyes and looked into the matching ones of his father. "Did...did you find him?" Frank asked hoarsely.
Fenton shook his head sadly. "I looked everywhere but I couldn't find him."
"It's my fault," Frank said in a small voice, fresh tears slipping from the corner of his eyes.
"No," Fenton stated. "It's all our faults," Fenton interrupted him.
"No, it isn't," Frank denied. "I....I said something at Callie's party. Joe was late and we were talking," Frank paused and sniffed. "Joe must have come in and heard us. He left without letting us know he was there."
"Then how do you know he was there?" Laura asked reasonably from above him.
"Callie told me last night," Frank whispered. "Her mom found the present Joe had brought for her wedged behind the stove. It could have gotten lodged there if he had thrown it at the trashcan and missed."
"Frank, what did you say at the party?" Fenton asked quietly.
"I didn't mean it," Frank said, begging his parents to believe him. "I...I never would have said it if I thought Joe could have heard me."
"What did you say?" Fenton asked again.
Crying harder, Frank told his parents. "I..I said I wished I were an only child sometimes."
Fenton and Laura exchanged surprised looks as Frank continued to talk. "Th..that's why he said we were no longer brothers," he said. "He was giving me what he thought I wanted. Oh God," Frank moaned. "And I got everyone to treat him so terribly. It's no wonder he left. He must have thought we all didn't want him around."
"And I made us change the locks," Fenton whispered, taking his share of the blame in driving his son away.
Joe's eyes flickered open. "Where...where are we?" asked Joe, sitting up straight and looking out the window.
"Grand Rapids, Michigan," the driver answered. "My stop is only a few miles away so you will have to get out."
"Thanks for the ride," Joe said gratefully as the driver pulled off the road and brought the truck to a standstill.
"Anytime," the driver replied kindly as Joe got out of the cab and closed the door.
The truck pulled back into traffic leaving Joe alone but within walking distance of a bus stop. Forty minutes later, Joe exited the bus in the center of town. His stomach rumbled and he knew he would have to eat soon since all he had eaten yesterday was the combo for lunch at Barney's Burgers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cash he had on him. Three dollars and eleven cents. It might be enough for a sandwich, he thought. But not a room at the YMCA later that night.
Taking a deep breath, he started down the street. First things first, he decided. He needed a job but in order to get one he would have to have the energy to look for one. He set about looking for a cheap place to eat.
"Have you heard anything?" demanded Fenton, storming into the house the next morning a little after eight. He had been all over Bayport, even going to Joe's favorite haunts two and three times in case he had missed him before but to no avail. It was the feeling of hopelessness as much as the exhaustion that had forced him to return home alone, hoping Joe had returned home in his absence.
"No," Laura informed him. She had jumped up when she heard the door open and rushed to greet him. "Fenton, there's something terribly wrong with Frank," she continued. "He broke down and started crying lat night while he was on the phone. He cried until he fell asleep about five this morning."
"And he didn't say anything?" demanded Fenton hoarsely. Had Frank heard about Joe? Was he dead?
"No," Laura replied. "Chief Collig called," she added. "He said they had been looking for Joe all night. They checked the hospitals, the restaurants, the school, the cemetery, everywhere but no one had seen him since the last time we did."
"Where's Frank?" Fenton asked tiredly, rubbing a hand across his forehead.
"On the sofa," Laura answered. "I managed to get him there while he was crying."
Fenton gave a nod to acknowledge he had heard her then entered the living room. He sat down on the edge of the sofa and put a hand on Frank's shoulder. Frank opened his bloodshot eyes and looked into the matching ones of his father. "Did...did you find him?" Frank asked hoarsely.
Fenton shook his head sadly. "I looked everywhere but I couldn't find him."
"It's my fault," Frank said in a small voice, fresh tears slipping from the corner of his eyes.
"No," Fenton stated. "It's all our faults," Fenton interrupted him.
"No, it isn't," Frank denied. "I....I said something at Callie's party. Joe was late and we were talking," Frank paused and sniffed. "Joe must have come in and heard us. He left without letting us know he was there."
"Then how do you know he was there?" Laura asked reasonably from above him.
"Callie told me last night," Frank whispered. "Her mom found the present Joe had brought for her wedged behind the stove. It could have gotten lodged there if he had thrown it at the trashcan and missed."
"Frank, what did you say at the party?" Fenton asked quietly.
"I didn't mean it," Frank said, begging his parents to believe him. "I...I never would have said it if I thought Joe could have heard me."
"What did you say?" Fenton asked again.
Crying harder, Frank told his parents. "I..I said I wished I were an only child sometimes."
Fenton and Laura exchanged surprised looks as Frank continued to talk. "Th..that's why he said we were no longer brothers," he said. "He was giving me what he thought I wanted. Oh God," Frank moaned. "And I got everyone to treat him so terribly. It's no wonder he left. He must have thought we all didn't want him around."
"And I made us change the locks," Fenton whispered, taking his share of the blame in driving his son away.