'The Introduction of Hope'

Carver Michaels lay in bed, his eyes open, fixed upon a spot on the ceiling above him. He didn't know what time it was. Time was irrelevant. He had wandered home in the dark of night and had fallen in bed with no real intention of going to sleep. What was the point of it anyway? He would open his eyes and see the same things. He would step out the door and life would be the same as it had always been. It would still be dark, no matter what time of day it was. He wasn't depressed though he sounded it. He had never been a bitter person. But now, more than ever, things seemed like they would never work themselves out. He had come to the conclusion that he was not meant for the life he had always wanted. He was not meant to have the good life you saw the people on television living. He was merely where he was and he had to deal with it. He was just a seventeen year old boy living in Fresno. His future was dim. And yet, he still carried around this hope that things could get better. Perhaps it was that his mother had always spoken of this hope for the future. She had kept this hope when Carver's father left them, strung out on drugs. She had kept it when Carver's sister, Natalie had left without a word at seventeen with her boyfriend, a known gang member and coke addict. She had even kept hope when she had been diagnosed with cancer. His mother had been the only person who loved him unconditionally and who had been always looking out for him. She made sure he stayed clean and in school. She pushed him away from crime. She gave him a vision of a better and brighter tomorrow.

But she was gone. Carver pushed her out of his mind. He didn't want to be angry and thinking about her made him angry. It had been about two months since she had died, not that he hadn't seen her grim future before then. The odds were against her. Not only did she not have enough money to get premium medical care, but she had been diagnosed with liver cancer that had been found too late to rid her body of. Carver had said goodbye to her all those months ago, but the death had still hit him. Even now, it hurt him and he figured it always would. The funeral had been simple. His mother had wanted it that way. Natalie had come back home for it, but his father was nowhere to be found. Not that Carver had expected him. He hadn't seen his father since he had left when Carver was twelve. Even before then their relationship had been shaky. Years of physical and emotional abuse had led Carver to hold an extreme hatred towards his father. And while his sister shared these views, she was willing to forgive the man if he would just show up so that she could. That wouldn't happen though. Darren Michaels was not a family man and the moment he walked out the door, he had walked out of Natalie and Carver's lives.

After his mother's death, Carver had gone to stay with the Nunezes, old family friends of the Michaels. They had lived down the street since Carver was born and Carver was grateful to them for all they'd done for him. But while he appreciated being taken in and cared for, he felt he couldn't intrude any longer. Ana Nunez had four children to care for and he didn't want to be the fifth. He hadn't told the family his plans though. He had kept his mouth shut at dinner and had not breathed a word of his plans for any of the family, even Jasmine Nunez, his closest friend in Fresno. He had already decided on leaving the home tomorrow night. His destination was unknown, but he didn't care. He would end up somewhere and he would do something. He would work odd jobs and he would survive. If there was one thing he was, it was a survivor.

Carver's body shot up as he heard a sound in the otherwise quiet surroundings. A car. He slowly rose from his bed and made his way to the window where he noticed a silver BMW pulling into the driveway. He watched as a man emerged from the car. Nicely dressed with short brown hair, the man was no resident of Fresno. Carver couldn't help but continue watching the man as he continued walking towards the front door of the Nunez house. He heard the door bell ring once, then twice, the man glancing up at the house, itself. Carver moved his body away from the window as if hiding from the man, though he knew he was not visible with his room unlit. Carver walked towards the door of the small room he stood in and cracked the door open, trying to keep the undisturbed silence. As he made his way out in the hall, he heard voices not too far away. Apparently Ana had already let the mysterious man in. Carver continued to follow the voices, his feet moving slowly as not to make enough noise to disturb the conversation.

"I called right after it happened. I didn't know you got my message."

"The phone has been down. I've been using my cell. I just got the message yesterday. I came right away."

Carver stopped as he approached the kitchen where the two adults stood. He turned his back to the wall beside the kitchen so he wouldn't be seen. His curiosity was too strong for him to disrupt the conversation. He peered into the kitchen so as to get a better look at the man. Though dressed casually, he still seemed overdressed. He appeared to be in his late thirties, only a few wrinkles lining his eyes. Ana offered him coffee, but he refused, his mind set on whatever he had come here to do.

"I wish I had been there for the funeral. God…the last time I heard her was three months ago. She didn't tell me that it was this bad," the man replied, shaking his head in despair. Ana looked up from her cup of coffee, her eyes meeting his.

"Everyone who knew Vanessa knew she didn't like to be pitied."

Carver was struck by the sudden mention of his mother. The name rang in his ears. He felt the pain again but suppressed it. He awaited the man's reply with anticipation. It was just anticipation of the unknown but it was so strong. It wasn't long until he got the response. "If I had known…I would've…been here for her. I can't believe she didn't tell me." Carver's interest in the man had grown in a matter of second, but he fought his hardest to keep quiet as the two continued to talk. They exchanged regrets about Carver's mother and small talk. Apparently the man's name was Aaron Needleman and he lived out in Sherman Oaks, which accounted for his expensive car and clothes, but the reason for the man's sudden journey to Fresno was still a mystery. Carver would've burst in and asked the question himself if it hadn't been answered right then and there.

"And Carver…?" Ana sighed, her eyes focused somewhere past where Aaron stood. "He's been staying here. I didn't think you would show up. I had planned on taking care of him," she answered, her voice lower than usual, almost as if she knew Carver was listening.

"I want to take him. It's what Vanessa wanted. Not just on record…she wanted him to be in a good home and I can give that to him," Aaron replied. His tone was strong with no conviction, but this fact flew past Carver. It didn't make any sense. A man he'd never met from Sherman Oaks wanted to take him in?

"You have to promise me. Promise me, you'll give him a good life. I love that boy like my son and I'm not going to just hand him over." Carver hadn't seen Ana this emotional since his mother's funeral. Her eyes were full of tears. She held on to the kitchen counter, almost as a way of holding herself up. It was clear Aaron could also see the pain her eyes as he inched closer to her so that his hands also touched the counter.

"I promise you, Ana. I will love that boy. I promise you he'll get a good life. He'll get what Vanessa wanted for him. I'll do everything I can to make sure of that. I promise."

Aaron reached across the counter to touch Ana's hand and her head fell. The two continued to talk, but the details were lost on Carver. He had always hoped for a change, a future, an escape and here it was. It had walked through his front door at 6 am out of nowhere. For the first time in months, there was glimmer of hope, right there in front of Carver. And Carver swore his mother was there too. He swore she was telling him this was it. He swore he could hear her telling him everything was going to be alright now.

----------------------------------------------