Chapter 23: Not Fooling Anyone

Kira sat in her small apartment while waiting for her frozen dinner to heat in the oven while listening to some music on the radio. Mid-terms were coming up so she had a bit of studying to do. When her timer went off that let her know that her meal was ready to eat Kira got up from where she had several weeks worth of notes lying around her on her bed. She grabbed her oven mitts so she wouldn't burn herself on the aluminum foil tray and set it on the top of the stove to let it cool for a bit. She went to her refrigerator and grabbed a Tab out. While she was looking for her bottle opener Kira heard a knock on her door. She was surprised to find Brent at her door and even more so to hear him say that he needed her help.

"What's going on?"

"I need a favor. My mother's sister, my Aunt Mary, she's coming out for a visit."

"Okay. What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, every time she comes for a visit she interrogates me about my love life; sometimes she even tries to set me up with a woman to date."

Kira shrugged as she suggested, "So, just tell her that you're gay and be done with it. Then she won't bring any more women over."

Before she had been adopted by Ben, she'd known a few boys on the streets who were in relationships with other boys. Some of their own choosing, others not so much. Still, she'd grown to not be surprised by it. When she was trying to figure out how she recognized Brent before the two of them realized just what they had in common she watched as he and his friend seemed a bit closer than most pals. Then of course there was the lack of female visitors despite the fact that Brent was fairly attractive. Then once she figured out where she'd known Brent from the fact that during their group therapy sessions he always seemed to be holding something back that he was ashamed of made perfect sense to her.

In the time since Kira had become Brent's neighbor they had developed a type of friendship that was rare for her. Brent was among one of the few people that she trusted. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she knew that since he was gay that she didn't have to worry about any unwanted attention like she had tried so desperately to avoid when she was younger. For whatever reason, it made being so far away from Atlanta easier to have a friend nearby. Especially since being used to such frequent visits, Jebb was more than nine hundred miles away. Kira had even taken to riding her motorcycle around town with Brent when the two of them needed to leave the books and reports behind for a while.

"It's not that big of a deal. So just tell her and then you can stop dreading her visits."

"It is a big deal, Kira. The Baxters are a very conservative family. If I told them that the young boy that they took in grew up to be a man who wouldn't be starting a family to give them those grandchildren that they've already started to look forward to, it would kill them. Not to mention, I'm not sure I could face them again after telling them. Since being adopted, then them standing by me during my illness, just like I was their own child for real, I don't think I could stand disappointing them. You can understand that, can't you?"

Kira glanced back over at her stacks of books on her desk and the notes that she had strewn across her bed. Yes, she understood the fear of disappointing the ones who put their trust in you to become more than anyone else thought that you could be. That was why she pushed herself so much in her school work. The last thing that she'd ever want to do would be to disappoint Ben. With mid-term exams next week she wanted so badly to do well to prove to him that his faith in her hadn't been in vain. She planned to use every spare moment leading up to those test studying as hard as she could. As a result, she was tempted to tell Brent that she couldn't help him; she was too busy. Instead, Kira closed her eyes as she put her mind to thinking of a way for Brent to not have to worry about either disappointing his family or being introduced to any more women.

Brent looked around his apartment one last time before opening up his door for his adoptive mother's sister. He hoped that she would be as fooled as Kira felt sure that she would be. He just wasn't sure that it would quite have the effect that he hoped.

On the other side of the door stood his Aunt Mary looking as if she'd come straight from the beauty salon. The thing was, Brent happened to know that the woman could be awakened from a dead sleep and still look that perfect. He supposed that it came from years of practice after a lifetime of teaching young debutantes at the finishing school that she taught at.

"Aunt Mary," Brent greeted the woman with an affectionate kiss on the cheek. He really did love her and he knew that she has loved him from the moment that he'd been brought into the family when he was only eleven years old. He'd been behind his classmates in school and it had been Mary who had been able to help him catch up and eventually surpass the other boys so that he graduated in the top ten of his class in high school. "Come on in. I just got back from class. I'd hoped that I would have gotten back in time to clean up a bit first."

Mary stepped into the small studio apartment and was a bit disappointed at the clutter that she saw strewn about the room. In the kitchenette area she could see dishes in the sink and a used pan on the stove. As she moved toward the couch Brent moved a small pile of clothes to make room for her while allowing a couple of items to fall from his grasp as he did so.

"It seems that you have gotten a bit behind on your cleaning. Maybe I should help you tidy up just a bit." Mary bent toward the clothes that had fallen out of her nephew's hands and was surprised to pick up, among other things belonging to a woman, a black bra. "Though it would appear that not all of this mess is yours. Is there something that you'd like to tell me?"

Brent didn't have to feign being flustered. He really hadn't expected for the bra to be among the clothes that Kira had brought over to make it look as if she was in the habit of coming over. "Um, well…"

"I thought that you said that you weren't seeing a girl right now."

"It's not exactly a regular kind of thing."

"Oh?" Mary glanced around and began to notice that the majority of the clothing out of place were indeed women's clothing. "So how often do you see this mystery woman? What's her name?"

"I see her, well-" Brent was grateful that his door opened before he could answer. When it did, he was amused to see just how Kira had altered her appearance to look like every parent's worst nightmare for their sons. She had something on that was far skimpier than he could ever remember seeing her in. In fact, it looked like it was about two sizes too small. Her top looked only half buttoned and she was carrying a pair heels in one hand and an almost empty bottle of scotch in the other. From where he was at in the apartment he could smell the liquor which meant that she must have doused her clothing in it before she came in. "Aunt Mary, this is Kira."

"Kira," Mary repeated in greeting as the young woman stumbled in just ahead of another strange man whom she'd never seen before. "And who is this?"

"I'm Kevin. I found Kira out in the stairwell and figured that I'd better bring her in." The two men exchanged a look before Kira laughed. She had thought about contacting Brent's boyfriend after she had already set the apartment up as the stage of their little play for the visiting relative so he hadn't been expecting him to tag along for the ride. Kira figured that she needed a balance to her act. She'd be the perfectly horrid guest while Kevin would be the absolute gentleman. In other words, he'd be himself.

Mary greeted the man and watched Kira with a leery eye as she stumbled toward couch beside her. She missed the sofa entirely and slid to the floor instead after dropping her shoes off to the side. She couldn't understand why her nephew would put up with such a woman. Was he accustomed to seeing her stumble into his apartment while drunk? Mary stood to sit in the chair, just a bit further away from the intoxicated woman, and spent the next three hours both being charmed by the male friend of her nephew while being disgusted by the kind of woman he appeared to have taken up with.

Brent, meanwhile, was sure that it would take three days to air his apartment out to clear the smell of alcohol after Kira's performance of spilling what little bit of scotch that she had left in the bottle. What was worse, she'd spilt it while she was pretending to lean in for a kiss. That meant that he now smelled like a bar, too. The act had taken him off guard since he knew exactly how guarded Kira usually was. He couldn't explain it but he was pretty sure that she wouldn't have felt as comfortable to behave like that in front of him if he'd been straight.

When his aunt declared that it was getting late Brent offered to walk her to the elevator, grateful that the night was over.

"Well, that was an interesting night. I enjoyed meeting your friend, Kevin, at least."

"I'm sorry that it worked out like this."

"Don't be. I'll admit that I was fooled at first."

"Huh?"

"I'm guessing that Kevin hasn't had to watch someone else hanging all over you before." Mary laughed as she saw the confusion on her nephew's face. "That girl must be a good friend to act like a complete fool on your behalf. I'm assuming that all of that was planned in there for my benefit."

"Actually, yes. Wait a minute. You don't seem too surprised about me and Kevin."

"Brent, your parents and I have known for three years."

"How come none of you said anything?"

"We figured you weren't ready to really face it, yet. That's why I'm always asking you about your love life. I'd hoped that you'd eventually feel comfortable with talking to me about it. Even if you weren't with your parents, yet." Mary reached up to give Brent a kiss on the jaw after he gave a sigh of relief now that his burden was no longer a secret. "I tell you what. Bring Kevin to Thanksgiving. Just don't bring Kira. Faking it or not, seeing you with someone like her tonight isn't something I'd like to repeat."

Brent snickered before he promised to see his aunt with his boyfriend in tow for Thanksgiving.

Kira spent the Thanksgiving holiday break with Ben in Atlanta and told him of her various classes as well as the few friends that she'd made while up in Massachusetts. The night before the big meal the two headed to an all too familiar area to both of them by now. Ben couldn't remember just when he had realized that Kira would come out to this old bridge but when he had he couldn't have been more proud and worried at the same time. She would return from time to time to leave supplies that she knew that the street kids needed. Kira rarely spent much out of her allowance that he'd give her on herself; even after all of the time that she'd been with him, Kira still wasn't used to having an over-abundance of her needs. Instead, Ben learned that she'd buy clothes that she clearly couldn't wear, blankets, food, lighters, tents, even medications from the local pharmacy, and would drop them off in places where she knew children would be from her time on the streets.

After learning of Kira's random errands Ben only asked that she didn't go alone. Even if he understood her reasoning for wanting to, not to mention he was well aware of the fact that she'd first started coming to places like this old bridge when she wasn't old enough to defend herself, he felt better going along for the ride. True, most days he'd only watch from a distance since anyone his age coming around just screamed a visit from the State. But at least if he was nearby he could feel like he could protect his young charge should anything ever happen; even if it was only to call the police.

Today he came with Kira to the small alleyway near the bridge that she suggested for their small private mission. On the back of Kira's truck was loaded several baskets full of various foods that most homes in America would be enjoying the next day. There were turkeys, containers of mashed potatoes, green beans, ham, cranberries, stuffing, deviled eggs, gravy, carrots, rolls, pies and cakes of various kinds, and cookies. He knew from experience that those who would be the recipients of the food wouldn't come out from their hiding places until after they'd driven away. He supposed that it was just as well since he knew it would break his heart to see such young children out here on the streets and not be able to find them some place more suitable. From what he'd learned from Kira over the years, they wouldn't come with him even if he tried. As it was, they'd begun to slowly develop a trust of Kira since some of the older children remembered her from before she'd been rescued from the streets and because she never tried to lure them away from the lives that they'd either chosen or had thrust upon them. They simply saw her as someone who helped but from a distance in the ways that really mattered. As a result Ben was almost convinced that, while few people came to areas like this one for fear of having their possessions stolen and their cars stripped for parts, Kira could probably leave her truck right where it was and come back a week later to find it in perfect condition. The children that she helped would watch over it; though he didn't plan to test that theory.

Once the baskets with food and plates had been put out by the wall of alleyway along with the extra blankets and clothes that were a constant on these trips Ben turned to get back into the truck while thinking that he wished that his own children could celebrate the season of giving thanks the same way that he and Kira were. When he did so he barely saw a small girl almost completely hidden by a dumpster as she poked around to watch the two of them. She looked about ten years old and he could just make out her blonde hair beneath the dirt and filth. From the few stories that Kira had told him, she'd been about the girl's age when she had first started living on the streets. He couldn't help but wonder if the young girl would be as strong as his adoptive daughter. It was all that he could do to not go over to her and take her to town where she'd at least have shelter for the night.

When Kira noticed the girl who had caught Ben's attention she smiled since she knew that not being able to help the child more than they already were was one of the hardest things that he's ever faced. Kira stuffed the pockets of her coat with various treats before taking it off and slowly walked over to the girl with the jacket extended. The girl pulled back so Kira placed it on the ground before turning back to the truck and climbed in with Ben. Putting the truck in gear, she caught a glimpse of the girl in the rear view mirror as she put the jacket on before she began to raid the baskets of food before any of the other children could do the same. This was just one day where the girl wouldn't wonder where her next meal would come from. One day where she'd be a bit less cold. Still, it was better for the girl to live in that alleyway or under the nearby bridge than to end up at a place like the Morgans' or Selma's.