Chapter 2: Angels Smiling Down On You
Isaac had to keep alive somehow. He didn't dare ask his father for money for fear of what exactly his father would do to him if he asked. So he had managed to get work in a local diner owned by a kind man named Mr. Jeffery and he worked in the gardens around people's houses. People helped in any way they could to help Isaac and this, unfortunately, was the only way they seemed to be able to help him.
So this is what he did, as Scott found out from asking around and observing Isaac for two weeks. It was always the same thing: school, work, home, school, work, home, school, work, home, school, work, home, school, work, home, … the endless cycle of routine. Routine, routine, routine, even that word seemed so routine. Beat down at school, whispered about at work, thrown around at home.
What a life, what a perfect life. Scott wanted so much to help Isaac, to lend him money, or give him his bed to sleep in, or… food. Scott noticed that the only time Isaac ate was the two slices of bread that his father basically threw at him every two days. He didn't buy food in school and barely ate anything in the diner, only accepting food when Mr. Jeffery got wind that he hadn't eaten in a while. But Scott kept his distance, not letting Isaac know he was there, not letting Isaac see him; not letting Isaac see Scott's anger, his pain, his want to help Isaac. But there was one thing that Scott wondered: What was Isaac doing with the money he was getting?
One day he got his answer. It was the end of the month and Scott guessed that it was pay day because of the extra happy looks from the employees of the diner. Yet Scott just went about his business, bussing tables and cleaning the floors as he always did. Scott was well hid behind a hoodie, sunglasses and a thick novel, but he saw everything that happened.
Mr. Jeffery called Isaac into his office at the back of the diner and fifteen minutes later, he and Isaac walked out and Mr. Jeffery hugged Isaac before smiling at the boy and Scott swore that he saw Isaac wipe a tear away from his eye before he turned and left the diner. Scott quickly paid for his bill and was a little startled when Mr. Jeffery himself came to hand him his change. "You better not be planning on hurting Isaac, young man," he said and Scott looked up at him, taking off his sunglasses. "I wouldn't even dream of that, sir," Scott said and Mr. Jeffery seemed to size him up before he huffed and began walking away.
Scott bolted out of the door and saw Isaac disappear around the corner. Scott pulled his hoodie lower around him and put on his sunglasses again, despite the fact that there was barely any sun out and followed Isaac at a good distance. First Isaac went back to his home and took out a wad of money that Scott guess was from Mr. Jeffery. He took out four fifty dollar notes and put it in his pocket. And then Scott was horrified when Isaac knocked on the front door and when his father answered the door, Isaac handed him the wad of money. Mr. Lahey took the money and slammed the door in Isaac's face, causing Isaac to recoil a little and look down, a sign of submission that Scott had noticed Isaac did when there was something or someone that Isaac regarded as a higher authority.
Isaac stood there for a few more seconds before he turned and began walking again, this time going to the florist and when he was inside the shop, Scott saw the lady behind the counter give Isaac a friendly smile and asked him to wait a moment while she went to the back of the shop. She came back out with a beautiful bunch of roses, ten of them tied with a silver string. Isaac looked at them and Scott was hit right in the heart at the look of wonder on Isaac's face as he smiled the first smile Scott had seen. Isaac put his hand in his pocket to give the woman money, but she pointed to his pocket and then to him, obviously chastising him and after a few moments, Scott saw Isaac sigh heavily and thank the lady, taking the roses and exiting the shop.
Isaac began walking again, this time taking a few unknown roads that began to lead out of the town. "Where are you going?" Scott said under his breath as Isaac walked through the gates of Beacon Hills cemetery. Isaac seemed to know where he was going and made his way through the headstones, finally stopping at a white marble one with wilted roses in front of it. Isaac knelt down in front of the tombstone and changed the flowers around before he wiped away the bits of dirt and leaves that had stuck onto the headstone. He then sat down in front of the headstone and looked down at his hands.
Scott crouched down by another headstone a few rows behind Isaac, and one would think that he wouldn't be able to hear anything, but luckily there was no one else around and there wasn't any breeze, so Scott head every word of Isaac's careful words, his voice so soft and child-like almost.
"It wasn't always like. It wasn't always fear and cold. It wasn't always waiting for the next blow. It wasn't always so painful. We were happy once, we were alive once. But everything changed. Once you died, h-he turned on me. Once he changed, they turned on me. Once they turned on me… I… I turned inward on myself."
"I was seven when you died, mum. I was seven when everything changed. Dad… well he changed. He started drinking more than usual. He couldn't control himself. I… I d-don't blame you, mum; I'm just telling you. I don't know what happened, wh-what snapped, what changed. I just know that everything was because of me. I'm sorry I killed you, I'm sorry you had to die. Dad says that it's my fault, I just don't know why. Every time I ask him, he gets angry and he… so I stopped asking."
"Remember I told you that I had to get another job? Yeah, I got one gardening in a few houses. Remember when you showed me how to do it? I haven't forgotten anything, I still talk to the buds in springtime and I still put that special mix you taught me to do. I don't mind the work, it's just that I find it hard to keep up with my schoolwork. Dad tells me that I'm too dumb to continue studying, but… I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but my teachers tell me I'm smart. I don't think he accepts that… I don't know, maybe he's right."
"Don't get me wrong, I know how to juggle my homework and two jobs, but sometimes I just get tired I suppose. I just need to sleep sometimes, and… well, he's been kicking me out a lot more lately. I've found a few places that's safe for me to get some rest, well that includes here. I feel safe here, e-even if the caretaker comes and asks me to leave in the morning, but I think he's secretly okay with me coming here."
"It's funny that I'm here talking to you right now, I know what you would say. "Go and enjoy yourself, darling," you would say, well, I am. I'm enjoying myself right now. I love it that at least I can do something I want to right now. I like sitting here with you, talking about all these things. I hope you don't mind that I'm going to lean on your headstone, my back's just a little sore." Scott had to scramble back to where he was because he had been leaning forward too much and as Isaac turned around and leaned back on his mother's headstone, Scott turned around at the gravestone he was at and listened, silently letting tears fall onto his hoodie.
"…The bullying in school got worse. But hey, at least I'm still alive, right? I heard that some kids actually take their lives from bullying. I wonder how people can be so cruel to others, but then you always taught me that people, most of the time, are just scared and they lash out at others. It's… Well, at least it was me and not someone else. At least it was just me in the school getting it. I think the bullies like me because I… Because I'm different, because of… dad, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm just lucky."
"Going through public school with a single, alcoholic parent is tough. The names they call you, the ways that they can bend you; it's hard… but well I get by. I think the worst thing that they do is the beating, but… it wasn't as embarrassing as when they come into the diner. You know the diner, the one that I work at. They found out that I'm working there and they… they come in and purposely sit my section and they would order all this food and just stand up and leave without paying or eating it."
"It was bad at first. It was very bad when I had to pay for the food. I know that Mr. Jeffrey would have paid for the food, but it was my section and I was going to take responsibility for it. Like Dad taught me, "always take responsibility for what is yours." But having to pay for the food, it was difficult for a while after that. Mr. Jeffrey took charge when they came in the next time, but Dad… he was angry that I couldn't give him money that month. But I gave him my money, so that was okay."
"I just don't know why they don't like me so much. I think that's one of the things that will never be explained. I guess it's just one of those things."
"Remember I told you about that boy, Scott McCall? The boy that helped me when they came for me a few weeks ago? He's… He's been following me around for the last two weeks. I think he's trying to find out something about me." Scott opened his eyes and felt his blood freeze. Isaac knew. "In fact, mum, he's behind that headstone over there," Isaac said and Scott wiped the tear tracks from his eyes and got up slowly. Isaac smiled at Scott and leaned forward from the headstone. "Hello, Scott," Isaac said with his quiet voice and Scott fumbled a little. "I didn… I… I'm sorry, Isaac," he said, but Isaac just shook his head. "It's alright, Scott, I know you were just curious," Isaac said and gestured to the ground in front of him, "Would you like to sit down?"
Scott gulped and went over to Isaac, sitting down in front of him and realizing that he was blushing a little less that a tomato. Isaac looked at the headstone and then at Scott, saying, "Mum, meet Scott McCall." Scott looked at the headstone and smiled awkwardly at it. "Hey Mrs. Lahey," he said and Isaac smiled at him. Scott could get used to that smile of his.
They sat and for half an hour, Isaac talked to his mother about how Scott had come up to him and introduced himself and about how Scott had taken care of him when Scott had found Isaac on the ground. And all Scott could do was sit there and try not to die of embarrassment, but at the same time feel a rush of pride and love towards Isaac. How much he had suffered at the hands of other people, yet how much he could love someone. Scott could see it all when he spoke to his mother. Scott saw Isaac full of life, the tiredness wiped away from his face and the Scott saw how graceful and quietly courageous Isaac is.
But Scott's train of thought came to a sudden halt when he heard Scott say, "I… I better go now okay? I think I should be getting home. Dad… would want me home now." Scott heard a hint of fear in Isaac's voice and he automatically got up and went around Isaac, getting down on his knees behind Isaac and hugging him close to his chest. Isaac tensed for a minute, but relaxed and carefully put his hands on Scott's arms.
"You know, mum. I think I finally found something that makes waking up in the morning worthwhile," Isaac said and Scott let go of Isaac, shocked by what he has said. Isaac turned around, suddenly tense again and looked at Scott with fearful eyes. "I-I'm sorry, S-Scott," Isaac stuttered, backing up a little, "I-I didn't mean it, I'm s-sorry." But Scott just smiled at him, breathless, knowing that he had finally gotten through to Isaac. "Do you really mean what you said?" he asked Isaac, and after a few seconds, Isaac put down his head and nodded.
Isaac expected a hit, he expected Scott's disgust, but he was completely thrown off when he was bowled to the ground by Scott's hug, an embrace that Isaac had dreamt about for so long. Isaac hugged Scott, feeling Scott's body beneath the fabric of his hoodie, smelling the scent of Scott, like pine and musk. Scott held on to Isaac, his broken, fragile body, his love and kindness, his whole being; savoring the memory of the sound of Isaac's words.
This boy, this perfect smile, this mind full of hope. Isaac wondered why Scott was showing him such affection. He wondered why Scott cared, why Scott even looked his way.
Scott let go of Isaac and carefully pulled him to his feet. "Isaac, will you let me take care of you?" Scott asked, looking at Isaac, hoping that Isaac would say the word he wanted to hear so badly. Isaac looked into Isaac's eyes, but he couldn't see any of the hate or secrets that most people hide. He couldn't see the apprehension or the disgust anywhere in Scott, and Isaac couldn't help but whisper, "Yes." Scott beamed at him. A smile so happy that Isaac couldn't help but tear up a little. Scott held Isaac and Isaac wrapped his arms around Scott's body.
As they walked away from Isaac's mother's grave after they had said their goodbye's to Mrs. Lahey, somewhere in Heaven Mrs. Lahey looked down on her son walking away with a boy whose soul was as pure as light itself. She smiled at Isaac, finally seeing the love in his eyes again.
"You're free, my son."