October 1 Lima Grade School
The next day was early and busy. Moving consisted of throwing everything in Puck's room in boxes and then putting those boxes in his room at Bobeshi's. He had things there already but they were afraid his mom would sell his things while he was gone.
Bobeshi packed one duffle with clothes and another with his homework. Puck stared at the stacks of paper and books in despair. He barely did his homework while he was going to school how he was going to do it on the road with his father he didn't know. Maybe his father would let him call Rachel every now and then….
One last stop Puck insisted on before they left for the airport.
"Ma'am can I see Sandra for a minute?" Puck stood in the doorway of the kindergarten being glared at by the pretty teacher. Word travels fast in a small town he guessed she'd either heard about his wreck already or she'd heard about him period but Sandra had already jumped up and ran to latch on to her big brother's legs. Puck picked her up and took her just outside the classroom but still under the watchful eyes of the teacher.
"No where you been? Mommy said you got in big wtrowble." Sandra pressed her lips together and looked away. Puck bet that wasn't all Mommy had said about him.
"Yeah Sissy Noah got in trouble. Look I'm gonna be gone for a while. I'll be back for Chanukkah."
"Who will take care of me?"
"Well who's been taking of you since Monday?"
"Nana Connie."
"Then Nana Connie will take care of you while I'm gone."
"She smells like wlicorice." Sandra wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue a bit.
Puck smiled at her but then frowned when she started to tear up. "I'll miss you No."
"I'll miss you too Sissy. Hey where's your ID card? You've got it right?" Puck looked at her sternly until she pulled a tiny pink wallet out of her jeans and showed it to him. Inside were his last school picture and a laminated card with her contact information on it, like he thought his phone number was still on it. He was the one to get the card made for her so it probably hadn't occurred to his mom to get it changed. "See right here is my number. Whenever you want you call me okay?" Puck thought for a second then said, "Mommy might get mad about you talking to me so call me when Nana Connie takes her evening nap okay? Unless it's an emergency then you call…"
"911 then you."
"Right that's my smart little sister."
"Smarter than you."
"Yup." He popped the 'p' and grinned at her before softening his eyes and smile and pulling her to him in a tight hug.
"I love you Sissy. You be a good girl."
"I love you too No."
He let her run back inside and glared hard at the teacher still sneering at him. "You take good care of my little sister, understood." Fear briefly flickered over her face before she nodded.
The rest of the drive to the airport was made in silence. Although he knew Tate didn't hate his little sister he didn't like to talk about Mom's infidelity. It never failed to piss him off even after all these years. Sandra's dad was some fancy doctor who sent her money and set her up a trust fund but never saw her. Puck wondered how he could do it. He heard about dead beat dads all the time but not for a second could he understand it. It was killing him to not know where Beth was, what she was doing, was she healthy, happy? He sighed and felt Tate wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him close into his side like he used to when Puck was little. Their shoulders bumped awkwardly now but Puck shot him a tight smile. 'Thanks Tate.' Maybe being with his dad wouldn't be so bad.