Fogwell had been watching Matty for a while. He sat at his table beside the ring with all his books spread out to do his homework and Fogwell hadn't seen him turn a page in sometime. Matty seemed to keep going over the same page over and over again. He could see the frustration written all over the boy's face. When Matty pushed his books away and slumped in his chair while holding his head in his hand, Fogwell pulled up a chair. "What's up, Matty? Somethin' botherin' you?"
Matt sighed and took off his glasses and set them on the table. He was getting a headache. "Apartment hunting sucks," he grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
"You and Maggie havin' no luck?" Fogwell asked as he started to rub Matt's back. The boy was so tense.
Matt nodded. "We've gone to so many. I think maybe twenty but I've stopped counting. None of them work and if we can't find a place, I can't live with Mom." Matt was trying to get used to calling Maggie 'Mom' after calling her Sister Maggie for so long.
"Your mom found a job already?"
Matt nodded again. "That apparently was the easy part. She's going to be the new religion teacher at school. They didn't much care if she was Sister Maggie or Mrs. Murdock but you'd think she'd been sent straight from Rome with how happy they were. Father Lantom's also paying her for some secretarial stuff."
"You guys goin' looking again today?" Fogwell asked.
"Yeah. Mom's coming in a bit. She wanted me to get my homework done and not to get all sweaty before we go."
"Why don't you take a break for a few minutes? Go give the guys some tips."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Matt laughed.
"You know what good punches and footwork sound like and if they're breathing right. Go pick on them a bit," Fogwell laughed as nudged Matt out of the chair for a bit before ducking into his office.
Maggie arrived a little after four to collect Matt. Fogwell was a bit surprised to see her out of the habit but that was something he'd have to get used to.
"Is Matty ready? We have to get to our appointment," Maggie stated.
"He almost is. He told me you two haven't had much luck."
"It's one problem or another. The apartments are either too expensive or too far away from the Kitchen so Matt would need to change schools. They're either too small or not enough bedrooms because we have to have two or they're filthy or falling apart," Maggie explained.
"Don't forget the mold on a few," Matt called over. "It smelled so bad I wanted to puke. Or the bugs and rats. I heard them scurrying through the walls. Gives me nightmares just thinking about it."
"Get your backpack together please," Maggie asked before turning back to Fogwell. "I don't know what I'm going to do."
"I may have a solution," Fogwell said as he fiddled with the keys in his pocket. "I have a vacant two bedroom on the third floor. It's not new but it's been recently renovated. It's not large but it's clean, good heat and water pressure. There's a private entrance so you don't need to go through the gym and laundry's behind the gym. All the utilities are included- heat, hot water, electric, A/C. You just gotta cover phone and cable."
Maggie was taken back by the offer. "How much is it?"
"I'll let you have it for free if you want it."
"I can't do that. It's too much."
Fogwell stopped her. "Maggie, I'd give the same offer to any of my guys and their families. If I had known how much Jack was struggling, I would have bullied his ass in there long ago to make sure that he didn't need to worry about a roof over his and Matty's heads. The building's been paid for years. I have other tenants that I charge the going rate for which allow me to do this."
Maggie had tears building in her eyes. "I have to pay something. I wouldn't feel right otherwise."
"I can accept that. You and I will agree on a rate. We'll put it in the lease and ain't no one gonna change it. The main thing is that you and Matty have a safe place to live. He's known this neighborhood since he was a tiny thing."
"What do you say to $250 a month? I know it's far lower than the going rate but..."
"So $25 a month it is," Fogwell interrupted.
"Fogwell..."
"Maggie, I know you're just starting over. You're gonna need furniture and housewares and everything for Matty. I think this is damn fair and I ain't arguing with ya over it. Matty needs to be out of that orphanage, sooner the better, so I don't care how ridiculously low my offer is."
Maggie wiped tears from her eyes as she thanked him. "It's not just my decision. Matty needs to weigh in on it as well. It's his home too."
"How about I take you both upstairs and you can give it a once over? Matty, get on over here."
Matt came over with his backpack. "Are we leaving?"
"Slight change of plans," Maggie started.
"I want you and your mom to see something upstairs first," Fogwell added. "Follow me."
Fogwell took Maggie and Matt through the entrance to the apartments and up the three flights of stairs. "So, here we are," Fogwell started as he opened the door. "We start in the kitchen here. There's a microwave and dishwasher, decent sized fridge and stove. All new. One closet to the right there. Kitchen gives way to the main living area. It's got fire escape access and A/C. Left side here is a small hallway with the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Bathroom has nice tub and glass shower doors. The farther bedroom has two nice windows with a decent amount of storage. The closer one has only one window but has a big set of built in shelves. What do you think?"
"I know I'm sold but I'm not the end decision," Maggie said as she watched Matt walk through the apartment to get a feel for the place. "Many of the other landlords wouldn't let him explore like this."
Matt took his time walking through the living spaces, getting a feel for where things were in the kitchen, how big the living area was, opening the window attached to the fire escape and testing out the sink and shower in the bathroom. The last thing he explored were the two bedrooms. Matt went in the farther bedroom first and came out pretty quick before he went in the second. He took his time walking through this bedroom and his face lit up when he hit the bookshelves.
"So, what do you think Matty?" Fogwell asked.
"Can this one be my room, please?" Matt asked hopefully.
"I think that means we have a winner," Maggie said with relief.
"Let's go downstairs. We'll draw up the lease and give you the keys."
Later that evening, Maggie was in her room, starting to sort out what moved with her and what stayed, when Father Lantom knocked at her door.
"I just saw a very happy Matthew at dinner so I'm guessing something very good has happened in the apartment search," Lantom hinted at the door.
"Yes, we finally found one. Over Fogwell's gym of all places," Maggie commented as she looked up. "What is going on? You have a strange look on your face, Paul Lantom."
Father Lantom laughed. Maggie was always observant. "I have a gift for you," he said as he held out a key.
"What's this?"
"It's a key to a storage unit," Lantom started. "It holds the contents of Jack and Matthew's former apartment."
Maggie felt her heart jump into her throat and she needed to sit down on the edge of her bed.
"I had been saving it for the day when Matthew may need it when he gets a place of his own but given the new path you two are on, I thought it may be better suited now. It's not much but it's a start." Then he pulled out an envelope. "This is to help with some of the rest."
Maggie opened the envelope and saw a sizeable amount of money in there - possibly a few thousand. "This is too much. I can't..." she said trying to hand it back.
Lantom pushed it back. "You'll need it to help get started."
"It seems like I have a lot of people giving gifts here today."
"God sometimes has unusual messengers."
On Saturday, Maggie finally took Matt to the storage unit, needing a few days to work up the courage to go at all first.
"Mom, what are we doing here?" Matt asked as Maggie looked for the unit.
"We're picking up things for the apartment," Maggie replied.
"How do we have a storage unit? Between the two of us, all of our stuff fits in five boxes and a few suitcases," Matt pointed out.
"It was set up for us," Maggie said as she started to unlock it. "Well, rather it was set up for you."
"I still don't get it."
"Help me with the door, Matty," Maggie asked as she struggled to lift the heavy door.
Matt bent down next to Maggie and shoved up the heavy door. The door finally broke free and Matt was instantly hit with the overwhelming smells of stale air, cardboard and dust. Matt coughed through the dust before he caught the familiar scent through the stale air of the apartment that he and his father used to live in. "How…how is this here?" Matt asked.
"Father Lantom packed all of this up for when you had your own place one day to help you start off. He thought we could use it sooner," Maggie stated as she stared at the boxes and few pieces of furniture in front of her. "It's a start for us at least."
Over the next few hours Matt and Maggie packed up mismatched but usable dishes and bowls, glasses, silverware and coffee mugs that were equally uncoordinated and pots and pans that could use a good wash but were still functional using the towels, pillows and linens to cushion them. They were easily able to move the bookcases, kitchen table and chairs, TV and TV stand and some small appliances outside while waiting for Fogwell to show up with a couple of the guys to move the bigger pieces of furniture like the couch, arm chairs, dresser and the bed frame.
Once the bigger things were moved, Maggie was able to get to some of the other boxes. There was a box of books, mostly print ones since Matt had taken his Braille ones with him. Another box had Matt's toys which he hadn't been able to bring with him to St. Agnes and most of which he was too old for now. She would have to help him sort through if he wanted to keep any of it later. There was a box filled with boxing gear and several boxes of Jack's clothes. Maggie looked through them briefly and realized that some of them might actually be close to fitting Matt. He wasn't quite as tall as his father yet but he wasn't that far off.
As the boys made quick work of loading things into the trucks, Maggie found three more boxes tucked into the back. One was filled with photos and mementos. Even though Matt couldn't see a photo anymore, he may remember the stories attached to them and he could share them with Maggie. The second had a substantial record collection with a turntable and radio. The last was a box with her name on it in Jack's handwriting. She opened it up carefully and found some of her clothes and personal items that she had left behind when she had been taken away in complete despair. Jack had packed it all up neatly but not gotten rid of it. She found a small jewelry box that she had. Inside it among the few pieces of jewelry she had, like her gold crucifix, was her wedding ring. She had taken it off while she was pregnant with Matty. She picked it up and slipped it on the chain of her crucifix and put the necklace back on, keeping Jack by her heart where he always was.
"Mom? You okay?" Matt asked as he popped his head in.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Maggie sniffed as she sealed the box and set it with the others to go with them.
"Why are you crying then?" Matt asked.
"I found a box that had some stuff of mine in it. I didn't realize that your dad had kept it," Maggie admitted.
"He hoped you'd come back for it," Matt said quietly.
Maggie stood up and gave Matt a hug. If only she had gone back once she was well, how would things be different? Maggie wiped her face and took a deep breath to focus herself. "What do we still need? We'll need new mattresses obviously and I only saw one bedroom set which I know was your Dad's. Where was yours, Matty?"
"I didn't have one," Matt said as he took the last few boxes. "Dad and I shared the dresser. The couch was a pull out but it was too heavy for me to lift alone so a lot of times I just stayed with Dad."
Maggie was hit with a sad realization. They couldn't afford a crib when Matt was born and it didn't seem like Jack's luck had changed much. The first time Matt had his own bed was in the orphanage. "As soon as we're done with this, we're going shopping. You're getting a proper bedroom of your own."
Matt's room was the first room they set up before anything else. They had managed to get a full sized bed, a dresser and a desk made from solid wood from a furniture resale store. Then came the new mattress, a bunch of fluffy pillows, the softest silk sheets Maggie could afford, several warm microfiber blankets and handmade quilt someone in the church had crafted all in shades of red, black and gray. His books, games and records were all set up on the shelves where Matt wanted them. Most of his clothes and those that he now inherited from Jack were put away in the closet and drawers. Boxing gear in a bag at the bottom of the closet. Maggie set a picture of Jack and Matt on his desk next to a stuffed boxing kangaroo and pinned the Irish flag Jack had by his door. The last thing was a new laptop set up with all the adaptive technology that Matt needed. Maggie tried to call Fogwell out on it but he pretended not to hear her.
After the furniture was in place, the rest of the apartment was quick to come together. Maggie had made some slipcovers to freshen up the old furniture and got a few houseplants. Someone at the church was giving away an entertainment unit which easily fit the TV, VCR, and the turntable/radio. Once the kitchen was put together, grocery shopping could be done to fill the fridge and pantry. It was beginning to feel like a home.
The last thing needed before Matt could officially leave the orphanage and move in under the temporary custody agreement while the permanent custody change was being processed was approval by the Department of Children and Family Services of Maggie's living arrangements. Maggie and her lawyer met them at the apartment in the morning and Matt had his last bag packed to move after he got back from school.
Once they were on their own, Matt and Maggie had to learn what it was like to live together. Maggie had to learn somethings quickly. She learned that Matt can be insanely quiet and never turned on lights because he didn't need them. There were a few times that he startled the hell out of Maggie because she turned on a light and didn't know he has already been in room.
Maggie also had to remember to knock before going in a closed door after walking in on Matt more than once in the bathroom.
She learned that if Matt didn't go to the gym after school he often took a nap before starting his homework. Being focused all day in school was exhausting for him and he needed that break before attempting his homework. When Maggie found him asleep on the couch when she got home, she covered him with a blanket, kissed him on the forehead, kept quiet and let him sleep.
Matt was not picky with what he ate but he definitely had some strong opinions that he now spoke freely. To Matt, anything canned tasted like metal. Fresh fruits and veggies were his favorite but frozen wasn't a bad alternative. Homemade was by far superior to anything store bought. He was not against bold, savory flavors and was willing to try new things but he definitely had a sweet tooth.
Maggie bought sensitive skin detergent after Matt scratched himself raw and complained of how strong the smell was on the old one. It took a few tries to find a soap and shampoo that weren't too overwhelming with scent as well. Matt tried not to complain too much but Maggie would notice when he scrunched his nose at a scent.
The first time Matt woke screaming from a nightmare scared the hell out of Maggie in the middle of the night but she didn't shy away from it. She sat next to him on his bed, stroking his hair and reading to him until he fell back to sleep.
Matt quickly learned that living with his mom was very different than living with his dad. Where Jack was unpredictable when he would come home, Maggie has an almost rigid schedule. She got up the same time every day. She and Matt left at the same time in the morning. She came home at the same time every day and if she was going to be late, she called. They had dinner together every night where Matt often ate alone if Jack had a fight. They went to Mass together every Sunday. Matt didn't even fight much on the bed time because it didn't mean sleep then, just quiet time.
Matt found out that Maggie was a lot less regimented out of the orphanage. Her rules were easy and logical. Pick up after yourself, be honest, call if you'll be late, talk it out if there was a problem. Nothing that was horrible to live with.
Matt was getting more comfortable with going to his mom when he had a problem. It actually wasn't that hard to talk to her and when he screwed up or got in another fight, she was more likely to talk it out with him and find out his side before punishment was dealt out.
She let him have his space when he needed it. Matt liked to sit on the fire escape after dinner and just listen. Sometimes, it was like meditation. Others, if he listened hard enough in the right directions, he could hear the Broadway shows when they started their evening performances. Maggie just made sure he took his jacket or a hoodie.
She didn't complain too much when Matt asked for her to put boxing matches on TV. In fact, she knew more about them than she let on. Game shows were something they both enjoyed and Matt quickly picked up on how much Maggie was impressed with how many Jeopardy! questions he got right.
The only thing that reminded them that their new life could still fade away was the social worker home visits. They went well and she usually seemed impressed but they were awkward. Matt and Maggie were learning how to be a family, something they shouldn't have had to do if they had been dealt a better hand all those years ago, and being judged on it just felt weird.
Just before the end of the school year, Maggie got a phone call from her lawyer and Matt heard her heart skip a few beats before it started racing with fear. He heard Mr. Mackey say that they had a court date and then he paused. Matt thought it wasn't the right time for dramatic effect when his mom was on the verge of a panic attack. Mr. Mackey must have picked up on it as well because his tone changed to far more joyful and he said that the judge was going to approve the permanent change in custody. Maggie burst into happy tears and said a prayer of thanks for all that Mr. Mackey had done before she asked what the date of the hearing was. Two weeks from the phone call. They won. The bell has rung. Murdock wins!