We drove off. We parked at a small dinner called the Greasy Plate. We walked in and sat down. A waiter came over. He looked about my age with brown hair and blue eyes. His name tag read: Zack. he smiled and handed us three menus then left. Looked over the food and picked a small and simple burger and some water. I let Zoe and Leo get whatever. A few moments later Zack the waiter came back over with some waters.
"Are you ready to order?" he asked. He pulled out a notepad and pen from his pocket.
"Yes, i'll get a plain burger, he wants a cheeseburger and a small fry, and she wants the same." I said.
"Ok, one burger, two cheeseburgers and two frys." he said, writing down our order and I handed him back the menus. He went back to the kitchen and handed in our order.
"He was nice." Zoe said. Looking after the waiter. I looked at her questioningly.
"What?" i asked.
"He seemed nice." Zoe said again.
"Yeah, now, after we eat i'll go look for a place to work, we might have to live in the van a while before i can find a place we can afford. Are you guys up for that?" I asked.
"Yeah, you saved us, we'll do anything you ask." Leo said. I smiled. Most twelve year olds would argue or be annoyed. Not Leo and Zoe. they would do anything i asked them too and i would do anything for them.
"Thank you guys for being ok with this. I know it isn't easy under the circumstances but we can make it here. It might just take a while." i said.
"We understand." Zoe said. She smiled. I was about to say something when Zack came back with our food. He set it down, smiled and handed Zoe a small flower. She smiled.
While we ate I watched Leo and Zoe. they wolfed down their food so fast that i ended up giving Leo my burger. I kept getting the feeling that someone was watching us but every time i looked around there was no one.
"I'm sorry guys." i said. Leo stopped eating and Zoe looked up from her flower.
"For what?" Leo asked.
"Not giving you guys the kind of life you deserve." I said. "Other kids got to do fun things at your age and all you get to remember being twelve is running away from a bad situation."
"It's not your fault, it's Ella's. She spent all our money on drugs and stuff, we know you tried your hardest for us. You were more of our mother then she was." Zoe said.
"Yeah. you worked super hard." Leo said, putting another fry in his mouth.
"I just wish-" I was cut off by Zack coming back and setting down a huge strawberry milkshake. "What's this? I didn't order this."
"It's on the house. I um overheard your conversation with these two. You runaways?" Zack asked. I suddenly felt on edge.
"Why do you care?" i asked.
"I was a runaway. Came here looking for help. If you are, might know someone who could help you, if you want." Zack said.
I looked at Leo and Zoe. they nodded. I sighed.
"Yeah sure, we could use some help. Do you know a place we can stay?" i asked.
"Sure, come with me, I'll introduce you to Bob." Zack said.
"Um, ok, Leo, Zoe stay here. I'll be right back." i said, i got up and followed Zack towards the back of the building. I wasn't going to fully trust this guys. I was ready to punch him in the gut if he tried anything. Thankfully we stopped outside an office door. Zack went inside and i heard talking, I couldn't understand any of it though. When Zack came back out he smiled.
"Bob's finishing up a few things, he says he'll be done in a moment and you can wait out here." Zack said.
"Ok, thanks." I waited for Zack to go back to work but he didn't. He stayed right by the door.
"Are those your kids?" he asked after a while.
"What no, those are my siblings." I said. To the tell the truth they left like my kids because i was the one who raised them.
"Oh, so, how old are you?" he asked. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. What was he getting at?
"Why do you want to know?" I asked.
"Curious, you can't be older than eighteen." he said.
"I'm seventeen."
"Oh, cool, I'm eighteen." Zack said, "I graduated last year."
"Nice, I still have next year." I said.
"Well, the school here is nice, it doesn't cost a lot so you should be able to afford it, easy." Zack said. I opened my mouth to ask a question when the door opened and an old man with gray hair and overalls stepped out. His eyes shown with a mischievous light, like he was ready to play a prank.
"Hello my dear, my name is Bob Van, you can call me Bob." Bob said. He radiated joy and love. I felt calm and no longer on edge.
"It's nice to meet you, i'm Vi Colson." i said. Bob held out his hand and I shook it. His hands were strong like he worked with them a lot.
"Zack here says you're in need of a place to stay. Is this true?" Bob asked. He looked me over and I realized I probably looked like I was living out of a van. Which I was.
"Yes sir. Me and my two siblings." i said.
"I see, can you work?" Bob asked.
I wanted to laugh, of course i could work. I had been working from ten years old to take care of myself. But i managed not to. "Yes sir," i said. "I had a few jobs before coming here."
"You did? What were they?" Bob asked.
"I worked at a coffee shop, a restaurant, and sometimes i would babysit." i said.
"Are you still in school?" Bob asked.
"Yes sir, i did my homework when i wasn't working, i also can clean and fix a car." i said. Zack looked at me, impressed.
"Hmm, what were your grades?" Bob asked. I didn't know why he wanted to know but if was going to help me i should tell him anyway.
"I tyred to straight As and was at the top of my class." i said. Zack whistled.
"How'd ya do that working all the time and hanging out with friends?" Zack asked.
"I um, didn't really have time for friends. I had to take care of Loe and Zoe." i said, i had never felt embarrassed about the fact i didn't have many friends but now i did.
"Ok, well, you can come live on my farm. You can help out the Mrs with cooking and cleaning. You can work here and on the farm if you want and i'll pay ya. Your siblings can come too." Bob said, smiling.
"Thank you, so much." I said. Sighing with relief.
"Zack, you get off work about now, show Vi here where the farm is and help her move into the other guest room." Bob said. He turned and walked back into his office and left me with Zack.
"Right this way, Vi." Zack said. He hung up his apron on a hook and took me back out front. Leo and Zoe were waiting for me. Leo was licking the glass that had held the milkshake. When they saw me they looked up.
"We have a place to live." I said. Zoe chered and Leo grinned.
"Come on, I'll show you." Zack let us outside and started walking down the sidewalk. I stopped. When he noticed i wasn't with him he turned back. "You guys coming?"
"I have a car, do you want to drive?" i asked. Zoe and Leo nodded.
"Oh, um, sure. I always just walked from the farm to here." Zack said.
"Wait, you live with Bob too?" i asked, suddenly nervous.
"Yeah, Bob takes in a lot of runaways. I live out in the barn loft, i turned it into an apartment." Zack said.
"Oh, ok." i said. We walked back to the car and Zack got into the driver's seat. I got shotgun. Zoe and leo got in and Zack drove out of the parking lot. We drive down the small road in silence. I seared out the windows as the trees passed by. The land around was nice. When we arrived at the farm i was surprised at what i saw. There was a blue and white four story house and a big red barn out back. To the left was a pasture full of cows and a peen full of sheep. To the right was a shed full of farm supplies and a chicken coop. and a green tractor in a field. It looked like the perfect place for a new start.
Zack took us inside the house and our noses were accosted by the delicious smell of fresh cookies. We walked into a small kitchen and saw a small gray haired woman pulling out a tray of chocolate chip cookies. She turned and smiled when she heard us come in.
"Zack, you're home, and who are these guests?" the lady asked, her smile lit the room and made me feel all warm and happy inside.
"This is Vi, Zoe and Leo. they're runaways and Bob said they could stay here for a while, until they figure things out." Zack said.
"Oh that's nice, my name is Jen." the lady said. "Would you kids like a cookie?"
Zoe and Leo looked at me. I nodded. They each grabbed one. Zack led us up the stairs and showed us two rooms. One had two twin beds in it and two closets. A large window at the other end filled the room with golden light. Leo and Zoe ran inside and flopped on the beds. Zack smiled and led me to my room right next to theirs. It was about the same size with only one bed and a closet and a desk. The stained glass window at the other end had a built-in seat.
"Thanks." I said to Zack walking into my new room. Zack nodded and left me alone to get settled in.
After I had settled, I helped the twins. Then we went down to see if Jen needed any help. It turned out that she and Bob had met because she had run away when she was fifteen. His parents had taken her in and she and Bob fell for each other.
Life on the farm became normal. I woke up everyday at six to help make breakfast for Bob and Zack and let Jen get some rest. I worked at the Greasy Plate part time and worked on the farm helping out Jen most of the summer. It turned out Zack did the same thing. He mostly helped Bob with the other work. He was friendly to us and would hang out with Leo. he had never had another boy to hang out with so I was glad. It turned out that Zoe loved to garden. She would spend all day out by the vegetables, weeding and tending to them. I loved our new life and I was somehow making enough that we could afford school in the coming year. I still thought about Ella and wondered how she was doing without me there to pay the bills. I hoped she wasn't living on the streets, even though she had been terrible to us she was still our mother. I hoped that one day we could go back and see her.
When school rolled around I enrolled Leo and Zoe. but it turned out it was more than I thought. Thankfully Zack and Bob helped me out. I went back to school for my senior year. It was a lot easier to focus on homework without having to work three jobs, take care of Zoe and Leo, and watch Ella. I got straight As for the entire year and when graduation rolled around I was no longer than loner in the school. I had a friend named Bess. she often teased me about Zack but it didn't really bother me. I graduated at the top of my class. Bob and Jen were at the ceremony along with Zack. They clapped and smiled as I walked on the stage to make my graduation speech. I made it short but meaningful. It even brought tears to the eyes of many. They greeted me with tears and hugged at the end. Zoe and Leo were grinning like crazy and Leo went around with my cap and gown saying he was a wizard. It also turned out that graduation fell on my birthday.
When we got home Jen had decorated the whole dining room with yellow and blue steamers. She and Zoe had made a cake with blue frosting and Leo gave me a carved wooden dog that Zack had taught him how to make. It was the first birthday I had in a very long time. The small party lasted well into the night. At about eleven Leo and Zoe went ot bed and i went outside to get some fresh air. I sat on the porch and looked up at the stars in the sky. The fresh farm air was comforting. Zack came out and sat next to me.
"Thank you." i said.
"For?" he asked.
"Without you, we would probably still be struggling, you didn't even know who we were. We could have been running away from the cops. But you helped us anyway." i said.
"My mom tried to kill me and my sister when we were younger, i know when someone is running from a bad situation." Zack said. "Also, you looked like you were ready to hit anyone who came near those kids, no one running from the cops would look like that."
"What happened to your sister?" i asked.
"She's two years older than me, she got married a few months after graduating and moved to texas with her family, she has two boys. i don't see her much but she comes down for christmas."
"Hmm." my eyes started to get heavy.
"Tired?" he asked, noticing.
I laughed and leaned my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and we sat together under the stars.
"I'm glad i met you Vi."
The end