Back to school (private)

[jmg1217]

Bobby sighed and brought his knees up to his chest wriggling his bare toes. He hated change and he had been through a lot of changes in the last month first his parents were unexpectedly killed in a car accident then he realized that he would have to leave his home as he couldn’t afford to stay there with no job so now he was flying across the country to live with his childhood friend like some kind of charity case or child.

Bobby has a very hard time thinking of himself as an adult anyway for starters he had no job and no money. It didn’t help that he was small, like tiny maybe not even 5 feet tall although he always lied about this. For this reason most people just treated him like a child . It was the reason he had never moved out on his own or learned to drive, he just never felt big enough. 

The plane began its descent and he sighed again looking under his seat for his flip flops not finding them he shrugged. He would just have to meet his friend barefoot 

 

 

[elfowl]

David waits for Bobby to meet me just outside of security, missing the days where you were allowed to wait outside of terminals.  Not that he had ever experienced them but he had certainly heard stories.

It had been a while since he had seen Bobby, and wondered if his friend was still as short as he had always been.  David had grown quite a bit since he and Bobby had last seen each other, Though hey shared pictures, Bobby always did things to obscure his height, and make it hard to tell if he had grown.

David held up a sign, hoping that his friend would spot him as he came out of the terminals, and then they could go grab his luggage together.

[jmg1217]

Bobby followed the crowd and came out to a large waiting area it was crowded and crowds made him very nervous but he looked around and spotted David, he took off at a run as he got close his bare foot made contact with something sharp and he fell. He gasped trying to hold back tears

[elfowl]

I see Bobby run towards me and can't help but smile,  but that smile turns to a frown, as I see his face change to an expression of pain, and see him fall to the ground, almost crying.  In an instant I put away my sign, and run over to him.

"Woah, buddy what happened?"  I ask, seeing his face with tears welling up in his eye.  I look down at his feet and see he's not wearing any shoes, what's more I see that there's a gash on his foot.  "Oh my goodness!  We need to get this cleaned up!"  Without any cerimony I scoop him up in my arms, and rush towards a bathroom,  "Where are your shoes buddy?"  I ask

[jmg1217]

Bobby’s breathing grows ragged as he starts to cry but before ho can get hysterical he is scooped up into strong arms. Without have to ask he knows this is David and he immediately feels safe. He wraps his arms around  David’s neck as he is carried. He shrugged at his friends question “I listed them, I’m bad at shoes my mom always said so too” he flushed pink

[elfowl]

"I see, I say as I nod."  I get Bobby over to the sink, and look at his foot.  "Ohhh, this looks pretty bad buddy,  alright, this is going to hurt, but we need to get this cut cleaned out.  Okay?  Here we go."  I turn on the sink, and then hold Bobby's foot under it while supporting his torso with my other arm, holding it there just long enough to get the blood off, and the cut cleaned out a little bit.  I hold him tight to keep him from kicking me, knowing it's going to sting something fierce.

As soon as i feel like I can, I pull Bobby's foot out from under the stream of water and look at it again.  "Hrmmmm... That doesn't look as bad as I thought.  It's bleeding a lot, but it's not too deep.  It should heal up just fine.  I take a blue handkerchief out of my pocket, and tie it around Bobby's foot as a bandage.  "There we go.  That should work well.  Probably best if we keep you off that foot though.  Whelp let's get down to baggage claim.  You've got  a suitcase coming through right?"

I carry Bobby out of the bathroom

[jmg1217]

Bobby groans and shutters as his cut is cleaned “owwwie it hurts please be careful Dave.” He doesn’t resist as his cut is cleaned or as he is lifted up nice again. As the walk he hugs his friend “sorry about this, it’s really good to see you and thanks for helping me out” 

[elfowl]

I hug Bobby back with a wide grin.  "It's really good to see you to buddy, and of course I'm going to help you out, I'm sure you'd do the same as me if the situation was the other way around.  I'm just gonna try to help you get up and on your feet.  Until then, just let me take care of things okay?  Don't worry about anything, you're not any trouble at all, okay?"

I carry Bobby down to baggage claim, and find the carousel for his flight.  "Alright buddy, watch and tell me which one is yours and I'll grab it for you."

[jmg1217]

Bobby sighs. It feels so good to be taken care of. He does as David says and waits for his bag. He waits and waits and wait. Soon there are no bags left. He starts to panic tears coming to his eyes, “it’s... it’s not hereeeeee”

[elfowl]

We stand around as bags make their way around, and people walk forwards grabbing them, I keep out of the way of the other people, but try to keep myself in a position to dash forwards and grab Bobby's bag, but the stream keeps coming and coming, and there are fewer and fewer people waiting for their bags, then there's just one or two lonely bags making their way around, and almost no one standing nearby.  then even those are gone, and I've got a squirming, crying bundle of stress and panic in my arms.

"Whoa there Buddy, no need to cry, we can check with the airline and see if something happened to it, sometimes they don't have enough room for all the baggage, and they have to send it on a later flight.  Come on now, let's go check.  Shhhhhh, Shhhhh, no need to panic, we can check with them. Okay Buddy?"

I start walking towards the desk of the airline, trying to calm Bobby down, and keep him calm as we make our way there.

[jmg1217]

Out of embarrassment and stress baby again wraps his arms around David’s neck and hides his face the David’s shoulder nodding and hopeful h he’ll just take care of this problem from him

[elfowl]

I walk up to the airline counter, and smile at the woman behind the counter.  "Hello We're looking for some luggage.  that should have come in on flight A793."

The woman behind the counter smiles at us with her best customer service smile.  "Oh, I'm very sorry about that sir.  What's your name, or the name the baggage the name was checked to the flight under?"  

I pause for a moment, and look at bobby, giving him a chance to answer before I take over completely.  after a moment it's obvious that he's not going to let go, or take his face away from my shoulder, I take charge.  "It's actually his luggage. I didn't fly. I'm just picking him up.  It would have been checked under the name Bobby Nelson."

The woman starts typing in the information, and keeps smiling at us in the meantime.  "Oh, he did?  He must have been a very brave boy to fly by himself.  Not feeling quite so brave now is he huh?"

I chuckle.  "No, I guess not."

The woman pokes around on her computer for a bit, her smile slowly turning into a frown.  "Hrmmmm.  Well, I'm very sorry sir, but it looks like the little guy's luggage is on a nonstop flight to Kazakhstan.  Was there anything of value over $500 in it?"

I give Bobby another chance to speak up before continuing.  "I don't believe so.  When will we be able to get it back?"

"Well I'm very sorry, but it will be at least two days before we can get it here, but it may take as long as a month depending on the capacity and load of the flights between now and then.  In the meantime, I can give you this, I know it doesn't make up for everything, but it should help tide you over.  There's also $200 in traveler's checks inside."  She pulls out a small bag labeled "essentials kit"  and hands it to me.

"I see, well, thank you for your help.  Could you call this number when the luggage arrives?"  I shift Bobby over to one arm, and pull a business card out of my pocket and hand it to her.

"Sure thing, and once again, I'm very sorry about all of this."

I shift Bobby back over to both arms, and carry him towards the parking garage.  "Well, sorry buddy, ain't that some..."  I stop myself from swearing, it just doesn't feel right.  "...garbage."

[jmg1217]

Bobby listens to the exchange tears still leaking from his eye. He lets David talk to the lady and doesn’t offer any information or opinions. 

He nodds into Davis shoulder “that am I going to do, I dont have any clothes or shoes or even a tooth brush and I do t have money to replace everything “

[elfowl]

I hold Bobby close, "Don't worry about that Buddy.  I'll take care of everything, I've got enough money to take care of all that, and I don't mind doing so.  besides I'm sure there are some things in here to help out with that."  I say holding up my bag.

We reach my car, and i come to a small realization.  "By the way how tall are you Buddy?  four foot eight?"

[jmg1217]

Bobby blushes “ummm 6” he mumbles  still feeling down and sad. He makes no effort to let go of his friend 

[elfowl]

"Hmmmm, I see."  I reply.  I open the backdoor of the car and put Bobby down inside, then open the trunk, and pull something out, before walking around to the other side of the car, and open the other door, putting a car-seat inside, and starting to get it installed on the seat, once I get it installed I pat the seat.  "Alright, climb in buddy."  I pray that Bobby isn't going to make a big deal about it.

[jmg1217]

Bobby is still half dazed as he is placed in the seat but as he is instructed to use the car seat he shakes his head “what no David that’s crazy, I don’t need that, I mean why do you even have that im a big boy I mean grown up and even the one back home wasn’t that... I mean I do t need that”

[elfowl]

I hate it , but I have to be stern.  "I'm sorry Buddy, but it's the law.  If you're under four foot ten, you have to sit in a carseat.  And they are serious about that in this state.  I've seen a lot of people pulled over by the cops, and with them using tape measures on the kids.  If we get caught both of us are going to get a ticket.  So you need to ride in the carseat or we aren't going anywhere."

"As far as why I have it, a couple of my students are under the height limit, so I need it for them, if I ever drive them somewhere.  The ones without the back don't have the lock in case someone wants to be a Mr. fussy pants and decide that they don't want to sit in the carseat.  I'm not getting a ticket just because someone thinks they're too old for a carseat, and that goes for you to mister.  Don't fight me, or I will engage the child locks."

[jmg1217]

Bobby has never heard David’s teacher voice before and it scares him so he simply mutters “yes sir and limps his way to the seat. Sitting in such a large car seat feels completely strange and he feels very small. Bobby begins struggling with the straps”

[elfowl]

I see Bobby climb into the seat, and smile, hearing him mutter so cowed, makes me worried that I went a bit overboard with how stern I was.  "Thank you Buddy.  I know this isn't the easiest thing, and I know I'd hate it if I were in your position too."  I watch him struggle with the buckles for a bit before leaning in.  "Here buddy, let me help, these were meant to be fastened from this side anyways."  I buckle the five point harness, and then start tightening the straps, making sure Bobby is pressed snugly into the seat.  The last person to use the seat was defiantley bigger than him.

When I'm finished, I climb into the driver's seat, and start the car.  "Alright, here we go Buddy."

[jmg1217]

“Thanks” baby mumbled. He had never felt so small or helpless in his life at the moment he was just a barefoot little boy in a car seat with no money home or family, he didn’t even have any clothes

[elfowl]

I smile at bobby as he thanks me.  "Of course, no problem."

I settle into the driver's seat, and get the car pulled out and onto the road, it takes a little while for us to get to my house, but eventually we arrive.  I pull up the driveway to the simple two story house, and turn the car off.  I get out of the car and walk around to the passenger side to pick Bobby up.

[jmg1217]

Bobby looks out the window as they drive and sighs as the pull into a driveway. He has no choice  but to wait for David to come get him. Once his friend come a round and release him. He instinctively raised his hands to be carried even as he said “I can walk you know Dave, I’m not an invalid or a baby”

[elfowl]

I open the door, and unbuckle Bobby, picking him up as he raises his arms, and protests being carried simultaneously. I chuckle a bit, as I settle him against my hip so I can carry him with one arm, and grab the "essentials kit" with my other hand.  "I know you can Buddy.  Though I'm not sure if your foot is going to hurt so much that you don't want to when you put your weight on it.  and I definitely don't want you walking through the dust and dirt and getting it infected, so I'm not going to let you walk outside, but we can give it a try once we get inside if you want.  You wanna do that?"

I walk up to the door of the house, and finagle with my keys and the door for a bit, then open it, and walk inside to a long foyer kind of area, with a computer room/office to the left and a dining room to the right.  "Alright Buddy, what's it gonna be, walk or carry?"

[jmg1217]

Bobby bit his lip he didn’t want to seem weak but it was so nice being cared for and held plus his foot did hurt “do you mind if you ummm... my foot kind