Ours: Book Six in The Everett Gaming Series

by Drew Sera

  34

  Friday, March 21st

  Colin

  Throughout the week, Sydney has been very animated and excited talking about the story she’s been writing. She doesn’t give Anthony and I a ton of info but instead gives us little pieces here and there. It’s so good to see her so happy and passionate about writing.

  Anthony and I left work at 2:00 this afternoon so we could meet Matt for nine holes of golf. We told him about the tattoos that the three of us were getting tonight, and he thought it was a great idea. Though he didn’t say it, I knew that he understood that the tattoo would make Anthony feel better as well.

  “Where are you guys getting them?” he asked.

  “Anth and I are getting them on our chests near our hearts and Sydney is getting hers on the inside of her left arm.”

  “Are you nervous, baby?” I asked Sydney as the three of us waited for the tattoo artist to come get us from the lobby.

  “I’m not nervous. I’m excited.”

  I kissed her and told her that I was proud of her. The three of us went to the studio room with the tattoo artist, and Sydney and I sat together while Anthony sat in the chair and got his first. I couldn’t help but smile with pride as I stared at the finished product on Anthony’s chest; it was a pulse line, and there were three beats on the line. At each beat, there was an initial. For Anthony’s the order was C, S, then A. Mine had A, S, then C. Sydney was torn on which initial to have on the first beat of her tattoo. Anthony and I both told her that it was up to her, but while Anthony was in the bathroom, I told her that I thought it would really mean a lot to Anthony if she had the A first.

  “I thought it would mean a lot to him, too. I just hated picking.”

  “You’re very thoughtful, Sydney. Think of it a lot like our preferred sex. Anthony gets the front, and I bring up the rear. It’s actually a perfect order for your tattoo, baby.”

  She agreed, and Anthony rejoined us and a huge smile crept on his face when he saw his initial going on her skin first. He didn’t say anything, but I knew how much it meant to him.

  35

  Saturday, March 22nd

  Colin

  “Why is Matt coming with us?” Anthony asked while he helped me load the housewarming gifts in the car.

  “Because he wants to talk with her about handling the health care coverage for Ross and Sydney wanted Gina to go along, too.”

  Anthony seemed a little tense this morning. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I decided while we were in the driveway to just ask him outright.

  “What’s up, Anth? You’ve been a little off all morning and a little disconnected.” His hand went to his stomach, and he looked up the street and then back at me. “You okay?”

  He nodded and said, “I didn’t sleep well last night,” while he looked down at the tire on my Range Rover.

  I leaned on the car next to him and gave him a moment to see if he would add anything else on his own. When he hadn’t, I proceeded on my own.

  “Paul or Victor?”

  “Paul and the gun. The noise and…” he closed his mouth tight as Matt and Gina’s car pulled up in front of the house. “Just that shit,” he said and pushed himself away from the car and went inside to get Sydney.

  All five of us were going to take my car to the party, and I gave Matt a heads up that Anthony had a nightmare hangover. When Gina was out of earshot, Matt asked if I knew what it was about.

  “Killing Paul.”

  “Christ.”

  The door in the garage leading into the house opened, and Sydney appeared with Anthony. She was carrying our card and got into the back seat with Gina. Matt grabbed the passenger seat, effectively putting Anthony in the backseat with Sydney.

  I programmed the address of the house into the GPS and wasn’t prepared for the address to not be as far away as I had thought it might have been. Maybe it was ignorant of me to think that an organization would offer up a home in one of the nicest areas of the city, but then again there are a lot of private organizations out there with money.

  “Carlos and his wife are catering the housewarming party, and some of the other volunteers will be there, too,” Sydney mentioned as we drove.

  Everyone was talkative in the car except for Anthony, and I was worried about him. He’s had a lot ripped open lately.

  “Are you sure you have the right address?” Matt asked as I pulled into a neighborhood.

  The houses weren’t typical, first-time homebuyer homes. The neighborhood was still under construction, but there were many completed homes. I had misunderstood Sydney last weekend when she said “new home.” I thought she meant it was just new to her friend, not that it was literally new construction.

  As we parked and began pulling out the gifts I noticed a brand new SUV in the driveway, still with the dealership tags on them. The front door opened and Sydney’s friend came running out. She was so excited and hugged Sydney.

  “Oh, Lord, Sydney! Everything is new! Brand new appliances and I can make Ross home cooked meals.”

  She hugged me and welcomed Matt, Gina and gave Anthony a pat on his arm.

  “There’s a little boy who is going to be over the moon when he sees you. I told him that I wasn’t sure if you were coming.”

  We followed her inside, and I was blown away. The home was gorgeous and all furnished. Everything smelled new. We were re-introduced to some people we had met before, and even though Sydney knew all of these people, I could sense her slight unease. She kept moving so she didn’t have her back to anyone. I caught her before her movements became frantic by wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her back against my chest.

  “Easy, Sydney. I have you and won’t let go. You’re safe.”

  “Ross, honey, come inside. You have a guest.”

  I turned to look outside and saw the little boy sitting on a basketball. He was all alone in the gigantic yard and looked sad. When he heard his mom say he had a visitor, his head picked up, and he fell off the basketball. He pushed himself off the ground with his good arm and ran towards the house.

  This little boy’s excitement became the center of attention of the party for the moment. He raced inside past everyone and flung his arms around Anthony’s legs.

  “Anth-ie! Come play! I have the ball!” Ross could barely get out his greeting and then the plan he had.

  He raced back outside and out of sight for a moment before returning with the foam ball that Anthony gave him for Christmas. Ross chucked the ball toward Anthony. And like every other little kid, he forgot he was inside, and his aim wasn’t the best yet. Anthony grabbed it though before it hit the T.V.

  “Ross, remember you’re inside,” his mother reminded him.

  “Wow, Ross, man, you saved this ball?”

  Ross nodded and took it out of Anthony’s hands. He turned it around in his hands and pointed to a mark on the ball when his mother spoke up.

  “That ball, his hoop, and race cars are all we brought with us from the shelter. He took such care of that ball. One day he asked me how to spell Anthony’s name, and then he sat against the wall and spent hours copying my letters.”

  “What’s on the ball, Anth?” Matt asked.

  “It says ‘Ross and Anthony’s.’”

  Anthony wouldn’t look at anyone and only stared at the ball until Ross pulled on his pant leg.

  “Anthie, come on! Let’s go play before she has food. We can’t miss the food, come on.”

  “Let’s go, bud. I don’t want to miss the food either,” Anthony winked at Sydney and headed outside to play.

  Ross’s mother served some coffee and started to tell us about the circumstance in which she won this house, and Carlos piped in with info too.

  “The middle part of last week a gentleman called on behalf of an organization offering a home and other assistance. He asked if I would find anyone in the shelter and have them apply via fax. So, I posted it and sent over some faxed applicants to the number I was given. We were right at the
deadline, and the next morning, she was announced as the winner, and a FedEx package came that day, too,” Carlos said.

  “What else does the assistance cover, if you don’t mind my asking?” Matt asked.

  Ross’s mom retrieved the letter and info she received and handed it to Matt as she began to explain some of what was considered the assistance items. It included a car and annual registration along with maintenance, monthly utilities covered, home insurance and property taxes, and the list went on and on.

  “Damn, that is one incredible organization,” one of the other ladies commented.

  I glanced over at Matt and noticed he looked pale and as white as a ghost. I feared she had fallen for a scam because this sounded too good to be true.

  “Matt, what organization is it?” I asked.

  He held the letter out toward me, and Ross’s mom handed it to me. The wind had been knocked out of me as I stared at the letterhead that read, “The Graves Foundation.”

  Anthony did this.

  I felt weak and yet so fucking proud that I could have yelled at the top of my lungs. Sydney was sitting on my knee, and she reached out to touch Anthony’s last name. I squeezed her side so she wouldn’t let on that it was Anthony. That’s why he was so adamant about picking stuff out for the house at Target. He knew what was in here.

  Ross’s mom gathered the papers and some of the ladies went to help her set the food out. A noise of something hitting the glass sliding door caught my attention and Ross was pressed against the glass, looking in to see if there was food out. When he saw that it was still being set up, he tore away from the window yelling to Anthony that it wasn’t ready yet.

  From the kitchen, I watched Anthony run around Ross, dribbling and making fancy moves. He bounced the ball high in the air next to the hoop, and when it came down, Anthony dunked it in the hoop.

  “Want me to call them in so they can eat?” I asked Ross’s mom.

  “Oh, yes, please. Ross has a food radar though, I’m surprised he’s not in here yet.”

  “That’s because he’s shooting hoops with the founder of the Graves Foundation,” Matt said under his breath next to me.

  Thankfully, no one heard, and I opened the door to announce the food was ready. Ross took off running but then stopped and went back to collect his foam ball and Anthony.

  “Come on, Anthie. If we eat fast, then we can come play again.”

  I thought it was adorable the way this kid said Anthony’s name. Anthie. A few syllables were missing, but damn the kid was cute.

  “Ross, bathroom young man and wash those hands,” his mother warned.

  Anthony followed, and the two could be heard over the running water in the downstairs bathroom. Ross had pushed over a plastic step stool and clumsily climbed it to wash his hands. With clean hands, Ross abandoned Anthony and ran for a plate.

  Soon, Mr. Graves Foundation appeared, and all I could do was smile at him. He had no idea what I knew. Sydney and I stood with Anthony at the end of the line to get some food as Ross raced around.

  “Nice dunking, Anth,” I complimented him on his ability to dunk on a five-foot hoop.

  He smiled and shook his head.

  “Anthie? Anthie where are you?” The little boy hollered out as he looked around for Anthony.

  “Right here, bud. I’m in line for food.”

  “Up here! I saved your spot!” Ross held up two blue plastic plates and waved Anthony over.

  “Sorry, everyone,” Anthony announced as he past them in line. “My spot has been held.”

  Ross handed Anthony both plates and motioned for Anthony to bend down so he could tell him something secret, even though most of the people near him could hear. Anthony played along though and bent down.

  “What is it, bud?”

  “Anthie, my arm. I can’t hold my plate and get food…I don’t want people to see.”

  “I’ll help you, buddy. We’ll do this like a team. You point, and I’ll carry our plates. Deal?” Anthony held his hand up just high enough for Ross to be able to smack.

  “Deal,” Ross said and high fived Anthony.

  Anthony and Ross moved around the kitchen island picking food, and then the rest of us followed suit. Some of us sat at the table, while others sat on the couch. After Sydney, Matt, Gina and I had our plates and cans of soda, we looked around for Anthony and Ross. They were sitting on the floor by a big bean bag that looked like a basketball.

  Ross’s mom sat down next to Sydney on the couch and spoke in a low voice to us.

  “Sydney, you know Ross never did this with anyone. That man must be an angel.”

  Shit, if she only knew that Anthony was the Graves Foundation, he may be upgraded to Saint.

  Ross looked like he just got comfortable and then whimpered and tried pushing off the bean bag with his good arm.

  “Ross, buddy, what’d we forget? I can get it,” Anthony offered.

  “No, I’ll get it. You got our food. My turn to help.”

  I honestly don’t know how Anthony was managing with this. This little boy just loved him and really trusted him and wanted to be his friend. Anthony looked over at me, and he put his hand over his stomach. I knew he was affected by this kid.

  Ross trudged back over to Anthony with his arms full of something. When Anthony saw, he set his plate down and held his hands out. A can of soda slipped out, and Anthony caught it. Ross brought Anthony a few choices.

  “We forgot drinks. Which one do you want?” he asked Anthony.

  “Hmm, are you allowed to drink these?”

  “No, I will get my juice when I take back the one you don’t want.”

  This kid was tearing up my heart. Anthony picked one and then Ross ran back to the kitchen and then jumped on his bean bag with his juice box.

  “Anthie,” Ross said in a loud, but hushed tone.

  “What’s up, buddy?”

  “Can you help me, please?”

  Ross held his juice box out, and Anthony wiped his hands and took it.

  “Yes, we’ll do it together.”

  Anthony pulled the straw from the box and peeled back the wrapper. He held it out so Ross could pull the straw from the wrapper. Anthony then held the juice box steady and guided the straw in Ross’s hand to the top.

  “There you go, buddy. Push…little harder…there ya go!”

  The little boy smiled and leaned back on his bean bag with his juice and slurped away. Many of us engaged in small conversations, and though I really tried to follow along with a few conversations, my focus was elsewhere. I kept my attention alerted to Sydney and how she was doing in the crowd setting, but my thoughts kept drifting to Anthony and what he did for this woman and boy. Anthony talked with people as he ate, but Ross was growing impatient with him.

  “Anthie, you have to eat so we can go play.”

  Gina, Sydney and a few of the ladies went to take a tour of the new home with Ross’s mom. Ross was all finished with his food, and he kept looking around for his mom. He kind of looked like he was going to panic when he realized she wasn't around. Since he knew Carlos from the shelter, he ran over to him and asked where his mom was.

  “She's upstairs showing some people around your new home. Do you like your new home? I hear you have a bedroom all to yourself.”

  Ross nodded and suddenly had fallen quiet as he gazed around. He set his eyes on me and quickly looked away. Carlos said his name, but Ross didn't react to it.

  “Do you know…if,” Ross started to say something to me and then turned and jumped back on his bean bag.

  He looked like he was going to cry or panic.

  “Buddy, do you want to go play?”

  Ross shook his head and lowered it to rest on his knees. Then he quickly raised it and motioned for Anthony to lean closer. Anthony leaned in to hear another secret.

  “I can't go play until I know if my mom ate something. Sydney’s man was sitting by my mom. Can you ask him if she ate?” Ross asked Anthony.

  Anthony just
looked at me. This little boy worried for his mom probably the same way Anthony did when he was little too. The only difference is that Ross’s mom cared for her son whereas Anthony’s didn't give a fuck about him. I think Anthony was having trouble finding his voice and Matt bumped my leg.

  “Did Ross’s mom get some food?” Matt asked me loudly enough so Ross could hear.

  I confirmed she ate, and Ross relaxed a little, but not completely.

  “Hey, buddy, since the girls are on a girlie house tour, do you want to give the guys a tour of your new home?” Anthony asked him.

  Ross smiled and pushed himself off the bean bag and tried pulling Anthony off the ground. Ross led us around the downstairs pointing out things here and there. The entire time he held Anthony’s hand. Carlos and I walked behind Matt and Anthony and spoke a bit.

  “Ross doesn't do this at the shelter. He's very hesitant with males. He also doesn't let others help him.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “The plate thing. Ross would always try to manage on his own until someone stepped in so he didn't spill something. Same with the juice. He doesn't want people to think he can't do something.”

  I nodded and continued on the tour. Ross wanted to race Anthony up the stairs and took off using his good arm to help push him off the steps. Anthony kept it a close race though.

  “Rooms, bathroom, closet, mom’s room is that way and this…” Ross raced down the hall dragging Anthony with him. “This is my room.”

  We followed Ross into his room, and it made me smile. His poster bed had basketballs on top of the posts. There was a border around the top of the walls that were basketballs. Simple blue bedding was on the bed. Of course, Anthony knew he needed basketball bedding.

  Ross jumped on his bed, and his pillow fell off, revealing a few baggies of sandwich cookies. When he discovered they were in plain sight, he quickly covered them and looked at us.