by David Horne
That made Alfie smile and grab Sam's leash.
They came downstairs. Alfie took Sam to the study where his puppy play area was located. After that, he came back and showed Matt how to open the register, where the files on the computer were to be found, which ones showed the price of books, the codes, and how to place an order should a client want a book that they don't stock.
Alfie then showed him the back of the shop, which held some books that were to be registered and placed into the proper bookshelves. For that, Alfie showed Matt how the stickers worked and how to add things to the list. It was rather well-timed when one of the bookstore's regulars came in.
"Ah, Alfred dear, looking as charming as ever I see," the middle-aged woman purred at Alfie. Matt was a bit taken aback by the woman's forwardness. The woman was clearly from some European country, her skin a caramel color, and her hair a dark chocolate brown. She had big sunglasses on and wore a dress that Matt knew was probably triple his salary. It was all figure-hugging and showed off all the curves the woman knew she had.
Not batting an eye, Alfie merely smiled and tilted his head.
"Hello, Mrs. Duncan. How was your trip to Italy?"
The woman made a rather unflattering snort before she dropped her flirtations stance and oddly with it, her European accent.
"How do you think it went?" The woman now had a heavy American accent. She removed her sunglasses to reveal startling blue eyes. The woman looked annoyed, but more at something not in the room rather than at Alfie.
"He barely spent any attention on me, just gave me his credit card and told me to enjoy myself. I swear if it weren't for my brother telling me that he was indeed at all the meets, I would have sworn he was cheating on me," the woman huffed before her blue eyes landed on Matt.
"And who is this?" The woman came closer to the counter while Alfie brought up the client list to show Matt how to access it and how it worked as he brought up Mrs. Duncan's account to show she had ordered three books.
"This is Matthew Ward, a school friend who will be working here part-time while he attends college." Alfie then left for the back room; Matt knew that the back room was also meticulously packed to be alphabetical order for easy finding.
It still took him a few minutes to find the three books.
Enough that Mrs. Duncan could get a few words in.
"I'm glad that he has some help now." The woman was still looking at the door as she spoke. Matt hummed for her to continue as he ringed the books up. It said on her account that she hadn't paid for them yet.
Mrs. Duncan turned to face him. "Alfred has a lot on his shoulders. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it in due time, but I was his mother's best friend. I’ve watched him grow up. He works very hard and doesn't always take the time to breathe. Please keep an eye on him for me?" The woman's eyes showed how much she was worried about Alfie, but it was the past tense used with his mother that caught his attention the most. He barely stopped himself from asking about it.
Instead, he nodded. "I will."
"You will what?" Mrs. Duncan and Matt looked to the door to see Alfie closing the door to the backroom, three books under his arm.
Matt smiled and reached for the books so he can scan them. Alfie handed them over with a smirk. "Come on, out with it."
Mrs. Duncan chuckled and shook her head, she then started to rifle through her purse for her wallet. Matt scanned the books quickly enough before answering. "She just told me to work hard at my studies."
Alfie looked at Mrs. Duncan with a look of suspicion but dropped the subject. The woman paid for her purchase and the kissed Alfie on his cheek before placing her sunglasses back onto her face and sauntered out the door.
Looking at the clock, Alfie swore lightly under his breath and sped walked to the office and gathered Sam, who seemed to have been woken from a very deep nap and was looking around groggily. Alfie carried Sam around as he picked up his wallet and phone.
"I'll be back by two. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to call, wait…" Alfie stopped in his tracks before holding an open hand. "Phone, please, you don't have my number yet." A quick exchange of numbers and Alfie was out the door with a smiling “ta-ta” thrown over his shoulders.
***
It was quiet for a while, so Matt decided to browse the books to get a general idea of the types of books sold at the bookstore. It only took a few bookshelves to understand that the bookstore specialized in books in different languages as well as hard to find books about random subjects.
The door opened, and the bell above rang twice as the door opened and closed. Matt hurried to the register, slightly cursing at himself for leaving the register open. A young boy and younger sister were standing in front of their mother as she ushered them deeper. She was looking around, no doubt looking for Alfie. She spotted Matt and froze.
Putting on a charming smile, he walked to the back of the register. "Good morning, how can I help you?" That seemed to make the lady unfreeze.
"Did Alfred get some help?" the woman asked as her kids walked to the kids' section in the store, the boy helping his sister in choosing a book. The little girl seemed to be after anything with a mermaid involved.
Matt looked back at the mother and nodded. "Yeah, I'm helping part-time while I study." The woman stepped into the store and was about to say more when the door opened and a man walked in.
He glanced at the woman and smiled. "There you are." The woman smiled back and gestured at Matt. "I was going to introduce myself and the kids to Alfred's new part-timer." The man walked over to Matt and held out his hand.
"Hullo there, I'm glad that Alfie had finally gotten the hints from us all and got some help." It was while the man spoke that Matt realized that the man was British as well and had a slight resemblance to Alfie. The man must have seen his thoughts as he chuckled. "Alfie and I are cousins."
The kids came to the front and gave their mother their choice in books. The mother gently herded her kids to stand in front of her. They looked up at him.
"My name is Edward Sullivan Bailey, and this is my wife, Megan. These two rascals are Edward Junior and Hailey. You will most likely be seeing much of us as we are a family of bookworms. Actually, the entire Bailey clan is a bunch of bookworms." The man chuckled as he looked at his children, who beamed up at him.
Matt smiled and chuckled as he rang up the books and looked at Edward. "I doubt you could be more of a bookworm than Alfie was in high school. I remember him always having a book nearby. I even remember him carrying a couple of books about America, something about understanding everything about Americans and our oddities."
That got a deep belly laugh from Edward, the man had less of a British accent. "I know, when he used to visit with his family and it was supper time, it usually fell to me to get the then boy Alfie away from his books." There was a fond smile on his face.
The family left once they were finished paying and left with waves and promises to come again soon.
Matt sighed and looked at the time on his phone. His mom should be here any minute. As if the thought had summoned her, the woman walked up to the door and opened it. The double bells chimed. Matt had his mom in his arms before the second chime finished ringing.
"Matt!" his mom nearly shouted as she hugged him as hard as her small frame could. Matt hugged her tightly as well. She pulled away. First, she gave him a critical once over and seemed to be pleased by what she saw.
"Why on earth are you in a bookstore?" she asked while looking around.
Sighing, Matt walked toward the door and locked it. He flipped the open/closed sign to closed. Then, he walked his mom to the seating area. She sat down and looked at him a little worried now.
He began telling her everything and didn't leave anything out. He told her about the argument, him coming out to his father in an attempt to stop the stupid marriage idea, the argument, and how he left the house. How his father froze his accounts and his friends turning their backs on him. How he was homeless for a f
ew weeks and how he had been on the breaking point when he met Alfie, he told his mother about all that his ex-high school friends had done to all of their victims when his friends went too far and the police became involved. His mother had forbidden him from even coming near his old friends. She knew then who Alfred was when he brought him up. She seemed happy to learn that the sweet boy she saw from time to time had kept his sweet disposition even after all he had been through.
Matt then explained his current situation with Alfie and how he was working part-time and that he was renting the apartment as a roommate.
"See? I'm perfectly fine." Matt smiled as his mom brushed her tears of relief from her cheeks.
The door suddenly being unlocked made them both look at the door. Alfie stepped through carrying a paperback and a drink holder with three drinks from some cafe. Sam was yapping at his feet as the pup rushed in and spotted Matt. The corgi puppy then bolted for Matt. The small dog couldn't quite make the jump onto the couch. Matt was sitting on and thus came face-first into the cushion of the sofa. Alfie laughed as he watched his dog look at the sofa as of it was the reason he couldn't get up. Both Matt and his mom laughed along.
"Ah, it seems I have made it back in time to meet your mother." Alfie locked the door again and moved to the coffee table. He deposited his paper bag and drinks before looking at Matt's mother.
Daphne had dark hair, very similar in texture as her son and the same skin tone. Their eyes had the same color, but that seemed to be where the resemblance ended.
She was busy taking in Alfred as well. The boy had filled out since the last time she saw him at the police station. He was always a handsome boy, and it seemed that he only grew into an equally more handsome young man. She stood up and gave Alfred a big hug as she thanked him over and over again.
Alfred seemed to be taken aback by the sudden hug but got over his surprise quickly enough and hugged her back. Matt's heart did a small little flutter he didn't understand as he watched Alfred assure his mother that there really wasn't any problem with their arrangement. Matt would indeed be taking some of his workloads from his shoulders.
"I brought us some lunch from the cafe down the street. I also brought sugar. I can get milk from upstairs."
The three enjoyed the lunch, the sandwiches were tasty, and the coffee even more so.
Sam had taken a great liking to Daphne and snuggled into her lap while she scratched behind his ear. They talked for another hour before Daphne bid the two men goodbye. She smiled a grateful smile when Alfie said she could visit anytime she wanted.
The store was silent as Alfie gathered the takeout containers and threw them into the paper bag.
"I like your mother," Alfie said as he threw the trash into the trashcan under the counter. Matt smiled as he looked out the window. "Yeah, I couldn't have asked for a better mother." Matt noticed a sad look flash across Alfie's face and put two and two together.
Alfie's mom was no longer in the picture. There was a story, but he didn’t press him.
Chapter Four
The day finished. Alfie gave Matt some money for food as he had to go back to his apartment. Matt sat on the couch, eating Chinese takeout while flipping through channels to find something to watch.
Now that he was alone, he had the time to examine where he was at the moment. How he went from homeless to having a roof over his head, a job he could use to pay for his studies, and whatever else he needed. Alfred Xavier Bailey really was a walking miracle to him. The man had every right to be mad at him, to hate what he no doubts the memories he brought back.
Sitting back, Matt sighed as he stared unseeingly at the ceiling. He remembers it well enough that it comes to him like flash photography.
The moment the skinny blond boy walked into the classroom, clearly from a different culture and a book under the arm. He smiled at the class and introduced himself. His British accent was a stark contrast from all the American ones around him. He was polite and had a cheerful disposition that made all the girls swoon.
It came out that Alfie was gay on the first day. A girl, a pretty cheerleader Matt couldn't care enough to remember the name of had come on strong. Alfie was like a deer caught in the lights of a truck as he looked down at the girl.
He stammered an apology and said in that pretty British voice of his, that he could never return any feelings she had as he was gay. The girls in the school had taken it up as a challenge for a few months. It soon became apparent that Alfie wasn't interested in any female in the school.
It only took a few days into Alfie's being at the school to become the target of the football team's bullying. They started off in small ways, in no way homophobic but merely to taunt his person in other ways. His lean frame, his British accent, and the things that confused him about America and his style of dress that was that of a dapper young man.
It was nothing that should have been bullied about, But, what the football team didn't like, they made the rest of the school dislike as well. It merely took a few weeks for Alfie to be ostracized. He sat alone at lunch and stayed until the middle of football practice to go home.
When it turned out that Alfie was smart enough to be the valedictorian of the class, the bullying went from calling him an “outsider” to a “nerd.” They stole his backpack, books and even went beyond to sabotage his projects to the point that Alfie's parents had stepped in.
The problem was that Alfie gave as good as he got. When he was paired with someone from the team that didn't pull their weight on a project, Alfie would go to the teacher with evidence that would get that player a low grade. He threw insults back at the bullies, most times more witty and “snarky” than what the football players could ever come up by themselves.
The boiling point came down when the teachers themselves had enough. They all loved Alfie as he was a sweet, charismatic young man with impeccable manners and a bright future. They always took Alfie's side as he was an honest kid and had never been caught cheating or lying.
The captain at the time, was a senior who always took the sides of his players. This was something that had brought the ire of the teachers down upon him. They all wanted him to stop the team's bullying of Alfie.
Somehow the captain had gotten into his head that an excellent way to bring Alfie down a peg or two, was to ruin Alfie's reputation, grades and social standing.
They failed to take into account that the teachers by then knew how Alfie worked. Just like the other kids, the teachers were not easily fooled, and with finals coming up, they got even more strict and observant for cheating.
They planned to steal answer sheets and plant them either in Alfie's locker or in his backpack. They went about it secretly. They wore gloves and mask to keep hair from falling. They were cautious to the point that it was too perfect. After it was noticed that the school’s office had been “broken into”, the police were called in. To the football team, it was perfect. They had sneaked the answer sheets into Alfie's backpack.
It blew up with the teachers being adamant that Alfie wouldn't have done the crime, that he wouldn't even need to. There have been answer sheets stolen before yes, but Alfie was always a smart teenager and aced surprise quizzes and tests that held no answer sheet on the school premises.
The police agreed after interviewing Alfie and getting an airtight alibi that Matt to this day, still has no idea what it was. However, it was more than good enough for the police. Then, Alfie's parents really got involved as the bullying went from just the football team to other kids thinking that Alfie was cheating and taking away potential scholarships away. Alfie's bullying quickly turned physical.
There was never really any extremely violent bullying, but one shove was just hard enough to send Alfie down a flight of stairs.
It was Matt who saw it all. It was Matt who ran down the stairs first. It was Matt who pushed through the open-mouthed bystanders. It was Matt who checked that Alfie was still breathing as he was out cold. It was Matt who saw the blood first and called the
ambulance. It was Matt who told the teachers everything.
It was Matt who got 70% of the football team expelled. Alfie didn't know that as Matt begged the judge that he be kept anonymous.
Alfie had hit his head when he landed on the floor, broke a wrist, and cracked a few ribs. Alfie's parents wanted to know who had come forward regarding the incident. The police advised them that they were unable to give them that information. Alfie’s parent weren't impressed with the school and the police but understood when the principal explained that the kid who came forward was scared himself.
The case was held and ended within a few days, and that was that. When Alfie came back from the hospital, he was completely different in some ways and entirely the same in others.
He was still the super-smart kid who did quite well on his tests. However, when the other kids wanted to come close to him and befriend him, he'd look them in the eye, sneer or scoff, both sometimes. Then he would pack up his things and walk away. He was still charming, and all smiled to the teachers and a selected few kids who never bullied him and were in the book club he was in.
The rest of the school got the cold hard glare of evergreen eyes and a sneer so potent that it only took one day for the rest of the school to understand that they had long lost their chance to befriend the British teen.
Matt sighed as he looked down at the now empty containers. Alfie had finished high school with being the valedictorian. The speech he gave was scathing when he talked about his fellow students but praising when talking to the academic, sports and culture achievements gained as a whole. He was thankful to the teachers, giving them thanks for being there for the teenagers who want to grow into better adults.
The applause was awkward at best, but Alfie sat with a satisfied smirk. That was the last time Matt heard of Alfie.