Page 97 of Seasons of Love
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m here because I would like to volunteer, which means you may see me more often. I am not here to judge. If you ever want to talk, I’m an excellent listener, but please don’t be afraid when you see me.”
She nods, and I’m not entirely certain she trusts my words, but hopefully, we can build that over time.
On my way back to the serving station, a guy shouts, “Hey, new guy, next time, give us a proper portion. We ain’t kids here.”
“I wasn’t the one that served you, Geoff. Go complain to management.”
He looks a little shocked by my reply, and his friends are making fun of him, so I go over and give him a pat on the back. “I’m a teacher, Geoff. I’m good at remembering names and faces, and I know Cathy gave you a little extra rice under that chili.”
“You’re funny, Mr. Teacher. You can come back again,” another guy, Bill, I think, says.
“I intend to. And now I should get back to work before I’m fired on my first day, right?”
“Tyler runs a tight ship round here,” Geoff says.
On my return to the station, Tyler is arguing with someone.
“Joseph, don’t be greedy. You know the rule. One roll per person until everyone’s had a portion. If there are leftovers, you can have more.”
Joseph goes off mumbling something or another that I can’t understand.
I lean closer to Tyler. “I saw Kay take two rolls earlier.”
“I let her because she takes one for her friend, Brian, who’s too damned proud to come here and get a meal. Usually, if there’re leftovers, I’ll give her a box to take away too.”
I gesture at the room around us. “Tyler, this is an amaz—”
“Hey, Ty, sorry I’m—”
If my heart could beat any faster, I’d have a coronary because the last person I expected to see in Tyler’s soup kitchen was Milo, in well-worn, slightly torn jeans and a faded T-shirt that might have once been red, but it’s hard to tell now.
Milo’s gaze shifts between Tyler, me, and the floor.
“Hi, Milo, nice to see you again,” I say to break the silence because a glance at Tyler shows he’s confused by Milo’s reaction.
“Hi,” he replies. “Um…Tyler, sorry I’m a little late. I’ll go out back and start now, okay?”
“Sure thing. Anne left your favorite for you.”
“Thank you.”
Milo practically runs toward the kitchen without glancing back.
I look at Tyler, who’s grinning. “Well, well. Looks like he is the one Alice should have invited over for dinner the other day.” And then he leaves me to go clear the tables.
What does he mean?
Cathy and Dave clear tables too, so I help Bob and Anne make up some leftover boxes. Kay is the first to come up to get one for her friend, thanking us.
The double doors have round glass windows you can see through into the kitchen, so with the pretense of getting some napkins, I go to the other side of the station and try to look through them.
I see Milo leaning against the kitchen counter, joyfully eating a portion of rice and chili like it’s the first meal he’s had today.
My memory goes back to the day I bought him the lemonade at the fair.
It suddenly dawns on me. He didn’t want to get a drink, not because he was shy or unsure. It was because he couldn’t afford it.
