The whole weekend was dedicated to spring cleaning in the two back rooms of my house where Johnsie and Tannus were going to be staying. Johnsie helped me a lot to get all the big things out, of course he had something to say about them all. I'm a packrat, what can I do?
"Really, Delilah, you've got some ancient stuff in here. I mean, you have a whole lab practically." He said after he moved a box of test tubes into the living room.
"Well, they had a day at the lab and I took what I wanted. Nobody was using it..."
"This is probably why they have a shortage now." He said, wiping his forehead.
I smiled and he helped me move a desk that I had in the room.
"So, why is Tannus taking care of you? I mean, can't you afford your own apartment?"
"Yeah but Tannus let me stay at his place for free and I always paid half the rent. We had a mutual understanding."
"How did you two meet?" I asked with a grunt as we set the desk down.
"Science fair...He was a judge and liked my work. He asked if I had a scholarship or anything and I told him that we didn't have enough money for that sort of stuff or applying for it. I told him I wasn't going to be going to college anyway and we just kind of got into discussion. I didn't know the guy from Adam and yet he was willing to talk with me and give me a sense of purpose."
"You had problems at home?" I asked, pointing to my eye to indicate the black eye on him.
Johnsie seemed to freeze up and I cleared my throat.
"Uh, right, let me just got get the vacuum and I'll get all that dusk out of there."
I went to the closet and plugged it in, scooting it across the floor of the room and using the attachments to get the corners and everything. I hated to see what the second room looked like since it was supposed to be my workout room.
"Do you want this room?" I asked him.
"That's fine... Um... How did you know?"
"Know what?" I asked, dusting off the blinds.
"That I had bad family life?"
"I didn't. I guessed. Tannus wouldn't have taken you in for any other reason... unless there is something I'm missing?" I said with a frown.
Johnsie laughed. "No, he's not gay. Believe me..."
"Also because of the way that you talk about him. Like a son does his father. He must have been there for you a lot."
"It was the weirdest thing. I just talked and talked with him that day and unlike the counselors, he actually looked like he listened. I wasn't making up bullshit when I said my old man hit me and he didn't give me a look as if I should have been strong enough to defend myself. I didn't want pity, but I didn't want resentment either. He just listened... I don't know what made me trust him but he gave me his number and told me that if I ever had a problem to call.
"About a month or so later, my old man went off on me horribly and I landed in the hospital. I actually won the school science fair and it went to the district fair. I won second place and Tannus was a judge for that too. When he didn't see me, he found out where I was and offered to open his home to me if I ever needed it. I mean, he was a real strange one. What guy gives his number and address to a distressed teen? I mean, I could have broken into his house and stolen all his stuff if I was the type, ya know?"
"Yes."
"But he trusted me implicitly. It was like he could see where I was going and was giving me the choice: live with my father and become a statistic and/or get in serious trouble or I could get some help from him and he could give me something I would be proud of. After I got out of the hospital, I went to my house to get my clothes and pack up to go to Tannus' apartment and was hurt again by my dad. I showed up on Tannus' doorstep with a bloody lip and a backpack full of random clothes..." he ended with a shrug.
"That's an amazing story. I never would have expected Tannus to do that sort of thing."
"Ironically, he's a really great guy. Not that I'm trying to say something..." he said with a sheepish look.
I smiled. "I know. I have to go into work in a little bit so I'll leave your room set up to yourself. All I ask is not to take that picture off the wall in there. It was one my grandfather painted and my grandmother doesn't want to take it off."
"Sure. Can I move it around in the room?"
"I don't see why not..."
I went to my room and started to get dressed.
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Indigo Blues 🪼✔
الخيال العلميHighest rank: 370 Tannus Bracken and Delilah Manchester are two scientists that work in the same lab and have the reputation of getting on each other's nerves. They go way back. But what happens when Tannus messes with Delilah's experiment and ends...
