Across the Bridge

Across the Bridge - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Hours later - after only being offered vending machine snacks - we were finally assigned a social worker, Mary, who was older and chubby, with bright, cheerful eyes. She seemed to be surprised that we were being so quiet.

   "You two don't have much to say, do you?" she asked, as she tried to get us to answer a million questions. "You've never been in foster care before?"

   I shook my head. "No."

   "It's a shock that this would happen for the first time, since you're teenagers," she went on, marking something down in her notebook.

   "Our mother just did a good job of making sure no one knew she abandoned us, when we were younger," Asa spoke up, though I wished he'd stayed quiet.

   I elbowed him, annoyed, and Mary looked concerned.

   "I made a few calls. This home we placed you at, Waldos, is wonderful. They had two spots open."

   "What happens when I turn eighteen? In two weeks?" I asked, then added, "I get to leave, but..."

   Mary looked down at her hands. "There will be some things to figure out. If we don't hear from your mother, you can become Asa's guardian, but it can take time."

   I swallowed hard, and the look on Asa's face told me he knew what that meant.

   "So I'll be stuck in that foster home?" he asked.

   "We will do everything we can to keep you together," Mary finished.

   It was early evening when Mary pulled up to an old house and turned off the car. There was big sign on the front that said Waldo's - Group Home for Teens in Need, and I wanted to believe Mary that it was wonderful there.

   My phone buzzed, so I pulled it out, because Mary had a chance to say anything to us.

   PENELOPE, IT'S BEEN ALL DAY. PLEASE CALL ME OR TEXT ME BACK. IM SORRY ABOUT LAST NIGHT. I MISS YOU. A text from Winston.

   IM SORRY. I WONT BE AROUND FOR AWHILE. LONG STORY. ITS NOT GOOD.

   PENELOPE, WHAT? CALL ME.

   I can't, I finished.

   We were soon ushered into the house, and greeted by a man and a woman, Mark and Shelly Waldo. They were middle aged and were happy to see us, it seemed. The house was big and old but felt warm and cozy, right away. The front hall was long and I couldn't seen anyone else around.

   "It's so great to meet you guys," Mark started, shaking our hands. "We've been hearing about you all day."

   "You guys will share a room on the main floor. It's been empty a few months, since Tiffany left," Shelly went on, after shaking our hands, too.

   Mary nodded, and I assumed she knew who Tiffany was. Shelly showed us to our room and talked to us for a few minutes, then left, before coming back with a small basket. I didn't even have time to look around.

   She was smiling when she said, "Phones go in the basket until you get privileges. All you have to do is participate in group meetings and do your chores, and you'll get your phones on phone days."

   Like a robot, I walked over and dropped my phone into the basket. It was probably better this way, anyway. Asa growled.

   "Seriously? That's crazy," he yelled.

   Shelly continued to smile, like she was used to teenage boys acting like jerks. "Do you part and you'll be holding it again in no time."

   An hour later, Asa was laying on one of the beds, still fuming. I was still in shock, I was sure. We hadn't spoken to each other since we'd left the house. There wasn't anything else to say. I was regretting so many things - believing that our mom would change, leaving the party the night before, not telling Winston that I loved him, too.