Just around the corner

Gage supposed he needed a job. Although, he couldn't think of anyone who would actually hire him. Maybe Good Will or Salvation Army. Weren't they good at rehabilitating people?

It wasn't exactly on his mind. As it was, he was lounging around on the couch watching ThunderCats with some other kid that just got to the house a few days ago.

Gage was pretty quiet these days. Numb, in fact. He didn't even care what happened to Halie. It was fun while it lasted. She was one crazy British chick.

OK, a little smile came to him. Yeah, in his wildest dream, he'd never thought he'd get mixed up with somebody like her. Funny, how he never thought of Vada, anymore. He was a tiny bit sad about it, but not really. They were history.

Besides, he thought he was better at a lot of things now than he was then. He doubted if she'd changed. She could be ice cold when she wanted to be. No, this British chick, she knew what she was doing. Yeah, he pretty much figured that out, soon enough. It was a fair game. He thought so now.

God, if he could quit thinking about Halie. But the cartoon didn't do much for him. And then the door bell rang. Naturally, he got to it first.

There was this guy with chocolate chip cookies with a girl and a baby. Gage couldn't just let them stay in the cold. It was dark out, even if it wasn't quite supper time.

"Ren." Gage said ever so solemn as he looked at this guy who dressed way too well for this neighborhood.

He showed them in. He wondered if some couple was just dropping off their kid. Could people do that? Maybe it was a special case where they didn't have the money to take care of it, or something. Usually, caseworkers were always involved.

"I'm looking for Gage Winters," he looked at Gage.

"What do you want with him?" Obviously, Gage wasn't going to admit anything.

"Gage," Ren said about then. "This is the brother who's been looking for you."

Gage instantly shook his hand.

"Those for me?" He wanted to know.

"I guess," Carson said.

Gage snatched a cookie and ate one practically whole. "So, this your family or something?"

"No," Carson smiled. "I..I just live at her house. I have a room there."

Gage nodded.

Ren showed them in. Of course, next thing Gage knew, Ren was holding the baby. She always loved babies.

Gage guessed Ren wanted him to actually talk to this Carson so he showed him to the room where the computer was, and they sat down by the shelves of books where usually the kids studied.

"I actually came all the way from Florida." Carson nodded.

"Florida?" Gage laughed. "I bet you wish you were there, right now."

"Not really." That's when Carson told him about their mother. Gage did actually have a mother. Carson showed him a picture of her. She was thin with sunny hair. "She told me about you, one night when..when she was drunk."

Gage felt a shiver run through him. Yet, it didn't really shock him. Maybe it was a mistake. He couldn't just take Carson's word for it.

"Things, have never been easy." Carson told him about moving around a lot. How he'd missed a lot of school, over the years. "I finally, got my G.E.D."

Gage would have never taken Carson for some dropout. He looked like one of those poor little rich kids to him.

"I didn't have any winter clothes." Carson finally admitted. "But we've got family here." He told him how he'd spent Christmas with them, and they'd made sure he had warm clothes.

Gage crossed him arms, still feeling everyone in this world was lucky except him.