one sad thing after another

Ed was certain Ollie was going to run away when he found him that night, wandering on the street.

"Look, kideo, you gotta see the big picture." Ed told him. They'd shared a cigarette in the nearby park by the high school. "I got me a place now, and..we'll figure it out. Don't do anything stupid."

Naturally, Ollie looked at him as in different as he always did.

"What do you care? Huh?" Ollie looked at him as if he was ready to fight him, but Ed hugged him, instead.

"To bad, you're not a genius." Ed finally smirked. "But, doesn't mean they know everything."

"But I love her." His eyes welled up with tears when he spoke of Ivy.

"Yeah, I get that. I really do." Ed told him love could really be painful. "Maybe..maybe she's not good enough for you." Of course, he was thinking the other way around, but he didn't want his son to know it. "You can't let something like this, get you down. You..you have a future..and its up to you, if you want to make it miserable, or not."

Ollie was still in a pout. Had Ed ever seen him, when he wasn't in a pout.

"I know..you don't think..I ever thought of you..but..but I did."

"Lot of good..that ever did."

Ed stared at Ollie's woeful face. He didn't know how to make anything better for him.

"Try..just try to stay out of trouble." Ed wanted to make a home for Ollie. He just wasn't sure how.