The Caregiver (closed for maria1966)

[maria1966]

"No not at all pair that up with a nice pair of dress pants and I tie you could wear that to a job interview or even out on a date with a young lady I think it would look nice even with a nice pair of blue jeans as well. But then agree that's just my opinion of course."

 

[xPassionx]

"Oh, yeah? Would you go on a date with me looking like this?" Malcome giggles innocently and spins around so Annie can see the shirt on him from the back as well.

 

[maria1966]

"Yes of course Malcome your a very nice well mannered kind compassionate intelligent young man. If your dear mother were here she would be so proud of you."

"If we were closer in age I might go out on a date with you. But I am way to old for you for crying out loud I am over 40 years old."

 

[xPassionx]

Malcome's eyes started to well up after what Annie said about how his mother would be proud of him. He smiled and threw his arms around Annie's neck and hugged her gently for several moments.

'Thank you' he said softly.
As he withdrew from his embrace he kissed her on the cheek and whispered to her: "You're not that old."

 

[maria1966]

"Your welcome Malcome now get changed we still have lots of shopping to do and once were done we will go home get this stuff put away and have a nice lunch."

 

[xPassionx]

As Malcome changes back into his old clothes his cellphone falls out of his pants pocket. He sees that he has a new message left an hour ago:

I asked when ur comin home!

Malcome cringed as he read the message from his father. He neglected to explain where he was and why he hasn't been home, and now it's escilated. He's bound to explode when he finds out.

Annie hears the doorknob turn and she turns to greet Malcome only to see a very sadened face on her former student.

 

[maria1966]

"Whats wrong Malcome? you as white as a sheet you look like you have seen a ghost or a demon or something really evil what ever it is you can tell me I will understand completely."

 

[xPassionx]

Malcome closes his eyes and exhales.

"It's my father. I haven't spoken to him since yesterday morning. I don't know what to tell him. I still have stuff at the appartment, but I'm afraid that if I tell him that he'll throw my stuff out."

 

[maria1966]

"Well when does he leave for the bar? while he is gone we can get your things and you can leave a note explaining the whole situation because if you face him he might beat you up or he might even beat you to death. I realize that sounds dramatic but you must consider the possibility."

 

[xPassionx]

Malcome's skin crawls and his eyes well up with tears as he ponders the thought of his own father beating him to a bloody pulp. He turns his head in shame and whimpers and sobs in the store. Luckily for him, there's no one else around.

 

[maria1966]

Annie gently embraced Malcome and she said to the young man "Malcome I am sorry that I upset you but we have to find a way for you to retrieve you possessions without a fight with your father and I have a plan its sneaky but I know I can make it work."

"First what time does your father leave for the bar?"

 

[xPassionx]

Annie embraces the lamenting young man in her maturnal arms. She cradles his head against her chest and runs her fingers through his short umber colored hair in an effort to cure him of his sorrows. Malcome clings to his guardian angel allowing her to relinquish him of his fear and shame as he sobs. His sorrow runs down his cheek and down Annie's plump breasts. She apologizes for triggering him.

Malcome stops crying and withdraws his head from her chest and wipes his eyes.

'No...It's not...you didn't upset me' he says--his voice starting to crack.

Annie says that she has a devious plan to retrieve Malcome's possesions.

"First, what time does your father leave the bar?"

There's a fiery determination in Annie's eyes, which somewhat intimidates Malcome, as he's never seen this side of her.

"Um...H...he gets out of work around 8 or 9 and hits the bar after until it closes at 2am."

 

[maria1966]

"Good that will give us plenty of time to get over to your house and retrieve your things before he comes home but we will need to move both fast and carefully because we don't want any surprises."

"But first we will need to get you a new cellphone with a new phone number and we will do that right now."

A few hours later Malcome and Annie are outside of Malcome's former home they quickly make their way to the front door unlock it and go inside, then they quickly and carefully remove his possessions.

The removal process is slow because Malcome has quite a few things but Annie has to make sure to get everything. When the last of the possessions are removed, she looks at Malcome and she say's "Do you have everything out of their that you want to take with you."

 

[xPassionx]

Later that night...

Annie and Malcome sat in darkness in her Station Wagon across the street from Malcome's old apartment. There was no sign of his fathers truck. It was time for the two of them to strike.
The coast was clear as they entered the apartment. Malcome was self-concious about Annie seeing first hand the squalor that he and his father lived in. Beer bottles on the floor--some of them broken. A trash bin overflowing with garbage and used condoms from the bar flies that his father would bring home on the regular. Too many nights he laid awake hearing the sound of loud moaning and thumbing against the wall.

Malcome and Annie quickly ran to his room, which was like stepping into a portal to another world after going through the rest of the house. Malcome's room was spotless. There wasn't much in there in terms of furniture. Just a bed, a wodden chair, a desk, and a dresser that his television sat on. They grab his tv, his drawer, his chair and his desk, but leave the bed. Annie went through his drawer and quickly threw his clothes in boxes whle Malcome filled several cardboard boxes with his belongings and trinkets:
A dvd player and movies, his toolbox, books, framed pictures, and an assortment of action figures. They run back and forth from dropping stuff off in the car and returning for more.

When they had all but a couple boxes to bring out to the car, they made there way to the door, but before they could make there clean escape, Malcome stopped them.

"Crap. I forgot to leave him a note."

 

[maria1966]

Annie looked at her green wrist watch and she said "Alright Malcome but please hurry up we don't have much time we need to get out of here before we are spotted."

While she waits for Malcome to write his goodbye note she gets nervous very nervous. she runs her fingers over the cross necklace she always wore around her neck and periodically she would look at her watch.

And she would say to herself "Malcome please hurry up we gotta get out of here as soon as we can."

 

[xPassionx]

Dad,

There's no easy way to say this--I'm leaving you. I'm sorry, but I can't take living here any longer. You're going down a vicious spiral and I can't let you take me there too. I'm going somewhere safe where I'll be taken care of. Something that you haven't been able to do for a long time. Please, don't try and contact me. As long as you're the way that you are now, I can't be a part of your life. Please, get clean. If you can't do it for me, do it for yourself.

I love you.

~Malcome

Malcome's tears fell onto the note, causing some of the ink to run, but not enough that it couldn't be read. He wiped his eyes and the two of them made there way to the door. Malcome hung in the doorway for a moment and looked back into the apartment one last time before he turned all the lights off.

Once outside, Malcome dropped another bombshell.

"Oh, no! I forgot something. It's important. I have to go get it!"

 

[maria1966]

Annie looked at Malcome "Malcome I will be outside waiting for you please find the item as soon as you can we have to get out of here as soon as we can." After hugging the young man Annie walked out to the car and waited beside it.
While she waited Annie ran her fingers over her cross necklace and looked at her wristwatch.

 

[xPassionx]

Malcome rushed to his room and stood on top of his bed to lift a tile in the ceiling. He reached his arm inside and felt around blindly with his hand until he found what he was looking for. He dragged the item towards him and dust and debris rained down ontop of him making him cough and sneeze. He held the brown paper bag tied with strings around both sides and was covered in cobwebs, dust, and bits of white debris.

Once outside, Malcome could see Annie across the street keeping watch by her car. Even in darkness, Malcome could tell that she was getting nervous. When she saw him, she waved him on to hurry up, but Malcome noticed a truck in the distance driving towards them. The truck was swirving. It was his father. Malcome paniced for a moment before rolling underneath a nearby car in the parkinglot. The truck pulled into the lot and parked next to the car that unknown to him, his son was hiding under.
When his father went in the building and the door shut behind him, Malcome crawled out from under the car and hurried across the street. He and Annie got in the car and quickly drove away.

 

[maria1966]

During the drive back home Annie's heart pounded in her chest she thought to herself "That was so close". When they finally got home Annie and Malcome went into the house then she looked at her watch and said "Wow its almost Five AM we better get some sleep Malcome we had a busy day and very busy night". Then she hugged the young man very tightly

 

[xPassionx]

The two of them returned home and carried all of Malcome's possessions to the guest room. Annie wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and checked her watch.

"Wow! its almost 5 AM. We better get some sleep, Malcome. We had a busy day and very busy night."

'I'm gonna take a shower before I get to bed' said Malcome. "You probably should too."

Annie was so thankful for Malcome making it out of this ordeal unharmed. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him tightly against herself. As she ran her fingers through his hair, dirt and dust went into the air from when he pulled his package out of the ceiling.

 

[maria1966]

Annie went upstairs to her room put her watch and cross necklace in her jewelry box took a shower and got thoroughly cleaned up the she put on her nightgown put her dirty clothes in the hamper, and after saying her prayers she went to sleep and she slept soundly.

 

[xPassionx]

Malcome looked around the once vacant room now full of boxes stacked against the walls and a few additional pieces of small furniture . The clutter throughout the small room was triggering the young man. He felt compelled to organize it, but instead decided he'd take a nice hot shower and deal with the mess tomorrow. Yes. Tomorrow, he would make this room into his own.

The bathroom was still full of steam from Annie's shower. When Malcome entered, the lingering heat in the air clung to his bare chest and opened up the young mans pores. Beads of salty sweat formed on his forehead. The steam swirled as it was sucked out of the room by the ceiling vent.
The hot water cleansed Malcome's youthful body as well as his mind of today's arduous adventure. Grime and dirt ran down Malcome's legs and washed down the drain.

Feeling refreshed and after a change of clothes, Malcome was ready to call it a night. However, he felt compelled to open the package. The young man sat at the edge of the bed staring for several minutes at the package of brown paper tied with strings sitting on the guestroom desk. After a few minutes, Malcome mustered the strength to untie the strings and open the package to get to his priceless possessions: A photo album and a framed picture of himself with his mother. Malcome flipped to the last page of the photo album. All that was on the page was a heading:Christmas 2012

Malcome could never forget the feeling of his heart sinking into his stomach when he and his father were at the hospital the night of the accident and was told by the doctor that they weren't able to resuscitate her.
Malcome held the picture and stared at it for several minutes. Streams of tears ran down both sides of his face and droplets landed on the picture. As crippling sorrow possessed Malcome, he wrapped his arms around the framed picture and rolled over onto the bed, crying hysterically. His body trembled as he curled up into a ball and wailed uncontrollably for several minutes while hugging the last photo taken of him with his mother when she was alive. Malcome was incapable of holding himself back. His grief was far too much for him to swallow. He's spent years holding this in but no longer can his grief be held back. After what felt like an eternity of tears, Malcome eventually exhausted himself and fell asleep, still hugging the photo.

 

[maria1966]

Early the next Morning Annie got up said her morning prayer took a shower and got cleaned up, then she dressed and last but not least she opened her jewelry box and retrieved her cross necklace and put it around her neck.

After putting her dirty laundry in the hamper Annie walked down stairs quietly and she stepped into Malcome's room and she saw him sleeping soundly, she also noticed a book in his hand, she thought about looking at it but decided not to because it might upset him.

So she went to her kitchen got out some pots pans and her iron skillet and got ready to prepare breakfast, but she was not sure what to prepare. So she went back to Malcome's room gently touched his shoulder and said to him "Malcome its morning what do you want to eat for breakfast?"

 

[xPassionx]

"Malcome, it's morning. What do you want to eat for breakfast?"

As Annie shook Malcome awake, he quickly realized that he was still holding the picture frame to his chest and discreetly slid it under the covers.

'Good morning' the young man said in a groggy voice. 'Um...I don't know. Surprise me. I'm sure I'll love whatever you make' he says with a smile.

Annie ventures upstairs to the kitchen to prepare Malcome a surprise breakfast of champions while he freshens up and gets ready for whatever plans they have for today. After taking a shower and changing in his room, he notices his camera poking out of a box. He couldn't remember the last time he's used it. After all, there hasn't been a happy moment in recent years worth capturing. He turns it on and cycles through the pictures taken: Malcome and his mother at his 13th birthday party. The two of them in the living room of there old house just before his first day at high-school. The two of them painting together in the park. Baking cookies in the kitchen.

Recalling these old memories brought a smile to Malcome's face. He thought to himself that he should get these pictures developed and put in the photo album. He opened the album and took two sheets of blank white paper that was already hole-punched and wrote on them with a red and green marker.

Remembering Mom and A New Beginning

He took his camera upstairs and and peered into the kitchen behind Annie as she prepared Malcome his breakfast. She had her dark brown hair in a ponlytail and was wearing her brown apron with the light blue ties as she cooked over the stove. Unaware to her, Malcome aimed his camera at her and snapped a photograph. Annie heard the click and looked over her shoulder to see Malcome with his camera. Malcome started to laugh.

 

[maria1966]

"What did you just do young man? here I am trying to make you breakfast and your snapping pictures of me from behind, if you want something to do please get cleaned up then after breakfast we can get your boxes unpacked and your room decorated."