Chapter 2: Earning Trust

I asked Ernie over to perform various odd jobs around my house for a few weeks. Nothing major but something to keep him out of the Chicken House, give him more money to keep him going, and to provide his with a nourishing meal or two. Today he was going to power wash my driveway. It didn’t need it but I wanted to pick his brain. I made us dinner and as always he was the perfect gentleman. My reason for inviting him was to find out what if anything he was doing for the Thanksgiving holiday. Truth is I hated spending the holidays alone and wanted some company. He gave me some ridiculous explanation and I took his hand and told him to stop. Stop the stories, stop the pretending not to need anyone, just stop. I looked him in the eyes and asked if he would spend the long weekend away from school here and enjoy the holiday with me. I don’t think anyone has ever shown him that the touch of another could mean so much.

Ernie came by my house after school on the Tuesday before the holiday. He said he couldn’t come over and gave me an excuse I didn’t believe. I made him come clean and be totally honest with me. I knew it was hard for him so to ease his mind I sat him down on the couch, sat next to him like someone that cared, and said no worries, no judgments, no fear of losing me.

He said he didn’t need or want my sympathy. He was fine just being by himself. I couldn’t hold back my need to prove him wrong. I hugged Ernie and told him nobody wants to be alone and he was welcomed in my house whenever he wanted to be here. He didn’t struggle to get away from my embrace and once it started I didn’t rush to let it end. I haven’t held anyone in a long time and Ernie, my young gentleman friend made me feel something I thought long forgotten. I had to fight myself from following my heart and kissing my young friend. Nothing romantic but one that would tell him he belongs here. I didn’t know how he would react so I forced myself to resist the temptation.

Our weekend was back on and I told him I had his bedroom ready. He looked surprised and said a couch or even a floor was good enough. I took his hand and walked him up to what I made up as his room. It was nothing special, a typical guest room, but it was his for as long as he wanted it. for the first time I felt him squeeze my hand back. I knew he felt that something about being here was right. We turned to leave and he stopped me and said thank you, and then my young scholar hugged me. Maybe it was me caught up in the moment but when I looked at him the need to kiss him returned. I almost did too, but I let the rational part of me take over and drill it into my head, HE IS FOURTEEN.

We went back to the living room and I asked him to stay for dinner and maybe if he felt like it some TV. He accepted my invitation and we had a wonderful meal. Ernie opened up on a few things that to him were not of great importance but to me they meant there was a trust being build. He had started and stopped trying to ask me something a bunch of times and I told him just say it. he asked if I would let him take a shower. He hasn’t had hot water in his house in a while and he couldn’t stay in the water to long or he would end up getting a cold. I led him to the bathroom and the linen closet. I asked if he wanted me to throw his things in the washing machine while he showered and at first he said no but then changed his mind. I told him I would find something he could wear until his things dried. He took two towels and closed the bathroom door. He said to give him five minutes and I could take his things to wash and hugged me a second time and thanked me again before the door closed.