Matthew part 2

Ten years earlier

It had been four months and she was fading fast. Danielle continued writing her daily letters to Matthew. She wanted him to have something of her when she was gone. He didn’t know. She wrote the letters while she was at school. Three thirty, he would be home soon. Time to gather her strength to be strong for him.

Matthew knew. His mom was trying to be strong for him. And he was trying to be strong for her. A big burden for a six year old. As he walked home from school, he thought about how long his mom had left. He never knew how to ask. When he walked in the house, she was there, with a smile on her face, like always.

Present day

“Excuse me?” The woman said.

Matthew realized he had been standing there daydreaming. “Sorry.” He replied. “It’s no problem; I remember not being able to walk too.” Matthew smiled at the six year old.

The woman looked at him for a second, as if trying to figure him out. “Thanks. Not everyone is so understanding. Have a great day.” And she walked past him.

The six year old looked at Matthew as the woman passed him. Then he realized he was being left behind. “Momma, wait up! I want M&M’s!” Tyler said as he ran past Matthew to catch up with his mom.

What an odd looking family Matthew thought as he walked around later that day. He knew Tyler called the woman momma, but he couldn’t be her son. She was white, Tyler was black. The girl was white, but too old to be the woman’s daughter. The other boy looked Asian. And the woman didn’t have a wedding ring on. How strange. Matthew thought about this peculiar family off and on whenever he saw kids running around, trying to figure them out.

Matthew sat down on the park bench and watched the kids playing. He got his back and reached for his sketch pad. The one thing his father gave him. Talent. Matthew only knew three things about the man that was his father, he was an artist, he left his mom when he found out she was pregnant, and he died when Matthew was 4 by a drug overdose. Matthew did not think of his father often, but it would have been nice to know more about him.

For three hours Matthew drew. He drew the kids. He drew the trees. He drew the moms sitting and talking on the bench across from him. Art was his solace. Even in the horrible foster homes and group placements, art was the one thing they could not take from him. It was his, and only his.

This became the routine. Matthew would sit at parks and draw the scenes and wash his clothes once a week at different gas stations. Not much of a routine, but he liked being left alone. He had been on the streets for five weeks. And he knew no one cared enough to look for him.

This Saturday found Matthew on one of “his” benches at his favorite park. His mom used to bring him here. He did what he always did; he got his sketch pad and began to draw. No one ever bothered him. However, this day was different. Matthew was drawing the swings today. He was trying to get the little girl’s hair just right it flew behind her. Then he felt someone sit next to him. He looked over and saw Tyler, the little boy from the gas station. Matthew didn’t know how to respond, but Tyler had no such problem, “Hey! That’s cool! I wanna learn to draw like that.”

Matthew smiled, but still didn’t know what to say. Then the woman appeared. “Tyler! We did not come to the park for you to bother this young man. Leave him alone.” She took Tyler’s hand and started to walk away when she finally placed Matthew. “Oh, right. Sorry honey, Tyler remembers everyone he meets, or even just runs into. He is a people person.” She let go of Tyler and let him sit back down. The younger boy and teenage girl were not with her this time. Matthew looked around and spotted them walking around the park with a dog, a very big dog.

Matthew finally found his voice, “No problem. I was just surprised.” He looked at Tyler, “My name is Matthew.” And he stuck his hand out. Tyler looked proud to be considered grown up enough to shake hands. He took Matthew’s hand and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Tyler and I am six years old.” His mom laughed. Tyler looked up and pointed, “That’s my mom. Her name is CJ.” The woman looked at Matthew and smiled and she held her hand out. Matthew shook her hand while he thought about how she still reminded him of his mom. 

Matthew part 1

Hey guys, I am writing a story. It is called Matthew. Here is the first part. Let me know what you think...

He would never go back. He had been on his own since he was six; nothing was going to make him go back now. Matthew Grayson was on his own, and he knew how to stay under the radar.

Ten years earlier

Danielle Grayson could not believe it. She had no idea what would happen to her little boy. A six year old. No one wants a six year old. He was her only family. What would happen to him?

Danielle looked at Matthew as she picked him up from school and tried to act as normally as possible. She didn’t know how to tell him that she wasn’t going to be around forever. She was supposed to take care of him for at least twelve more years. How could this happen to her?

As Matthew sat at the kitchen table, Danielle prepared dinner and gathered courage to say what had to be said. How could she word this so he would understand?

“I went to see someone today.” She said, trying to figure out the right words.

“Who momma?” Matthew said as he looked up innocently.

Holding back the tears Danielle turned away to answer, “The doctor.”

“Ewww. I don’t like the doctor. They give shots.”

“Yes, they do. But they also tell people what is making them feel bad.”

Matthew contemplated, “Like why you are tired and sleep all the time?”

“Yes, exactly.” Danielle was surprised that she hadn’t hidden this as well as she thought.

“So is he gonna fix you?”

“Not exactly. I have something bad in me. It isn’t going to get better.” Matthew was beginning to understand that this was going to be bad.

She couldn’t tell him what it was. She just had to make sure he understood that she was going to be gone soon. Cancer was going to take her away from her son. The only warning sign was the tiredness. How was she supposed to know it was so serious? Treatments would make the tiredness worse and add other symptoms. Was she really going to make Matthew go through that, or watch her go through it?

“Momma? It’s going to be okay, right?” Matthew looked frightened now. His six year old sense was telling him something was very wrong.

“Honey, I am going get sick. And I might not be around for very much longer.” Danielle wiped the tear from his little face. “It will be okay. We will have so much fun together, and then, you can tell everyone stories about me. You won’t forget me; I will always be with you in here.” She said as she tapped his chest.

Present day

Matthew slept in the park. He was glad it was August, no need to worry about frost bite yet. When he woke up, he looked in his bag for the letters. He read one every morning. He refused to forget the most important person in his life.  

It was mid-morning. After 2 weeks on the street, Matthew knew he had to find somewhere to wash his clothes. Three shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a sweatshirt don’t last very long on the street. He looked in his pockets; no money. That meant looking for somewhere that would overlook a dirty teenager in the bathroom. Gas station. They never cared. Matthew walked to the gas station on the corner and went to the bathroom.

“Washin your clothes in the sink is not a good start dude.” Matthew said to himself. “We gotta find work or somethin.”

As he walked out of the gas station, Matthew ran into a kid. He never even saw him, the kid walked straight into his legs. Matthew smiled, he remembered being in such a hurry that he couldn’t stop to see who was in front of him. The kid was cute, about six years old, with a curly fro.

“Sorry.” The kid said sheepishly.

“Tyler! I told you to walk. No more running.” A woman said as she walked up with two more kids, one about four, the other in her teens. “I am very sorry. Tyler here doesn’t know what the word ‘walk’ means.” She said smiling.

Something about that smile took Matthew back to his mom.