Hope For Garbage

by Tully, Alex

  Trevor sighed, “Sure.”

  “Okay see, an old man is putting on his coat and his wife asks where he is going. He tells her he’s going to the doctor to get some Viagra. So the wife gets up and puts on her coat and the husband asks where she is going.”

  Tom chuckled to himself, but the kid’s expression hadn’t changed. “And the wife says she is going to the doctor too. And the husband is confused and he says ‘Why?’ and she says ‘Because if you’re going to start using that rusty old thing again, I’m going to get a tetanus shot.’”

  The kid finally smiled—barely, but it was still a smile.

  “Good one, huh?”

  After a few more minutes of silence Tom prodded, “So, you really like that girl, Bea?”

  Trevor’s eyes were still on the road, “Yeah, I guess I like her more than I thought I did. Seeing her with that Kevin dork really pissed me off.”

  “You know it’s never too late to say you’re sorry. I’m sure she would go out with you again if you asked. I think she was just putting on a show with that other guy.”

  Trevor laughed, “Mr.T. I think you’re forgetting something. Her mom…all the drama. It’s just messy.”

  The kid had a point, but Tom could also see he had it bad for this girl. “Well you’ll figure it out kid.”

  Trevor shrugged his shoulders. “And, what’s the point, you know? I mean we only have one more year of high school and then who knows what we’ll be doing. She just gets under my skin. I mean you can’t really be serious about someone at my age.”

  Trevor got off the highway and they started driving toward Westwood. “God, I’m hungry, I think there’s a Subway up here.”

  “You’re wrong Trevor,” Tom said.

  “What? No Subway?”

  “No. You’re wrong about being serious with someone at your age. I met my wife when I was seventeen. You can definitely be serious with someone. You can even find the love of your life. I’m not trying to give you false hope, but it does happen.”

  “Mr.T…Can I ask how long you were married?”

  Tom had a hard time saying it, “Thirty-two years.”

  “Wow, that’s a long time.”

  It should’ve been much longer, thought Tom. “Yeah, they were thirty-two great years.”

  “And you have two daughters that live in California, right?”

  Both of Tom’s daughters, now in their forties, lived in San Diego. Both were happily married and had successful careers. They had moved there shortly after graduating from college. They bothered Tom continuously about moving out there—especially after Maddie died.

  Even though the weather was a perfect sunny seventy-two degrees every day, Tom couldn’t find it in his heart to leave Cleveland. He would visit the girls often, and loved it for a week or two, but no more than that. As crazy as it may sound, the palm trees and fancy cars just weren’t for him.

  “Yep, two wonderful daughters, and three wonderful grandchildren.” Tom nudged Trevor with his elbow, “And you would’ve met them by now if you ever took me up on my offer.”

  Every summer the girls came out to visit Tom. They rented a large vacation home on Kelley’s Island in Lake Erie. Tom really didn’t have enough room at his house, and the islands were only an hour away from Westwood.

  The whole family came, and they made it a real vacation. They cruised the lake, fished for bass, and made s’mores on the campfire. Tom looked forward to it every year, and he asked Trevor to tag along every year. And every year, the kid politely declined.

  Now Tom was starting to get hungry. They were only a few minutes from home and had passed the Subway long ago. As if reading his mind, Trevor asked, “Hey, you want to go to Sorak’s for some dinner?”

  Tom’s mouth started watering at the thought. “Now that’s an idea.” He was starving for some home-cooked food and he would love to see Carol. It was strange how at his age, he could still get butterflies when he saw a special lady.

  Sure, Carol might be a little rough around the edges, but she had a lot of great qualities. She was a hard worker, honest, and kind. She had been widowed for the last ten years, and now that her husband was gone, she said the diner was like her family. The friends she made there kept her from ever feeling lonely. Yeah, he and Carol were good companions for each other, without a doubt.

  Trevor parked in front of the diner and Tom turned to him. “Listen kid, maybe you should try one more time with the girl. Forget about all the other nonsense. It seems like you really like her. What the hay?”

  “What the hay? Really Mr.T?” Trevor shook his head at Tom. “I don’t know, maybe I will.”

  With that, they got out of the Grand Polluter and went inside to get some noodles.

  CHAPTER 18

  One of the most disturbing cases in recent Cleveland history, the Paula McNulty case stirred anger in even the most seasoned law enforcement officials. On that fateful day in September of 2010, police received the 911 call…

  Even when Lorene saw it in print, she almost didn’t believe it. Her curiosity about Trevor had finally gotten to her. A couple of days after he broke up with Bea, Lorene and Reggie looked him up on the computer. She wanted to find out something about his parents—his past—anything.

  And what she found out was shocking. She had heard about the tragic story when it happened; everyone heard about it. Lorene had forgotten the name of the family involved, but she never forgot the case. She could only say a prayer for him now, and hope the best for him. My God, that poor kid.

  The last three weeks had been quiet ones at the Stewart house, but not necessarily quiet in a good way. Bea was depressed, there was no doubt about that. Lorene hadn’t seen the girl smile even once. This was Bea’s first real crush and she was already emotionally fragile, so this reaction didn’t surprise Lorene.

  What did surprise Lorene, was how she found herself feeling lately. She couldn’t get Trevor McNulty out of her head. Here was this boy, who came from a horrible upbringing and experienced things that should never be inflicted on a child. Then he had to live with the only family he had—an uncle who seemed to be a real piece of work.

  And what did Trevor do? Did he turn to drugs, or a life of crime? No, he did the exact opposite. He did something more generous than most of the privileged kids in Bea’s high school would ever do—he gave to others.

  Lorene walked over to shut the kitchen window. The weather was beautiful earlier, but a wicked summer storm had rolled in off the lake in a hurry. The thunder was loud and the rain was heavy.

  Bea would be home soon and Lorene was curious to see how today’s environmental fair went. For the past couple of weeks the fair was the only thing she seemed to care about. Bea’s school always did a joint project with the Andrews Academy for Boys.

  Her partner was a nice enough kid named Kevin, and they had spent a lot of time together recently. Bea said that she really liked Kevin but Lorene knew better. On a scale from one to ten, Bea’s excitement level when she mentioned Kevin was about a two. When she used to talk about Trevor, it was off the charts.

  As Lorene started preparing dinner, the doorbell rang. She wasn’t expecting company, only Bea. She opened up the door to find a giant bouquet of orange Gerber daisies in front of her. They were wrapped in pink cellophane and battered from the heavy rain. Behind the drooping, half-ruined flowers was a very wet Trevor. He was clad in a soaked sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

  She looked over his shoulder toward the driveway, and saw his bike lying in the grass. The boy rode his bike, a twenty minute car-ride from Westwood, with those flowers in tow! He looked downright pitiful.

  “Come in, come in,” Lorene motioned him in the door.

  Trevor walked into the foyer but said nothing.

  “Well Lord, you are just drenched! Here, let me take those.” Lorene grabbed the bouquet out of his hands, “Hold on there, I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” She went to the bathroom and came back with two large bath towels, and one of Bill Stewart’s
robes. As soon as Trevor saw the robe, his eyes got wide.

  “Uh, you don’t want me to wear that, do you?” He asked with slight panic in his voice.

  “Look Trevor, Bea won’t be home for at least an hour. You can’t keep those clothes on—you’ll be sick. If you didn’t notice, the Stewarts like to keep the house nice and cool. In spite of the storm, the central air is still on high.”

  The boy took the robe but didn’t move.

  “I’ll put your clothes in the dryer and they’ll be ready in twenty minutes, okay? There’s a bathroom right in that hallway, first door on your left.”

  He looked down the hall as if contemplating what to do. He finally reached for one of the towels and hurried to the bathroom.

  Lorene put the teapot on to boil; maybe some hot chocolate might warm him up and ease his nerves.

  Trevor came out of the bathroom in the plush, full-length navy robe, looking highly embarrassed. “I feel like an idiot.”

  Lorene tried to suppress a laugh, “Oh it’s not so bad. You look very…grown-up in that.” Just then the teapot started whistling. “I was just thinking about you. Would you like some hot chocolate?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” The boy sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter. “Will Bea’s parents be coming home soon?”

  “Oh no. They don’t get home until much later. Marshmallows or no marshmallows?”

  He looked at her with a puzzled expression, “In the hot chocolate you mean?”

  “Sure, didn’t your mom ever make you—?” Lorene stopped herself in mid-sentence. As soon as the words came out, she regretted it. Damn.

  He put his head down, “No, she didn’t,” he said quietly.

  Lorene felt her heart sink. How could she make a mistake like that! She tried to change the subject, “Bea had a school science fair today.”

  Trevor seemed to ignore her attempt at small talk, “You’re probably wondering about my parents. I mean, why would I live with an uncle that I obviously can’t stand?”

  Lorene was unsure of what to say, “Only if you want to tell me.”

  He kept his eyes on his hot chocolate, “Well, my dad left a long time ago and my mom is dead. She never made me hot chocolate with marshmallows—she never did a lot of things.” Lorene could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

  “Trevor, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  But it was too late. He got up and walked to the bathroom. He stopped at the door, and without turning around said, “Can I have just have my clothes please?”

  “Of course.” Lorene hurried to the laundry room and grabbed the damp clothes from the dryer. She wanted to kick herself for being so stupid.

  After she handed the clothes to Trevor he disappeared into the bathroom. When he came out a few minutes later, his eyes were wet and his face was flushed. Oh Lord, had he been crying?

  Lorene couldn’t let the boy leave like that. She walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders as a mother would to a child. He remained rigid, standing like a statue with his eyes fixed on the ground.

  “Trevor, I know about your past, okay? I know about what happened—I know about your mom. You don’t ever have to talk about it, but I just want you to know, I’m your friend and I’m always here.”

  Lorene could see the surprise in his face, “You know everything?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I’m so sorry Trevor. The truth is I admire you. I really do. You have such a beautiful spirit. Don’t ever lose that spirit, you hear me?”

  He nodded his head. “Are you going to tell Bea? About my mom, I mean?”

  “It’s not really my place. You have to do that on your own.” Lorene’s heart truly ached for the boy. “Now, I don’t want you to run out, okay? Will you please have a seat? Bea should be here any minute. I really think you should stay.”

  Trevor looked at Lorene with pained eyes, “Okay. I guess I’ll stay.”

  ***

  Trevor sat at the counter sipping his hot chocolate. His damp clothes were still warm from the dryer. Lorene was making some kind of sauce for the dinner she was preparing. It smelled really good, but too bad for him, it wasn’t vegetarian.

  He was embarrassed about what had just happened between him and Lorene. He wasn’t sure why he had gotten so upset when she mentioned his mom. But at the same time he felt relieved. Lorene was the person closest to Bea and she seemed like a pretty decent lady. If she was okay with his past and didn’t judge him by it, then that was something to be optimistic about.

  Lorene put the dinner in the oven and turned to Trevor, “Do you want me to put those in a vase for her, or…?” She was pointing at the flowers he bought.

  Mr.T told him girls always liked getting flowers. Trevor picked these orange ones because they stood out against all the rest, kind of like Bea. But now they looked pathetic.

  Trevor smiled, “I know. They look pretty bad, huh?”

  “No, they’re beautiful, really. It’s just if I put them in a vase I can rearrange them a little better, clip off some of the broken stems. It really doesn’t matter, because Bea is just going to be thrilled to see you.”

  He felt a flutter in his chest. “You think so? You don’t think she’s going to be pissed I’m here?”

  Lorene walked over and leaned on the counter, looking him straight in the eye. “Trevor, she likes you a lot. She would kill me for telling you this, but she’s been moping around here nonstop for the last couple of weeks. I know Bea. She may not show it at first, but she will be very happy to see you.”

  Nice! He tried to appear nonchalant and took a sip of his hot chocolate. “Really?”

  Just then the front door opened and Bea walked into the kitchen. “Hey Lorene! You’ll never guess who—.” She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw him sitting at the counter.

  He sat up straighter in his seat and tried to look casual, “Hey Bea,” he said.

  God, she looked good. She had on a bright orange rain jacket with the hood pulled tight. Little wisps of her short black hair were plastered to the sides of her face.

  She immediately ripped off her hood and started pushing her hair away from her face. “Hey,” she said with a cool tone.

  Lorene walked over to the oven and stirred the sauce. “You know what? I’m going to go check on that laundry.” She hurried out of the room without turning around.

  Bea stayed in the entrance, her eyes avoiding his. Trevor quickly picked up the vase and walked over to her. He tried to remember what Lorene had told him, she doesn’t hate you Trevor.

  “These are for you.” He handed her the orange daisies. “They match your jacket.” Apologize idiot!

  “So what are you doing here?”

  His heart pounded as he contemplated what to say. He needed to get it right. “Bea, I’m really sorry…I’m sorry I just left you a voicemail like that. I know that was really lame.”

  At this, she finally looked at him, “Trevor I just don’t understand what happened. I know we weren’t hanging out that long, but I thought we were at least friends. I thought at least we could talk about it, but you just avoided me completely.”

  He took the vase out of her hands and set it on the counter. Something was stirring in the pit of his stomach. “I know I was a jerk, and I’m sorry. Bea, you are my friend. And I hope we can be more.”

  This was all so new to him and he felt his face getting hot once again. “And you didn’t do anything wrong, believe me, it was not you. I was just going through some stuff. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true.”

  He took a step closer and put his arms on her shoulders. “When I saw you at the fair, I realized…I guess I realized that I like you, a lot.”

  She smiled, “I like you too Trevor.”

  He didn’t hesitate another second. He leaned down and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her back and holding her tight. The kiss grew more intense and he could feel everything heating up. His hands moved instinctively, down her back and under her shirt, feeling the warm
th of her bare skin.

  Suddenly a loud “Uh-hum” came from the hallway. They quickly pulled away from each other, both of them looking down at the floor. Awkward.

  Lorene walked over to the stove. “Maybe Trevor would like to stay for dinner? I can make you up a vegetarian plate if you’d like,” she offered.

  Bea replied for him, “Actually, he wanted to know if I could give him a ride home now. It’s still raining pretty hard.”

  He was hoping she would say that.

  Lorene smiled, “Okay. Be careful you two.”

  He grabbed Bea’s hand and they walked to the front door together. On their way out he turned around, “Hey Lorene, thanks a lot—for everything.”

  “Don’t mention it.” As Bea made her exit, Lorene gave Trevor a big thumbs-up.

  CHAPTER 19

  Trevor got into the passenger side of Bea’s SUV. He was thinking about his earlier talk with Lorene. She told him she knew everything. Everything?

  He really wanted to tell Bea about his past too, but he just got her back. What if she didn’t understand?

  “Hey, how did you guys do at the environmental fair?” Bea asked.

  He laughed, “You mean Mr.Tyminski and I? I was the only one from my school that wanted to do it. We didn’t win anything big. What about you guys?” Trevor didn’t want to say Kevin’s name.

  “We did okay. We got second place in ‘Best Visual Aid’.”

  “Cool.” Silence settled in and Trevor’s mind started racing. He really wanted to be alone with Bea—just go park somewhere and see what happened. But he also wanted to get some things off his chest; he wanted to be honest with her.

  As if reading his mind, Bea asked, “Trevor, can I ask you a question…about your parents?”

  He felt a little relieved that she had brought it up, but he didn’t know exactly how to start.

  She must have sensed his uneasiness, “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I just asked that.”

  “No, it’s okay, really.” He had to tell her. “Umm, I think Edgecliff Park is up here. Why don’t we go there and talk?”