Enjoy the Dance

by Heidi Cullinan

  “Yes. He almost went somewhere else, to a couple, but he mentioned something about an anniversary.”

  Ed and Laurie. “So you brought him into your place?”

  “I tried to get him to a hospital, but he was adamant about not going. I cleaned him up. Got him to talk to me a little. That’s when he told me about his family. Apparently his cousins caught him with another boy and beat them both up. Then, when Duon went home and told his grandmother what had happened, his cousins embellished the tale, painted him in an unfavorable way, and she kicked him out. From what I gather, he has no other place to go. I can’t tell how serious his grandmother was about him not coming back, but I got the feeling it was very.”

  Tomás would bet she was. She’d been a razor’s edge from washing her hands of him all year, from the sounds of things. Reports were the grandmother had become the catch-all for her entire family. God, did Tomás know how that went.

  Still, bringing in the government wasn’t the answer. “About this DHS thing. You can’t call them.”

  “I told you. I don’t have a choice. I’m a teacher. I have to report this. I know it’s hard, bringing DHS into the picture, but it’s important.”

  God save us from white saviors. “Have you ever dealt with DHS? Do you have any idea how incompetent they are? How disruptive they can be?” When Spenser flattened his lips, Tomás pressed on. “He’s only fifteen. They’ll put him in foster care. And he’s gay. Do you know what happens to LGBT kids in foster care?”

  A flicker in Spenser’s expression told Tomás he’d stepped in something good there, but all Spenser did was pull his arms tighter to his body. “He’s homeless. Do you know how quickly homeless teens are trafficked? Right here in the Twin Cities?”

  Oh, Tomás did not care for Spenser’s accusatory, sanctimonious tone. “We’ve been watching out for him. Me, Ed and Laurie, and Halcyon Center.”

  “Yes, he mentioned the center. A woman in particular. Nicky?”

  “Vicky. She runs it. Great lady,” Tomás added, in case Spenser wanted to cast aspersions on her too.

  “So I gather. Apparently they have a shelter he goes to, when it’s open and has a space available. But it’s closed now.”

  “It’s not a great time for charities. They’re always out of money.” Vicky was a good idea, though. He didn’t know her, but he knew of her, that she was a bulldog. She would eat this guy as a snack. “We should call Vicky. She’ll know exactly what to do.”

  He expected Spenser to object, but he only blinked in surprise. “You have her contact information? Excellent. I wanted to call her, but Duon didn’t know her number.”

  “I don’t have her number personally, no, but I know people who do.” Which meant he was going to have to interrupt Ed and Laurie’s anniversary after all.

  Spenser’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. I think it will make this easier, if she helps explain.”

  The rustle of blankets from the living room drew their attention. Spenser hurried over, and Tomás followed. Spenser’s face transformed as he approached Duon, all gentle smiles as he crouched beside the couch. “Hey there. Feeling any better?”

  It took everything in Tomás to school his expression as Duon sat up and the extent of his injuries was revealed. His skin had purpled and was swollen all over, and his face looked like someone had taken a hammer to it. The cut below his eye was dangerously close, and the other eye was puffy.

  Duon glanced around, disoriented. “I fell asleep?”

  “For a good hour.” Spenser kept up his soft, soothing tone. It was hypnotic. Tomás almost forgot the guy was an asshole as he listened. “Someone’s here to see you, by the way.”

  Duon’s bleary gaze drifted to Tomás. “Tomás. My man. Where you been?”

  It was a typical enough greeting, but Tomás couldn’t help feeling as if someone had sucked the Duon out of Duon, and someone flat and exhausted had taken his place. Tomás knew better than to let his worry show. “Hey yourself. I was at the studio. Laurie liked your present, but he missed you in class.”

  “Yeah, well. I was busy.”

  Spenser put a hand near Duon’s leg, but not on it. “I have dinner ready. Why don’t you wash up while I set the table?”

  Duon obeyed, letting Spenser help him up and herd him toward the bathroom. Once he was out of sight, Spenser dragged Tomás to the kitchen. “Can you get a hold of Vicky? Do you think she’d be willing to come here now?”

  He wasn’t sure. “Let me make a phone call, and we can try.”

  “I’ll set the table.”

  He pulled away, but Tomás caught his arm. “Leave DHS out of this. Let us fix this.”

  Spenser returned Tomás’s stare with steel, implying he could do this all day. “Go make the call.”

  He twisted his arm free and busied himself with putting plates and glasses on the table, leaving little else for Tomás to do than go into the hall and ring Ed and Laurie so he could get Vicky’s number and settle this DHS nonsense once and for all.

  Tomás’s friends Ed and Laurie, the ones who knew the director of Halcyon Center, came over as soon as they were called. Spenser would have preferred less people involved, but Tomás was angry with him enough over the mandatory-reporter thing, so he decided to roll with it.

  He got some food in Duon first, which he was glad for. Tomás ate too, and they were a strange, ad hoc family, which was good. Spenser wanted normal for Duon, as much as he could get.

  Once Ed and Laurie arrived, however, everything became chaotic quickly. Laurie was a lithe, handsome man, and his husband was a big, burly ex-football player, both of them extraordinarily concerned for Duon. Of course, Duon became withdrawn and defensive with so much focus on him, and Spenser could do little to deflect it. This meant when Vicky Richards arrived, Duon was so agitated he was edgy and almost hostile, even in his exhaustion.

  “Y’all are making a big deal over nothing. I got low and wanted to rest somewhere for the night is all. Won’t make that mistake again.”

  Vicky met him exasperation for exasperation. “It’s time for us to have the conversation you keep trying not to have with me, the one where I tell you we have to find you somewhere safe to be. Somewhere permanent, not simply for the night.”

  “Yeah, I bet there are people lining up to take me in.” Duon’s gaze narrowed, and he straightened, his bruises forgotten. “You try to send me to a shelter, I’m gonna run right now.”

  They argued for a few minutes, until Ed intervened and distracted Duon. Spenser took the opportunity to draw Vicky aside to talk with her. To his chagrin, Tomás followed.

  Spenser did his best to ignore him as he spoke quietly with the director. “How well do you know his case?”

  “Fringes. I know his family, know the history. He understands I have to report him, though, so he stays away from me whenever something’s happened I’d need to tell DHS about. I’ve had to bring them in a time or two, and he didn’t care for it.”

  Tomás drew back. “You report him? You have already? You’re a mandatory reporter too?”

  Vicky gave him an incredulous look. “I’m a licensed social worker and the director of a youth center. Yes, I’m a mandatory reporter.”

  Spenser decided this was a good time to come clean himself, at least in part. “I’m an educator, and I’m the one who found him. I know it’s my duty to report, and I will, but I wanted a chance to talk to more people who knew him and his situation first.”

  “I have his social worker’s number. I’ll give it to you.” Vicky ran a hand through her hair. “They might revoke custody over this. They’ve threatened to, but there’s never anywhere to put him, so they hem and haw, hoping a situation like this doesn’t happen. Except I think Dorothy is ready to surrender it herself. She’s a good woman, but she’s not particularly understanding about Duon being gay, and she’s responsible for six boys from the ages of ten to eighteen. A saint would crack under what she’s dealing with. We’d have removed Duon long ago, but he’s a Black, gay
teenager. The only way he’d be more difficult to place would be if he were transgender too. Except the shelters are full right now. They were sending kids to Albert Lea and Duluth last I checked. We should be open next month at Halcyon, but we’re drop-in, not a residence.”

  Tomás was furious. “You can’t send him away.”

  “I won’t be doing anything. I don’t get to make choices for him.”

  “And he doesn’t get to make choices for himself?”

  “When he’s fifteen? Not many, no.”

  Spenser interrupted before the argument could spiral. “What about Avenues? The Host Home program? Do you think they have an opening?”

  Vicky paused mid-breath, abruptly thoughtful. “I don’t know, actually. They’re always full too, but I suppose it won’t hurt to ask. We’d need some legal hoops cleared because he’s a minor, but we can give it a shot. I’ll call Ryan tomorrow.”

  Tomás’s glare had cooled to a mild scowl. “What’s Avenues?”

  Spenser answered him. “Avenues for Homeless Youth. They’re a privately run shelter in Minneapolis, but they also have an LGBT host home program. They pair youth with local families who are an extension of the shelter, essentially.”

  “But the waitlist is long.” Vicky leaned on the kitchen counter. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “Where does he stay tonight?” Tomás paced Spenser’s kitchen. “Will DHS take him away? To Albert Lea or wherever the hell they can shove him?”

  Laurie joined them, putting one hand on Vicky and the other on Tomás. “Let’s all remember we have Duon’s best interests at heart.” He smiled at Spenser. “Thank you again for helping Duon. Especially since as I understand it, you didn’t know him before tonight.”

  “I’m a teacher.” Spenser was going to use that shield as long as he could. “Helping children is what I do.”

  “Plenty of teachers would have simply called the police.” Laurie turned to Vicky. “But yes, where will he stay tonight? Who makes that call?”

  “His worker, technically.” Vicky pursed her lips. “It would be better, though, if we can come up with a solution to suggest.”

  Tomás nodded at Laurie. “Could he stay with you?”

  “For a night or two, yes, if we put an air mattress in the kitchen. We’re no good for the long term, unfortunately. Our couch is more of a love seat, and Ed is up half the night, watching infomercials while he ices his neck in the recliner. There’s no room for another bedroom or even a bed in the corner. Plus I assume as an out couple we’re a harder sell?”

  Vicky shook her head. “Not in Minneapolis. The space is more of a concern, most likely. For anything permanent, he’d need a bedroom.”

  “Yes. We’re probably out, then. If I had a few weeks, I could maybe work on my mother, but I think it would be so much culture shock he’d prefer a shelter. Maybe Ed’s parents? Except it’s such a huge ask. Duon can be wily, and I’m not sure if they’re the right parents for him. I’ll talk to Ed.”

  Vicky regarded Tomás. “What about you? He was coming to see you, yes?”

  Tomás went wooden, his gaze flickering immediately to Laurie.

  Laurie spoke for him. “Tomás is unavailable, unfortunately. But let me put in a call to Oliver. He might know someone I haven’t thought of.”

  They continued to toss names around, all of them unsatisfactory, and eventually Spenser slipped away, going over to Ed and Duon, who were talking quietly on the couch. With a nod from Spenser, Ed excused himself and let Spenser take his place as he headed to the kitchen.

  Spenser smiled ruefully at Duon. “Sorry for the circus. I didn’t mean for this many people to get involved, but I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  Duon snorted. “Yeah, well.”

  Spenser studied the clear adhesive tape on Duon’s eye, which was almost peeled off. “We need to get you some of those boxer bandages, though I suspect we’re going to end up in the hospital whether you want to go there or not. But I wanted to ask you something first.” He indicated the kitchen. “They’re trying to think of a place for you to stay, to suggest to your social worker. They have a short-term solution, though not a long-term. I had a thought of something else that might work, but I wanted your permission first.”

  Duon gave him a sidelong glance. “What’s your idea?”

  “You can stay here for now, until we figure this out. Couch for tonight, blow-up bed in my spare bedroom once I get one, and if you end up needing somewhere to stay for good and you decide my place is okay, we’ll get an actual bed.” He paused to let the offer ring a moment, then added, “You can think about it for a few minutes. And if you want to ask me questions to make sure you’d like it here, I’m happy to answer.”

  Duon gave him a focused stare with his good eye. The unspoken question hung heavy between them. It didn’t surprise Spenser, though, that Duon didn’t ask. You didn’t, when you were on his end of this situation.

  Spenser answered it anyway. He double-checked the kitchen, then leaned closer to Duon. “I’m helping you because I know how it feels to be where you are. When I was your age, I was in the foster care system.”

  Duon blinked at him in surprise. “You were?”

  Spenser nodded. “I can tell you the story in greater detail later, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell the others, because it isn’t their business. You know how it is, people making judgments when you don’t live with your birth parents.”

  Duon huffed a bitter laugh, but when his gaze met Spenser’s again, it was softer. “Yeah.”

  “Staying with me is a temporary solution, at least for now. I know you don’t know me, and I won’t be offended if later you decide living here isn’t what you want. But as someone who has been in your situation, it would be my pleasure to offer you somewhere safe to stay while things get sorted out.”

  Duon didn’t smile, but some of the deep tension rolled off his shoulders. “Sure. Thanks, man.”

  Spenser put his hand on the blanket beside Duon’s leg. Then he rose to go to the kitchen to let everyone else know what was going on.

  At first Tomás didn’t hear what Spenser said, because he was too busy arguing with Vicky, whom he’d already decided he disliked. But when Spenser repeated himself, they stopped talking and regarded him, dumbfounded.

  Ed recovered first. “But you don’t know Duon. Why would you offer to give him a place to stay? Because you sound as if you’re saying he’d be here for more than tonight.”

  Spenser was right back in what Tomás was beginning to think of as his zone, that space between steel and softness. “I know him well enough to host him for the night at least, and tomorrow we’ll talk more to see if it will work for longer.”

  “But you said you’re a teacher.” This observation came from Laurie. “You’ll have school tomorrow.”

  “I have sick days coming, and my lesson plans are in place. I can take some time to help him out.”

  Tomás didn’t like this, but he wasn’t sure how to object when he didn’t have a solution. “What about a doctor? Someone should check him, make sure he’s okay.”

  “Oh, a doctor will be required.” Vicky pulled out her phone. “I’ll see if the social worker wants to take him or if we can.”

  While Vicky made her calls, Spenser went with her and confirmed details. Ed sat with Duon, teasing him and distracting him from the situation. Tomás, feeling like a third wheel, hung out with Laurie in the kitchen. “Sorry about your anniversary dinner. But I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Laurie waved a dismissive hand at Tomás’s apology. “The evening was a bit of a mess anyway. We fought on the way over because Ed showed up with one of those VOTE NO: Don’t limit our freedom to marry decals on the side of his car. He was late because he was getting it put on. And he wanted me to get one too.”

  Tomás could imagine that argument. “Yikes.”

  “Things got better at dinner, until a man at a table saw Ed kiss my hand and spent the rest of the meal gla
ring at us as if we were having sex on the table. We’d left the restaurant and were in the parking lot, trying to pretend everything was fine, when you called.” Laurie pursed his lips and leaned against the counter. “I’ve worried something like this would happen with Duon. I wish we’d bought a house instead of expanding the Dayton’s Bluff studio. Then we’d have room.”

  “I wish we could take him. My mom would do it in a heartbeat. But Alisa’s leaving the kids all the time now, and we already had our brush with multiple government agencies. I can’t risk the system getting closer to my parents or the kids than it is.”

  “How is everything going? You haven’t given me an update lately. I don’t mean to pry, though.”

  Bile rose in Tomás’s throat just thinking about it. “Not much has changed. Lawyer is still eating our money, doing squat. But nobody’s come banging on the door, so at least we have that. The kids are happy to be with us. Loud and messing up my stuff, but happy.”

  Laurie put a hand on his arm. “I know I say this every time, but I mean it. If there’s anything we can do, let us know. I could talk to my godfather, see if he knows a better lawyer.”

  Tomás was sure Laurie’s godfather, the wealthy and locally famous philanthropist Oliver Thompson, knew all kinds of lawyers, none Tomás could afford. “You let me teach dance. That’s enough right there.”

  “I don’t let you do anything. I’m glad to have you on staff. The kids love you. I’m not surprised Duon came to you for help.”

  Came to Tomás, but found…this guy. Tomás frowned at the back of Spenser’s head as he spoke with Vicky. “I can’t believe they’re going to let Duon go with a total stranger.”

  “Well, I know Vicky, have since high school. She’s talking to him so much because she wants to erase some of the unknown around him. I’d put money on her stalling while a background check is running. Though if he’s a teacher, he’s going to pass it.” Laurie stared at Spenser too, but he smiled. “I like him.”

  Tomás couldn’t, not when he was the reason DHS was involved. “It’s weird, the way he wants to help a kid he doesn’t know.”