Work Text:
A Ready-Made Family
by Debbie
Blair sat on the edge of his bed, moving the bank from hand to hand. He was lost in thought, remembering when he bought the bank when he was just seven years old. It was the first thing he bought with the money he earned from his delivery job for Gino at the delicatessen. Gino had him deliver to the homes within a four block area of the deli on the weekends. Blair was quick and accurate and that assured him of receiving additional money in tips as a result. Gino let him keep the extra money.
Blair had longed for the baseball-shaped bank ever since he saw it in the window of the sports merchandise shop. He passed the shop every day on his way to school.
It took Blair almost a month to raise the money he needed to buy the bank. He walked into the sports merchandise store and told the man there he wanted to buy the baseball bank. He proudly carried his acquisition home afterwards. It became one of the few possessions Blair held onto through all of the years, through all of his travels, and all of his life.
*****************
Jim stood in the doorway of the bedroom, watching as Blair moved the object back and forth between his hands. He couldn't determine what exactly it was. He knew Blair had been homesick lately, especially since Jim was spending more time with his family, his father and his brother. Jim knew Blair was trying to get his mother to come for a visit.
"You okay, Chief?"
Blair didn't look up. "Yeah, I'm fine, Jim. I just got a call from Naomi. She can't come."
Jim heard the sadness in Blair's voice. There was a pause and Jim wasn't sure what to say.
"I'm sorry, Chief."
"It's okay, Jim. I should have known - "
"If you want, you can come with Stephen and me to the cabin?"
"I'm not sure, Jim. I don't think I'd be very good company..."
"Come with us. We'll be your family."
Blair looked up at Jim. "Thank you."
"It's no problem. What do you have there?"
"Tell you what. I'll let you and Stephen find out the whole story when we go to the cabin. In fact, there are a lot of things I want to tell you."
end