Tommy took Davy's hand and in a monotone voice and catatonic expression relayed the following to me:
"We got here three days ago. We left home two weeks I think. Anything was better then being there, we didn't get fed 'cept at school. From Friday night to Sunday night Mom would put us outside and told us to git lost. She said she didn't need no stupid kids around. Sometimes she'd have men over at night, she'd drink a lot and get funny. She'd hit us and then men got funny too and sometimes they'd do sex stuff with me, I made Davy hide so he wouldn't get hurt. When me and Davy were out at night on the weekends Mrs. Chupnick would let us stay at her house and she fed us sometimes that happened other nights too. Mrs. Chupnick was old. She died a month ago. Mom told me I was stupid because I don't always talk right. We finished school for the summer and it was a Friday. Mom told us to git lost. We left the house and went to the park, I saw mom drive by in some guy's car a half hour later. We sneaked home and I took my money and Davy took his and we left, we had too Mrs. Chupnick died we didn't have a place to get food we are going to Pennsylvania to find Grandma Buckingham."
Davy just nodded as I was told all of this. I knew Tommy was telling the truth but because of what I saw in the shower and the condition of their clothing. However I was suspicious of Grandma Buckingham of ever being real. I thanked the boys for telling me of their life before meeting them at the truck stop.
Jackie asked if we wanted any dessert, but we all declined it. She gave us the check and I paid it and left a tip on the table.
I told the boys we were going to go to the convenience store side and get a few things.
I knew I had to call their Mother and at least check on them to see if they were wanted.
"Boys, I need to call your mom and see if she has reported either of you two missing. I know you are scared, but please trust me. May I have the number?"
"Yo..yo..yo..You t..t...t.. tell him th..th..the num..m..m..ber Davy," Tommy got out.
Davy told me 6-2-0-5-5-5-2-8-1-5 5
I recognized the area code as one from Illinois.
"What's your Mom's last name?"
"Boxer," Davy said.
I dialed the number. It rang five times before it was picked up.
"Hello," The female voice snarled.
"Mrs. Boxer?"
"It's Ms. Boxer. What of it?" she said.
"Ms. Boxer, my name is Scott Winslow and I have two boys here. One named Tommy and the other named Davy. Do you know these two boys?"
"Oh, so you have those two fucking brats, glad I don't, wish I never had em, if I coulduv had an abortion I duv dun it but it was cheaper to have em," she said.
"All right, Ms. Boxer, well they are alright and unharmed."
"I don't give a fuck if they are alive or dead, they've been nuthin but trouble since they popped out of my pussy." Her voice dripped with venom while she told me of her like and love of these boys which was very little if at all.
"Ms. Boxer, the boys and I are in Indiana, would you like me to bring them back to Illinois?'
"Fuck if I care, shit keep em, they're nuthin but dumb brats anyway. Tommy is such a dumb fuck he can't even speak right and that little shit Davy follows his ass around like a puppy so he must be just as stupid. Them leavin was the best thing that ever happened to me since the shits were born, my man has asked me to marry him and he don't want em around," she barked into the phone.
"So you didn't call the police and report them missing, I take it?"
"Fuck no, not for them brats," Ms. Boxer said.
"Alright, Ms. Boxer, I can see you don't want these boys. I can get them to their Grandmother Buckingham."
"Ha..Ha..Ha..Ha, They told you about dear old grandma Buckingham. See I told you they were dumb fucks. There is no grandma Buckingham, I made her up, so the little shits would shut up about having a grandma like other kids and a way I could get out of getting them stuff. I'd just say it was lost in the mail, boy they are dumb shits. Bye, mister, good luck with the dummies." The line went dead.
I looked and I had two boys with their heads down and I could see tears falling to the floor. They heard what their mother had said on my phone.
All I could do was hug them, this time neither of them flinched.
"Tommy, Davy, let's go in this restroom here to wash your faces and then we are going to pick a few things out and you are coming with me. Let me tell you two this, your mother may not want you, but I do and no matter what happens I will make sure you won't go back to her."
I can't believe what I just told the boys, but I meant it. In these few short hours I was beginning to love these boys, I was unaware how that love would be returned.
Both of them smiled, and went to wash off their tears. They came out.
"Whatcha listening to Uncle Scott?" Davy asked.
I explained to both the boys that my smart phone had an app that would record my phone calls and send them to my e-mail and I was making sure that it had done its job and I got what their mother had told me. I figured I would be ok to keep the boys until I was back in Illinois since their mother didn't care.
"Boy's, I know I told you we were going to get a few things in the TA store here, but things have changed since you are going to be staying with me for a while. There is a Wal-Mart just a little over a mile down the road from here and we need to shop there instead. Do you both think you can walk that far?"1
Both the boys gave me an affirmative by their smiles.
"Ok, boys, I want you to both hold my hands while we walk to Wal-Mart. There is no sidewalk and I want to make sure you are both safe."
They complied and we made our way to Wal-Mart. It didn't take us long to get there.
I grabbed the cart and told them they couldn't wander about and needed to stay with me and the cart, I told them they were to hold on to the sides of it.
I had learned this trick when my nephews were shopping with me and I never had any trouble with them. In fact it worked well. I would take them through the toys, video games along with the areas I needed to shop.
I took my two new charges to the boy's wear but we stopped by the fitting room first.
"Excuse me, ma'am, do you have a cloth tape so I can measure my nephews? Their mother has been a little neglectful and I need to get them some new clothing and want to be sure I get them the right sizes."
"Oh, we sure do, you wouldn't believe how many people don't know their own size let alone what their children's sizes are," Replied Deborah.
"Let me help you measure them and you can write it down," Deborah commanded.
Deborah was a full figured woman in her late fifties, graying hair and glasses.
I wrote down what Deborah told me for each boy. They behaved very well and she was gentle with them. I thanked her and we continued on to the "Boy's Wear" section.
I each got them two pairs of jeans of different shades of blue, one light, one dark, five shirts each, two 3-packs of underwear, two packs of socks. I got them each a sweat shirt and sweat pants, also a matching hoodie. I also got them some p.j.'s. With their clothing set we went to the grocery section.
"Ok, boys, you can each pick out some candy, 2 boxes each, 1 bag of chips or pretzels etc. each too, and then we are going to get a few other things here as well."
They each got there boxes of candy and chips. I noticed they had got the cheapest things they could find. I admired them for doing that, but I said to them that we could do better. I took them and traded the store brand for a name brand item. I also grabbed a large box of microwave popcorn.
I know that junk food is not good for anyone, but right now I wanted them to be happy. If I got to keep them, they would have these less and less. What, I can't believe what I am thinking "keep them." How can a single man get to keep these boys, I pondered.
"Tommy, Davy, Thank you for trying to save me money, and I know you are probably used to what you got but there is better available so lets get those instead, I can afford it."
"Gee, Uncle Scott, you must be rich." Davy quipped.
"Boys, I am not rich but I live very well, I have plenty of money, everything I own is paid for. So please don't worry about what I spend today or later. Is that a deal?"
All I got was a nod from both of them, but I was satisfied with this.
We picked up two loaves of bread, 2 jars of peanut butter, they both smiled with creamy. I've always felt crunchy peanut butter was like eating rocks with my sandwich. Both grape and strawberry jams. We also picked up some sandwich meat and my favorite brand of mayonnaise. I got two half gallons of whole milk. I usually stop and eat somewhere but that's after 14 hours of driving, but with two boys 14 hours without food wasn't going to work.
We then went to the electronics area.
"What are w..w...w...we doing h...h...h..here?" Tommy asked.
"Tommy, Davy, I am going to try my hardest to make sure your lives are better. Whether that's with me or not I can't say right now. However you are not going back to your mother, she made that clear she doesn't want you in her life any longer. Since that means you both are going to be with me at least four to five more days, you both will be in my rig and will need to have a few things to do. So we are here to get those things."
We went to the $5 DVD bin. I told them we would select a few movies for themselves and I would make sure I approved of them. They found "Spiderman" and "Spiderman 2", though violent in ways it wasn't filled with so much that I was worried about them seeing them. They managed to find Johnny Depp's version of "Willy Wokna." I found a collection of the English dubbed Japanese show "Ultraman" and few "Godzilla" movies. Then I took the boys to the premium DVD's in the racks, not a dump bin. I knew my younger nephews really liked "How To Train Your Dragon" and "Bolt." So we got those DVD's as well. 2
Then I stopped in front of the video game system cabinets. The clerk came by and asked if we needed help. So I told him I wanted a Sony PS3, "ModNation Racers," "Little Big Planet2," "Namco Hits" and "Sonic's (the hedgehog) Greatest Hits" and a second controller. 2
On the way to the sporting goods department I stopped and picked up 4 more large bath towels.
Our last stop was the sporting goods department. I let the boys each pick out a back pack and we were on our way to check out.
I asked the cashier to double bag everything as we were walking. I also mentioned there was a Play Station 3 and four games at the customer service desk that we needed to get as well. I told the boys to stay with the cart. I walked with the cashier to the desk and asked her when she finished ringing up the sale not to give out a total, and just ask if I was ready to swipe my card. I did not want the boys to realize how much I was spending on them. I didn't want them to feel guilty about it.
So we returned with the system and she finished totaling everything up.
I swiped my card, got the receipt and we left the store. We took the cart to the farthest point at their lot and then I took the back packs and put each of the boys clothing in them, adjusted the straps and put them on Tommy and Davy. I also made sure they were comfortable with them. I let them carry some of the lighter bags, I carried everything else.
We reached TA Trucker lot and I got the detergent and fabric sheets so we could wash the towels and their new clothing before going to bed.
Within a little over an hour we were back at the rig with our freshly laundered clothing and towels and some coke and water from the TA Store. I told them we'd set up the PS3 tomorrow and they could watch a DVD. I looked on my trip clock and it said I had just over 6 hours to go before I was able to get back on the road.
I flipped down the bed for the top bunk, told them to change into their p.j.'s and I showed them how to put the DVD in the player. They had selected "Bolt."
While that played, I popped a bag of popcorn in my microwave and then gave it to the boys.
I crawled into my bunk and must have dozed off for a while. The next thing I heard was the replay of the DVD's opening screen. So I took my remote and looked into the top bunk and the boys were sleeping peacefully. I took the popcorn and turned off their DVD and TV.
The next noise I heard was my alarm clock going off. I woke up the boys, told them to change into their sweats and we went into the TA Center to go to the restroom and have breakfast.
To be continued.....
1 There really is a Wal-Mart located 1.05 miles/1.67kilometers from the TA it's even on the same road that TA is located in Seymour, IN
2 All games, game system and DVD's mention are used for realism, and in no way indicate an endorsement by the owner(s) of those items mentioned for this story. All names used are owned by their respective copyright holders.
5 Not a real number please do not use.