Page 15 of True Calling
CHAPTER 6
Garth drove his Dodge Ram hybrid truck towards town with his mate sitting by his side. How the fuck had he gotten so lucky to have a human mate willing to give an old dragon like him a chance?
They were silent for the first five minutes, when Berk asked, “How did you and your friends get together?”
“I won’t go into great detail on each of them, because those are stories for them to tell, but let’s just say I helped them out of some tight spots, and brought them home with me.” Garth answered.
“And they just stayed? Why would you do that?” Berk asked.
Sighing, Garth answered, “They had nowhere to go and I had the space, so why not?”
“There’s more to it than that, Garth. I see how close you guys are. Hell, anyone that isn’t blind can tell how much they care for you as well as how much you care for them.” Berk said.
Again, Garth sighed. “Time can leave a person lonely, Berk, and I’m a very old dragon. I hated being alone. Yes, most dragons like their space, but I was never one of them. I liked the sound of someone walking the halls or going up and down the stairs. I like hearing Bo and Micah snip at each other or see Linus snuggling up with Nolan while watching a movie. Before they lived with me, my world was silent. Now...”
“You have a family.” Berk whispered quietly.
Garth could tell his mate was thinking about what was said, when he softly said, “After my parents died, I was put in one home after another, and trust me, it wasn’t quiet at all. Kids can be real bastards. The first night I was placed in a foster home, I was lying in bed crying. This kid came to me and told me I needed to stop before one of the others saw me and kicked my ass. When I said my parents had just died... god, I’ll never forget what he said. “So, all of us don’t have parents anymore. It’s why we’re here, but if they see you cry, they’re gonna know you’re weak and if you’re weak, they will come for you. In the system you have to do one of two things. Be tough and kick ass, or blend into the wall and hope they don’t kick yours.” I forced myself to stop crying and buried my pain and loss as deep as I could, and I stopped talking. I figured if I didn’t talk, I wouldn’t be noticed. The problem was, the people I lived with thought something was wrong with me, and took me back to the social worker.”
“Why would they do that?” Garth asked, feeling his heart breaking for the pain his mate had felt, and stillwasfeeling if the sound of his voice was any indication.
“Most foster families don’t like taking in someone they think has a disability. It takes too much time and they don’t want to deal with it. It’s that or they want the money and don’t want to work for it. I was shuffled from one home to another, I don’t really remember how many, and then I became one of the luckiest foster kids in the world. I was placed with Nort and Marla Carlson. They were never blessed with kids and did some fostering. When they took me in, it was supposed to be temporary, but we just seemed to click, you know?” Berk asked, looking at Garth.
Nodding, Garth answered, “It was like that with me and the guys.”
Berk smiled and Garth could tell he was remembering good memories. “Marla tricked me on the first day.”
“Tricked you how?” Garth asked, turning on the road to the farmer’s market.
“Marla was a teacher, and she decided that homeschooling was the way to go for me. She handed me a book and said she needed to know what reading level I was, so I had to read the book out loud. So, I did.” Berk answered with a laugh. “She never said a word to me until I finished, then took the book, saying, “Well, that was interesting, Berk. You’re very good at reading, and now that we know you can talk, I expect to hear a ‘yes ma’am’, ‘yes sir’, and ‘thank you’, once in a while.” We did some other things, and then she took me to the restaurant that she and Nort owned. We would do schooling until lunch, then she would go out and work the front, while Nort cooked. When the lull would hit around three, we would finish up and then she’d go work the dinner rush. I still think about the first time I walked into the kitchen and saw Nort making fresh bread and dancing to some old R&B song.”
“Is he the reason you went to culinary school?” Garth asked, parking the truck.
Nodding, Berk answered, “Yep. He started teaching me and I fell in love from the first loaf of bread I made. I graduated really early, and when they learned I wanted to go to culinary school, they paid my way.”
“Did they adopt you?” Garth asked.
Shaking his head, Berk answered, “No. I was too afraid that the people in the system would remember I was there and take me away.”
“The blend-in thing,” Garth said in understanding.
“Exactly. There was that, and, in all honesty, I knew the money they got for fostering me helped them with some of the finances. What I didn’t know was that they were putting all they got into an account to put me through culinary school. I owe them everything, you know? I mean, yeah, I had to work hard to get those degrees, but Nort and Marla were there every step of the way. Marla and Nort would Facetime with me all the time, and came to visit when they could, and I would go to them on holidays. We were a family. We didn’t need a piece of paper to say it. We always just knew,” Berk said as he unbuckled his belt and stepped out of the car.
“You’re a lucky man,” Garth said as he made his way to the front of the truck.
Smiling, Berk gave Garth a wink. “I know. You know what else I know, Garth?”
“What?”
“That click I did with Nort and Marla...”
Garth rasped, “Yeah.”
Berk lifted his hand and gently brushed his finger down Garth’s right cheek. “It’s the same click that tells me you and I are meant to be.” Dropping his hand, Berk said, “Now all we have to do is get my brain to catch up with the rest of me.”
Garth froze. Did Berk mean what he was saying? Or was Garth making more out of that statement then he should?
Realizing Berk was leaving him behind, Garth rushed forward until he was side by side with Berk.