Third Time's the Charm

The young boy looked around the crowded playground with fear. He’d never been much of a social butterfly, but his new foster mother insisted he start to play with kids his own age. He stood tall trying to look brave, but the rubber chips below his feet kept him glued in place. There was one swing available, and he managed to begin the trek towards it. Of course, he stopped halfway, when another kid jumped at it with a sprint. He sighed; it's probably fate that he didn't get the swing. It was covered in white and brown bird droppings, not to mention, the chains looked sticky. After another fateful look around the area, his eyes landed on the slide. There was a line of kids leading to it but maybe another kid would try to talk to him. He wanted a new friend but when he tried talking to anyone, his brain went blank, and he stumbled over his words. His courage dropped when he reached the end of the line. The kids all chatted amongst each other, rather loudly, one could say. 

“Hey, my name is Timothy. What’s your name?” he managed to ask the kid in front of him in line. His voice cracked and apparently, he had merely whispered the question as the kid didn't hear him or at least pretended not too. A blond tan boy almost knocked him over, sprinting towards the monkey bars. He tried not to take it to heart though he felt offended and invisible. With a sliver of confidence, he strutted to the monkey bars and got in the back of the line, behind the blond kid.

The red headed boy, who had been attempting the bars, slipped on the second one and fell landing on his feet. The other kids looked concerned and the line before Timothy disappeared. He refused to back down and climbed the few rungs on the ladder and reached for the first bar. He managed halfway through, but his grip faltered, and he fell to his knees. The chips felt as though they were made of fire and burnt his knees. 

He swallowed the pain and stood shakily. The blond boy and a girl with brown hair, that he had seen on a swing, ran up to him. They started talking at the same time, amazed by the performance. Timothy smiled and looked at his foster mother. His deep brown eyes met her ocean blue ones, and the concern was clear on her face, but she smiled back when she saw the group around him. He barely felt the sting, overwhelmed by the joy of having made new friends, finally.

…..

“Which one is yours?” 

“The one who looks scared and is frozen in place. Would it be bad if I went to him and encouraged him to play?”

“No, I’m sure it’ll benefit him more to do this by himself.” 

“You’re right. If I were rich, I’d consider paying a kid to be his friend because I can’t stand that sad look on his face.” The women laughed together. “His name is Timothy, isn’t he cute?” 

“Oh yes, my daughter is the one at the top of the slide, her name is Bethany.” 

“Oh cute.” Krystal smiled at Timothy seeing that he was finally making friends. She watched as he ran over to a blond woman and gave her a hug before running back to his friends. 

“Who is that woman?” The lady was chatty and had a strange, forced laugh but she seemed to be good for small talk. 

“Oh… That is my sister. She has a rough record, so I wanted to just keep a watchful eye.”

“I understand that. My sister has questionable past decisions, as well.” Mary or Martha, whatever her name is, seemed lonely and the conversation died with that statement. They both pretended to be spending their attention on their kids or the birds that fluttered from tree to tree. 

Krystal watched Timothy, with hope in her eyes. Her son was turning 8 soon and struggled more with the social aspect in school than the academic portions. She planned to take him to the park more in the future. She imagined taking him to water parks and the local fair. 

Timothy’s foster mother stood and walked to her car. She pushed the unlock button on her keys and a newer Honda beeped in response. After grabbing the granola bar and water bottle she had grabbed for Timothy, she glanced back towards him. She sprinted towards his last location as she struggled to spot him. 

....

“You’re sure that you last saw him playing near the swings over there with a few other kids? I’ll need their names and descriptions if you can.” The police officer was young, handsome, and obviously looked distraught. Danielle answered his questions with tears in her eyes. She blamed herself. If only she hadn’t left for a minute…. 

....

Krystal looked in the rearview mirror, smiling at Timothy, who slept soundly, slumped up against the window. She bought him Wendy's. His lips were still brown from the chocolate frosty, and it took some convincing to get him to her car but now he believes that she is the sister of his foster mother. She tried not to smile too hard when she saw Danielle saunter off for a minute. It helped sell her story when Timothy searched for her blond hair. After he saw she was gone, his brain filled in the holes, and he followed her. Luckily, he fell asleep before he could question why it was taking so long to get to his foster house. A couple hours later they passed state lines. Krystal couldn’t help but smile once more. 

....

“You really can’t think of anyone that would want to take Timothy? What about his mother or other biological family?” 

“His mother is in rehab, and he doesn’t have any other family.” Her tears fell once more to the table she was leaning against. 

“Why did you pick this kid, anyway?” 

“I don’t know, he has the cutest brown eyes, and his story was so sad.”

“They all have sad stories, Krystal.”

Krystal couldn’t explain why she picked Timothy. She just saw the picture and was captivated. Instinct took over and all she wanted was to give him a good life. She was going to give this one a good life for sure.

"Third time's the charm. I guess"

Krystal didn't even hear that last comment.