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As a man whose uncle was hooked on opium, I know the toll addiction takes on families. It's the least I could do to help Arlo.
That's not all.
I tie my serving apron around my back as I prepare to dish up dinner to the homeless youth. After we checked Arlo's mom into rehab, I took Arlo to the Alien Museum again. We went through the exhibits and bought extra pails of green popcorn. The museum is Arlo's happy place, and he held my hand the entire time.
And last week, Nikolai, Igor, Timofey, and I organized a wonderful sleep over for the Littles. Arlo packed his bags and joined his new friends at Nikolai's penthouse. Christian invited his other friends—Lucas, Macon, Bentley, Preston, Santiago, Jordan, Finneas, and Lachlan—and they had a wonderful time. They stayed up all night eating Zebra Cakes and played with stuffies.
It's important Arlo has a social life outside of his relationship with me. Arlo didn't have many friends growing up, and I'm happy as hell he made friends with Christian.
But there's one more thing at play. Something I can barely wrap my head around.
Four days ago, Gianluca asked Arlo to meet his contact at the homeless shelter who works at the Nero Pharmaceutical warehouse in Yonkers. He said it'd be a good idea if Arlo warmed up to him, because Arlo can convince him to help my family with our mission. Gianluca knew he'd be at the homeless shelter, and so he asked Arlo to visit him.
The young man's name is Rusty. He's a twenty-year-old boy who took the job at the manufacturing warehouse because they pay in cash and don't discriminate against homeless people.
Arlo quickly made friends with Rusty. Arlo discovered Rusty was into age play like him, and they shared stuffies for the week, even though Rusty asked Arlo to stay quiet about this. Arlo's excited as hell because he has a new friend.
The sound of feet walking through the door distracts me from my musings. I glance up to see a skinny young red-headed boy enter the homeless shelter, his cheeks flushed, walking up to Arlo's side.
I recognize Rusty instantly.
Rusty blushes. "Thanks for inviting me. I don't usually come in on Fridays."
"Hi, Rusty." Arlo beams as he shakes Rusty's hand. "I'm glad you could visit today. You can meet my Daddy."
Arlo steps to the side. "Daddy, this is Rusty. He's the one I told you about last week."
I look Rusty up and down. With his red hair and blue eyes, he's stunning. Like Arlo, he's petite, with a smile that lights up a room.
I extend my hand. "It's nice to meet you. My boy has told me so much about you."
Rusty sniffles and stares at his feet. "You're so lucky." He rocks on his feet. "I've wanted a Daddy for a long time, too. But it's not in the cards."
Arlo wraps his arms around Rusty. "Hey." He hugs his friend. "It'll happen soon. Believe in yourself."
Rusty blushes again. "Thank you. I'll try."
I can tell these two will be great friends.
Rusty produces an alien stuffy and hands it to Arlo. "I remember you said you liked aliens. I saw this at a thrift store and thought I'd buy it for you."
Arlo can barely believe his eyes. "Oh my God!" He does a happy dance. "This is amazing. Thank you so much."
Rusty twirls with Arlo. "I believe in aliens, too. I bet they have wonderful planets in outer space where only good things happen, never bad. I'd love to visit one."
Just then, a man in a red sweater approaches us.
"Are you ready?" It's the director of the homeless shelter.
"Yes, sir." I smile as I hold up my serving utensils. "I'm ready to dish up some sheperd's pie."
The director laughs. "I'm glad you're here. You know, your brother Gianluca does wonderful work here as a surgeon. He never charges us, and he always checks the youth for health issues. Dr. Gianluca is nothing short of a miracle."
Pride that Gianluca's my brother wells up within me. "Gianluca's amazing." I nod. "I'm glad he helps."
"We wouldn't be able to serve these kids without Gianluca." The director bites his lip as he gestures to the line of youth outside the door. "The healthcare system in this country is fucked. Most of these boys and girls can't afford insurance, and they have no choice but to use substandard free resources. If men like your brother didn't help them, they'd suffer without treatment on the streets."
I smile. "I'll pass that along to Gianluca. He'll be thrilled to hear your thanks."
