Grace is still working, and Shannon’s bruises are healing. There is little more that I can do for them at this point, aside from be with them. I am doing this as much as I can.
I do have some good news to share, though, about one of my other charges. Jordan caught up with Mary this afternoon after school and offered to walk her to her car. She was surprised by this, as they have not spoken much since last week when he met her friends, but she was not unwilling to spend time with him.
“So I feel like I owe you an apology,” he said as they went down the steps from the school entrance.
“For ghosting on me?” Mary asked with a smile.
“Yeah,” he said, ducking his head. “That’s exactly what I did. I just—you guys were talking about such deep stuff.”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s kind of all we talk about, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but that’s not a bad thing, Mary,” Jordan said, looking up at her now. “It’s important to talk about that stuff. I just felt like I didn’t have anything useful to say.”
They had reached Mary’s car, but she made no moves to open it. Holding one of her textbooks against her chest, she turned to face Jordan. “You don’t have to be useful,” she said. “You just have to care.”
There was no hint of accusation in her tone, but Jordan felt the words as if they had been knives. He smiled ruefully. “You make me wonder if I’m shallow,” he said. “I don’t like that feeling. I want to care. I want to help if I can.” He glanced around, simply because he needed a moment to look away from her face. “So if you guys have any use for a dumb jock…?”
Mary laughed a little, but she was hesitant. I stepped closer to her, and she rallied her courage. “And would you just be doing all this out of the good of your heart?” she asked.
Now he was on more familiar ground, and he met her eyes with a smile. “Well, maybe there’s something in it for me, too. If I manage to make a better impression this time.”
She almost didn’t recognize the tone of flirtation in his voice—I had to reassure her. When she did, however, her face went red, and her smile stretched wide. “Make yourself useful, you mean?”
“I hope I can,” Jordan said.
Mary took a step back, angling her head toward her car. Grinning, Jordan ran around to the other side and got into the passenger seat. They went off together, laughing, but both ready to do good work in the world.
I like that it has started this way. Even if the romance between them comes to nothing—and young romance often does—at least Jordan will have deepened his spirit. And a deeper spirit is something very useful in this shallow world.