Lucas knew he wasn’t supposed to judge a book by the cover but the lady’s eyes were so kind and they saw him. That was enough for him to comfortably sleep and the last thought was that he’d be staying in place this way, making it easier for others to find him.
He awoke suddenly at the sound of a crash and through blurry vision saw his sister crumpled on the floor before him. At first Lucas wasn’t sure what to do but he was still upset with her for leaving and then ignoring him so he stayed. His ankle was aching too much for him to want to leave the comfort of the ladies lap anyway.
When Helen came to she screamed up at the ceiling, trying to warn her parents and let them know where she was. Then she saw the lady and, finally, Lucas.
“Get away from him!” Helen screamed as she tried to make her way to her brother. While Helen’s body was strong and wasn’t hurt in the fall. the journey to her brother was long as it was filled with judgement and nerves. How could this woman gain Lucas’s trust so quickly, she wondered. Lucas was usually very shy, especially around older woman yet here he was curled up in her lap content as a kitten.
“Lucas, come here. How did you get down here?”
“I fell, like you. I was trying to get Cole’s attention and everyone was just ignoring me.. except for her.” Lucas realized he didn’t even know her name but that it didn’t really matter. She was his friend now, for life.
“She’s a stranger, Lucas. A woman living in a house that is falling apart and appears abandoned. Who knows how crazy she is?! We need to get out of here!”
“Don’t judge me.” The lady sounded offended and had full rights to be. “You don’t even know who I am, or what my story is.”
“I know you have my brother and didn’t even try to get him back to his parents. You live in a decrepit house, stay in the dark and haven’t even told me your name.”
“You haven’t asked and seemed to have already made up your mind about me. The boy is hurt and tired and needed a moment before battling the stairs. You haven’t told me your name either or why in the world you came into my house without bothering to knock.”
Helen knew she was right and realized she was judging the woman and her journey without any basis to judge her on. And then she asked for her name and her story….
Stay tuned for the next part “Kindness”