Glory (Book 3) by Michael McManamon Read Free Book Online Page A

He obviously had had to take care of himself and had done a pretty good job. "That's okay. It won't take long to clean up."
    Jane placed the glasses onto the kitchen countertop and grabbed a dish cloth. She tried to turn on the sink tap, but it only sputtered air and a few drop of water. The water had been turned off. Or had run out.
    She turned back to face Robert. He continued to look guilty, as though he had been the one responsible for the water. She smiled again.
    "Do you have any water?" she asked.
    Robert shook his head. " I di d . But I drank it. Was that bad?"
    "Of course not! I'm sure you were very thirsty."
    "I spilled some of it too," he added. "Out there." He pointed to the living room.
    "That's okay. Don't worry about it. But we'll need to find some way to clea n thi s up."
    She looked back at the cereal and milk. Though only for a second. She turned and went to the counter to look under the sink. There she found a few cleaning supplies. She took them over to the kitchen table and began to clean up the boy's mess. Robert watched. He looked as though he waned to help, but Jane told him to sit down, everything was okay.
    As she finished the last few wipes, Charles walked into the room.
    "It's all clear," he said.
    Again, Jane didn't understand. She thought that he was talking about the cereal and milk. But she had just cleaned it up. He couldn't have known.
    "Outside," Charles clarified. "They've gone."
    Jane shook her head . Oh , she thought, that' s clea r .
    "Is everything okay?"
    "It's fine," Jane replied. "Just cleaning up a bit."
    Charles didn't say anything more about it. He looked at the little boy and could see that he was embarrassed. He sat at the kitchen table. "So, where's that drink you promised me?"
    "It's in the fridge." Robert replied. "Can I get it?" The little boy wasn't asking Charles. He was looking at Jane. As though she was in charge.
    Jane took the soiled rag over to the sink. "I'll get it," she said as she went. "You can sit there and relax. You've done a very good job taking care of yourself. You need a little rest."
    Robert didn't look too sure of himself, but he smiled when she said that he had done a good job.
    Jane walked over to the fridge and opened it. There wasn't much inside. It had been several days since everything had changed and the little boy must have rampaged through the food in his fear. She pulled out a small box of grape juice and took it over to the table.
    "You don't have much left," she said. "You must've been very hungry to eat all of that."
    Robert looked at her and shook his head. "No, I didn't eat a lot. There wasn't much food in there."
    "There wasn't?"
    "No. My parents went shopping. That's where they were - getting foo d ."
    "They left you alone with your brother?" Jane tried not to sound angry, but she couldn't believe that people could have left their five year old son alone.
    Of course, if he had gone with them, he might have been killed.
    "Not for long," Robert explained. "They do it every week. It's always been okay."
    Charles reached out and put his hand on the boy's arm. "It's fine," he said. "No one is angry. We were just wondering." He glanced at Jane.
    She knew that she shouldn't concern herself with it . What's done is done . She didn't need to upset the boy. She opened the juice box and poured three small glasses. She handed them out.
    "Thank you," Robert said, softly
    Jane reached out and put her hand on the little boy's head. "You're welcome," she said. "Now, don't worry, I'm not mad. I'm just a little tired tired."
    Robert looked up. "They never leave us for long. And Petey is a very good babysitter. He's ten."
    Well , Jane thought , ten might be old enough to be left alone. But to take care of a five year old child ? She wasn't all too sure about that.
    She raised her glass to her mouth and took a sip. The juice was warm. The refrigerator didn't work because the power in the house was out. Just as it had been everywhere else.

Chapter 8
    Rick