Jobe: Alvarez Security Series (3 page)

The group discussed the number of cameras and locations, then the details about monitoring the cameras. Shane assured them that no one needed to watch the live feeds; the Chief would just use them to help in investigations as they discovered more about the gangs in the area.

Tony nodded toward Jobe and said, “You know he’s my best security technician, so you tell him what you need and it’ll be done.”

The group continued their discussion for the next hour, agreeing on what would be the proper equipment for the project.

*

After work Jobe
drove around to the quaint neighborhood filled with old, but neat, homes. He parked on the street and sat for a moment looking around. Kids still ran in the streets playing ball, bicycles tossed in yards as they roamed between friends’ homes. Moms were yelling out of the front doors, telling the kids to go wash up for dinner. Dads were pulling into driveways in their trucks or company vans. Most of the families in the neighborhood were still laborers or worked for hourly wages. Hard-working families that took pride in their homes and made sure the old neighborhood was still a good place to raise kids.

Thinking back to the conversation at work with Shane and Matt, he looked around and did not see any signs of gang graffiti in the area. Letting out a sigh of relief, he jumped as a voice called out to him.

“Son, you gonna sit there in that truck all night or come in and have some supper?”

Chuckling, he jogged through the front gate, along the neat walk with spring flowers on either side and up to the front porch.

“Place looks good, pop,” he commented.

Joseph Delaro stood with his son and gazed over the small yard with pride. “Your mother’s got her flowers in and I saw her out here yesterday telling the boys across the street to be careful when they play ball.”

“Some things don’t change, do they?”

Clapping his hand on his son’s shoulder, he said, “Never liked too much change, son. Least not with the good stuff. Let’s go find your mother before she comes out here after both of us.”

Jobe followed his father into the home he grew up in and realized that little had changed over the years. The furniture had been updated over time. A new flatscreen TV mounted on the wall replaced the old one they had when he was a child. As he walked down the hall, he saw many of the same pictures in frames hanging on the wall, but more had been added. His sister, Hannah and Daniel, her husband and two children’s photos graced the space now. His other two sisters, Miriam and Rebecca’s college graduation pictures were also there.

He headed into the kitchen and looked around at the large space. That was one thing his mom had insisted on changing. She hated having a tiny kitchen and separate dining room. So she convinced Joseph to knock down the wall and open the space giving the family a comfortable, eat-in kitchen where she could cook and keep up with all the kids doing their homework at the same time.

He walked in and eyed his mom standing at the stove. He had seen her there so many times over the years he wondered how she had not worn a hole in the floor. Her graying hair was neatly trimmed and she wore a familiar apron over her clothes. Rebecca was setting the table when she saw him first. Greeting him enthusiastically, she walked over to give him a hug. She was now a teacher and shared an apartment with Miriam and another girl. He knew his mom would have preferred the girls to live at home, but was slowly accepting the fact that all of her children were grown.

Rachel Delaro turned from stirring the pot on the stove and grinned. “Well, it’s about time my son comes home to have a meal. You haven’t been here for almost two weeks. Not that I’m counting, of course.”

He crossed the space and hugged his mom, kissing the top of her head. Soon they sat down to dinner once Miriam got in from work. She was a nurse at one of the city’s hospitals and had day shifts this week. Hannah’s family would come over for Sunday lunch, but for now the rest of them enjoyed the meal.

The conversation always flowed with his family, the only silences occurring when everyone was diving into the food at the same time. Rachel watched her son carefully—an old habit she acquired when he came home from his last tour. For all outward appearances, her son seemed calm and at ease as he and his father discussed Jobe’s job. But she was a mother…and knew that appearances could be deceiving.

Miriam and Rebecca left after dinner. Joseph headed into the living room, settling into his recliner and turning on the TV. Jobe hung back in the kitchen helping his mom wash the dishes. She had never owned a dishwasher, claiming that she did not want a machine to take away the time she spent at the end of a day pondering and praying over her family.

“You still determined to wash each dish?” Jobe asked.

His mother smiled, saying, “You know the answer to that. For every plate I wash, I spend a moment in prayer for the family member or friend that ate off of it. My mama used to do that and it’s just a part of who I am.”

He smiled in return, taking the dishes from her hand and drying them before stacking them on the counter.

“I prayed a lot for you Jobe, when you were gone. I knew when things weren’t right and it tore my heart out not knowing how to help you.”

He shook his head slowly, “It helped, Ma. Even when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, it helped.” He caught her sharp look and immediately corrected, “I mean, what the heck I was doing.”

She chuckled and said, “You’re a good boy, Jobe. Always was. Still are. And if you have to say ‘hell’ once in a while, I won’t fuss.”

They grew quiet again as the dishes were put away. Pouring a cup of coffee, she nodded toward the table and the two sat back down. The comfortable silence settled around them, each lost in their own thoughts for a few moments.

Rachel sipped her coffee and peered over at her handsome son. He could feel her eyes on him and finally laughed as he looked up. “Okay, Ma. What is it you want to ask?”

“Hmmph,” she said, setting her cup down. She fiddled with the handle for a few minutes before looking back up. “I know that Gabe and Vinny are now settled down and Tony’s got that sweet wife of his pregnant.” The unasked question hung in the air for a moment. “I was just wondering if…well if there was…you know…anyone you were interested in.”

She saw the flash go through his eyes before being replaced with the calm again, and she winced knowing she had caused that second of pain. “You don’t have to answer,” she quickly stated.

He reached across the table and rested his hand on hers. “It’s okay, Ma. You’re right, all my friends are settling down and I know you’re chomping at the bit for more grandchildren.”

She shook her head as she squeezed his hand. “Oh no, son. That’s not it. I mean of course I’d love more grandchildren, but Jobe, honey, I just want to see you happy…like before.”

Silence once again settled as they sipped their coffee. “Can I ask if you ever tried to find her—”

“No,” he bit out sharply, then immediately softened his voice. “Sorry, Ma. No, I didn’t. After what I did to her…well, she did often write, begging me to not walk away from what we had. But I never wrote back. Then finally I got one last letter that said that she was giving me what I wanted and that was her out of my life.”

She watched her son relate his story, seeing the searing pain in his eyes. “You don’t have to talk about it, Jobe. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He inhaled deeply before slowly letting it out, then continued, “By the time I was getting out of the service and into counseling, I realized I had thrown away the best part of me. Not only thrown it away, but shredded it, stomped on it, and then threw it away.”

“I used to love it when you would bring her over for Sunday dinner. Her parents were so sweet too,” Rachel reminisced. “I never told you this, but I tried to reach out to them, but they had moved when she graduated and I never knew where they went.”

“I thought about trying to find her,” he admitted. “Not to contact her, but just to see. With the resources Tony has it would be easy.”

Cocking her head as she gazed at him, she asked, “So what’s stopping you?”

He ruefully looked directly into her eyes and replied, “I want her to be happy. You know? Met some great guy, fell in love and be living her dreams now in a nice house with a white picket fence. And maybe had a baby or two.” He sighed again before continuing, “But since it can’t be with me, then I honestly don’t know if I can handle seeing pictures of her living the dream with someone else.”

She nodded, not saying anything. After a few minutes, Joseph called from the living room asking if anyone was going to watch the game with him. Rachel shook her head in exasperation as she rose from the chair, taking their empty cups to the sink. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “You go on in and sit with your father, Jobe. Me and God have some more dishes to take care of.”

*

That night, lying
in bed, sleep was not coming to Jobe. He climbed out of the bed and softly padded over to his closet. Kneeling in the corner where he kept his Army footlocker, he opened it. Among some of his memorabilia, he pulled out a small packet of letters. The letters that she had sent after he broke off their relationship. After he had destroyed the others. He knew them by heart. The first ones, full of begging promises and tearful pleadings from someone with a broken heart. He shifted them around in his hands until his fingers moved to the one in the back. The last one. The one where her anger had finally won the day and she poured it out on him. Deservedly so.

Replacing the letters back in the chest, he closed it methodically. Crawling back into bed he lay there until the morning light peeked through the blinds.

M
ackenna Dunn expertly
parallel parked her little car in front of the brick building, set back from the road. She glanced to the seat beside her and saw the curious, but nervous face of her passenger.

“Come on,” she said brightly. “Let’s get you settled.”

Mackenna stepped out of her car and leaned into the back seat to grab the small suitcase and two grocery bags. She led the way up the steps and used her key to open the door. The young woman followed obediently. They passed the front room, occupied with three women at computers and another woman appearing to be teaching them. Across the hall, they walked by a smaller room filled with books on shelves and two comfy chairs, just ready for lounging with a good story.

Mackenna pointed out each room as they passed and then they found themselves in the kitchen toward the back, overlooking the alley behind. There were two other women there, both turning and smiled as Mackenna appeared.

“Carla, Jenita, I’d like to introduce you to our newest guest. This is Gabriella, but she goes by Gabby.”

The two women greeted Gabby enthusiastically before Mackenna interrupted to say that she was going to show Gabby her room. They made their way up the stairs in the back and down a short hall with several doors open on either side.

Moving through one of the doors, Mackenna showed Gabby into a small, private bedroom with a closet, twin sized bed, dresser, and chair. Pulling open the blinds to let in the sun, she turned to face the girl.

“I know it’s small, but it’s all yours for as long as you stay in the program. The other three bedrooms are larger and hold bunk beds. Now, you’ve already read the rules and have signed the agreement, but I need to know that you understand the importance of following the rules.”

“I do, I promise,” Gabby said, fear still in her eyes. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here and be safe.” Placing her hand on her protruding stomach, she continued, “And I want my baby to be safe as well.”

Opening the grocery bags, Mackenna pulled out toiletries, linens, and other personal items. Lifting the small suitcase onto the bed, she said, “Okay, here are your clothes. We provide these initial personal necessities and if you need something else, you can ask me or Rose. I know you haven’t met her, but she helps me here. She’s teaching now, but you’ll meet her later. The bathroom is just down the hall…you do have to share with the other women here but it should not be a problem.”