“Johnny’s a fighter. Don’t count him out,” I said to Jayden.
“Well, Miss Cori’s been good to me, so I hope that’s true,” Jayden replied without a hint of sarcasm.
Dios, I was glad we’d all put our necks out for this kid.
“Me too.”
Reign came in from the hallway, apparently having heard our exchange. “How come you didn’t go with Miss Cori to drop off her brother?” they asked me.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I had to work at my actual paying-money job. My friend Juan has been really cool about me helping out here, but our crew needed me this morning. Besides, why would you think I’d go with Miss Cori to take her brother anywhere?”
Reign rolled their eyes before sharing a knowing look with Jayden. “C’mon, Deck. Everyone can see you and Miss Cori are together.”
I struggled not to smile. “C’mon, Reign,” I mimicked. “I’m not gonna talk about my personal life.”
The appearance of a lovely but tired-looking woman carrying a disposable silver casserole dish interrupted us. It smelled so good my mouth instantly started watering.
She placed the dish on a worktable and glanced at me. “Marisol said I could come back here. I’m Jayden’s mother, Gloria.”
“Deck.” I stretched out my hand.
“Ma?” Jayden said, clenching the woman in a hug. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine, sweetheart,” she said. “I just wanted to see all this for myself.”
Because Cori, Amos, and I had closed the circle of people who knew what Jayden had done at the market, no one had spoken to his mother. I had no idea what he’d said to her about helping me or getting a weekend job. He’d been coming to the Center most of his life, so it wasn’t unusual for him to be here, but as he showed off the baseboards he and Reign were working on and self-effacingly pointed out the rough part of the grout he’d finished, it became evident he’d spoken to his mom in depth, at least about his work with me. That made me happy, knowing he cared enough to share it. Seeing the love between mother and son also reaffirmed my belief that we’d done the right thing covering for him, giving him a chance.
Marisol popped her head in and asked Jayden and Reign to help her unload boxes in the kitchen. Sandra followed them out.
“I asked Marisol to give me ten minutes before she came in, so it didn’t look too obvious,” Gloria explained. “I was hoping to speak with you for a moment.”
“Oh,” I said hesitantly. “Everything okay with Jayden?”
“More than.” She smiled. “This past week he’s been as settled as he’s been in a while. And he got that job working for Amos. I don’t know how much you know about Jayden’s brother, Greg…?”
“Enough.”
“I’d imagine. Then you’ve probably also heard that these past few months have been tough on Jayden. Greg’s old crew has been working jobs for Alejandro. You know him?” At my nod, she continued, “I don’t want Jayden anywhere near that, but it felt like I was losing that battle. Jayden and I have always been close, but he’s been talking back, fighting, and getting into trouble at school. Not wanting to come to the Center. He’s a good boy, I promise, but sometimes he makes stupid choices.”
“I know he’s a good kid.”
“And I'm so appreciative of that. After he told me about asking Amos for a job at the market”—so that cleared up whether Jayden had come clean to his mom—“of course I was skeptical. But he said he’d been working on projects with you at the Center, and it made him think about things differently. Now, suddenly, he’s home more again, and talking to me, and I’m just very grateful for whatever you did. I came to thank you for believing in my boy.”
I had no clue how to respond, so I blurted the first thing that popped into my mind.
“Can I give you a hug?”
“Of course!” Her grin widened, and she walked into my arms. Her loose, silver-streaked bun barely reached my chin, but her arms were strong as she gripped me.
After a moment, I pulled back. “I do, you know. Believe in Jayden.”
“That's because you, of all people, understand that even the best kids, with the biggest hearts, make shit decisions sometimes.”
Her head bobbed, and she patted me on the cheek like a puppy.
I exhaled sharply. “You know who I am… What I did.”
Gloria didn’t answer. Stepping away and turning toward the mirror, she brushed away a stray hair that had fallen across her cheek. “Chi-chi gave Greg his first joint,” she stated flatly. “He was eleven.”
