More Than Words - Jerry Cole Page 0,43

bit. After that, he decided he should probably change out of the ripped shorts and ratty t-shirt he was wearing into something approaching presentable.

His doorbell rang as he got to the bottom of the stairs. Pulling the t-shirt he had in his hands over his head, he opened the door with a smile.

“Hey! Come in, please.”

Bennett passed him and stood just inside, waiting for him to close the door.

“Go through,” he said, taking his coat and gesturing towards the kitchen.

Bennett placed a brown paper bag from a popular local diner on the counter.

“I bought us avocado BLTs. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s one of my favorites from the diner,” Jordan said.

“Mine, too. Plates?”

Jordan took plates from the cupboard while Bennett washed his hands at the kitchen sink.

“Beer, soda, or water?” he asked as Bennett arranged the sandwiches on the plates.

“Beer’s good, thanks.”

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table, and Jordan watched as Bennett closed his eyes for a few seconds. Surprised, he waited until he picked up his sandwich to ask,

“You say grace before meals?”

Bennett looked over at him. “I’m a preacher’s kid…it’s standard operating procedure in our house.”

Why that snippet of information made Jordan feel suddenly bereft he didn’t know. He looked down to hide the emotion, hoping Bennett hadn’t noticed. What it must be like to be part of something like that, with traditions to fall back on! Giving himself a mental shake, he bit into his sandwich and ate quietly, enjoying the silence between them as much as the contrasting flavors of the food.

“So, what made you decide to become a teacher?” Bennett asked between bites, when his sandwich was almost all gone.

It was a fair question between people wanting to establish a friendship. Jordan knew that there was no other way to tell the story of his career that would explain the importance of his choice than to open up about his past. He really had no choice. Hopefully, Bennett’s reaction to his story wouldn’t mar what they were building. Not everyone handled stories like his well.

“I grew up in foster care,” he began.

He’d leave out the reasons unless Bennett asked. Part of him hoped he wouldn’t. The other part wanted to share. The only other people who knew his full story were the group of friends, including Chandler, with whom he spent his Friday nights.

“I lived in other people’s homes from the time I was seven years old. I was a late bloomer, so I was kinda small until I turned fourteen and I got pushed around a lot. I loved school, but I didn’t dare show it, neither at home nor in school. It hindered me academically for a long time. When I moved to my last foster home with Mrs. Salvietti, she made me see what I had been missing by being afraid to show my interest and curiosity in learning.”

Jordan was watching Bennett’s face as he told his story. There was curiosity and interest there, as well as sadness, but there was no pity. Instead, there was what looked like pride and admiration. His chest warmed at the reaction.

“Mrs. Salvietti is a retired special education teacher. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and the first thing i said was ‘independent’.” He huffed out a laugh. “I can hear my seventeen-year-old self sounding almost defiant, daring her to disagree with me.”

“What did she say?”

“She asked me what I thought being independent would give me and how I expected to get there.” He chuckled again. “Not exactly questions I had even thought about. Then she asked me why I was underperforming in school. No one else had ever apparently noticed or paid attention to that, or called me out on it. Shocked the hell out of me.”

“So did you ‘fess up?” Bennett looked amused.

“I didn’t want to seem like a coward to this woman. I had one more year in care before I was free to go my own way, and I didn’t want her to put me out. I guess she must have seen or understood what I was thinking. She told me I’d never be independent if I let fear dictate how I lived my life. Then she asked me what my favorite subject in school was.”

“Math,” Bennett said immediately. “You scare me.”

Jordan laughed. “Math really isn’t all that difficult,” he said, and laughed harder at the look of sheer disbelief on Bennett’s face. “Honest.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, dude!” Bennett retorted. “Tell that to the