“Carson, I told you why I was running. So, why were you running?”

“I was trying to get away from a big dog that was chasing me.” He shuddered a little. “I don’t like dogs much, especially big ones.”

“Where’d that happen?”

“Uh… I guess it was a couple of blocks from here, I don’t know the street names but it was the next street that way… OW!” Carson had used his left arm to point back down the block toward Linnart Street. He carefully laid his arm back in his lap. “Sorry, my arm still hurts a lot when I move it. Anyway, that street and then some other street then here.”

“That must’ve been Woofie. She wouldn’t hurt a flea.”

Carson giggled. “Woofie?”

“Yeah, that’s Mr. Gordon’s dog. She’s just totally friendly and loves people. All she wants is to play and be petted and scratched and to lick you.”

“Yuck! I’m glad I got away from her. Getting dog slobber all over me isn’t high on my list of fun things.”

“You don’t like dogs. How come?”

“When I was little a big dog jumped on me, knocked me down, and bit me in the leg. I still have scars from that. So I’m kinda freaked when a big dog, or really any dog, starts running after me.”

“Was she barking?”

“No.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Woofie. She’s always getting out of Mr. Gordon’s back yard. I think she jumps the fence, but Mr. Gordon says she’s too old to do that. But I still think that’s how she gets out.”

I paused for a few seconds, not sure exactly how to say my next question. It was very personal.

“Uh, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but you said they’re trying to find a new foster family for you. Did you have a foster family before?”

Carson looked out to the street, and his voice got soft so I had to pay close attention to hear what he was saying.

“I’d been moved from foster family to foster family until I was ten. Then this older couple, Mr. and Mrs. Adamsen, became my foster parents. They’re really nice, it’s like having grandparents, and I’ve been living with them until last week. Then Mr. Adamsen got sick and had to go to the hospital. I guess he’s going to be there for a while. Mrs. Adamsen said she needs to spend time with him, so she and CPS decided it would be better if I was moved to a different foster family. The only place that could take me until someone can be found was Hathaway House. I really hope Mr. Adamsen gets better so they can take me back. They’re the best foster parents I’ve ever been with.”

Carson turned and looked at me. I could see his eyes were brimming with tears. “The Adamsens have been like real parents to me. They were always kind and I love them a lot. When I said goodbye to Mrs. Adamsen, she gave me an envelope and said it’s for my birthday. It has a hundred dollars in it. That’s so much money! That’s what I was doing today. I went to Target to see what I could get for myself with the hundred dollars. I looked at an iPod, but the Touch is way too expensive and the ones under a hundred dollars are not what I’d want. I decided to save my money until I can afford the one I want.”

“They let you out? I mean, that halfway house?”

Carson grinned at me. “It’s not a halfway house, it’s Hathaway House, spelled h-a-t-h-a-w-a-y. And yeah, it’s like living with a foster family. We can go out as long as they know where we’re going and when we’re going to be back, and we have to be back by nine at night unless we have permission in advance.”

“No one ever tries to leave?”

“Why would they want to do that? I don’t… oh, I understand what you’re asking. None of us guys at Hathaway are like bad dudes or druggies or troublemakers or anything like that. We’re just kids who for one reason or another aren’t in a normal foster family situation.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean that you were… uh… anything but… well, normal, not a problem. Arrgh! I’m really messing this up, aren’t I. Sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. The whole fostering thing is a mess. I should know — I’ve been in the foster system for almost my whole life. Hathaway House is really nice, and I’m lucky to be there. Some of the other places aren’t very nice. Hathaway has ten rooms with two guys in each room. Right now it’s full, twenty guys. Most are in their teens. I think three or four are like eleven or twelve. Seems like kids our age, teens, are the hardest to place with a foster family. Especially guys. My roommate Ralph is fifteen, and his foster parents had to move out of their house, the bank foreclosed on it. CPS said they couldn’t keep him, so they sent him to Hathaway.”

“How long have you been at Hathaway?”

“It’ll be a week on Sunday.”

“How long do you think you’ll be there?”

“Don’t know. I hope it’s not too long. If I’m still at Hathaway when school starts next month then I’ll have to change schools, and if I’m fostered then I’ll probably have to change schools again. If you asked me I don’t think I could remember all the different schools I’ve gone to.”

“Man, that sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Where are you… uh… or were you… going to school?”

“Riverview. You?”

“Hillcrest. What’s your favorite subject?”

“Geometry. Algebra 2. Biology. I’m sort of a math and science geek. Actually I like all of my classes. I like going to school.” Carson laughed. “I guess I’m sorta weird, right? What are your favorite subjects?”

“I like math and science and all my classes. I like school too. I guess we’re both sorta weird geeks. My favorite classes this semester are computer technology and creative writing. I like working on my computer and coding programs, and I like to write. My dad’s a computer consultant, so I guess I got my computer gene from him. Mom’s an author, so I guess I got the writing gene from her.”

“What do you write? Stories, articles for the school paper, or what?”

“Stories, mostly fiction. I like to make up stories about how kids react to each other and their parents when they are having problems. And stories about sports, like one where a kid is injured playing football and can’t play anymore and how he copes with that.”

“Cool. Do you play any sports? Are you on any teams? Like, since you’re writing about it, maybe football?”

I laughed. “Football? Nah, I’m way too small. I’d be crushed like a bug if I tried going out for football. I play tennis.”

“Really? Me too, I play tennis. I made the JV team at Riverview. I hope that I can make the team at whatever school I end up going to. You on a team?”

“That’s so cool that you made the team, Carson. That’s a big deal. I only play intramural. I’m not on a team. I don’t think I’m good enough yet. Maybe if I get a lot of practice and get a lot better I can get on a team when I’m a sophomore.”

We sat there for a while not saying anything. I didn’t want to make him sadder about what was happening to him. Then I thought of something to ask.

“You said you got the hundred dollars for your birthday. When was your birthday?”

“It’s when is my birthday. I’m fifteen today, November 24th.” He grinned.

I was so surprised that I sat there for a few seconds without saying anything, just staring at him. I’m sure my mouth was hanging open.

“I don’t believe it. I’m fifteen too. Today. November 24th. That is so cool that we have the same birthday.” I was grinning, and I started to laugh. “Just wait until my folks hear this! It’s freakin’ amazing! Come on, let’s go in and you can meet my folks and I’ll tell them your birthday is the same as mine and then we can see what Uncle Phil’s found out and I’m going to have my family birthday party tomorrow night and that would be so cool if you could come since it’s your birthday too and….” Carson was laughing, and I kind of wound down.

“Jeez, David, I’ve been told I have a motor mouth, but it’s nothing compared to you.”

I started laughing too, and didn’t have a chance to say anything because the front door opened and my cousin Brian stuck his head out.

“This the guy you almost killed, David?” He walked over to us and smiled at Carson. “Hi, I’m David’s cousin Brian Keian. You okay? Have the cops been called yet?”

“Don’t listen to this dufus, Carson.” I turned to Brian. “This is Carson Evans, Brian. Say hello, then go back inside and finish counting the tiles on the kitchen floor.” I started laughing.

“Ignore the ignoramus who smashed into you. He’s done that to almost all of us one time or another. Right, David?” Then he started laughing.

I looked at Carson, and if a dictionary had pictures his expression would be the exact definition of ‘confused’, so I had to explain. “Maybe I have run into a few of my cousins, but it was always their fault.”

I turned and grinned at Brian who was standing there shaking his head. “When we’re playing tag football you’re supposed to run into people, right, Brian? Right?”

“David, it’s tag football. Tag, spelled t-a-g. Not slam-into-and-knock-down football.”

Just then my brother Alan came out, followed by my sisters and more of my cousins. Alan walked over and stuck out his hand to Carson.

“Hi! I’m Alan, David’s bigger and smarter brother.”

Carson shook his hand. “I’m Carson. I’m the one who was running and slammed into David.” He looked at Brian, then back at Alan. “That’s how I hurt my arm.”

Brian huffed. “How much did David bribe you to say that? We always know that whenever there’s an accident and David’s anywhere nearby then it’s his fault. Always. No exceptions.”

I wasn’t going to let Brian get away with that. “Oh? So who was it who knocked down the Christmas tree two years ago? Huh, Brian? Huh?”

Brian’s face turned red. “It was an accident! And besides, the stupid tree got in my way.”

That was greeted by laughter and a loud chorus of ‘yeah, sure’ and ‘NOT’ and ‘admit it, Brian’ from everyone else.

I decided to give Brian a break, and started introducing the rest of the family and cousins.

“These are my little sisters Lynn and Barb, and…”

Lynn interrupted me. “Little sister I’m not! David’s only one month older than me, so we’re almost the same age so he should say that I’m his same age. Now Barbara, she is our little sister!” Barb grinned at Carson then looked down at the floor. She’s always sort of shy.

“…as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, these are my sisters Lynn and Barb, my big bro Alan who already introduced himself, and those are some of my cousins, Brian who you’ve already met, and this tall skinny guy is Chuck, that’s Robby and his sister Tanya, this is Rebecca and we all call her Becca because that’s her nickname, and those three are the triplets Ken, Alison, and Tom. Guys, this is Carson Evans. You won’t believe it, but his birthday’s today same as mine and he’s fifteen too!”

That generated a wild cacophony of greetings and ‘happy birthdays’ and then a wild session of non-stop questions for Carson, with no one bothering to wait for him to answer any of them. He kept turning his head from one kid to the next, and had this funny expression that I’d call ‘bemused.’ I got the impression he’d never encountered anything like this in his life. Welcome to my family!