Under the Viaduct, H. Anderson [top young adult novels .TXT] 📗

notebook and pen out of her backpack. “Fair enough. Let’s start with your name, maybe? Everyone calls you ‘Mama C’—what’s your real name?”

With a shake of her head and a waggling of her finger, she answered, “Nope. That’s one of those things you don’t get to know.”

“Not even your first name?”

Mama C pulled her eyebrows together.

“Please?” Kaylee begged.

“Fine. Guess it won’t hurt to tell you that.” She looked Kaylee straight in the eyes. “My name’s Claire.”

“Great,” Kaylee said with a smile. “What…”

“You can call me Mama C, just like everyone else. Don’t go around spreadin’ my name around like it’s your business.”

“Of course.” Was this woman really the benevolent angel others had claimed her to be? She seemed kind of ornery. Like Kaylee’s Aunt Helen. She’d have to steer clear of questions about her past—for now. “Can you tell me about the group of young people you…uh…you live with here on the streets?”

“They’re just some young people I try to help. And they help me.”

“How do you find them? Or do they find you?”

“Both. I find some, and some look for me because they hear I might have food.”

“Do you accept anyone into your group? Or do you have rules?” Kaylee already knew there were some stipulations, Blayne had told her that.

“No drugs, no fighting, everyone helps if there’s work to be done.”

“And, you feed them. I saw that you brought them food. What else do you do? What else is it that brings these street-kids to you?”

Mama C sighed and looked down at her filthy gloved hands. “It’s like you said when you told me the name of your thesis. Some people just crave a family-like environment. Some of these kids ran from some horrible pasts and some of them made their own horrible present and ran because of that. So, we become the new family together. And I’m the matriarch. I feed them and make sure they’re warm. They take care of me in other ways.”

“Why?” Kaylee whispered. “Why do you do this?”

Kaylee had to lean in to hear the response, spoken so quietly. “A mother’s instinct never goes away.”

Kaylee forgot the next several questions she’d planned to ask and blurted out, “You have kids? Or had kids?”

Grunting as she stood, Mama C wiped a single tear from her face. “Interview over. I’ve got things to do.” She stepped away and turned to glare at Kaylee still glued to her spot. With a shooing motion, she growled, “Off with you now.” Her face softened a touch when she looked into Kaylee’s eyes. “I’ll meet you at Brews and Things tonight at four o’clock if you want—but no more questions about my personal life.” She pointed at Kaylee with a stern finger and turned and walked away.

Kaylee slipped inside just before the professor shut the door. She’d nearly forgotten about her last final and she certainly hadn’t done any extra studying like she’d planned.

The first question on the test stared back at her from the white page. In the background she faintly perceived the scratching of pencils on paper. Her own pencil remained still in her hand, the words on the paper blurring as she replayed her short conversation with Mama C over again in her mind.

“Kaylee!!”

The hushed whisper caused her to jump and almost drop her pencil. She stole a quick glance at her friend, Jamie, sitting next to her. Jamie gestured at her own test then went right back to furiously scribbling down answers. Kaylee’s eyes widened as she looked up at the clock. Ten minutes had ticked by and she hadn’t even read the first question of this thirty-minute timed test!

Pushing thoughts of her thesis aside, she rushed through the test in the remaining twenty-minutes.

Kaylee parked in front of the coffee shop and drew in a steadying breath. She’d written down the questions she would ask, not necessarily the ones she wanted to ask, though. A hard rap on her window. She jumped in her seat, and her heart vaulted into her throat. She scowled and looked to her left. Blayne stood there, laughing at her, Mama C by his side. Kaylee wiped the scowl from her face and opened the door to hear Mama C chastising him. “You shouldn’t go around scaring people like that. Shame on you. Look, her face is all red, now.”

“That’s just…uh…I must have had my heater on too high.” Kaylee looked at the ground as the heat in her face burned hotter.

“Sorry, Kaylee.” He still had a hint of mischief in his voice. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm.”

He opened the door for them and Kaylee leaned into Mama C and said, “I didn’t know he was coming.”

Shaking her head, the older woman replied, “He insisted. Says he wants to make sure I’m protected, but I’m not so sure that’s the reason he’s taggin’ along.”

“Why…” Kaylee didn’t get to finish her question.

“There’s a table right over there,” Blayne caught up to them. “You buyin’ Kaylee?”

“Umm, yes, of course.” Thinking about her abysmal bank account, she hoped they just wanted coffee.

“Just kidding, we can get our own.” Blayne stood behind her in line. “What, do you think we’re homeless or something?”

She turned to look at him, her mouth slightly open, and he winked at her. She shut her mouth and narrowed her eyes a little. “I’d like to buy your drinks, if that’s okay, since Mama C is helping me with my thesis.”

He shrugged. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is. Why don’t you tell me what you want so you two can go save that table for us? I’ll bring our order over there.”

“Coffee. Black.”

“Same here,” said Mama C. “None of that fancy fru-fru stuff for me.”

Kaylee carried their two black coffees and her “fru-fru” vanilla cappuccino over to the table, sat next to Mama C, and pulled her notebook and pen out. “So, Blayne. I hear you’re afraid I might be a danger to Mama C?” Despite her proclivity to flush with embarrassment at the