Safe Harbor - 10

Bobby shook his head. "Make it more than pairs, all of you, unless you’re out in broad daylight with lots of people around. Scooter and Minnie were together and they still got caught."  

An older boy looked defiantly at him. "Who made you the boss?"

"Me. Want to make something of it? I’ve been around for a hell of a long time. I know what I’m talking about." 

"You think I don’t?"

"Yeah, I’m sure…"

"Both of you, stop this second," Kurt barked out. "You don’t need to fight among yourselves. And Lucky, Bobby made a valid point. If you’re out after dark you travel in threes or more, and you do not get into a car with anyone. Got it?"

"Got it," Lucky grumbled. "They better catch these guys real fast."

"That’s the hope, but until they do just be damned careful. Okay, meeting dismissed."

As the rest of the kids straggled out of the room Kurt went over to Bobby. "Everything I said, and you said, applies to you was well as them."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m not stupid."

"But you are stubborn. You think you know everything there is to know about the streets. That in and of itself makes you vulnerable."

Bobby snorted. "No, Father, it makes me hyperaware."

"Then how come you’ve spent time in Juvie?"

"Well… Okay, yeah, you have a point. So I’ll watch myself but I’m not crashing here."

"Would it be so bad, at least until they’re caught?"

Bobby stared off into space rather than look at Kurt. "Yeah it would. And I gotta split now. Places to go, things to do as they say." He pushed off the wall, adjusting his pack as he did.

Kurt watched him leave, tempted to stop him. But to what end? He’d known Bobby since the day, four years ago when, when as a seminary student filled with the shining idealism which said he could save every kid, he had cajoled the boy into coming to the shelter. Bobby had been fourteen and scared so he’d accepted. It hadn’t taken long for the fear to vanish as Bobby learned the ins and outs of taking care of himself on the street. He would stop by the shelter when the weather turned bad, but only for a night or two. Otherwise he made his own way, surviving as best he could, forming no friendships although he was very protective of those kids he felt deserved it. In all that time he had never revealed why he’d ended up on the streets to begin with. 

During those four years, while Bobby had been growing into the tough, street-savvy young man he now was, Kurt had graduated from the seminary, done his tenure as a deacon and then been ordained. He had requested he be allowed to help run the shelter under the tutelage of the aging Father Murphy. Six months ago, when the older priest had finally stepped down, Kurt had been give full charge of Harbor Shelter.