Did you miss Part I, Part II, Part III or Part IV?

Billy had met Kathy Richardson one morning downtown. She had approached him and asked why he wasn’t in school. Caught red-handed, Billy had fumbled through some lame excuses, and Kathy had told him that she’d be calling his mother that evening, followed by an invitation to go with her to the boy’s home. She was going to set up for a surprise birthday party they were throwing for on of the boys. At first Billy hesitated, but once ice cream was mentioned, he immediately agreed.

That was a day Billy had never forgotten. Not only did he go set up for the party, but Kathy took him everywhere – the library, the courthouse, even to school to pick up Jacob. The two boys hit it off immediately and talked non-stop until they dropped Jacob off at home and headed over to Billy’s to wait for his mom to get home. Kathy explained what had happened earlier that day and then left, and even though Billy got in trouble for playing hooky, he always remembered good things about that day. He had been shown love and attention, and it felt great.

Since then, he had been over to the Richardson place many times. He and Jacob spent afternoons together, either down at the Boy’s Home or at the house. Jack had grown to love Billy as well, and he took the boys fishing whenever he could. Sometimes, if Jacob couldn’t go, Jack would take Billy anyway. Those were the time that Billy loved. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to have a father, but being with Jack made him remember.

Tomorrow: Courage – Part VI