Jo
"Hey, hey, kiddos," I greeted, smiling as Charlie and Thomas climbed up into my truck.
"Your truck is tall, Mr. Jo!" Thomas said, buckling up.
I chuckled, looking back at the pair before I drove off. I waved at the principal from the pickup line, driving away from the school.
"Did you guys have good days?" I asked.
"Yes, sir," Charlie proudly admitted, "we've never been picked up before! We've always ridden the bus."
"Yeah, I worked out a deal with the principal," I said, "he's a buddy of mine. My babies went here, so we spent a lot of time together. Hero was always a troublemaker."
Charlie giggled, looking out the window with a child-like sense of wonder as to where he was going, even though he already knew.
"Hey, I got you guys something," I said, "neither of you are lactose intolerant, are you?"
"We don't know what that means," Thomas giggled, making me chuckle and shrug.
"We'll just hope you're not," I said, "milkshakes for my buddies."
I handed them their milkshakes, making them gasp.
"Thank you, Mr. Jo!" Charlie exclaimed.
"Of course, my man," I said, smiling at them through the rear view.
"Hey, Mr. Jo," Thomas began, wiping his mouth, "did you get a milkshake?"
"Oh, no, I didn't. They mess up my tummy."
"Oh, that must suck. This is, like, the best thing I've ever had."
I smiled. I was in a constant state of heartbreak when it came to the three of the Baker children- they had gone through things and experienced a life that no child deserved to experience.
"My bed is so comfy," Charlie said, his eyes meeting mine through the rear view, "my mom puts, like, bags of things under my mattress at our house. It makes it all lumpy and hard to sleep on."
"Bags of things?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Mm hmm. White stuff. She has small and big bags of it."
I kept my eyes locked on him, clenching my jaw. I'd never met their mother, and frankly, I didn't have to to know how unworthy she was of holding the title of a mother.
I cleared my throat and forced a smile, nodding. "Well, I'm glad you like your bed."
The rest of the drive was relatively silent, just the two exchanging a few words. I pulled into my driveway, keying in the code to open the gate.
"I wonder if this is what the White House looks like," Thomas said, "the White House probably isn't as cool as your house."
I chuckled, pulling into my usual parking spot. I turned off the truck, smiling back at them. "Alright, let's go inside."
I got out of my truck and rubbed Thomas's head as he ran by. The three of us walked inside, and Lena turned around.
"Hi," she greeted, "what's that?"
"Mr. Jo got us milkshakes!" Charlie beamed, wrapping his arms around her hips.
"Well, how nice of him. You know, Mr. Jo has a very toxic relationship with milkshakes. They make him be really loud in the bathroom."
