Learning to Find Home

Joshua knew he had to find a way to get Edgar to relax because he was painfully unpleasant when he was upset. Joshua had learned that the hard way. He knew that Edgar was upset at the fact that he had no liquor to drink because he finished his last bottle a few hours ago. Edgar was a drunk, and he spent most of the money he earned on alcohol.

Joshua’s mother abandoned them when he was two years old and he didn’t remember her. For as long as Joshua could remember, he and Edgar had wandered from city to city and from town to town. Edgar was a restless person and always found a reason to get up and leave. In his twelve years, Joshua had met a lot of different people from different places. Some of them were nice and others were cruel. Joshua and Edgar never stayed long at a place, if the people there were cruel to them.

When he was eight years old, Joshua and Edgar stayed at an inn for free. In exchange, Edgar helped the innkeeper fix the place while Joshua helped the innkeeper’s wife prepare the food. The innkeeper’s wife would often hit Joshua when he failed to do something right. Joshua never said a word about it to Edgar because he knew that Edgar would insist on leaving, and Joshua was tired of moving around.

One fateful evening, Edgar walked into the kitchen and saw the innkeeper’s wife hit Joshua. Edgar attacked her, and the innkeeper and another man had to pull him away from her. The innkeeper threatened to call the police if Edgar and Joshua didn’t leave. They slept under a bridge that night but not after Edgar gave Joshua a sound beating when he found out that the innkeeper’s wife had hit Joshua in the past.

“No one else is allowed to hit you except me!” he yelled at Joshua. “That’s my right as your father. Now, we have nowhere to go because of you.”

Joshua cried himself to sleep. It rained that night so Edgar didn’t hear him cry, or else Joshua would have gotten another beating. The next day, Edgar managed to get a car, and he and Joshua were on their way again. Joshua suspected the car was stolen.

The last place they stayed before they arrived at Forest Happy was very pleasant. They stayed with a couple, the Johnsons, who had just lost their only son but gladly opened their home to Edgar and Joshua. The man was a mechanic and offered Edgar a job at his shop. The woman treated Joshua like he was her son. She gave him some of her son’s old clothes. She also taught him manners and how to keep his clothes clean. She was the closest thing to a mother that he had ever known and he grew to love her as one.

One afternoon, Edgar unexpectedly came back from the shop and told Joshua that they had to leave. Joshua got slapped when he asked why. They left in such a hurry that Joshua didn’t get a chance to get his clothes, which he had washed earlier and hung outside. Joshua was only able to grab his wooden box, which contained all the treasures he had gotten from all the places he had been. He was sad to leave and upset that he didn’t get to say goodbye to Mrs. Johnson. He soon discovered the reason for their sudden departure. He searched Edgar’s duffel bag after he passed out and found Mrs. Johnson’s jewelry. Joshua also found a lot of cash which he assumed Edgar stole from Mr. Johnson. He couldn’t fathom why Edgar would repay a couple that had been kind to them with such cruelty. Joshua was old enough to know that the police were probably looking for Edgar, and that’s why they had to go far away to avoid getting caught. He was so angry with Edgar that he was tempted to contact the police, but he didn’t know how to go about it. He felt he would be better off living with the Johnsons while Edgar went to jail, but Joshua was sure that even if he succeeded in contacting the police, the Johnsons would never take him back after Edgar’s betrayal. Joshua didn’t want to hear Mrs. Johnson say “like father like son.” He had heard that too many times before and it would hurt to hear it from her. Besides, Joshua knew deep down that he was too loyal to his father to betray him.

It had been eight days since Edgar and Joshua left the Johnsons, and they had been driving for most of it. They only stopped to get some gas for the car, alcohol for Edgar, and food for Joshua. They had slept in the car for eight nights and Joshua was grateful to finally have a comfortable bed to sleep in. He was upset that Edgar was already talking about leaving first thing in the morning.

Joshua wished he could get Edgar to relax but decided that the Biggs might be better off if they left in the morning. They seemed like nice people, and Joshua didn’t want Edgar to hurt them like he hurt the Johnsons. Despite Edgar’s shortcomings, Joshua still loved him. After all, Edgar was his father and he always reminded him that his mother abandoned Joshua, while he remained to care for him. He told Joshua to be grateful that he loved him enough to stay.