Tobias Kaiser Comes Home

Chapter 1

Chapter 1
The wind whistled through the slightly cracked window as Toby saw lightning in the distance. The sky was eerily dark and he wondered if it was predictive of what this new home had in store for him. The past few years had been rough but nothing he couldn’t handle. His heart just wasn’t in it anymore. As he got older, he had pretty much just given up.

Toby was just tired of being shuffled from relative to relative. Ever since his dad died, moving around had become the norm. He had gotten to the point where he didn’t even bother to unpack anymore. What difference did it make? He’d be moving on soon enough.

The first couple of years hadn’t been so bad. After his dad’s accident, Toby still held out hope that his mom would be located. Living at his Great Aunt Betty’s was kind of weird. She was really proper and her house was immaculate. There was never a speck of dust on the furniture and they always ate in the formal dining room. There was no television in the house, just loads of books. Toby did his best while he was there. He put up with wearing a tie to dinner and making sure that he made his bed each morning with hospital corners. He just held onto the hope that his mom would be coming for him soon.

Mom smelled like lavender and the ocean mixed together. Her smile would light up any room she entered. She was always in the kitchen at the end of the school day, baking cookies and waiting to hear about his day. Then, one day, she wasn’t.

When Toby was twelve, he gave up hope that his mom was coming for him. Great Aunt Betty found a lump and was diagnosed with cancer. It spread quickly and she could no longer take care of him. That was when the social worker got involved. She did some research and found names of other relatives on his dad’s side of the family.

Uncle Leo wasn’t so bad. He smoked cigars and drank… A lot… Since he lived way outside of any town, Toby didn’t make it to school too often. This didn’t bother him as much as it seemed to bother his social worker. He was moved right after his next birthday.

The next house belonged to a cousin of his Dad. A small man who was extremely quiet. Toby was only there about three days before he called his social worker and begged to be moved. There were reasons this man was the black sheep of the family.

The next three homes lasted no longer than the one before. There was just something about his dad's side of the family that wasn't quite right and he never felt accepted or loved in any of the homes where he was placed. Sure, they took him in, but only because they were family and it was expected. No one really wanted him and it was obvious. Toby’s life had been turned upside down through everything. His character and demeanor had changed and they couldn’t find anyone willing to take him in permanently.

Toby became more depressed as they got closer to their destination. It had been five years since the accident. Dad had been quiet since mom disappeared, not saying much, staying to himself. He went to work each day and went through the motions. Then, coming home one night, he was run off the road and went into a ditch. The doctors felt that he could have pulled through his injuries, but then he got septic and is now buried back in Oklahoma. With Dad gone and no clue where Mom was, Toby was all alone. All he had to show for his almost fifteen years of life was a duffle bag full of second-hand jeans and t-shirts, a military jacket, and his skateboard.