Tobias Kaiser Comes Home

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Welcome to Herburg
Population 1002

The outskirts of this tiny town were surrounded by thick woods. The road seemed deserted and the trees made it even darker than it already was because of the rain. They did not pass the first house until they were about a mile into the woods. There were a few homes scattered several acres apart before they came into the main road.

“Not much further now,” said Amy, Toby’s social worker, “I spoke with your cousins last night and they are very excited for you to come and stay with them.”
Toby shrugged and continued to stare out the window. Cousins? How old were these people? Most of the relatives he had moved around to were all older and had no kids. Now he was going to stay with people who were barely older than he was?
They pulled down a long winding driveway and came upon a small house. There were lights on in the downstairs windows, and the porch was lit up. The house looked cozy from the outside, with smoke billowing from the chimney. Toby didn't have much time to ponder about this new place because faces suddenly appeared at the door.

Mari and Willem came out onto the porch and stood there with smiles on their faces as Toby and Amy got out of the car. Willem ran down the steps to help with Toby's stuff. He reached out to take his bag, then realized that he didn't have much to carry. His arm dropped as if he wasn't sure how to handle the fact that all Toby had was an old duffle bag and a skateboard.

"Welcome home, Tobias!" called Mari from the porch.

Home? Seriously? And why was she calling him Tobias? He had never actually gone by that name. He was always just Toby. "It's Toby," he mumbled as he walked up the stairs. Mari reached out as if to pull him into a hug, but he shied away, just out of reach.

"Well, come on in and we can give you a grand tour of our little house. You will have the upstairs space to yourself. It has a bathroom and a sitting room, though the ceiling is a bit low." Mari kept talking as Toby looked around at his new home. The front room was small, with a couch and a couple of chairs facing the television. There was a fish tank against one wall with some beautiful fish swimming around. The colors caught his eye and he walked toward the tank.

"Ah, a man of science. Notice how well those fish get along in that tank. They are not supposed to, you know. They find their own space and stay out of each other's way. Makes sense, if you think about it, " Willem spoke to him as if he knew all about fish and their habits.

Mari was talking to Amy quietly by the door, so Toby continued to wander around the front room. He came to a door that opened up into the kitchen. It was brightly painted and clean, but not like when he lived with Great Aunt Betty. There was a small table with a tablecloth covering it and four chairs around. There were plants in the window by the sink and something cooking on the stove. It smelled good to Toby, as he realized that he was hungry.

"Toby, I am going to head out. You know how to get in touch with me if you need me. I will come around next week to check in with you. Okay?" asked Amy.

Toby glanced up and waved her away. He didn't really like Amy. It wasn't her fault that he kept being moved around, but he always associated her with having to start over.

"Are you hungry?" asked Mari. She had just come into the kitchen. "Dinner won't be ready for another hour, but I can get you a piece of fruit and a glass of milk if you like?"

Toby shrugged and agreed to take a banana. Willem, who still had not spoken, grabbed Toby's bag from where he had dropped it and started up the stairs that led from the left side of the kitchen. Mari signaled for Toby to follow as she brought up the rear.

Willem spoke, "This will be your space. We gave it some simple decorations until you decide how you want it to look. The bathroom is small but should work well for you. There is a shower and a tub, and there are clean towels, as well as fresh sheets, in the cupboard behind the door. Make yourself at home. We will call you downstairs when Aric gets home and we can eat dinner and go over house rules."

Willem and Mari went back downstairs and left Toby to himself. He looked around the space. It was much bigger than he had ever had before. He put his duffle bag on the bed, laid his clothing in the top dresser drawer, and sat on the edge of the bed. He stared out the window and wondered if maybe he had actually found a place to call home.