Race With a Heart
Chapter 212: Only the Right People Will Make a Cold Night Warm

Chapter 212: Only the Right People Will Make a Cold Night Warm

Sid entered the house quietly because he expected Teddy to be asleep and didn’t want to wake the old man. It wasn’t very late yet, but Teddy was one of those old people who went to bed pretty early. So Sid was surprised to see his host watching TV. At the sound of the door closing, Teddy got up and smiled at Sid like a real grandfather.

"Happy Birthday!" the old man greeted the boy and picked up a package wrapped with a ribbon from the couch. "It’s your birthday present."

"Birthday present?" Sid wondered. "For me?"

"Of course," Teddy confirmed. "In previous years I did not give you anything, because it is not proper for an adult, old man to give gifts to underage people, but the eighteenth birthday is a very special day, don’t you think?"

"But ..." Sid hesitated. "I really don’t need a gift, besides ..."

Teddy’s smile grew a little sad, melancholic.

"Since my wife died, I have no one to give gifts to. It’s been so many years... "

It was, unfortunately, the sad truth. Teddy was alone in this world, and Sid knew it well. He must have felt very lonely. He had long looked after Sid and Dave, but actually giving gifts to someone else’s children could be misunderstood.

"If so ..." said Sid and accepted the gift. He wanted to unpack it right away, but was interrupted by Teddy.

"Cake first!"

"Cake?" the boy was surprised.

The old man waddled over to the refrigerator and brought a small cake with two candles he lit, a one and an eight.

Gift? And the cake?

For some reason, Sid felt very moved. Teddy really made sure the boy had a very enjoyable birthday evening.

"Blow out the candles and make a wish!"

Sid nodded vigorously, blew so that the flames were instantly extinguished, folded his hands as if in prayer, and pondered his birthday wish. All he could think of was that Teddy, Martin and most of all Dave would be happy. Yes, it was his birthday wish!

"You have no idea how much you surprised me," confessed the birthday boy. "I feel guilty that I came back so late. If I had known, I would have come back sooner!"

Teddy chuckled as he handed him the cake knife. He himself brought two plates and forks.

"Young people should spend time with their peers," he announced. "I knew you were going to spend the evening with Dave and judging from your glittering eyes it was a very enjoyable time. It should be. Birthday should be spent with these special people."

Sid blushed. Yes, Dave was special to him, but why did Teddy use words like that?

The old man smiled with a knowing smile.

The cake was very tasty. It was probably the tastiest cake Sid had ever eaten in his life. Then it was time to unpack the gift. The boy sighed seeing inside a pair of great, recently very fashionable but also very expensive sports shoes.

"Teddy! I can’t take it! These shoes are too expensive! "

"Don’t whine" admonished the old man. "I do what I want with my money, and I won’t take it to my grave. They weren’t the most expensive shoes in the store anyway, but I didn’t want to buy you white ones. I want you to be able to work in them, and greases and oils are hard to remove from white ..."

"Teddy, these shoes are not worn to work ..."

"Then wear them to school. Sports shoes are suitable for walking, not for lying in the closet. Wear them to school as long as they are fashionable, and when they are no longer fashionable, wear them to work without regret. I wanted to give you something that teenagers will like, but also something practical. But maybe I missed ... "

"No no, the shoes are perfect! They are great! It’s just a pity for someone like me ... "

Teddy snorted, clearly disgusted.

"No thing is more precious than a human," he explained in a very serious voice. "When you lose an item, you can replace it with the same thing. You can never replace a man. So never say, never even think that you may not be worthy of a thing. You will always be more valuable and more important than anything, you understand? "

Sid seemed to understand, and his face lit up with a grateful smile. First Dave, now Teddy made Sid feel wanted and needed. Valuable.

His eighteenth birthday was the most beautiful day in his life for him.

***

The night turned cool, but Martin insisted he didn’t need a taxi. Kevin even wished he hadn’t had two glasses of wine with dinner, but he couldn’t foresee Martin’s stubbornness. Anyway, even if he didn’t drink, Moore couldn’t force him into the car, and Martin was clearly in the mood to go home slowly and alone.

"Martin, wait, I’ll go with you," said Arthur Floyd, the young theater actor Martin met at dinner tonight. "I want a walk too!"

"I’ll be taking the bus back," the boy explained. "It is not so far to the bus stop ..."

"Don’t throw me off so bluntly," Arthur asked, smiling. "Have mercy on a lonely visitor in your town. At least for one evening bear the presence of a pesky intruder, a pesky tourist. You can even take it as an expression of pity. I don’t want to drag you to some bar or anything like that, but don’t make me come back to my lonely hotel room. "

Martin sighed. He couldn’t refuse when Arthur put it that way. Especially since Arthur was a really nice man and a friend of Kevin’s.

"I live on the other side of town," said Martin. "I change busses near the city center. You can accompany me there, but be warned that I will not be the best company."

"I noticed," Floyd replied. "I think something is bothering you. If you want to talk to someone ... "

"Sorry," Martin immediately drew the line between them. "These are private matters."

"Ah yes."

Perhaps Martin was not very nice at the moment, but he felt neither the duty nor the need to share his problems with a stranger. He understood that Floyd was Kevin’s friend, but that didn’t mean he had to be his friend too. You can like someone, you can start to trust him, but Martin’s problems and worries weren’t just his own, so he couldn’t tell about them to someone he barely met.

Arthur was a nice, energetic man who was obviously looking for friends in this city, but Martin at that moment only thought about Steve and he missed him, so he wasn’t willing or able to sacrifice any energy for someone else.

Since Steve has disappeared, he hasn’t shown any sign of life. Martin received the only information about him from Karl. Karl was quite laconic, however. He just kept saying that Paxton was under medical care at the clinic. Martin should trust Steve and give him time to focus on his problem while Martin focuses on his. It would be best for both of them.

Martin eagerly wanted to believe it, but could not. He missed and worried, and there was nothing he could do about it. If he could be with Paxton now and bear the burden of his worries with him! Did Steve imagine how torture it is to know that someone you love is suffering and you can’t be with that person?

Arthur tried to involve Martin in the conversation. He was cheerful and kind. He was also, it seems, curious, but the young driver was unable to listen to him. He was probably being rude to Floyd, but he couldn’t, he just couldn’t focus on anyone and anything else but his longing and anxiety for Steve.