Chapter 1
I finished eating my breakfast and as the other boys from the group home drifted outside or back up to their rooms, I went and sat on the little wooden bench on the opposite side of the hallway from Mr. Jarvis' office. His door was closed and I felt a little anxious just sitting there waiting. It felt like being called to the Principal's office at school when you'd been bad. Usually when Mr. Jarvis wanted to talk to you in his office, it was because you'd gotten into some kind of trouble. I sat there fidgeting, wondering once again if he'd forgotten about me or if I'd heard him wrong. I looked at the clock over the front entrance, 8:05. As I was thinking that maybe I'd been mistaken and that I should just go back to my room, I looked up as his office door opened.
"Joey, right on time. C'mon in," he said as he looked furtively down the hallway to see if anyone else was around. As I got up from my seat tentatively and stepped into his office, I noticed that he had a fine sheen of perspiration on his forehead and his face appeared a little flushed. He was also kind of tucking in his shirt as I went by him and then he adjusted his belt. I figured he must have just finished using the private bathroom he had in the back of his office. As I stood in front of his desk waiting for him, I watched as he closed the office door and then I was surprised to see him push the little button by the handle that locked the door. I wondered what that was all about.
"You're what, 13 now, Joey?" he asked.
"Yes sir. I had my birthday a little while ago."
"13 that's a nice age. Have a seat," he said as he motioned to the two chairs sitting in front of his big desk. As I sat perched on the front of one of the chairs, Mr. Jarvis reached into his back pocket and pulled out a hankerchief. As he moved behind his desk, he raised it to his face and wiped off his sweaty brow before sticking it back into his pocket. "Yeah, I noticed yesterday that you looked even frailer and more peaked than usual, Joey. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
"I ... I feel fine, sir," I said.
"Well, just to be on the safe side, I think you should start taking some extra vitamins on a regular basis," he said as he leaned forward and started to slide open the top left-hand drawer of his desk.
"Uh ... okay. If you think I should, Mr. Jarvis."
"I do Joey. I think that would be the best thing for you," he said with a smile as he lifted a clear plastic cup out of the drawer. As he moved around the desk and held it in front of him, I could see a milky-white liquid moving about slightly in the bottom of the cup. The medicine looked pretty thick and creamy and I could even see a couple of drops of it sticking to the inside of the clear plastic. He must have dropped those there when he poured it into the cup for me. He came right around the desk and held the cup out towards me.
"Here you go, Joey," he said as he handed me the cup and then perched himself on the front edge of the desk. "This medicine is high in vitamins and protein. It's just the thing for a boy like you."
"Thank you sir," I said as I took the cup in both hands and looked down into it. I could see close up that the liquid was not a smooth white color; it was kind of pearly with almost swirls of some clear areas and then some thicker looking whiter areas. As I held it right in front of my face, it had a very subtle fragrance. It didn't smell like anything I'd smelt before; it smelled ... I don't know ... kind of warm and comforting almost. I sniffed again and tried to identify the scent.
"What flavor is that, banana cream?" I asked as I looked up at him questioningly. For some reason this made him give a soft chuckle.
"Banana cream?" he said with raised eyebrows and then gave me a big smile. "I guess you could say that. Yeah, cream from the old banana." I held the cup up to my nose again and took another good long sniff. I liked the different feeling I was getting as the distinctive new scent filled my senses. I could feel my eyes close peacefully as I breathed deep one more time and let the peculiar smell settle right on my tastebuds.
"C'mon, Joey, drink it up now, son," Mr. Jarvis said as he looked at me intently. "We don't want you to get sick now, do we?"
"No sir," I said as I brought the small plastic cup up to my lips. I could feel his eyes on me as I tipped the glass up. I looked down into the cup and could see the thick creamy liquid start to slide sluggishly toward my mouth. As the leading edge started to settle on my tongue, I was surprised to find that it was slightly warm, almost at body temperature. I had expected it to be cold. As I tipped the cup up a little higher, one big gob of the gooey medicine slid forth right onto my tongue. I lowered the cup and closed my mouth. I let the warm viscous fluid slide around inside my mouth as I savored the new taste. It was just a little bit salty and tasted ... I don't know ... the word "musky" came to mind. It wasn't unpleasant at all and I liked the taste as well as the smooth silky texture. I savored the new sensation of the thick creamy liquid as I slid it around my mouth and let the new flavor settle on my tastebuds.
