“Ryo! Ryo!” Bikky came charging into the apartment like an out-of-control cannonball, skidding on the polished floorboards in his sneakers.

“Bikky! Shoes, please! And close the door; this isn’t a barn!”

“Oops, sorry.” The boy ran back, slammed the door shut, yanked his sneakers off without untying them, and dropped them on the floor, somewhere near the wall, which at least meant no one was likely to fall over them, then bounded into the kitchen, where Ryo was preparing dinner.

“That’s better. Now, what were so excited about than you had to come tearing through here like a hurricane?” At not quite eleven-years-old, Bikky was a restless ball of energy at the best of times, often leaving chaos in his wake, but Ryo was getting used to his life being a bit of a madhouse since he’d decided to foster the orphaned boy.

“I got a gold star in school today!”

“You did? That’s wonderful! Congratulations, Biks. What was it for?”

“Attendance! I haven’t missed a single day, or a single class, all semester!”

That, Ryo knew, was a huge deal for a boy who used to skip school all the time, and barely paid attention in class even when he WAS there.

“I’m so proud of you! You’ve been working so hard. We should celebrate.”

“Really?” The boy looked up at his foster father with wide, blue eyes beneath his mop of long, blond hair.

“Of course. Every big achievement deserves to be celebrated. I already started dinner tonight, but how about we go out for dinner tomorrow night? Pizza, or burgers, your choice.”

“That would be AWESOME!”

“We could invite Carol to come too, if you’d like.”

Bikky nodded eagerly. “Can I call her and tell her?

“Go ahead.”

It was a small thing, but it meant everything.


The End