He enjoyed being a big brother to a fatherless boy. Nonetheless, he was not looking forward to this afternoon. He had agreed to take Derek in for his dental check-up so that his mom wouldn’t have to take time off from work. Rodney wasn’t wild about going to the dental office but Derek flat out hated the idea. Like kids everywhere, when Derek was miserable, he wanted everyone around him to be miserable, too. Rodney picked up a couple of new comic books to distract Derek while they sat in the waiting room at the pediatric dental clinic. The non-profit facility offered inexpensive or free dental care for the working poor in the city, which meant they were always busy and the waits were never short. Rodney also promised Derek an after-appointment trip to the mall for an ice-cream cone and a visit to the toy store if he behaved. He met Derek in front of his school. When Rodney first spotted the ten-year-old boy, he was with a couple of friends, laughing and appearing to be in a good mood.
