"Slow down son. We got time. Do you want a Coca Cola?"
Scotty nodded, though he didn't slow down. He didn't trust his father's assertions. Scotty rarely trusted what anyone said. Words were just the lip service people gave in order to have something to say. People talked too much even when they knew they couldn't back up their words. It was a game to some, but not to Scotty. His word was his bond.
Juan Carlos hadn't ever made any promises, though. He just stayed long enough to make everyone think that things would get better.
Within a minute Scotty had the food finished, his cigarette butt squashed in the last bit of red sauce on the plate and he was nursing the Coca Cola.
It had been the best meal that he'd had in weeks.
Juan Carlos passed his half finished plate of food to Scotty who declined. Juan Carlos placed the plate on the desk and studied the boy proudly.