Beautiful Disaster.

I was three the first time that I met Jacob Bland.
Even at the age of three he was everything I was not, and I bet you’re asking well how the heck a three year old will know what a person is like, but I knew.
Jacob carried himself with pride, even at the age of three his eyes twinkled with mischief and he was able to talk himself out of the worst trouble.
Our friendship was strange, I never asked for him and yet he came to me, he was one of those people that you found out of luck, and once you found them, you should never let them go.

My shoulder length brown hair tumbled into my face as I leant over the desk, I was sat on my own, a pencil and paper in my hands, the other children in the group playing with toys and chasing after one another, the shrieks and calls echoing through my small ears.
“Hello” the voice was loud, smooth, it sounded older than any three year olds should have been, and I raise my eyes to the voice as I replied with a small ‘hello’ of my own, looking to my right to see a tall blue eyed, black haired boy stood beside me. He was lean, and his posture was curious as he looked over my shoulder to my drawing, a large smile lighting up on his features.

The boy sat beside me every day for a week after that first day, and after the second he sat beside me and drew. Some days, he’d just watch me draw, out of curiosity I presume, a smile on his face as he’d watch me.
It was a Thursday when I didn’t feel like finishing one of my drawings, so I turned to him, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas as I smile at him sweetly, pushing my hair out of my face and looking him over.

My smile dropped slightly as I notice his clothes being the same from the first day we’d met, they looked dirty and un-kept, the bottom of his jeans were fraying and his shirt had holes in it at the bottom. My brown eyes finally found his feet, and my smile completely turned settling into a frown now at the holed converse.
“Your shoes are broken” I tell the boy as I look up and he looks down to his feet, a smile still on his face as he grins, his blues eyes uncaring.
“Oh well” He replies back to me, and that was the first time I realised objects didn’t matter, you could have thousands of things and be miserable, yet here stood in front of me was a boy with nothing, yet he was happy, he truly happy.

I learnt his name was Jacob, and he learnt mine was Maria, and that was the first step in our friendship.

We spent weeks together, just drawing and occasionally talking to each, saying simple things, making simple comments. That was how it was with Jacob, simple.

Jacob was the opposite of me, which I knew from the days he’d drag me outside to play with him.
He was loud, energetic, and mischievous, and at the age of three he was already a popular social butterfly.
Jacob was strong, kind and open minded, he gave me a voice when no one else would. He gave me the chance other children wouldn’t have.

I remember the days with Jacob, because they were easier, they didn’t hurt as much as they would have when I was alone.

”I’ve known you for a month” Jacob tells me softly as he looks up from his drawing, even at three, Jacob was too smart and grown up for his own good.
His blue eyes sparkle at me, and I grin at him, not really understanding his statement as he pulls my wrist over to him, his lips pursed sweetly.
“I made you something” He tells me as he reaches into his pocket pulling a thin twist of ribbon out, a blur of red, orange and yellow flashing up to me as he secures it around my wrist softly, double knotting it.

I clutch my wrist when Jacob releases it, looking down to it with a large toothy grin on my face as I look at the plaited ribbons.
“Thank you” I tell Jacob sweetly, placing my lips to his cheeks tenderly as he grins at me widely, he seemed so proud of himself as I go to turn back to my drawing, a grin still on my lips at the small gesture.
My smile falls as I notice my picture gone, and then laughter coming from the left of me, I turn to the laughter, seeing Teddy Taylor stood with my picture.
He waves the picture around at me, almost mockingly, before he tears it in half, and my face crumples, the smile Jacob had just placed on my face replaced with toddler tears and upset.

Jacob reacted for me as I silently let my tears fall, smashing his fist into Teddy’s gut brutally for a three year old.
Teddy lets out his own cry like my own, chucking my picture to the floor and running off, his own tears travelling down his face as Jacob carefully picks up my picture.
He turns to me, a frown on his face as he carefully passes it to me, and I sniffle as I take it from him, before placing it on the table, turning back to Jacob.
I thank him for the second time in less than ten minutes, before I wrap my arms around him warmly, smiling into the hug, giggling as Jacob grins as he hugs me back, just as warmly as I did to him.
“I’ll always be there for you Ri-Ri”

Jacob’s birth mother never turned up after school that day, I waited with him, outside our classroom, watching as parent’s came and went before Jacob’s older brother came, my own mother following behind not seconds later.

Jacob’s brother didn’t look like any other six year old, he was tall just like Jacob was and he looked exactly the same, except this child looked malnourished, his cheeks were sunken and his eyes had bags, and looked hollow.
The boy carried himself with care, watching himself as he walked and kept aware of his surroundings, he like Jacob seemed too grown up for his age. Like they had both lost their innocence. But this boy was like a little man, but in a child’s body.

I jumped up upon seeing my mum, she’d been away for work for the past week and my small toddler-self had missed her.
“Mummy, this is Jacob” I exclaim to her brightly, leading her over to the two boys, grinning at the both warmly as I look back up to my mother, “He’s my bestest friend.”
My mother smiles at the boys, her smile warm and inviting as she crouches down beside them, offering them a hand to shake.
Brendon, Jacob’s older brother takes her hand instantly; he was well mannered even through his quietness, however he was stiff, like he was waiting for something.

“Where are your parents?” My mother questions the two boys after she greets them both, and they quieten down quickly from their chatter, looking to each other nervously.
Brendon looks at me, and I smile at him encouragingly, nodding my head to him as I swing my arms, I had no cares, while they seemed to have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
“No one is coming for us” Brendon tells my mum, before he looks over to Jacob, his face full sadness, “No one ever comes for us.”

That was the day that my mother decided that she had to adopt Brendon and Jacob at any cost.
I didn’t realise till I was older what they’d been through, but the second my mother saw the two boys, she knew.
Alicia knew the moment she saw Jacob and Brendon that they needed someone to save them, and she instantly volunteered herself to do it.

Jacob and Brendon started off by staying with us for a couple of days at a time, Mum would get them new clothes, toys and then feed them, letting them have well needed nights rest, and making them take needed baths before they went home.
They’d come back to ours in the way the first arrived on that first day after my mum met them, they were bruised and beaten, sore all over, dirty, hungry and un-cared for.

Eventually those days started to turn into weeks, and those weeks would soon become months at a time. Their parents didn’t care about the boys, they were quite happy in fact that they didn’t have to care for them, easily passing the boys off.

Our family grew with love and care, and these two boys became my brothers.

Brendon and Jacob Bland were anything but Bland like their last name would have suggested, they were bright, loud and just like me.
Their innocence may have been missing at the start, but we could bring them back, we could be what they needed.