Color Blind by Sheila; Sobel Page B

horrendous thump.
    “My Lord!” shouted Angel’s mother. “You all right?”
    Gumbo howled at the commotion as we scrambled from the porch to help Miles. He rose gingerly, avoiding a plethora of rusty nails.
    “Take my hand. It’s my turn to rescue you,” I said, helping Miles to his feet. “Are you hurt?”
    “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?” asked Kate, eyeing the debris.
    “I’m good. Not hurt. Recent tetanus shot. Mandatory for construction work.” Miles dusted himself off.
    I circled him, looking for wounds.
Nice butt
, I thought.
    Angel held Gumbo by his collar to keep him out of the rubble. Kate tossed her the leash. “Use this,” she said.
    “Let’s clear this stuff out, load up the Jeep and take it down to the dumpster before someone gets hurt,” said Miles, leaving the yard.
    When Miles returned with the Jeep, he pulled work gloves from his pocket and handed a pair to me. “Sorry I broke your railing, ma’am. I can fix it for you,” he said, collecting the broken pieces.
    “No matter, so much is broken. Just look around,” said Simone.
    I helped Miles clear away the rotted wood. After loading the last of the porch railing into the Jeep, Miles tied a red rag around several pieces.
    “What’s that for?” asked Angel.
    “So nobody gets too close,” said Miles.
    “Are you gonna fix up our house?” asked Angel.
    “I’ll try,” said Miles.
    Angel squirmed a bit, then blurted out, “Can you get a bike for me?”
    Miles hesitated, “You want a new bike?”
    “It doesn’t have to be new, because it’ll be new for me,” laughed Angel.
    Miles grinned, crossed his arms, and asked, “Anything else?”
    “A dress for my mama, a steak for Gumbo . . . and a job for my mama, that’d be good.”
    Miles laughed. “Do you think I’m some kind of fairy godfather or something?”
    “Maybe,” she giggled.
    “What are you two up to?” I asked, approaching the Jeep, followed by Kate and Gumbo.
    “Nothin’,” said Angel.
    “Nothin’,” said Miles, winking at Angel.
    “I’ve got to go get ready for work. You’re staying to work with Miles, right?” asked Kate.
    I looked at Miles, “Okay with you?”
    “Heck, yeah! The morning’s been so interesting, I can’t wait to see what the afternoon brings!” Miles laughed and petted Gumbo, while I said goodbye to Angel.
    “Thanks for comin’ back to see me. Come again soon?” asked Angel.
    “I’ll try.” I gave Gumbo another ear snuggle and got in the Jeep with Miles.
    “Are you sure you’re okay? That was a spectacular fall, totally YouTube-worthy!”
    “Nah, it was more classic, like an old episode of SNL with Chevy Chase. You know what I’m talking about, right?”
    “I do.”
    Miles backed the Jeep up the street and into the construction site driveway, stopping in front of the dumpster to unload.
    “Can you rebuild their porch railing soon? Those steps were pretty rickety. Can you do those at the same time? We don’t want Angel or her mother to get hurt, do we?” I asked.
    “I’ll check with the crew to see if we have any spare lumber. It shouldn’t take much. My dad and I could probably knock out a new railing and new steps over a weekend. With your help and Kate’s food, of course.”
    “Can you get Angel’s mom added to a list or something? Maybe you can get their whole house redone, or maybe a new home altogether?” I asked, rolling with the idea. “There’s got to be something we can do to help!”
    Miles turned his head and looked over his shoulder.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I’m checking to see if there’s a sign on my back that says SUPERHERO or FAIRY GODFATHER!”
    “Who said anything about a superhero? But, now that you mention it, you would look pretty amazing in tights!”
    “Amazing? Me? You sweet talker, you!”
    At the site, the workers were on lunch break.
    “Miles, can we eat before we get started? I’m starving!”
    Miles grabbed the insulated bag, I got the thermos, and