TEARS
by
T.K. Wade
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
Cover Art Illustrated by:
T.K. Wade and Coy Fields II
Tears
Copyright © 2012 by T.K. Wade
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
*****
TEARS
*****
Timothy Lewis stood near the front door of his house. The seven-year-old clutched firmly to Mr. Grizzly, a black stuffed bear, as he watched his mother step briskly around the house. He was quiet for the most part. Jane Lewis was busy talking on her cell phone, and he did not want to interrupt.
“Three, was it?” spoke his mother over the phone. “No, it was four times! Four times I told you how much we needed that endorsement. Brian’s Pizza didn’t hire me so they could promote themselves, you know!” She walked up to a nearby mirror and quickly began resolving flaws in her hair. Timothy stood nearby watching what she was doing.
Jane snapped at the recipient of the phone call, “You always seem to blame me when you fail at your own task! Now, I have to drive two cities over to take care of this myself!” She put down the brush and turned around. “I am not yelling at you, but if you don’t start taking responsibilities for your own failures, things will get a lot worse than a little yelling! Actually, scratch that! How about you get off your lazy, good-for-nothing, a—” She noticed Timothy and corrected herself. “How about you just start doing your job before you don’t have one? I didn’t start this PR firm so that you could run it into the dirt.” She immediately ended the call with a perfectly timed press of a button.
When the little boy saw that his mother had hung up, he asked, “Are you going somewhere again?”
Jane almost seemed bothered by the question. The truth was that she was just in a hurry. She knelt down and smiled. “Honey, I have to go away for the night. I’ll be back before morning though. I’ve already called Brenda for you.”
The mother was already starting to get up, but Timothy suddenly tugged on her dress. “I bumped my head in first grade, Mommy.”
Jane scrunched up her face. “How in the world did you do that?”
“I was falling asleep, and my head hit the desk.”
She took a moment to rub his head before concluding, “You look fine to me.”
“But it hurt,” Timothy insisted.
Jane stepped away to grab her purse. “Don’t worry about it.” She grumbled. “Where is that Brenda?! I need to get going!”
Timothy approached his mother with Mr. Grizzly up to his chin. “Is Daddy still coming this weekend?”
Mother huffed. “Maybe. He’s been very busy.”
“I like his pictures, Mommy. Is he bringing any this time?”
Jane tapped her foot. “Maybe. Whatever the paper doesn’t take from him, I guess.”
Timothy asked, “Are you sure my head is okay?” He began rubbing it. “I think it’s turning bumpy.”
The doorbell rang. The impatient mother huffed and ran over to the door without answering her son. “Oh, thank God!” She opened the door quickly. “Brenda! I called you an hour ago!”
The young brunette in her early twenties quickly explained, “The traffic is horrible out there. I think there was a wreck on Highway Nine; although, it was past my exit. I never saw it.”
Jane seemed rather apologetic after hearing that. “I guess that’s a good reason. One of these days, you need to use that money we pay you to get a cell phone.”
Brenda shrugged. “I guess that would have helped. I’ll think about it. So, how long do you need me tonight?”
“Probably until about three AM. It could be later if I have problems, and I really don’t need problems right now.”
Timothy and Brenda shared a glance. The child blushed and walked back to his bedroom. The babysitter smiled at Jane. “I’ll take good care of him.”
“Great. I’ll see you later, Timothy.” She suddenly realized that he was not even there. “…wherever you are.” Brenda stepped out of Jane’s way, and the mother left in a hurry. The younger woman closed the door and locked it tight.
Timothy was sitting on his bed with his knees up in front of him. Mr. Grizzly was mashed in between. He looked at his open doorway when the sound of the front door closing met his ears. He heard the footfalls coming closer to his room. The boy remained still. He was calm; however, he bore a nervous expression.
Brenda slowly entered into view. She was smiling with a hint of concern in her eyes. Timothy raised the teddy bear over his lips as if kissing it but otherwise made no action. The babysitter walked into his room at a casual pace. She spoke in a playful voice, “You didn’t have to walk away from me. You missed your mother’s goodbye.”
The boy answered, “I’m sorry.” He paused. “I got a bump on the head today. I fell asleep and hit my head on the desk.”
Brenda cocked her head. “Timmy, did you make that up?”
The boy shook his head. “No, it really hurt. I think I’m getting a bump.”
The young woman approached and sat next to Timothy. She felt his head with mild concern. “You made it up. You know that isn’t the same.”
Timothy lowered his head shamefully which, in turn, made Brenda smile. “Remember what I told you last time I was here?” The boy nodded. She continued, “Show me what you have then.”
“I don’t want to,” the boy said plainly.
Brenda stood up. She took up a more commanding demeanor. “Timothy, show me what you have. I won’t ask you again.”
Timothy frowned. “But, Brenda…”
“Do it!” she nearly shouted.
The boy jumped out of bed and opened up his closet. Soon after, he presented her with a puppy made out of clay. It had been painted and stuck to a platform for display. Timothy explained, “I worked on it really hard. The teacher almost didn’t help me at all. She gave me an A-plus for it. Everyone really liked it.”
Brenda beamed. “It’s very nice, Timmy! Does he have a name?”
“Yeah, I named him Fido, because that’s a good name for a good dog.”
She held out her hand. “May I see it, Timmy?”
The boy frowned and pulled it away defensively. “No! I really like it! I put hours into it! I haven’t shown it to daddy yet.”
“You really want him to see it, don’t you?”
The boy looked serious. “More than anything.”
She held her hand out once again. “Let me see it, Timmy.”
“No. I’ll give you something else.”
Brenda slowly approached the boy. She then took hold of him and forced the clay puppy from his fingers. He struggled but was no match for her. The poor boy looked like he was about to cry, but she just smiled and pointed over to the bed. He walked over and pulled himself up clutching back onto Mr. Grizzly.
Brenda drew her finger along the clay puppy’s back as if petting it. “It’s very cute. You really did a good job. I’m sure your daddy will love it.”
“You’ll let me show it to him?” He seemed hopeful.
“Sure, Timmy. Don’t worry.”
Timothy let out a sigh of relief and smiled; however, just as soon as he felt better, Brenda turned the craft upside down and dropped it all the way to the floor. The boy’s heart sunk. He quic
kly jumped out of bed to retrieve it, but not before Brenda slammed her foot down on it. The little puppy’s head rolled away as the entire clay craft was smashed.
Timothy screamed as he ran for the head, “Nooo! No! No!” He picked up the remains of his broken dog and stared at it in his hands for a moment. A look of absolute shock was apparent on his face which was frozen for nearly ten seconds. At the final revelation that his project was smashed and his father would never get to see it, the shocked expression melted into tears, and soon, he was bawling.
Brenda immediately knelt down and pulled Timothy into a tight embrace. The boy dropped the shattered pieces and hugged her tightly crying into her bosom. She spoke comfortingly, “It’ll be okay, Timmy. It’s okay to cry. Just let it all out.”
He was barely able to respond. “I… I wanted to….to show Daddy what I did! I… I can’t show him… ‘cause it’s broken!”
“I know.” She rubbed his back. “I know you were looking forward to it.”
Timothy was sobbing pretty hard. His tears were staining Brenda’s shirt, but she did not seem to mind. The babysitter just held him and did everything she could to comfort him, and the strange thing was that he accepted the comfort without hesitation.
*****
The following weekend would mark the return of Timothy’s father, Kyle Lewis. Timothy had set to work on a drawing to give to him. At first, he tried to recreate the clay puppy in crayon, but that was too upsetting. A cat would have to do.
Jane was sitting at the opposite side of the table looking through several work-related binders. It was very common for the working mother to bring her work home. Just by chance, she looked over at the drawing and said, “That’s a neat cat you’re drawing, honey. What got you started on it?”
Timothy did not cease in his efforts as he answered, “It’s for Daddy.”
The mother nearly took no mind to the answer, until she remembered a previous conversation that she had had with him. “Weren’t you going to show him that puppy you made? It was really good.”
The boy plainly answered, “It broke. I threw it away.”
“How did it break? You weren’t playing with it, were you? I told you that thing was fragile!”
Timothy’s hand stopped. He gazed up at his mother for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, Mommy. I feel really bad about it.”
Jane shook her head and looked back at her work. “Well, you should.”
The boy stared at his mother for what felt like a long while. She never looked up from her books even once. He finally decided to go back to his drawing which–in his opinion–was turning out pretty well.
The sound of a car could be heard outside. Timothy knew who it was and made a few last-moment additions to the picture. The doorbell rang and Jane got up to get it; however, the child was already halfway there.
“Dad!” shouted Timothy as his father smiled down at him.
Kyle leaned down and rubbed his head. “How are you doin’, Tim?”
Timothy smiled and held up the picture. “I made this for you! It’s a cat!”
Jane smiled with her arms crossed. “He’s been working on it for the last hour.”
Father took the drawing and appeared to be carefully scrutinizing it. “This is a very good kitty cat, Tim. I’m going to put this up on the fridge so other people can see it, all right?” The child simply smiled in response.
Kyle made his way over to his wife, and they kissed as if it was the natural thing to do. “They’re sending me all the way to California this Sunday.”
Jane frowned. “Just to take pictures?”
“Well, yeah, but these are my pictures. Apparently, I am enough of a commodity to be worth the travel.”
“As always.”
Timothy asked, “Do you have any pictures from your last trip?”
The father seemed like he had been caught off-guard. “Eh… yeah. They’re still on the camera though. I tell you what: if you handle the camera with care, I’ll let you look through them.”
The boy seemed surprised. “Really?”
Jane slapped Kyle’s arm. “Don’t just give him your three hundred dollar camera! He’s seven years old! What are you: stupid?”
Kyle winced at his wife and looked back at his boy. “Um… sorry, Tim. I’ll try and get them printed before I leave.” Timothy nodded with a frown. The husband went on to say, “Why don’t you go to your room for a bit. I need to catch up with your mother.”
The child seemed worried. “But I really wanted to talk to you. You won’t be here long.”
“I know. I know. I’ll try and make time for you. Just give us a while, okay?”
Timothy nodded without an answer. He walked away leaving his parents alone.
Kyle scratched his head and peered at his wife. “The kid is starving for attention. Don’t you even talk to him anymore?”
Jane scowled. “This from the father who hardly ever shows up! You didn’t even have the pictures printed this time!”
The husband defended himself, “Everything was just crammed together this last week! And thank you for disrespecting a job that brings good money to this family!”
“Yeah, honey. The money is good, but I work too, and I can’t take care of him all the time. The kid’s practically being raised by Brenda.”
Kyle feigned an altered interest. “Brenda Chase? How’s she doing lately?”
Jane snapped. “Oh, shut up! You’re not even listening to me!
The man threw his hands in the air. “What the hell is wrong with Brenda? We’re both busy! She’s doing us a favor! Heck, I was hoping she would come over tonight, so I can spend some time with my wife!”
Jane crossed her arms. “It feels more like a token gesture at this point.”
“No! I miss you! Look, both of our jobs are important. If anything, yours is the most important. You have more responsibility than I will ever have. Let me take you out to dinner. Brenda can watch him tonight like she always does.”
The woman was starting to come around. “What about Timothy? He wanted to see your new photos.”
“I’ll drop the memory stick off at some photo place, and we can go to eat in the meantime. I’ll go through them with Tim in the morning.” He took her by the shoulders. “Honey, there is no reason we should be fighting. It’s just life.”
Jane sighed and then kissed him. “I’ll call Brenda. She’s never been unavailable for as long as we’ve had her.”
Kyle smiled and pulled out his cell phone. “Good. I’ll make a reservation at The Olympus. Guy there owes me a favor anyways.”
*****
Later in Timothy’s bedroom: Brenda was sitting with the boy. They were on opposite sides of a plastic crafts table. The woman had taken the cat picture from the fridge and was admiring it. Timothy was holding onto Mr. Grizzly while he waited for her opinion.
She finally said, “I like it. How long did it take you?”
The child responded, “Over an hour. I already showed it to Daddy.”
She chuckled. “I know. I won’t tear it up or anything. You still sad about the puppy?”
Timothy shook his head. “No. You made me feel better about it.”
“Did you like it when I hugged you?”
The child pressed his mouth into his bear. His answered was muffled but still intelligible. “Yes. I loved it.”
“Do you like it when you cry?”
Once again, he was muffled. “No, but it feels better once we hug.”
Brenda smiled mischievously. “Is that why you let me do these things to you?”
“I guess so.” Timothy was still pressing his face into Mr. Grizzly. It was almost like he was hiding behind the toy out of embarrassment. There was a certain cuteness about it that Brenda adored.
The woman asked, “What would your mommy do if she found out you let your puppy get broken?”
“She’d be mad at me.”
“Even if it was an accident, and you were sad?”
“I think so.?
??
“What about your daddy?”
Timothy peered around as if thinking about it. “I dunno.”
“Do they ever hug you, Timothy?”
The boy once again went quiet but for much longer. Brenda waited. Eventually, Timothy answered, “Not like you do it. I love it when you do it.”
Brenda stood to her feet and slowly stepped around him. “When you get hurt, you want someone to hug. Not just that, but you want someone to hug you back and tell you that it’s okay.” Timothy was following her with his eyes. She continued, “It feels warm and wonderful. Does that sound right, Timmy?”
The child nodded while simultaneously hiding his blush behind Mr. Grizzly. Brenda knelt down next to him and placed an arm around his back. She said, “But there’s so many ways to be hurt. Have you ever been spanked, Timmy?”
Timothy knew what spanking was, but his parents were against the practice. The most he had ever gotten was having his toys or privileges taken away. The thought of being spanked made him cringe in the worst way. Still, he chose to be honest. “No. It sounds painful.”
The young woman rubbed his back slowly. “It is… especially when a paddle is used.” Brenda looked into his eyes in that mischievous look that she always had before she was going to do something terrible. Timothy tried to tell her that he did not want her to do anything, but the look on her face was freezing him to the core.
Brenda stood up. The boy was still frozen as she walked over to his bedroom door. He hugged Mr. Grizzly as hard as he could as if that would do anything to stop what was inevitably going to happen.
She reached just outside the doorway and took hold of something. She looked at the boy with a devious grin. Timothy shook his head with pleading eyes. Brenda nodded as a reply and presented the boy with what she had brought with her. It was a big, red spanking paddle.
Timothy immediately ran for his bed and attempted to wrap himself up on his covers. Taking on a more aggressive demeanor, Brenda darted over to the boy and violently started yanking at the sheets to rip them away from him. The boy had an amazing grip which was fueled by fear, but it was not enough. An opening was found, and the woman grabbed his arm pulling him out. The bed sheets were tossed to the floor.