Brenda noticed that he was still holding onto Mr. Grizzly, so she removed the toy. Timothy started screaming and crying once his last vestige of comfort was taken away. The woman yelled, “Shut up!”
She pulled the struggling boy over her lap, yanked down the back of his pants, and gave his bare rear a terrible slap with the hard, unforgiving paddle. Timothy screamed, “Stop! I don’t want to do this! Just stop!”
“No!” the babysitter shouted. She used one arm to hold the fidgeting boy in place as the other brought the paddle down a second terrible time. The sound it made seemed to echo off the walls of his room in all its intensity.
“It hurts! It hurts too much!”
“You think I care?!” WHAP! Another strike burned his rear.
Timothy let loose another scream which was followed by intense whimpering and tears. It was not just the pain that hurt, but how mean she was being. Brenda stopped for a moment and readied her arm. The boy was, for a moment, relieved that it had come to a stop.
Brenda said in what sounded like an angry voice, “This is all you deserve! I’m going to spank the mess out of you, and you won’t be able to stop me!”
Timothy screamed, “No! No! No! Don’t!”
Brenda grinned, and without further wait, she began spanking him hard and fast with very little mercy. The room and even the entire house were filled with the child’s screams. It was the worst physical pain that the child had ever felt, and it was only getting worse!
The babysitter was unrelenting. Timothy’s buttocks had become a bright red. The skin had become raw, and blisters would surely form from the paddling. The boy’s voice was screeching in pitches that it had never produced before. These sounds brought Brenda’s arm to a halt.
The woman tossed the paddle to the floor and brought the teary-eyed mess of a child up into her arms and held him tightly. The boy was sobbing so hard that he was nearly choking on his own breath. He pressed his face to her bosom with all the force that he had. It did very little to muffle his long, lamenting howls.
Brenda squeezed him as tight as she could. She spoke in the kindest voice that she could muster, “It’s over. It’s over, Timmy. Everything will be all right. You didn’t deserve that.”
Unable to produce anything intelligible, the child just blubbered against the woman with all his fervor. Their embrace felt distinctly warm. It was like a bright, sunny day in the midst of a thunderous storm. Even after that horrible beating, Timothy felt wonderful.
*****
Sunday morning: Kyle Lewis sat down on the living room couch with a handful of photographs. He flipped through them briefly to see if they were all appropriate before calling out, “Hey, Tim! Want to see my new photos?!”
Timothy waddled out of the hallway clutching firmly onto Mr. Grizzly. He smiled. “What are they of, Daddy?”
The father replied, “Have a seat. I’ll show them to you.”
The boy walked up close but stopped short of the couch. “I wanna stand.”
Father was somewhat perplexed by that request, but quickly shrugged it off. “That’s all right, I guess.” He handed the boy the pictures.
Timothy began flipping through them. He liked seeing all the places that his father had been. It made it feel like he was traveling with him. “Where are these places?” the child asked.
“Well, the first bunch of them are from New York. The second half of the pictures are from the other side of the U.S. Ever heard of Washington?”
“I thought that was a person.”
Kyle chuckled. “I think this place was named after him.” He pointed at one of the shots. “That’s Seattle. See that building there? That’s the Space Needle.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “I like it, Daddy. Can it really go into outer space?”
The father thought about it for a moment. He answered, “Yep. Although, they wouldn’t let me go up in it. If I did, I would have had better pictures than these.”
Timothy peered up at his father. “Are you really leaving for California today?”
Kyle sighed regretfully. “Yes.”
“Will you call me a lot?”
“Of course, I’ll call you. I always call you.”
The boy reissued his question, “But will you call me a lot?”
The father felt like he was being accused. “I’ll call when I can, Tim.”
The boy suddenly crawled onto Daddy’s lap holding onto his shoulders to keep him upright. “I get sad when you leave.”
Kyle tried to respond, “Well, Tim, I…” The boy suddenly hugged his father tightly. The man was a little startled by the action. He hesitated, but soon completed the gesture with an embrace. “It makes me sad too, Tim.”
*****
The day passed by, and Kyle had to leave once again. Timothy watched as Jane saw him off. They hugged, kissed, and once again, mother and son were left alone.
Throughout the day, Jane noticed there was something odd about Timothy. He had spent the day laying on his belly either drawing with crayons or watching cartoons. Not that there was anything wrong with that; it was just starting to become noticeable to her that the boy was never sitting down. She was able to shrug those instances off, but when supper time came around, it was unavoidable.
Timothy had pushed his chair back and was standing while he ate which was moderately difficult with his height. Jane commented, “Is something wrong with your chair, Timmy?”
The boy replied, “I just wanted to stand today.”
“I’d prefer you sit down like a good, little boy. You’re going to make a mess eating like that.”
Timothy defended, “I wanna eat this way.”
“Timmy, sit down.”
“I’m doing fine like this. See?” He demonstrated how he was perfectly capable of serving himself food while standing up.
Mother approached him. “I told you to sit down!” Jane lightly slapped Timothy in the rear. The child let out a pain-stricken howl that startled the woman. The boy suddenly went quiet and seemed to look at her as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
Jane bore an expression of shock. “Timmy, what in the world was that?!”
Unsure of how to hide what he just did, the boy replied, “What was what?”
“That scream! Are you in pain?!”
The boy shook his head and backed away from the table. “No. I’m okay!”
It was too late. Jane’s curiosity had been peaked. “Turn around and show me your rear.”
Timothy yelled, “No!” He tried to dash away, but Mother was too fast for him. The struggling boy was swiftly subdued, and his pants were partially dropped. What Jane saw terrified her.
“What happened to you?! What is this?! Your rear is all blistered up!”
“It’s nothing! It’ll heal!”
“How in the world could this happen, Timothy?! Who could have…” She stopped when the answer suddenly became terribly evident. She turned the boy around and looked into his eyes. “Did Brenda do this to you?”
Timothy started crying. “No!”
“She did do it; didn’t she?!”
“No, Mommy! Leave her alone!”
Jane pulled her son’s pants up and took him by the arm as she gathered up her purse and car keys. Timothy cried out, “Mommy, what are you doing?!”
“We’re going to see Brenda! You’re just going to wait in the car, because I can’t leave you here alone!”
The boy tugged back on his mother but she was too strong for him. “No! Leave her alone!”
“Come on! We’re leaving!” They headed briskly out the door.
*****
Jane approached Brenda’s apartment with a cold, determined expression. As angry as she was, she still managed to ring the doorbell rather than beat the door down like she wanted to do. Timothy was crouched on the seat of the car so that he did not have to sit down. He watched from where he was with worry.
Brenda peered briefly through the side window. She then opened the door and spoke with unk
nowing levity, “Miss Lewis, what brings you here? I didn’t expect you.” The frown on Jane’s face suddenly spoke volumes, and the young woman could not help but take on a similar expression.
Jane replied, “May I ask you something, Brenda?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“At which point did I give you the right to beat my child?”
Brenda seemed to retract slightly into the apartment as a turtle would into a shell. “Miss Lewis, I…”
Jane pointed and snapped, “Stop talking! You were not hired to beat my son until he could no longer sit down! You were required to keep him safe while his father and I were away from home! I have half a mind to call the police on you. Have you seen what you did to him?! It looks horrible!”
Brenda answered in a whimper, “He just wanted to feel loved.”
Those words stammered Jane into a moment of silence. It was not just what Brenda had said, but the strange look of longing that went with it. It was unsettling. “What the hell does that even mean?!” asked the unnerved mother.
The look on Jane’s face was scaring Brenda into silence. She felt that anything she said after this point would make the situation worse, so the young woman just stared at her timidly.
Jane took on an intimidating demeanor. “You listen to me very closely, you sick bitch. I don’t want to ever see you with my son again. You stay away from my house and our family. If I even think I see you about my house, I’ll call the police. Consider our arrangement dissolved. Understand?”
Brenda nodded. “Understood.”
With that, Jane returned to her car. Brenda closed her door but continued to watch from her side window.
Timothy had not heard anything that had been said, but the feeling he got from watching it was not a good one. As Mother entered the car, he was already primed to ask, “What’s gonna happen?”
Jane slammed the door shut and looked at him resolutely. “You won’t be seeing her anymore. We’re going home.”
She moved her hand to put the car into reverse, but Timothy grabbed it. “No! Mommy, she didn’t mean it! It was an accident! Please, don’t say that!”
Jane was aghast by his reaction. “Timmy, what’s wrong with you?! She beat you!”
“She didn’t mean to!” Tears began to flow from his eyes. “Don’t take her away! I like Brenda!”
“No!” She forced the car into reverse and pulled out of the lot.
Timothy turned and looked back at the apartment. He held out his arm and cried out for her even though she would not be able to hear. “Brenda!”
*****
A short while later: Brenda was sitting on the floor in an empty corner of her apartment. She clutched desperately to a large plush rabbit as she stared vacantly across the living area at the doorway. The young woman’s disposition was dark and empty. She felt like everything she loved had been suddenly taken away, and now she would be forever alone.
Brenda began to rock back and forth. The subtle movements seemed to create warmth between her and the rabbit. It almost felt good, but the reasoning behind the action became stronger than the result. She was miserable and heartbroken.
Tears began to fall from her eyes as she rocked. The woman remembered seeing Timothy’s reaction in the car. He was as scared and heartbroken as she was. Who was he going to hug? Who would give him the love that he needed? His mother would never understand.
Brenda looked to her right letting her nose brush over the bunny as she sniffled. She scowled. Jane had been out of line. Timothy deserved so much more than that. The idea of him living with that woman forever was unbearable. “Don’t you even care that he’s in pain?” she asked as if Jane was right there. “I gave him what he wanted! You’ll never give him what he wants! You’ll be just like the rest of them: cold, unfeeling, and cruel!”
Brenda gritted her teeth and rocked with more intensity. “You don’t even care for him, you bitch!” She gave the rabbit another squeeze and then threw it away out of anger. “This isn’t enough!”
The young woman ran about her apartment as if mad. She threw over her coffee table, and pulled her TV to the floor. She ran into the kitchen and began tossing anything breakable into the wall. “He needs me!” she screamed.
Brenda stormed out to her car, started the engine, and screeched out of the lot in a hurry. Several neighbors watched from their doorways wondering what was happening that had made so much of a ruckus. She was gone before any action could be taken against her.
*****
No matter how much Jane had explained the situation to Timothy, it still felt terrible to have someone so close to him be ripped away like that. The boy was lying on his belly after going to bed. Tears came and went as the earlier events tumbled in and out of his mind.
Although Mother had hugged him a little bit after the incident, it was not the same as when Brenda did it. For one thing, Mother did not seem to understand why Timothy was sad. In addition, these hugs were spurred on by the boy’s insistence. He needed to be comforted. He needed to be told that it was going to be okay. He needed to know that losing a friend was not going to be the end.
Brenda had spent many a night with him, and she had taught him well what being comforted should feel like. He loved that feeling, and it seemed that there was no sacrifice too great if it meant a chance to feel that warmth, that tight embrace, that immeasurable comfort. Timothy felt empty, and it seemed like the void would never again be filled.
The child was suddenly startled by a rapping on the window. He froze for a while, wondering if it would happen again. It did.
Timothy crawled out of bed and slowly approached the window. It was dark and difficult to see outside, but the moonlight had created the form of a person upon the curtains. He reached up and pulled them apart.
Timothy smiled when he saw Brenda outside. “Brenda!” he absentmindedly shouted.
She placed a finger to her nose to shush him. He frowned but nodded. The woman asked, “Can you find something to stand on so you can unlock the window, Timmy?”
“Okay, just a moment,” he said more quietly.
*****
Jane was in bed. She had called Kyle–whose flight had been delayed–on her cellphone and told him about the disturbing events of the day. The husband had been surprised about everything that he heard. The whole thing was unexpected. He asked, “Were there any signs at all that this was going on?”
“I never noticed anything,” replied Jane. “The weird thing about it was that Timothy seemed to want more of it. I can’t even imagine what that means.”
“He’s only seven. Kids that age are still soaking everything in. Brenda was probably telling him that he needed it or something. We might want to consider taking him to counseling.”
“Counseling?” Jane was skeptical. “Are you serious?”
Kyle sounded sincere. “I’m pretty sure neither one of us know how to handle this, dear.”
Jane sighed with understanding. “I guess you’re right. Kyle, are you sure you have to leave? I really need you with me right now.”
Kyle joked, “At this rate, I may never leave. It’ll probably be faster to walk to California at this point.” He expected a chuckle or something from his wife, but the line was silent. “Jane? You still there?”
She answered, “I heard something. I’ll be right back, Kyle.”
“All right, I’ll wait,” came the response.
Jane set her phone down and made a casual walk about the house. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary so far. She wondered if Timothy had woken up. The mother opened the door to his room. It was dark, so she quietly called, “Timothy?” When no response came, she reached over and turned on the light. The bed was empty. She looked to her right and saw an open window. “Timmy!” she shouted as she ran for it.
She looked around desperately hoping to see him. Her heart sunk when all she saw was the broken bug screen that had been torn from the window. “Timmy! Timmy, answer me! Where are you?!” Jane was suddenly blinde
d by two bright lights. A car revved up, and backed out of the drive way; tires were screeching the entire way. “No!” she screamed as she stumbled out of the window. “Oh, God, no!”
Jane staggered out in her nightgown and bare feet chasing the car that she knew had her only child in it. It pulled into the road and screeched off before the mother had a chance to catch up. “Timmy!” she screamed. “Oh, God! This is not happening!” She stared down the road until the car disappeared out of sight. There was a seemingly never-ending moment of just not knowing what to do, until she was finally able to snap out of it.
The mother cried as she ran back to the window. She darted back into her bedroom and fumbled for the phone. Kyle was already yelling, “Sweetheart! Why are you crying?! Hello?!”
She screamed over the receiver, “She took Timothy! She just took Timothy!”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Through the window! Kyle, Brenda just kidnapped him! Oh, my God!”
Kyle tried not to scream in his response, “Jane, I’m coming home! Hang up with me and call the police! Call me again as soon as you can!”
Jane was hysterical. “What if she hurts him?! What if she does something worse!?”
Kyle’s voice became more demanding, “Jane, stop talking to me and call the police! Do it now!”
She was blubbering in a fear-stricken panic. “I need you, Kyle! Come home!”
“I’m coming home! I’m running to my car right now! Just hang up and call the damn police! We don’t have time for this!” Jane suddenly hung up the phone and finally did as told.
*****
The Dover City Police arrived in record time, and Jane was barely able to speak well enough to explain what had happened; however, she managed well enough. Investigators scanned the area thoroughly, and they were on the lookout for Brenda who was nowhere to be found. There was absolutely no sleep to be had for Jane that night.
An Officer Bilkins had decided to remain with her through the night, not only for her comfort, but to keep her informed of any news regarding the search. By four AM, Jane was still waiting for Kyle’s arrival. She decided to speak to the officer to keep herself sane. “Do you know what the chances are of finding them?”
Officer Bilkins replied, “We know who she is and the make and model of her car. There have been a few witness accounts of strange behavior from her before the incident. It doesn’t sound like she covered her tracks very well, Miss Lewis. At least, that’s what they have been informing me.”