Missouri in a Suitcase ~ Chapter Two

Chapter Two

 

After spending two exhausting days clearing the enormous amount of over-growth that threatened to swallow the house, Lizabeth was now ready to go inside and start organizing the mess strewn everywhere.  She hadn’t realized just how badly the house had deteriorated in the years since her grandparents were alive and couldn’t recall it ever being in such dire need of maintenance when she was younger.  She supposed that at such a young age, she probably wouldn’t have noticed or cared anyway.

Tommy hadn’t been much help in her quandary, but at least he was amusing himself by means other than sitting in front of the television.  He seemed to have staked a claim on the shed at the entrance of the woods and she was pleased to see him take even a slight interest in something—anything.

“Hi there.”

Letting out a brief gasp, she spun around to see the face belonging to the unfamiliar voice.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you.  My name is Gabe, Gabe Taylor.  I live in that house over there.”  He motioned to the house that sat catty-corner to hers.  Although the homes were similar, she found herself inwardly envious of the well-kept condition of his.

“I didn’t hear you coming.  I’m Lizabeth Porter, we’ve just moved in.”  With so many miles between her and Missouri, she couldn’t understand why she was still so jumpy.  She offered a vague smile, inwardly wishing he would leave before Tommy appeared from wherever he’d been busying himself.

“We?  Does that mean there’s a Mr. Porter?  I would hope so if you ever expect to get this house in shape.”  He motioned with his hand toward the house in front of them.  His intention had not been to offend, but seeing the mocking smile on her face, he realized that he was starting on the wrong foot with his pretty, new neighbor.

“Well Mr. Taylor, I can see that you possess at the very least a modest amount of chauvinism as to think I would need a Mr. Porter to make this house livable but I assure you, I can manage quite well on my own.”

 She could feel a slight surge of heat pass over her face, as she tinged with anger, wanting to excuse herself from his company before he noticed.  She began scanning the area for Tommy, considering her guest.

His expression became apologetic as he began to speak.  “It seems that in a few short moments I’ve managed to scare you, offend you and now I’ve worn out my welcome.  I’ll take this as my cue to leave but these weren’t my intentions when I came over.  I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, I’m sorry.”  He ran a hand through his dark-brown hair in a placatory gesture.  For lack of anything better, he offered a slight wave and muttered, “See you around,” as he turned and headed down the stone walkway.

For a moment, she stood and watched him as he crossed the street into his yard, angry with herself for her curt behavior.  She hadn’t intended for her remark to come out as defensive as it had, but sexist men always had a way of making her blood boil.  She turned around with her hands planted on her hips and looked at the house with a critical eye.  He was right, how would she ever get this house into an appealing or at the very least, respectable condition by herself.

Still annoyed at herself for the behavior she displayed toward Gabe, she brushed herself off and headed into the house.

 

“Tommy, are you in here?”

She hadn’t seen him in quite awhile and thought he might be getting hungry.  When he didn’t show himself, she proceeded to make a sandwich for each of them and placed a napkin over his to keep the flies that seemed to be everywhere from getting to it before he did.  She ate hers in solitude, giving brief thought to where he was, happy that he seemed to be enjoying his new surroundings.

 

She spent the last four hours trying to find a place for the contents of the boxes that lay scattered throughout the house.  The movers had set the furniture wherever there was room, and although not where she would have chosen to put it, she would wait for a later time to re-arrange things, when she wasn’t so fatigued. 

Unpacking was an even more monotonous task than packing had been; she hated it!  She put boxes marked ‘Tommy’ in his room thinking it best to let him rummage through them.  He was so guarded, so private lately she thought he might view it as meddlesome if she were to do it for him.

As the sun began to draw long shadows on the walls, she found herself searching out the window for signs of her brother.  She began to feel uneasiness grow as she became more concerned over his whereabouts.  She stuck her head out his bedroom window and called him to no avail.  She didn’t expect to hear an answer but thought that surely he would come around to that side of the house to see what she wanted.  When she didn’t see or hear anything, panic began to set in.  She ran downstairs and flung open the front door, her eyes racing back and forth looking for signs of him.  She had searched the yard and every tree in it and finding nothing, decided to check the shed although she hadn’t seen him near it since earlier this morning.  Pulling on the door with more force than intended, she startled him to the point of momentarily releasing his grip on the suitcase.

Her heart tightened when she saw the tears that threatened to spill from his iridescent blue eyes.

“Oh honey, I didn’t mean to scare you!  I was worried!  I thought something terrible happened to you.”

She dropped to her knees, holding him against her and stroking his dirty-blonde hair in a comforting gesture.

“I’m so sorry Tommy, I was just so afraid!  Have you been in here all day?”  Not expecting to get an answer to her question, she was taken aback when she felt his head nod faintly against her chest.  She knew better than to make an issue of it and decided to pretend as if it had gone unnoticed.

“Let’s get you in the house, I made you a sandwich for lunch but I’m sure it’s no good anymore.  I’ll make you something else, are you getting hungry?”  This time she waited, hoping for another response.  He nodded again and rather than remark on the noted change in behavior, she held him by his free hand and led him into the house, inwardly smiling at what she saw as her first real breakthrough.

Once inside, Lizabeth wanted a moment to sort through the events in the shed and asked Tommy if he wanted to start to organize his things.  As he headed up the stairs, she sat at the table, trying to muddle through her thoughts.  She found herself confused by his sudden show of participation.  Not that she was complaining, on the contrary, it thrilled her.  Not believing for a minute the game they had played in the car was the source of the sudden change, she couldn’t help wonder what was.  She also pondered the reason he chose to spend the entire day in the shed.  Was it that he felt safe in there or was he simply trying to avoid her?

 Resting her head in her hands, and aching with an inner pain, she spoke softly.  “Dear Lord, if you see fit to answer only one prayer for me in my lifetime, please brings Tommy back to me.”

 

When she had finished preparing the only meal she knew how to make, she called him to supper.  She shriveled a little at his expression, which bore an odd twinge of disappointment.  Knowing what it meant, she sat across from him and began a light-hearted attempt at humor.

“Don’t give me the evil eye; I know what you’re thinking.  I never said I could cook and you should be happy I know how to make this.  Spaghetti is a perfectly respectable meal and there are kids in third world countries that would spit up their rice to get a plateful like the one you’ve got in front of you.”

He didn’t find comfort in her words, but did pick up his fork and begin to push the saucy pile around his plate.

“I’ll tell you what, you eat this and tomorrow we’ll go to the store and I’ll get some TV dinners.  Meat, potatoes, a vegetable and if you’re lucky, a surprise dessert too!  What else can you ask for?”

He raised one corner of his mouth in a mocking gesture but all she saw was a response.  She felt a tingling sensation inside with every reaction she received for her efforts.  She could overlook the decaying state of the house if the move was in any way responsible for his sudden spark of enthusiasm.

She was cleaning up from dinner when she heard a knock at the door.  They wouldn't have a phone until tomorrow and she couldn’t imagine who it could be.  Glancing into the living room, she could see that Tommy was not even attempting to answer the knock, which now came again.

As she opened the door, she found herself greeted with a smile—and a pie!  Behind the smile was the face of the man whom she had shared less than a congenial visit with earlier.

“Hi, I hope you haven’t had dessert yet.”

Offering no more than a pinched smile, she opened the door further to let their guest in.

His outstretched hands offered the pie that she took with a feeling of guilt for not being more cordial, secretly wishing that he had not come by.

As she set it on the phone table behind her, she cordially said, “Thank you but you didn’t have to do this.”

Tommy took all of her energy.  She found herself less willing to socialize or be social as time went by.  Although this was a kind gesture, it was uncalled for and unnecessary.

“I realize that.  I did it to make up for earlier, I didn’t mean to come off as rude.”

She felt a hue of shame cross her face as she looked at his devil-may-care smile and realized just how rude she had been.

“I’m sorry; I should be the one apologizing.  I haven’t been here since I was a child and I didn’t expect to have this much to do when we arrived.  I took my frustrations out on you.  Thank you very much for the pie.”

“Not a problem.”  With that, Gabe headed toward the couch where Tommy sat listening to their conversation.

“This must be the other part of the ‘we’ I keep hearing about.  Hey little man, I’m Gabe, I live across the street.  What’s your name?”

Tommy didn’t offer an answer, only sat staring at the stranger without displaying a glint of emotion on his face.  As Gabe looked toward Lizabeth and saw the utter embarrassment that sent shades of red over her cheeks, he instinctively knew to change the subject.

Wringing a dishtowel in her hands and unable to meet his gaze, she began to speak, her voice faltering slightly.

“That’s my brother Tommy.  He isn’t… he doesn’t talk much to people he doesn’t know, I’m sorry.”

In his line of work, he could easily detect a conjured excuse from a truth.  Not knowing the reason for her excuse, he decided it best to change the subject and act indifferent toward her comment.

“Actually, the reason I came is to tell you that if you need a hand with anything here, I’d be happy to help when I have time off.  I enjoy that type of work and the people who lived here years ago were very close to my family.  I wouldn’t mind seeing this old house restored.”

“Those people were my grandparents, Leo and Irene Slater.  I used to come here every summer when I was a kid; I didn’t realize it had deteriorated so much since then.”

His playful smile accented the glimmer of light in his dark-brown eyes that seemed to be the same shade as his hair, only touched with specks of gold.  He stood a moment shaking his head in disbelief.

“Lizzy, what do you know!  It’s been twenty years or better.”

She looked from him, to Tommy and back to him, dumbfounded by his statement.  Seeing the lack of recollection in her face, he offered an explanation.

“You don’t remember me?  My parents owned the house I live in now, when you were just little you used to come over almost everyday looking to play with us.  You were a spunky little thing, eager to show us that you could do what the big kids could.”

Embarrassed at not remembering, she offered a sheepish, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember you.”

“You wouldn’t I suppose.  You were probably only six or seven at the time and once you were old enough to remember, I was spending more time away from the house.”  He gave her a carefree smile and then turned his attention toward Tommy.

 “Well little man, it was nice meeting you and if you’re ever bored and you see my truck in the driveway, c’mon over; I have something you might like to see.”  Turning back toward Lizabeth he added, “You two have a real good evening and you let me know if you need a hand, I’d be more than happy to help.”

He gave them a wave and a slight nod of the head as he let himself out.

She looked from the door to Tommy not knowing what to make of Gabe’s visit.  Not wanting him to see how uncomfortable it had made her, she made light of it.

“Well, that was very nice of him.  Do you think you still have room for pie?”

With that, he hopped off the couch and headed for the kitchen, which was the only answer she needed.

 

When she awoke the next morning, she searched the house for Tommy, with no luck.  Having a suspicion where she could find him, she went to the shed, opening the door more quietly this time.

As the morning light spilled in through the open door, he slammed the top of the suitcase down, looking almost terrified that she had caught him in it.  Not wanting to regress on the progress she thought she’d made with him in the last several days, she pretended not to notice.

“Morning kiddo.  Listen, I don’t mind you sleeping out here but if you’re going to, I’ll put a lock on the door so you’ll be a little safer in here at night, Ok?”  She waited, hoping for a reply to come.  It came in the form of a slight nod, and she continued, “If I’m going to have you at the school for nine, we better get our butts in gear.  C’mon in and eat something before we leave.”

Today was the day she was to enroll him in the Ashton School for Exceptional Children.  She had heard wonderful things about their programs, this being one of the main factors in deciding to take her uncle up on his suggestion about the house.  It would only be about a thirty-minute drive each way but would offer her the opportunity to learn her way around the area.

He had missed his last month of fifth grade due to his condition after their father’s death.  She had desperately hoped he would come out of it before the next school year so he could rejoin a normal classroom environment but seeing only meager results in his progress, she felt forced to put him in a school more capable of handling a child with his emotional needs.

He had been to several specialists, who ultimately diagnosed him as having a disorder called lalophobia, which at best could only be concluded came from the death of their father, but was still very unusual.  Their recommendation was to keep him as an inpatient until they could break through the barrier he had put up, feeling he was unable to conduct himself in a normal public environment.  She had refused to sign him into a mental hospital, against their better wishes.  She sometimes wondered if she made the right decision but looking at his boyish face and knowing the pain that it concealed; she saw it as farming him off for the sake of making her life easier and she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

With breakfast eaten, teeth and hair brushed, they headed to the city.

“Once we’re through with your registration, I’ll stop and pick up those TV dinners I promised and then I have to get back to the house.  The telephone company is sending a man out today and I don’t want to miss him.”

Pulling out of the driveway, she noticed him staring intently at the house across the street.  She wondered if he was considering taking Gabe up on his offer or if he were just trying to get a look at what he may have been talking about last night.  Either way, he was showing some degree of awareness, even if not quite enthusiasm.

Once they were comfortable in their new house and Tommy was familiar with his new school, she thought she’d make up for her unsophisticated behavior toward Gabe and invite him to dinner.  Giving her culinary skills consideration, maybe hot dogs on the grill would suit better.

She was ashamed of her conduct, especially when he had gone out of his way to be accommodating.  It was all too easy to blame her less than gracious attitude on her recent tribulations but that would be a poor excuse at best, and not a legitimate reason. 

“Alright, we’re here, out of the car.”  Noticing the suitcase grasped in his hand, her first impulse was to tell him to leave it but she knew it would cause a scene that would lead to a struggle everyday.

On the way into the school she gave him the once over to make sure his hair wasn’t messed and his clothes all matched, something she probably would have been better off doing before they had gotten this far.  She smoothed her own clothes and ran a hand through her hair.  She didn’t know why she felt apprehensive about this meeting, a simple gathering to discuss their programs.  She thought that maybe she was afraid that if anything went wrong, Tommy would have to go to inpatient care—something she couldn’t allow to happen.

As she held the door open for him, she mustered up her most optimistic tone and said, “I have a good feeling about this place kiddo, a real good feeling.”

The mocking glimmer in his eyes told her that he knew he was being conned.

 

They had been waiting for twenty minutes when an elderly woman with delicate features stepped into the room and introduced herself.

“Hello, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.  My name is Stella Remick and I am the principal of the Ashton School for Exceptional Children.  This must be Tommy.”  She extended her hand to him and he did nothing more than look from it to her.

“You don’t have to talk to me if you’d prefer not to, but when someone holds out their hand in an attempt to greet you, it’s only polite to return the gesture.”

Lizabeth had her first inkling that this school wasn’t what her brother needed when she heard the words come from Stella’s mouth.  She had spent two months doing everything but back flips in an effort to bring him out of his shell and was certain that ordering him, no matter how politely, was not the answer.

Stella continued to hold her hand out for Tommy to shake and to Lizabeth’s amazement, he finally let go of his case long enough to reach out to her extended invitation.  She was speechless.

“Thank you very much, Tommy.”  Turning her attention to Lizabeth she continued, “I’ve read the reports that were faxed to me from the therapist he was seeing in Joplin and have a suggestion I would like to make, if you wouldn’t mind.”  She didn’t wait for an objection—nor an approval—before she continued, “Since Tommy’s condition is not genetic, meaning he can come out of this at any given time with proper reason and inclination on his part, I don’t feel that our normal structured classroom program would suit him as well as what I have in mind.  Of course I will need your permission first.”

“I’d be interested in hearing about anything you think holds possibility for him.  Can you tell me something about what you have in mind?”

“Of course.  We call the program ‘Buddy-Bonding.’  Tommy would spend two days a week participating in regular classroom activities.  The other three days, he would leave the school premises supervised by what we refer to as his buddy.  He will partake in normal everyday activities consisting of things like grocery shopping to washing a car to fishing or bicycle riding.  He would also from time to time take part in his buddy’s outside job.”

Lizabeth shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with what she’d heard.

“I don’t want to seem rude or unappreciative, but how do you know that Tommy will like this buddy, much less respond to them?  You say you’ve read the reports from his previous therapists so you are aware he's been diagnosed with lalophobia, along with repression and borderline schizoid personality disorder.  If there was a problem, how would he let anyone know?”

The accommodating expression on Stella’s face told her that she was expecting this reaction and was prepared to deal with it.

“Ms. Porter, we have had an excellent success rate with this program.  Eighty-seven percent of the children entering it have made a significant improvement and more than fifty percent have achieved full recovery.  Although lalophobia is quite rare and therefore not the only disorder we use this program for, our counselors are well trained in all aspects of dealing with specially challenged children.  I assure you, I would not suggest this if I thought for a moment that the counselor would not be equipped to handle any situation or if I thought that Tommy couldn’t benefit from it.  Furthermore, I am not questioning the diagnoses of the psychologists he has seen previously; but I would prefer to make my own assessment of Tommy before placing any fancy labels on his condition.”

Lizabeth looked at Tommy, hoping to see a response of any kind that would help her in determining whether he would be satisfied with her decision.

“Is this something that has to be decided on today?”

“No, of course not.  I must tell you; however, the disadvantage of procrastinating is that we only have so many counselors and many, many more children in need.  You see, most of the counselors involved in this program have full-time employment elsewhere and do this on a volunteer basis.  I sympathize with your situation and understand you wanting time to consider your options but to guarantee him a placement in this program; we would have to register him as soon as possible.”

She despised being put on the spot, but knowing she had to make a decision now, let instinct take control.  Stella’s answers seemed educated, well informed and better than anything else she had come up with so far.
            “Well Ms. Remick, I can’t say I feel very secure with it at this point but I also can’t say that anything else we’ve tried has been beneficial, so I am willing to sign him into this program until it’s deemed necessary to remove him.”

She glanced at Tommy hoping to see something on his face to let her know if she had made the right decision as far as he was concerned, only to find him looking out the window behind the desk, ambivalent to his surroundings.

“Alright then, I’ll begin the paperwork and contact the counselor.  When would you like him to begin school?”

“As soon as possible.  I realize that there are no guarantees and I’m not expecting miracles, but obviously if there is going to be a recovery, the sooner he starts, the sooner it will happen.”

“I’ll need you to give me some background information and while we do that let’s have Tommy get acquainted with his new teacher.”  Focusing her attention on him she added, “If you’ll come with me, I’ll introduce you to Mrs. Fletcher.”

Without hesitation, Tommy rose and followed her out the door.

Lizabeth sat alone in the small office and fought an inner battle with herself.  What if this turned out to be a setback, and he ended up worse in the end?  On the other hand, what if this was the answer to her prayers?  It had taken her two months to make the slightest headway and she was now concerned that it may have all been in vain.

When Stella returned to the office, she began gathering the required forms for Lizabeth to complete.

“Do you have someone in mind for Tommy yet?  If so, are they familiar with his condition?”

After her second question, she realized it might be misinterpreted as an interrogation triggered by doubts, and offered an apologetic smile.

“Ms Porter, I am sympathetic to your situation.  I am also fully aware how difficult it is to place your brother’s care in the hands of someone else knowing what's happened to him recently.  However, I have no reason to believe that he isn’t capable of making a full recovery given the chance.  In my experience, this program is his best chance.”

Suddenly feeling foolish, she lowered her head preparing to make an apology.  She had no reason to believe that this wouldn’t be of benefit.  These people trained for this.  She had no experience dealing with a child with this type of problem, she’d been barely managing for two months now, but they surely would have better results with their education and experience.

“I am sorry Ms. Remick.  I’m not criticizing the counselors or the program, I just wouldn’t know where else to turn if this doesn’t work.  It’s been suggested—even recommended—that I sign him into inpatient care.  I won’t do that.”

Offering a sympathetic smile she replied, “I believe you’re jumping the gun here.  Let’s say we don’t worry about things until there are things to worry about.  As I said, I feel very confident that he will make a complete recovery.  The gentleman he’ll be spending his three outside program days with, has not only trained in the area of dealing with special needs children, but has a child of his own with challenges.  I assure you, Tommy’s counselor has a rare gift with children, and he will be in very capable hands.”

Feeling somewhat reassured, she finished filling out the necessary forms and thanked the principal after retrieving Tommy to leave.

“You’re welcome.  We’ll see you Monday morning, Tommy, have a good weekend.”

Again, she extended her hand to him, this time getting an immediate response.

 

“So, what did you think of Mrs. Fletcher, did you like her?”

Again, he answered her question with nothing more than a stare.  Why was it he would respond to a total stranger but not his own sister?  She couldn’t imagine what upset him so much to cause him to ignore her.

“Tommy, I know you can nod your head.  How about we come to some sort of agreement here.  I’m liable to make a lot of wrong decisions if I don’t know how you feel about certain things so if I ask you a question, you shake or nod to let me know if I’m doing things right, Ok?”  Her tone was harsher than she had intended but playing games and coddling him wasn’t getting her anywhere and after seeing how someone who showed him a little authority got the response they were seeking, she thought it best to try doing things a little differently.

He turned his head to face her and nodded, his iridescent blue-gray eyes glassy from the reprimand he received.

“Thank you.  Tommy, are you mad at me for something?  Did I do something that hurt you?”

Knowing that now was the best chance she had at getting him to answer her, she was going to use it to her advantage.

Turning his head back to the window, he responded with a shake of his head.

“Tommy, I love you, I hope you know that.  Do you know that?”  Her voice carried a pleading tone.

She watched as he nodded, showing no sign of hesitation.

“Honey, I know what happened was an accident, I’m not mad at you if that’s what you think.  It was an accident and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, you’re not in any trouble.”

She was ready to break down but knew she had to remain strong for his sake.  She put a hand on his arm and he looked back at her with a baffled expression on his face.  She didn’t understand the reason for his confusion.

“God I wish I could read your mind.  I can see that I’ve said something that you don’t understand but I don’t know what.”  She tried to remember the very last thing she said.  When it occurred to her, she asked, “The accident, are you confused about the accident?”

He shook his head, despair filling his eyes.

“Honey, you realize it was an accident, don’t you?”  She gave his arm a tender squeeze knowing how devastating this must be for him.  Again, he shook his head, this time the tears that had threatened to spill had won their battle.

“Oh, Tommy you can’t blame yourself for what happened, it wasn’t your fault.  Is that why you’ve been like this, you think it was your fault?  Honey, it was an accident.”

He jerked his arm from her grasp and buried his head in his hands.  With his elbows resting on the suitcase sitting on his lap, he shook his head hard as his tears flowed freely.

Watching her brother in this state gripped at her heart and she felt her own eyes fill to capacity.  His inability or unwillingness to speak was ripping her to shreds.  She wanted so desperately to help him but hadn’t a clue where to begin.

“Tommy, I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, I’m trying to understand but I don’t.  Why are you so upset with me, I told you, it was an accident you have to stop blaming yourself.  I know you would never mean to do what happened.”

As she spoke, his sobs grew louder.  She pulled the car to the side of the road, leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.  Offering only slight resistance, he continued to cry into his hands.  She laid her head on the back of his neck and whispered softly, trying to calm down his quaking body.

“I would give anything to be able to help you, Tommy, if I only knew what to do.  Please, come back to me.”

She sat holding him while running her hand through his hair until his tears were under control.  Her heart was stinging and her mind was numb.  She couldn’t enclose the empathy that ran wild inside of her for Tommy after everything he’d been through in the last few months.  Every time she thought about how drastically her life had changed since the accident and what it had done to her emotionally, she’d think about what he was going through.  It made her troubles seem menial by comparison.

He was more withdrawn than usual throughout the grocery store, causing a pain inside of her that she couldn’t express in words.  Not being able to help him was bad enough but knowing that she could be the reason for his present state was even worse.  She had reacted while distressed.  Now that she’d had time to think, doubts were creeping into her subliminal thoughts.

She bought things she knew to be some of his favorites, hoping to lift his spirits but knew it would take more than a preferred snack to accomplish getting him to open up.

“Unless you can think of anything else we need, I guess we’re ready to checkout.  The phone’s coming today so we better get back.”

He looked straight ahead, pretending not to hear her.  No matter how sympathetic or how guilty she felt, at times like this when he dismissed her as you would a bothersome stranger, she wanted to grab him by the arms and shake some manners into him.  He was never openly rude or disrespectful before the accident and even knowing what he’d been through didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

Returning home with their purchases, she was still feeling a little disconcerted with Tommy’s outright ignorance toward her and had no qualms telling him that he was to bring in the groceries if he wanted to eat that evening.  He stared at her, belligerence written all over his face.

“Fine, have it your way, but unless you have a way to heat your TV dinner in  the shed, I would think twice before going up against me, Tommy.  I’m having left-over spaghetti, I won’t go hungry.”  She turned sharply and headed into the house, wondering what kind of face he was making behind her back.

She had only been inside for less than a minute, when she heard the door open.  Glancing from the corner of her eye, she saw him struggling his way into the kitchen carrying more than his little arms could hold between the bags and his recent appendage.  Trying to set them down on the table, two of the bags tipped, sending their contents sprawling onto the floor.  His eyes met hers, as if waiting for a scolding.  She knew she had won this battle, but also, that it was going to be a long war.

“Thank you very much.  The phone technician should be here soon and I’ll make dinner as soon as they leave.”  Not wanting him to see any sign of victory on her face, she turned away, began picking up the mess about the kitchen, and said, “Since you brought them in, I’ll clean up the mess.  I’ll call you for dinner.”

He scurried out before she had the opportunity to catch his expression.  It seemed she spent countless hours a day trying to read his face—usually to no avail.

She sank to the floor from her kneeling position, emotionally drained, wanting to let out a scream that came from the deepest corner of her soul.  Lowering her head into her hands, she let the tears that had been building up escape their bonds and flow freely.  She felt helpless—beyond her control.  She had covered up the accident, not to harm but to help Tommy and now wondered if her actions had scarred him further.  The more she tried to be compassionate and altruistic, the less willing to cooperate he became.  She was in over her head and saw no exit.

Reviews

[Forest Green]

This chapter shows nice tension-development. Mother-son relationship is an excellent theme to work from, drawing on vulnerabilities from each.

This is swell...

[Tommy]

If my interests where peeked before they are now succumbed to this mystiques accident. Nice work on the development of your characters. I think you have done a really nice job here!
RLG,
Tommy