A Collapsing Balloon | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: A Collapsing Balloon | Previous Challenge Entry
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02/21/05
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Scrunching his knees and hugging the leg of the chair, Justin hid and listened. He scooted closer to the center of his hiding place beneath the kitchen table, concealed from their sight. As the shouting continued, he covered his ears, but still heard their harsh words. He lifted the edge of the tablecloth and peeked at his parents. Daddy stood with hands on his hips, shouting. Mommy slouched back on the couch, wiping away tears.

“I’m tired of it all, Rachel. I’m always broke. I need time for myself, away from you. I want a little bit of freedom. I don’t love you. Why can’t you get that in your head?” As Daddy argued with Mommy, Justin shrunk back into the confines of his hide-away.

He heard Mommy snivel as she bickered with Daddy. “Jim, we can’t just quit. Please don’t leave us. We can work this out. I don’t want you to leave.”

“Stop it. Stop that stupid whining. We tried to work it out. Rachel, listen to me! I don’t love you!” Daddy yelled angrily at Mommy.

Justin squeezed his hands tightly against his ears. He flinched when the book, which Daddy slung, crashed to the floor a few feet from the table.

“What about Justin? You know how much he loves you. You can’t just leave him.” Justin’s head perked when Mommy mentioned his name.

“I’m not leaving my son! I’m leaving you! I’ll make time for Justin; he’ll be okay. Kids are resilient. We’re not the first people to get a divorce, Rachel.”

Justin shivered at the sound of the word divorce.

“Jim, please. We’re a family. Just give it one more chance. We can go to counseling. I’ll be a better wife.”

Daddy stomped his foot and stalked off across the room.

Justin opened his eyes, stooped over, and browsed the area for his parents. Mommy shuffled past the table, heading toward the front door. He stretched forward, trying to spot Daddy.

“You’ll never understand, Rachel. It’s not about you; it’s about ME!” Daddy bellowed a bad word as the front door banged shut.

Justin crawled to the edge of the table and poked his head from under the tablecloth. Mommy slumped against the wall, holding back the curtain, and stared out the window. Seizing the opportunity, Justin crept from beneath the table, hopped to his feet, and snuck into his bedroom.

From his bedroom window, he detected Daddy’s car driving down the street. He perched atop the toy box until the headlights disappeared into the darkness. In super-hero semblance, he vaulted from atop the toy box, opened his door, and peeped down the hallway. He detected Mommy, in the kitchen, talking to Aunt Denise on the telephone. In silence, he listened to her cry.

Leaving the bedroom door ajar, he dressed in his pajamas and extracted his favorite Spiderman™ from the toy box. He lay on the bed, under the covers, and concentrated on Mommy’s voice. As he eavesdropped, he rolled to his side and glimpsed the photograph taped to his dresser. Filmed last month, on his seventh birthday, the picture revealed him with Mommy and Daddy. His eyes moved to the foot of the bed where a collapsed balloon hung from the bedpost. The same balloon he held in the picture.

He closed his eyes and cuddled Spiderman™ to his body. With his head buried in the pillow, tears streamed onto the SpongeBob® pillowcase.

He waited for Mommy to come and pray the goodnight prayers.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

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