AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her patience fraying, she let out a deep sigh.
Almost every weekday morning, she went through the same ordeal, rushing around her small apartment in an effort to get her eight-year-old, Theodore, out the door on time so he wouldn’t miss the school bus. They both knew what needed to be done, but each time her son exasperated her to the point she had to use her ‘not so nice voice,’ as he called it—when she spoke to him through gritted teeth.
As she was about to walk back to his room, Theo came running into the little living room.
“Did you put the permission sheet in your backpack?’ Marissa grabbed her messenger bag from the counter separating the kitchen from the living room and flung it onto her right shoulder.
“Yes, mommy,” Theo replied in a heavy voice.
Why did he sound exasperated, as if she was the problem?
“Little boy, are you exasperated with me?”
Theo giggled. “Eggzaspat?”
She lifted his chin and locked eyes with him. “Exasperated. It means annoyed.”
Her son burst into a fit of giggles. His laughter, like a gentle tide, washed away her anger.
“Silly boy.” She tweaked his nose. “Let me see if you have that sheet.”
Since he already wore his backpack, she unzipped the bag and found the permission slip allowing him to go to the Fernbank Museum with the other kids. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t make sure and he left the paper at home. Then he’d have to stay at school and miss out on seeing dinosaur bones and the outdoor exhibits—all of which he’d talked about almost nonstop for weeks on end since the teacher notified her about the field trip months ago.
“See Mommy, I told you that I have it,” Theo said.
Because they didn’t look much alike, people often mistook her for his babysitter or nanny. His father was Black, Indian and Caucasian, and Theo looked up at her with curly red hair, the color inherited from his paternal grandfather. He had his father’s lighter skin tone, though in the summer his complexion turned a few shades lighter than her own, into caramel.
“Yes, you did, but I wouldn’t be a good mommy if I didn’t double check. Okay, let’s go. The bus will be here any minute.”
Marissa ushered him forward. With a quick spin, Theo slipped from her grasp and charged to the counter, grabbing his Spiderman lunchbox and running out the door.
His obsession with the superhero had extended beyond toys and the lunch box to bed linens, one pair of pajamas, and two Spiderman costumes, which he wore constantly. He terrified her on a regular basis when he wore the costume and jumped from the couch to the coffee table to the floor, or climbed the huge bookshelf in the living room that reached to the ceiling. She could always count on her son to give her heart a good workout.
Theo opened the door, and she followed behind him but came to an abrupt stop when the world before her appeared out of focus. She had forgotten her glasses. She cursed softly.
Theo looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened. “Oooh, Mommy, you said a bad word.”
“Yes, I did, and I shouldn’t have.” Marissa swung around, her eyes sweeping the interior of their small apartment.
Where the heck had she left them? Being nearsighted meant she could only clearly see what was directly in front of her. The rest of the apartment was a blurry mix of colors.
“Baby, do you see my glasses?”
Theo stepped inside the apartment. “Over there, by the TV.” He ran to get them.
Disgusted by her own absentmindedness, Marissa shook her head. She didn’t remember placing them there, but the morning had been chaotic as usual. At least she didn’t leave them in the refrigerator again. She laughed softly.
“Why are you laughing, Mommy?” Theo handed her the black spectacles.
Marissa settled them on her face, relieved when the world came into focus. “I’m laughing at myself. Okay, let’s try this again. Let’s go, go, go before the bus comes.”
Theo laughed as she rushed him out the door and locked up.
“Can I go to the park today after school?” he asked.
“If the other kids want to go, then you can go, but you’ll have to ask Miss Carla,” Marissa replied, referring to his babysitter.
Carla lived in the building next door. She used to be a school teacher but walked away from the profession because she disagreed with changes the school board made to the curriculum. Since she missed teaching and loved kids, she had turned her passion into a tutoring and babysitting side business.
