AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Too Close
Beast
“Throw it, Hulk. Throw it.”
Summer needed to run some packages to the post office and once again left me at home with Gabe. Spending time alone with him is starting to be less terrifying.
I toss the football across the yard. It flies through the air and falls between Gabe’s outstretched arms and on the ground at his feet. He bends down and picks it up and runs it into the imaginary endzone.
I’m not a fan of football. I never played it and didn’t watch it growing up. Until I met my son, I knew nothing of the sport. But the only thing Gabe seems to like other than Marvel characters, is tossing a football. So, I researched all I could about the sport.
“Good job,” I tell him when he rushes back over to me and hands me the football. “Remember, you want to position your body toward the football, and keep your arms together when you go to catch it, okay?”
“Okay,” he says nodding.
“Alright, go deep,” I tell him.
He runs off, and I once again throw him the ball. This time, it falls right in his arms. The catch seems to shock him. His eyes widen before a huge smile breaks across his face. Gabe is the spitting image of me. Other than his dark skin and curly hair he has my entire face. Only when he smiles, or laughs do you see Summer in him.
He runs back toward me.
“I caught it.” He says proudly.
“You did.” A warmth spreads throughout my chest. I wonder is this how Priest felt when we accomplished things.
Often times he would stare at us with a grin on his face when we did something correctly or faced something new. Spending so much time with Gabe has me thinking about Priest a lot lately. I miss him and my brothers, but I’m doing all this for them.
“Want to try again?” I ask Gabe, taking my mind off my family.
He nods his head. At that moment, a bee flies between us. Gabe shrinks away from it. When it flies closer to him, he shouts and runs around me.
“Help, Hulk! Help!”
I grab Gabe’s shoulder before kneeling in front of him. His eyes are on the circling bee.
“Look at me,” I tell him.
He cuts his eyes to me, but constantly glances at the bee.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“It’s going to sting me.” He starts to groan louder and louder. Eventually he holds his hand up near his face and flicks his thumb and his pointer finger together.
The action causes a pain in my chest. When I was a kid, I’d pull my hair out when things got overwhelming. Mother would usually mark my skin with her belt whenever I did. Until she started to shave off my hair to keep me from doing it.
“Look at me,” I wait until his gaze focuses on me. “The bee might sting you, but not if you calm down. It’s more scared of you than you are of it. If you run and panic, it will chase you and may even sting you.”
He looks over to the bee and then back to me. His hand lowering back to his side.
“Take a deep breath and still your racing heart.” I place my palm to his chest. His little heartbeat is pounding under my hand. “It’s okay to be afraid, but there is a strength and a power in facing what makes you scared. When you show fear, you give something else that power.”
The bee buzzes around before landing on Gabe’s shoulder. His heart rate picks up.
“Keep your eyes on me and breathe through it. Don’t show it your fear.”
He takes a deep calming breath, keeping his eyes on me. His heart rate slowly lowers. Soon the bee flies away leaving him unscathed.
“See. There was nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes, in order to conquer your fear, you have to face it. My father taught me that.”
