Sketch 003
He saw him come running in, stopping just short of the coffee table. The small boy's bottom lip quivered, his eyes glistened as he tried to mask his overwhelmed emotions. Although bursting at the seems with the urgency of his message, he waited to be acknowledged and given permission to speak. It was simply the way he was raised, and did not know that in emergencies, certain exceptions in "polite behavior" can certainly be forgiven.
"What is it son?" His father ask, setting down the paper and looking his son in the eye.
"D-dad?" The boy squeaked, "Y-you know how-how you said I could come to you about any...thing... anything? And you-you w-w-w-w...w-would be there for m-me?"
"Of course." His father said, raising an eyebrow slightly as he replied.
The boy tried to speak for a moment. But the pressure to speak was too great and the words merely clogged themselves in his throat like too many leftovers in a drain. He fluttered his arms and then ran back out towards the garage. His father, puzzled, followed. He wandered into the garage to see his son helping a young girl off of his bike.
Her eyebrow was cut and there were some scrapes on her arms and legs. She tried to stand on her own, but she was so shakey that the boy was having a hard time holding her. He looked up at his dad, his emotions bursting now. He exploded in a thunderstorm of tears and sobs as his legs gave way. He tried to turn even as he fell to catch the girl and keep her from landing hard on the floor.
That's how it started. It ended with an exasperated yelp as she sat squarely on his abdomen. The boy's father ran over and quickly helped them both up. He looked at his son-
"Son," He asked in complete shock, "What- what happened? And who is she?"
"Th-This is sally, daddy." His son replied, and then took a really deep breath before adding, "AndyouknowhowyouletmegoouttothetrailsandridemybikeifIhavebeengoodandyousaidIcouldsothatwaswhatIwasdoingandSallywastherebecasue--"
His father held up his hand.
"Okay, breathe." His fathered replied calmly, "Let's get Sally feeling better first, and then you can tell me everything when you've calmed down."
The son nodded.
"How are you doing Sally?" The father asked, "Are you okay? How do you feel."
"I'm a bit dizzy." Sally replied
"Okay," The father replied, "I'm going to get those cuts taken care of."
A few moments later with the cuts cleaned and bandaged, the father ushered Sally to the couch to lay down and relax for a bit while he talked to his son. He put an arm around his son's shoulder and walked him to the kitchen. He gestured to a chair for his son to sit in as he walked over to the refrigerator. He took out two glasses and pour chocolate milk in one and regular milk in the other. After returning the milk to the fridge he set the chocolate glass before his son, before sitting down himself.
"Now let's try this again," His father said with an amused grin, "What happened?"
"That's Sally, daddy." His son said, "I was out riding the trails. You said if I was good I could go out and I was good and so I was on the trails, daddy."
The son took a huge gulp of chocolate milk.
"Down by one of the trails is a pond," The son began, "I like to skip rocks, Uncle Gary taught me, remember daddy? So I was at the pond and sally was at the pond. She said she was a better rock skipper then me and I said nuh-uh! And I beat her but that made her mad. So she said that she was the faster runner and I said nuh-uh! And we were running, and running, and she won--"
The boy looked down into his milk glass as he paused just a moment
"--but only because I let her. I like her when she smiles more then when she's not. She liked my bike so I was letting her ride it, but she didn't know the trails like I know the trails. I like those trails daddy, I know them so well! And she don't know about that low branch that you gotta duck under, and she didn't duck under daddy."
He took a slow thoughtful drink of his milk as he looked into the living room, watching Sally's face as it was lit by the glow of the TV. He turned back to see his father with a very amused smile on his face. He held up his glass as to make a toast, and his son did the same out of habit from dinner.
"Let's have our glass of milk," He said, smiling now, "Then we'll figure out how we're getting Miss Sally back home."
His son nodded, looking almost anxiously at the couch.
"Go on," The father chuckled, "If she wants to let you watch TV with her, I have no problem with it."
His son vaulted from the table, his empty milk glass left waltzing on the table.
"And son--" His father began.
His son spun and stood at near attention. The glass still waltzing on the table.
"Yes, dad?" His son replied, his eyes slowly straying towards the glass.
He quickly reached out and set it down firmly, before looking back at his dad.
"If you and Sally both want to be friends," He said, "Make sure you find a way to meet her before she leaves tonight. As long as her parents don't mind, of course."
The son's smile engulfed his face as he nodded very enthusiastically for several moments, before rushing off to watch TV on the couch with Sally. The father chuckled and walked to the refrigerator. He poured another glass of milk and then sat back down at the table, opening his paper where he had left off.
"That call can wait," He smiled to himself, "for one more glass of milk, I think."
"What is it son?" His father ask, setting down the paper and looking his son in the eye.
"D-dad?" The boy squeaked, "Y-you know how-how you said I could come to you about any...thing... anything? And you-you w-w-w-w...w-would be there for m-me?"
"Of course." His father said, raising an eyebrow slightly as he replied.
The boy tried to speak for a moment. But the pressure to speak was too great and the words merely clogged themselves in his throat like too many leftovers in a drain. He fluttered his arms and then ran back out towards the garage. His father, puzzled, followed. He wandered into the garage to see his son helping a young girl off of his bike.
Her eyebrow was cut and there were some scrapes on her arms and legs. She tried to stand on her own, but she was so shakey that the boy was having a hard time holding her. He looked up at his dad, his emotions bursting now. He exploded in a thunderstorm of tears and sobs as his legs gave way. He tried to turn even as he fell to catch the girl and keep her from landing hard on the floor.
That's how it started. It ended with an exasperated yelp as she sat squarely on his abdomen. The boy's father ran over and quickly helped them both up. He looked at his son-
"Son," He asked in complete shock, "What- what happened? And who is she?"
"Th-This is sally, daddy." His son replied, and then took a really deep breath before adding, "AndyouknowhowyouletmegoouttothetrailsandridemybikeifIhavebeengoodandyousaidIcouldsothatwaswhatIwasdoingandSallywastherebecasue--"
His father held up his hand.
"Okay, breathe." His fathered replied calmly, "Let's get Sally feeling better first, and then you can tell me everything when you've calmed down."
The son nodded.
"How are you doing Sally?" The father asked, "Are you okay? How do you feel."
"I'm a bit dizzy." Sally replied
"Okay," The father replied, "I'm going to get those cuts taken care of."
A few moments later with the cuts cleaned and bandaged, the father ushered Sally to the couch to lay down and relax for a bit while he talked to his son. He put an arm around his son's shoulder and walked him to the kitchen. He gestured to a chair for his son to sit in as he walked over to the refrigerator. He took out two glasses and pour chocolate milk in one and regular milk in the other. After returning the milk to the fridge he set the chocolate glass before his son, before sitting down himself.
"Now let's try this again," His father said with an amused grin, "What happened?"
"That's Sally, daddy." His son said, "I was out riding the trails. You said if I was good I could go out and I was good and so I was on the trails, daddy."
The son took a huge gulp of chocolate milk.
"Down by one of the trails is a pond," The son began, "I like to skip rocks, Uncle Gary taught me, remember daddy? So I was at the pond and sally was at the pond. She said she was a better rock skipper then me and I said nuh-uh! And I beat her but that made her mad. So she said that she was the faster runner and I said nuh-uh! And we were running, and running, and she won--"
The boy looked down into his milk glass as he paused just a moment
"--but only because I let her. I like her when she smiles more then when she's not. She liked my bike so I was letting her ride it, but she didn't know the trails like I know the trails. I like those trails daddy, I know them so well! And she don't know about that low branch that you gotta duck under, and she didn't duck under daddy."
He took a slow thoughtful drink of his milk as he looked into the living room, watching Sally's face as it was lit by the glow of the TV. He turned back to see his father with a very amused smile on his face. He held up his glass as to make a toast, and his son did the same out of habit from dinner.
"Let's have our glass of milk," He said, smiling now, "Then we'll figure out how we're getting Miss Sally back home."
His son nodded, looking almost anxiously at the couch.
"Go on," The father chuckled, "If she wants to let you watch TV with her, I have no problem with it."
His son vaulted from the table, his empty milk glass left waltzing on the table.
"And son--" His father began.
His son spun and stood at near attention. The glass still waltzing on the table.
"Yes, dad?" His son replied, his eyes slowly straying towards the glass.
He quickly reached out and set it down firmly, before looking back at his dad.
"If you and Sally both want to be friends," He said, "Make sure you find a way to meet her before she leaves tonight. As long as her parents don't mind, of course."
The son's smile engulfed his face as he nodded very enthusiastically for several moments, before rushing off to watch TV on the couch with Sally. The father chuckled and walked to the refrigerator. He poured another glass of milk and then sat back down at the table, opening his paper where he had left off.
"That call can wait," He smiled to himself, "for one more glass of milk, I think."