The Return

One |

BLAKE

"Caleb? Sweetheart, it's time to get up for school" I run the back of my hand along my sleepy child's chubby cheeks. Ruby red from the sleep he's had. Like every morning. He is passed out in his bed fast asleep. It takes me a few checks to finally get this little man out of his bed that he loves so much. I can't have him late for school, we don't do late in this house. He's knows that too.

I needed to get up for work too, so I have to drag my own self out of bed and it gets harder and harder every morning. He gets his love of the bed from me. I could just lay in bed all day and night if given the option.

Caleb whines every morning about getting up for school, he used to love it but something has changed in recent days to make him change his opinion. He loves seeing his teacher Mrs. Williams, and always loves to see her in the morning before class begins. She is the sole reason why he loves going to school.

"Do I have to?" He whispers back, finally opening his eyes so I can see those beautiful big blue eyes.

The look he's giving me makes me retrieve back a little. Usually he's more animated about not going. But he's hiding, like he's scared.

I frown back and lean down to rest my own head on his bed right next to his.

"Caleb, what's wrong?" I ask him, pulling the covers down so I can get a good look at his face. I check his temperature with the back of my hand and see if there's anything visibly wrong with him. After I place the back of my hand on his forehead I then check his eyes. He pouts at me with his bubbly red lip that he didn't get from me. "Caleb honey, talk to mommy" I coo him as he looks like he's going to cry. And he does. The small trickles of water leak from his bright icy blue eyes, that are almost grey.

Cue the eye roll, with that reference.

"I-I don't want to go mommy" he sits up and cries while crawling over to me. He's an energetic four year old, soon to be five, who loves being in school, when he gets there. But sometimes hates the process of getting there. Right now, he doesn't even want to be at school today never mind the morning routine.

"Baby tell me what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" He nods telling me he's fine. "Then what is it?" I ask him again to help me out. If I don't know what has him like this then I won't know how to help him.

"I don't want to go to school today" he hiccups in my ear and I know something is bothering him. He just won't tell me what.

"Caleb, you have to tell me why? If you don't I'm bringing you" I warn him. He's going to make me really late for my job this morning.

Although my family own the business, I need to be respectable to my dad and the other employees, for counting on me as the accountant for the business. It's not a huge business. It's a hardware store, we have four in town, I do the books in the back where he works. But as he would say, 'it's not one rule for you and another for everyone else'.

"I—" he's beating around the bush now. So I pick him up and he starts to cry again.

"Come on baby, mommy will bring you to school. Everything will be alright" I coo him in my arms as I rummage around for some clothes to wear for him. Some shorts and his favourite bright orange top. He is refusing to help me out by wiggling in my arms and trying to get back into his bed, there is a strong resistance about going to school today and I'm determined to get to the bottom of it.

He hasn't stop crying on me and I'm really starting to get worried about him. "Caleb, please help me out here. Tell me why you're upset?" I set him back down on the bed and he wipes his eyes and nose. Hiccuping and sniffling up at me. Both eyes are puffy and rimmed with redness.