On the Ledge

Child Abuse

SATURDAY 17:02

Chaos was an understatement for what was going on inside the Robinsons house. Priscilla was just about to put the chicken in the oven when she remembered she forgot to marinate it. Sighing, she cursed herself for forgetting such a basic thing when Tommy asked her where to put the tomato sauce.

" Not now, Tom! Can't you see I'm working? Go to the living room." she yelled.

Haley was in the living room vacuuming and simultaneously watching TV. Sam was in the hallway sweeping the floor while Ben cleaned the bathroom.

" Haley, are you done?" Priscilla asked from the kitchen.

" I'll be done in a minute!" Haley replied.

" Make sure you don't miss a spot. That woman has the eye of an eagle. She'll spot any detail."

" Don't worry, mom. She probably won't be looking at the floor."

" Oh, any chance that old lady gets to humiliate me, she'll take it! Everything has to be perfect." Priscilla shouted back, finally putting the poor chicken into the oven. The bell rang just when the family finished their cleaning.

" Sam, will you get that?" Priscilla asked while setting the table.

Sam opened the door and was immediately taken aback by the sudden hug he received.

" Oh, my little Sammy!" his grandmother Elisa exclaimed, hugging him and shovering him with kisses. " How are you?"

" Great." Sam said. Haley approached with a wide grin.

" Oh, look at you. You're all grown up now. The last time I saw  you, you barely spoke." Elisa marveled at him.

" That hasn't changed." Haley commented. Sam gave her a weird look.

" And you..." Elisa turned to her. " I see you're taking your mother's side..." she played with her red hair. Haley's grin widened. " Just the thing I was afraid of." Elisa eventually said. Haley's grin faded. She looked to her mother in confusion. Priscilla kept a stern face but Sam could see that Elisa's comment hit home. Elisa ignored Priscilla and turned to little Tom.

" And how are you, my boy?" she asked. Tom, suddenly shy of this unknown guest, hid behind his mom. Elisa seemed worried.

" Can he talk?" she asked, looking at her son Ben.

" Oh, he can talk. He's old enough." Priscilla answered instead.

" Well, be careful then. That child seems unsocial to me." she pointed her finger at Tom like he was an object. " Make sure he doesn't turn autistic." she ordered Ben. Ben nodded obediently. Priscilla clenched her jaw, for a  moment it seemed like she wanted to say something but held it in last second.

" I wanna see the living room!" Elisa expressed. Ben nodded.

" Sure, come in."

Behind her back, Haley rolled her eyes, signaling her annoyance to Priscilla who gave her a firm nod. 

In the living room they all sat drinking tea that Priscilla served them.

" And how's work, Ben?" she asked without paying attention to Priscilla. Sam exchanged awkward glances with Haley, who seemed like she didn't want to be there.

" Just the same as always, uneventful."

Elisa nodded. " But a doctor is something to be proud of, son. Don't you think, Sam?"

" Oh, yeah. Definitely." he nodded vigorously. Elisa frowned.

" What is that round thing around your eye?" she squinted.

" Just a bruise." he brushed it off.

" A bruise?!" Elisa was outraged. " Who hit you, young boy?"

" Oh, I had a match just yesterday. I'm doing qualifying rounds for the knock out stages in February." Sam explained but that didn't calm Elisa. She turned to Ben.

" You're still letting him box?!" she couldn't believe it. " Ben, that's child abuse!"

" But Ma, he likes what he does." his father said.

" I don't care! He shouldn't be doing that at such a young age. Don't turn your boy into a mini version of what you used to do in your teenage years!"

Now, that's what truly shocked Sam. He didn't know his father used to box.

" Dad, you used to do that?" he asked cautiously. Ben sighed.

" No, I wasn't a boxer."

" Oh, don't lie, Ben. You used to end up fighting over stupid things in the hood. You were such a wild child. It's a wonder to me how you managed to find your way into medicine." Elisa revealed.

Haley couldn't hide her surprise, even Priscilla's mouth was slightly open. Ben was clearly embarrassed.

" Sam is not gonna be like me, we live in a safe neighbourhood. Back in the day, I didn't have that luxury."

Elisa nodded. " I agree with that. Partly, that was my fault. Didn't have enough money. But hey, you turned out just fine."

" Thanks, Ma." Ben smiled. Haley cringed.

" Okay now, who's ready for some chicken?" Priscilla asked excitedly.

Before the main dish Priscilla intended to serve them with some soup but the situation got complicated when she had to look for the ladle.

" Where the heck is it?" she asked, looking in every drawer.

" Are you sure you didn't put it in the washing machine?" Haley asked.

" No!" Priscilla seemed distraught.

" It's probably somewhere along with your charisma." Elisa said. Sam raised his brows at his grandmother. Ben laughed then stifled it when Priscilla gave him the look. After she finally found the ladle the dinner continued without any major interruptions.

" Sam, why don't you come visit me some day?" she suggested. " My house's not as fancy as this but we have nice mountains. What do you say?" she asked softly.

" Uhm, maybe over the summer. " he replied politely, but he had no intentions of visiting her.

" Yeah, you were supposed to come this summer. What happened?" she asked.

" Uh.." Sam looked for an excuse but didn't find one. " I forgot."

" Well, you make sure that doesn't happen again." she winked. Haley cringed.

" Okay, now. I wanna see the garden!" Elisa rose, abandoning the meal. Ben let out a slight cough and rose too.

" But don't you wanna finish your meal first, Ma?"

" What? This hideous meat? No, I've had enough of it. Show me the garden, son!"

" How about I show you the door instead?" Priscilla mumbled to herself when Elisa and Ben left.