Always Home for Sunday Dinner

Y is for Young Ones

It had been a long day, filled with endless mounds of paperwork and shoving criminals into their holding cells. And now he had finally been able to push it all into the bottom of his desk and head home. There was part of him that was in no mood for the screaming and endless chatter of his chatter, but a larger part would never want anything different. But he did know this night would be different. He couldn't forget the phone call that he had received from his wife, with her in a frantic state. Her frazzled tone explaining how their son had got into a fight that landed him with a suspension. It was not a new thing for his eldest to be getting in trouble in school. But it was normal for his mouth, never his fists. He was also young enough for him to question what could've pushed him to this point. He kept thinking of this as he drove know, never being able to come to a conclusion of his whys.

Danny was always the more rambunctious of all his children. Not to say that the did no wrong, but it was always Danny that seemed to get himself into the most trouble. As he drove he shook his head at the things that Danny had done in his small past, and all the things the boy could do in the future. He would never say he was usually one to rush, but today he'd be lying if he said he hadn't broken a speed limit or two. He turned into the driveway of his house, exited and walked up to the front door of the house. When he walked into the front door he was immediately greeted with hugs. His children, Erin and Joe rushed up to him, wrapping their little arms around his legs. It was always nice for him to see his children at the end of a long day, no matter how tired or stressed he was. But he couldn't help but notice that a certain child was missing from the group.

When he looked up he saw his eldest standing on the stairs almost afraid to come down and greet him with his siblings. Frank straightened himself up and gave the younger man a stern look, that didn't require words for Danny to understand what he meant. The child then began to take simple and small steps down the stairs to greet his father. He could see the fear and guilt in Danny's eyes as he approached him so he simply bent down and gave the little boy the biggest hug he could. When they separated, he went back to his stern state and ordered Danny back up to his room saying that he would be up there in a moment. He didn't miss Erin mocking her older brother, but he was adamant that he wasn't to respond. The other two children ran off to play with their homework already completed, as Frank walked over to his wife who stood in the back with a stern expression and her arms crossed.

"How was your day?" Mary asked simply before planting her lips against his.

"It was good," he answered when he pulled away, "Until I found out my son was suspended." She nodded in understanding.

"What happened?" he asked.

" He isn't saying much. All I know is that the teacher came in the hallway and found Danny on top of another kid," Mary explained, "When they asked him he admitted he started it."

"Did he tell you anything?"

"No. He just decided to wait for you." With that understanding, Frank gave her another kiss before turning around and heading up the stairs to deal with his son. When he approached Danny's room, he found him sitting on his bed still and staring off into nothing. His son confused him sometimes; he seemed like a man that was fully grown even though he was eight, and then there were moments like this, where he was just a rebellious kid, that sometimes just didn't know right from wrong. He walked in and immediately caught the child's attention. As he walked over to sit on the end of Danny's bed, the 8-year-old turned to look at him.

"Your mom tells me that you got into a fight," Frank started and Danny simply lowered his head.

"I'm sorry dad," the child said into his shirt.

"Tell me what happened," he asked simply, and Danny looked up to start.

"It was David," he explained, "I was going down the hall and he was there and...I just got mad,"

"You didn't just turn around and decide to hit him," Frank put together, "He provoked you." Danny looked down again, which gave Frank his answer.

"What did that kid say to you for you to throw the first punch?" Frank asked, but he wasn't ready for the child's response.

"Trust me you don't want to freakin' know." Frank was stunned. He wasn't sure how he was to respond to it, as he didn't know his son even knew words like that at that age. He just looked at him silent, before telling him that he would be called when dinner was ready. As Frank walked out of the room, he knew he would forever have his hands full with just Danny alone.

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The bell rang and Danny walked out of his class with his friends, bag on his back, and a fire in his step. It was mostly out of anger. All the time in class he could hear David whispering, and if it wasn't that it was the constant passing of notes mocking him. He was trying to take the high road, ignore it. But it was getting really, really hard. He just knew that with one more word, he was going to blow.

And then it came.

"Let's face it guys. Reagan's no more than a stupid pig. Just like his dad." That was the last straw for Danny as, within a second, he turned around and swung his left hand at the other child's face before wrestling him down, and throwing more punches. David had tried to fight back, but Danny was in such a state that nothing was going to stop him. That was until a teacher came rushing down the hall to pull him off forcing him to stop, and ordered him to the principal's office. He was in so much trouble.