Prego and the Phoenix 🐇↩️✔

Arabella - Thirty-Two

Passage of time can be measure in different ways. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, centuries, millenniums. It can be short lived or spanned out. Sometimes you wish it would hurry, sometimes it happens to fast. All in all, the passage of time is only as good or bad as what's being done. In my case, the passage of time was measured by a boy and his many visits. A boy who was also a man.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As I load Humphrey into the car, I feel a little anxious. I know that he broke through the barrier in his mind but he is still very fragile. I don't want Lochner's fear to make things worse but I know that this is what Bourne would have wanted to him. He would not want him to rot in a place, thinking he had killed him when it wasn't Humphrey's fault for doing so. He would want him happy and that's what I'm going to do.
"Do you have everything?" I ask as he gets into the passenger seat.
He nods slowly and we drive home. I stop by to pick up some food from a fast food chain and Humphrey looks at the hamburger.
"What is it?"
"I remember it but it's been so long since I've eaten it..."
"Take your time..."
He nods and then looks out the window. He suddenly gasps and starts to roll the window down.
"Humphrey! What are you doing?" I ask, rolling it back up.
He looks at me with wide eyes and points.
"Did- did you see that?"
"See what?"
"I swear that I saw him walking in the street."
"Who?"
"Bourne!"
I sigh and look up to continue driving. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...I think to myself and look over at Humphrey for a brief second. He is glaring at me like I just took his favorite mug and slobbered all over it.
"What?"
"You don't believe me."
"Humphrey, Bourne has been dead for five years. I think I know when to discredit you a little."
"I'm not joking and I'm not crazy... that much... But I swear on my life I just saw him in the crowd. He even turned to look at me and put his finger over his mouth."
"Maybe since you've been thinking about him for five years it's etched in your brain."
Humphrey growls and shoves the hamburger into his mouth.
"I know what I saw..." he snarls.
I sigh again, pulling into the driveway and getting out. I get his suitcase from the back and he walks behind me until we get to the door. He then grabs my hand and I look back.
"I know I was a mess last time he saw me. He probably doesn't even want to see me... I need some support."
I nod and open up the door.
Phoenix is watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarves on the TV in the living room and he gets on his knees when he hears the door open. He sees me with food and jumps up.
"Yay! Food!" he says, grabbing his meal and then he looks at Humphrey.
Humphrey stares at him and Phoenix blinks slowly.
"You look like Uncle Lochnew... awe you histh miwwow?"
"His what?"
"Mirror." I translated.
"Phoenix, was that your mother?" Lochner yells from the back.
His footsteps start coming closer and Humphrey stiffens board straight.
Lochner turns the corner and then gasps, grabbing onto the wall beside him.
"Wh- what... How... why..."
"I'll explain-"
"Why did you let him in here?!" he screams. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming?!"
"It was a sudden decision-"
"Get him out! Out!"
I look at Humphrey and he gulps but steps up.
"No..."
"You killed him! You shot him so many times and now..."
"It wasn't me, Lochner, and you know it." He says, standing tall.
I turn to Phoenix and motion with my head. I grab his jacket and a scarf and tie it around his neck.
"Let's go to the park, shall we?"
"Centwal Pawk?"
"Sure... Let's leave them to their argument."
He nods, holding his meal in his hand for dear life.

************************

"Sthwing me, Mommy!" Phoenix yells as he runs to the swing sets.
I run after him and sit him in the swing. As I push him, I think of what Humphrey said in the car and immediately, I begin to hum the Beatles. I chuckle to myself at that because that was Bourne's favorite. I look at Phoenix and know that if I want him to be as Bourne as I wish he was (less Trevor), then I was going to have to incorporate the Beatles into our lives a little more.
"In the town, where I was born... Lived a man who sailed to sea... And he told us of his life... In the land-"
"Of sthubmawinesth..." Phoenix finished for me.
I grabbed the chains of the swing and looked at him.
"When did you learn that?"
"It wasth the bafftub sthong, wemembew?" he says like I should know that.
Then it hits me that I did used to sing it with him when I would play with him in the bathtub.
"Sthing anothew one, Mommy!" he says with a big grin.
I smirk and then grab him out of the swing.
"How about we walk and sing, huh? Sound fun?"
"Uh huh!" he says, quickly trotting beside me to keep up.
I smile at him and think of what I want to sing.
"Thewesth nofing you can do that can't be done..." Phoenix sings up to me. I look down. "All You Need Isth Love."
I smile at him and start singing the whole song, skipping and dancing and bonding with Phoenix. It is actually exhilarating and kinda of fun too. People are watching us be crazy and sing but they don't mind and just watch on.
We were on "She Loves You" when I get a text message that makes me stop in my tracks. It was under unknown but the content made my blood run cold.

Hey, Ms. Lady.

I feel myself ashen and I look around, confused and hoping that it's a joke. It's a sick, sick joke but I would rather it be that than for my phone to be possessed.
"Mommy?"
"Hold on one minute sweetie." I say, trying not to sound too scared in front of Phoenix.
"Mommy, look it!" he says, pulling me.
I am just about to get on to him when I see what he is pointing to. In the grass is a scorched picture of a phoenix. Fear grips me and I start to look around when another text comes through.

That should give you a clue. Unless you've forgotten me already...

I look around frantically, wondering who is watching us and who is being so cruel when I see a shadowy figure standing under a tree. I squint my eyes, trying to figure out who it is when they start walking toward me. The sun hits ginger hair and my heart skips a beat. The tall man stops in front of me and looks down, golden eyes staring at me and molten like the sun. He is everything I remember, down to the five o'clock ginger shadow.
My phoenix has returned.