Fifty Two

A short story

My Dad is the best lawyer in the whole world. I tell all my friends at school about how good he is at his job. I did not know what it meant to be a lawyer, but Dad told me he helps people fix problems. He said he helps moms and dads who are having problems and arguing a lot. I think that is really nice of him.

Yesterday, I came home after school and Mom was not there yet. She is usually there when I get home, but sometimes she runs late doing errands. Mom usually takes me with her to do errands on the weekends. Dad never comes with us. We have to go to the cleaners and the grocery store and the mall. I am always bored the whole time. Sometimes she meets friends for lunch, but whenever she does she tells me not to tell Dad that we met one of her friends. They are always nice men, so I do not see why Mom does not want Dad to know. But I never tell Dad. Usually after meeting one of her friends, she takes me to the toy store and buys me a new Lego set, which is nice. After buying it, she hands it to me and reminds me not to tell Dad about meeting her friend. I always nod and say yes Mom. Then I go home and play with my new Lego. But I still do not like doing errands.

After I checked the living room, the kitchen, and my parent’s bedroom for Mom, I put my school stuff away in my room. Then I went back into the kitchen and tried to find where the candy was hidden. I am only allowed one piece after dinner if I am a good boy, but I thought maybe I could sneak a few pieces since no one was home. I started looking through the pantry when I heard the front door open. I ran out of the kitchen and towards the door, expecting to see Mom, but it was Dad instead. He never comes home that early. I thought maybe he had a half day at work, just like teacher work days at school.

As he closed the door, he set down his briefcase. Dad had once told me it was very expensive and that inside there were very important things. His briefcase is black and shiny and smooth to the touch. On the outside is a small gold circle with an eagle and some weird words. Dad once told me they were written “in Lat”, but I do not know what that means. He said maybe I will find out when I am older.

I said hi to Dad and he said hi back but he did not sound that happy to see me. I asked him why he was home so early and he said some stuff happened while he was at work. I asked him if everything was ok and he told me to just watch some TV. He never lets me watch TV, so I was surprised that he told me to. But, I happily did as he said and found some cartoons to watch.
As I watched TV, Dad sat at the kitchen counter and drank some of his red juice. It was juice that only adults could drink. Once I asked him if it tasted like apple juice, because apple juice is my favorite. He had said no, it was made from grapes, and it only tastes good to adults like him and Mom and their friends. He normally does not drink any until dinner, but I figured that he was just thirsty after work. He must have been really thirsty because he had three glasses while I watched two episodes of Sponge Bob Square Pants.

My stomach rumbled, and so I turned off the TV and went into the kitchen. Dad was rubbing his head and he looked upset. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I did not want to upset him more. So, I just asked him when Mom would be home and dinner would be ready. He sighed loudly, then said Mom isn’t coming home tonight.

I hope that Mom comes home soon, because I miss her. Dad didn’t say where she is. I also hope that Dad is happier when he comes home from work tonight. For now, I think I will go watch some TV and wait. But first, I might eat a few more pieces of candy. I found a big bag in the pantry behind some cooking supplies Mom uses. I will have to be sneaky though, because I do not know what would happen if I got caught.