grabbed his shoulder forgetting how he never liked to be
touched.
As my hands fell on his shoulders I immediately
regretted having done so and pulled them away but it was too late. The eerie
screaming increased and was now followed by him yelling:
"No! No! NO!"
My heart was pounding in my chest and fear grew
that he was going to have one of his seizures. We were far away from a hospital
and I began speculating if they had any doctors on call or anything here on the
island since the nearest hospital was on the main land. Victor's entire body
was trembling.
"Victor, honey. Please listen to me. You're
just dreaming. It was just a dream."
But he wasn't listening. He stared into the
room, his eyes looking like those of a blind.
"Spider," he said. "Watch for the
spider!"
I turned to look and see and spotted a tiny
spider on the wall. I exhaled heavily and smiled. "I that the one you're
afraid of?"
I walked to the bathroom and pulled some toilet
paper out. I met Maya in the hallway with messy hair.
"What's going on? Why is Victor
screaming?"
"Go back to bed, sweetie. It was just a
small spider in his room. I'm removing it now so we can all get some
sleep."
Maya made a frown. "Great. Now he's waking
up the whole neighborhood over a spider? What a wimp."
"Just go back to bed, okay?" I said
with a sigh.
Maya turned her back at me and started walking while
shaking her head. "Spiders. Tsk. What's next, a beetle?"
I stormed back in Victor's room. "Mommy's
gonna remove the spider now, okay?" I said. "Then we'll all go back
to bed."
I reached over and tried to kill it, but it was
too fast. It crawled across the wall. Victor's nightlight made it cast a shadow
on the wall making it look much bigger than it really was. I heard Victor
whimper behind me.
"It's okay, sweetie. I got it. Just need to
try again."
Once again I leaned over and tried to catch it,
but again it was way too fast for me. I cursed out loud. "Sh ..." I
paused and looked back at Victor. "Mommy never said that, okay?"
He didn't answer. His eyes were fixated on the
spider trying to escape. I sighed and turned towards it again. "Third time
is a charm, they say," I mumbled and wondered why no one ever said that
about marriages. I reached out and finally managed to grab the black spider
between my fingers in the toilet paper. I pressed my fingers against each other
as hard as I could to make sure it was dead, then opened the paper and looked
at the remains. It had made a print on the paper.
"Kind of looks like a skull, doesn't
it?" I asked and turned to look at Victor who had finally stopped
screaming.
He didn't look at it, but kept staring at the
wall. "No more spiders there, buddy," I said. "I'm going to
flush this baby right out and then I'll be back to tuck you back in,
okay?"
I didn't wait for his answer but walked into the
hallway and threw the toilet paper in the toilet and flushed it. Then I walked
back. Victor was still on the floor in the same position when I returned.
"Come on, buddy. Back to bed," I said.
Finally he looked at me with his wonderful blue
eyes. "Mommy?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Can I sleep in your bed?"
I was startled. Victor hadn't wanted to sleep in
my bed since he was an infant. And I couldn't imagine him being comfortable
with being so close to another human being, even if I was his mother. I didn't
know if it was a good or a bad sign.
"Sure sweetie," I said with a smile. I
missed having him close to me. I missed being able to touch him.
Victor sprang up and ran towards the door. When
we were back in my bed and I had tucked him in with his own blanket and put
pillows up between us - his request so I didn't accidentally bump into him, I
couldn't fall asleep.
"Victor?" I whispered in the darkness.
He didn't answer but I could hear on his breath
he wasn't sleeping.
"Why don't you want to sleep in your own
room?"
He took his time. Then his small voice said:
"Because someone was killed in there."
17
2012
She hated
cleaning the gym.
touched.
As my hands fell on his shoulders I immediately
regretted having done so and pulled them away but it was too late. The eerie
screaming increased and was now followed by him yelling:
"No! No! NO!"
My heart was pounding in my chest and fear grew
that he was going to have one of his seizures. We were far away from a hospital
and I began speculating if they had any doctors on call or anything here on the
island since the nearest hospital was on the main land. Victor's entire body
was trembling.
"Victor, honey. Please listen to me. You're
just dreaming. It was just a dream."
But he wasn't listening. He stared into the
room, his eyes looking like those of a blind.
"Spider," he said. "Watch for the
spider!"
I turned to look and see and spotted a tiny
spider on the wall. I exhaled heavily and smiled. "I that the one you're
afraid of?"
I walked to the bathroom and pulled some toilet
paper out. I met Maya in the hallway with messy hair.
"What's going on? Why is Victor
screaming?"
"Go back to bed, sweetie. It was just a
small spider in his room. I'm removing it now so we can all get some
sleep."
Maya made a frown. "Great. Now he's waking
up the whole neighborhood over a spider? What a wimp."
"Just go back to bed, okay?" I said
with a sigh.
Maya turned her back at me and started walking while
shaking her head. "Spiders. Tsk. What's next, a beetle?"
I stormed back in Victor's room. "Mommy's
gonna remove the spider now, okay?" I said. "Then we'll all go back
to bed."
I reached over and tried to kill it, but it was
too fast. It crawled across the wall. Victor's nightlight made it cast a shadow
on the wall making it look much bigger than it really was. I heard Victor
whimper behind me.
"It's okay, sweetie. I got it. Just need to
try again."
Once again I leaned over and tried to catch it,
but again it was way too fast for me. I cursed out loud. "Sh ..." I
paused and looked back at Victor. "Mommy never said that, okay?"
He didn't answer. His eyes were fixated on the
spider trying to escape. I sighed and turned towards it again. "Third time
is a charm, they say," I mumbled and wondered why no one ever said that
about marriages. I reached out and finally managed to grab the black spider
between my fingers in the toilet paper. I pressed my fingers against each other
as hard as I could to make sure it was dead, then opened the paper and looked
at the remains. It had made a print on the paper.
"Kind of looks like a skull, doesn't
it?" I asked and turned to look at Victor who had finally stopped
screaming.
He didn't look at it, but kept staring at the
wall. "No more spiders there, buddy," I said. "I'm going to
flush this baby right out and then I'll be back to tuck you back in,
okay?"
I didn't wait for his answer but walked into the
hallway and threw the toilet paper in the toilet and flushed it. Then I walked
back. Victor was still on the floor in the same position when I returned.
"Come on, buddy. Back to bed," I said.
Finally he looked at me with his wonderful blue
eyes. "Mommy?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Can I sleep in your bed?"
I was startled. Victor hadn't wanted to sleep in
my bed since he was an infant. And I couldn't imagine him being comfortable
with being so close to another human being, even if I was his mother. I didn't
know if it was a good or a bad sign.
"Sure sweetie," I said with a smile. I
missed having him close to me. I missed being able to touch him.
Victor sprang up and ran towards the door. When
we were back in my bed and I had tucked him in with his own blanket and put
pillows up between us - his request so I didn't accidentally bump into him, I
couldn't fall asleep.
"Victor?" I whispered in the darkness.
He didn't answer but I could hear on his breath
he wasn't sleeping.
"Why don't you want to sleep in your own
room?"
He took his time. Then his small voice said:
"Because someone was killed in there."
17
2012
She hated
cleaning the gym.
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