that the poor kid was miserable.
What does that to a four-year-old kid? What happened to Brandon Harper?
“Hi, Brandon. I’m Ellie,” I said, bending down to be closer to him. “Do you like to go to the beach?”
Nothing.
I took his hand. It was ice cold. “Brandon, you know, where I come from—in Wisconsin—there are no ocean beaches. Do you believe that? No ocean at all. So I can’t wait to go to the beach. I want to spend hours and hours at the ocean. After I move in here, do you think you could take me to the beach and show me how to play there?”
He just stared at me with those joyless eyes. Ancient eyes on a little boy’s face.
Did it creep me out? Yes. But at least this job would be a challenge. It wouldn’t be a boring baby-sitting job. Maybe I’d be the one to get through to this troubled boy.
Yes. Think on the bright side for once, Ellie. The job will be a
challenge
. This was my new, positive personality at work. After so many years of aimlessness and unhappiness, I was going to change my attitude—and change my life.
“You and I are going to be good friends,” I told Brandon, letting go of his cold hand.
“Brandon will
love
to show you the beach,” Abby said. “He likes to build big castles and forts there.”
“Me build, too,” Heather chimed in.
“Oh, I know what would be good,” Abby said. “Brandon, take Ellie up to your room and show her the new present your dad brought you.”
“A present?” I said. “I’d love to see it, Brandon.”
He shrugged and jammed his hands back in his pockets.
“Go ahead,” Chip said, giving the boy a gentle shove. “Show Ellie what I brought you. Go!” He didn’t hide his impatience.
Brandon stared at me.
“I’d love to see your room,” I said.
Finally, he turned and started walking to the stairs. I glimpsed Abby and Chip nodding to each other, pleased that their son was cooperating.
Score one for me.
I followed Brandon up the stairs. The wooden steps were steep and slippery, highly polished. He used the banister to pull himself up.
The long hall at the top had several doorways to the left. I peered over the balcony and saw Chip and Abby conferring, Abby talking in a hushed tone, Chip nodding his head.
I guessed they were deciding about me.
Brandon’s room was the second door. It was bright and spacious, and the white rug on the floor was cluttered with action figures, games, picture books, wooden puzzles, and a lot of toys I didn’t recognize.
“Wow! What an awesome room!” I said. “I love that horse poster over your bed, Brandon. Do you like horses?”
No response.
He disappeared into the closet. I heard a
cheep cheep
. He came out cradling a tiny yellow baby chick in his hands. He carried it over to me and held it up so I could see it.
“How adorable,” I said. “A baby chick. Where do you keep it? In a cage?”
He nodded.
“Can I pet it?” I reached out a finger and stroked the chick’s fuzzy back. “So soft.”
Gauzy white curtains fluttered at the half-open window. I crossed the room. “Brandon, can you see the ocean from your window?”
Nothing. Nada.
I stepped up to the window and pushed the curtains aside. “Wow! Amazing!”
The window faced the back of the house. I could see a small, sandy yard, a sloping dune with a row of pine trees at the top. Half-hidden behind the trees was a small, shingled structure. A storage shed. Or maybe a guest house.
And then, beyond the little house, another dune. And then, a wide, sandy beach—deserted as far as I could see—and the tossing blue ocean.
“Brandon, you can see the ocean from your room. It’s gorgeous! And you can hear it. What a wonderful sound. And you can
smell
it! Isn’t that exciting? To live so close to the ocean? Isn’t that awesome?”
No reply, of course.
I turned and took a few steps back to where he was standing in the center of the room. “Brandon? Is something wrong? Why do you have that weird look on your face?”
Then I
What does that to a four-year-old kid? What happened to Brandon Harper?
“Hi, Brandon. I’m Ellie,” I said, bending down to be closer to him. “Do you like to go to the beach?”
Nothing.
I took his hand. It was ice cold. “Brandon, you know, where I come from—in Wisconsin—there are no ocean beaches. Do you believe that? No ocean at all. So I can’t wait to go to the beach. I want to spend hours and hours at the ocean. After I move in here, do you think you could take me to the beach and show me how to play there?”
He just stared at me with those joyless eyes. Ancient eyes on a little boy’s face.
Did it creep me out? Yes. But at least this job would be a challenge. It wouldn’t be a boring baby-sitting job. Maybe I’d be the one to get through to this troubled boy.
Yes. Think on the bright side for once, Ellie. The job will be a
challenge
. This was my new, positive personality at work. After so many years of aimlessness and unhappiness, I was going to change my attitude—and change my life.
“You and I are going to be good friends,” I told Brandon, letting go of his cold hand.
“Brandon will
love
to show you the beach,” Abby said. “He likes to build big castles and forts there.”
“Me build, too,” Heather chimed in.
“Oh, I know what would be good,” Abby said. “Brandon, take Ellie up to your room and show her the new present your dad brought you.”
“A present?” I said. “I’d love to see it, Brandon.”
He shrugged and jammed his hands back in his pockets.
“Go ahead,” Chip said, giving the boy a gentle shove. “Show Ellie what I brought you. Go!” He didn’t hide his impatience.
Brandon stared at me.
“I’d love to see your room,” I said.
Finally, he turned and started walking to the stairs. I glimpsed Abby and Chip nodding to each other, pleased that their son was cooperating.
Score one for me.
I followed Brandon up the stairs. The wooden steps were steep and slippery, highly polished. He used the banister to pull himself up.
The long hall at the top had several doorways to the left. I peered over the balcony and saw Chip and Abby conferring, Abby talking in a hushed tone, Chip nodding his head.
I guessed they were deciding about me.
Brandon’s room was the second door. It was bright and spacious, and the white rug on the floor was cluttered with action figures, games, picture books, wooden puzzles, and a lot of toys I didn’t recognize.
“Wow! What an awesome room!” I said. “I love that horse poster over your bed, Brandon. Do you like horses?”
No response.
He disappeared into the closet. I heard a
cheep cheep
. He came out cradling a tiny yellow baby chick in his hands. He carried it over to me and held it up so I could see it.
“How adorable,” I said. “A baby chick. Where do you keep it? In a cage?”
He nodded.
“Can I pet it?” I reached out a finger and stroked the chick’s fuzzy back. “So soft.”
Gauzy white curtains fluttered at the half-open window. I crossed the room. “Brandon, can you see the ocean from your window?”
Nothing. Nada.
I stepped up to the window and pushed the curtains aside. “Wow! Amazing!”
The window faced the back of the house. I could see a small, sandy yard, a sloping dune with a row of pine trees at the top. Half-hidden behind the trees was a small, shingled structure. A storage shed. Or maybe a guest house.
And then, beyond the little house, another dune. And then, a wide, sandy beach—deserted as far as I could see—and the tossing blue ocean.
“Brandon, you can see the ocean from your room. It’s gorgeous! And you can hear it. What a wonderful sound. And you can
smell
it! Isn’t that exciting? To live so close to the ocean? Isn’t that awesome?”
No reply, of course.
I turned and took a few steps back to where he was standing in the center of the room. “Brandon? Is something wrong? Why do you have that weird look on your face?”
Then I
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