Alex Part 5

I opened the door.  Danny perked up when he saw me.  I didn’t smile, but beckoned him to stand.

“Come.”  I intoned.

Nervously he stood up and walked in front of me.  I kept my eyes on him, letting him lead the way out of the school.  I wanted him to know that I was watching him.  That I wasn’t happy.  We got to my bike and I took out the spare helmet.  I leaned down to strap it on him and saw that he was on the verge of tears.

I patted his helmet.  “We can talk during lunch.”

“Yes, Uncle Alex.”

Movement caught my eye and I turned my head.  A woman and her daughter were leaving the building and headed straight towards us.  It was the same red-eyed little girl from before.  Her mother wore large sunglasses that covered half her face.

“Get on the bike and wait for me.”

I turned fully to the woman and her daughter.  She came right up to my face, one hand holding her daughter’s hand and the other clenched at her side.

“You.”

“Look, I’m sorry—”

The Cassy impersonator slapped me again.  I was expecting it this time so I moved only slightly back.  Partly to lessen the blow to her hand and to partly to lessen the blow to my own face.

“First the mall and now this?  Stay away from my family.”

“Listen—”

“Stay.  Away.”  She stomped off, her daughter in tow.

I stood still for a moment, letting the moment sink in.  Emotions roared in me, threatening to break free.  I forced them back.  That wasn’t Cassy.  That wasn’t the woman I had loved.  It was someone else.  By some cruel trick of fate the two of us had run into each other in the same day.  Both times leaving a terrible impression on her concerning my character and the character of my child.

“What was that for?”

I turned to Danny.  “Lesson number one.  Don’t fight a woman.  You will always lose.”  He giggled and I smiled a little.  “Now let’s go to lunch.”

His spirit fell at the reminder that he was still in trouble for the fight he had started.  Or supposedly started.  Danny wasn’t a dumb kid.  He may be only nine years old but he wasn’t a complete fool.  If he had started that fight it had to be for a reason.  What the reason was?  I had no idea.

I got on my bike behind Danny.  I revved the engine and drove out of the parking lot.  I took my time driving, I didn’t want anything to happen to him.  That was why I had my arms around him.  He was still small enough to sit in front of me.  I could still protect him.

Not enough time passed before we arrived at a close McDonalds.  I parked and got off the bike, Danny following suit.  I opened the door and let him go inside.  The first stop was the bathroom, where I made sure to wash his hands thoroughly.  I didn’t trust the nurses at the school there enough.  I had cleaned enough scrapes at work to trust my own judgment over theirs.

We went to stand in line and ordered a happy meal for him and a large coffee for myself.  After that amount of sandwiches and stress I had in the past few hours was enough to kill my appetite.  We sat down in a corner booth.  Before he could get his hands on the nuggets I clasped the bag shut.

“Awww,” he whined.

“Eh eh eh,” I shook my finger.  “First, the story.”

Danny glanced at the bag and back at me.  “One nugget then I’ll tell.”

I arched an eyebrow.  “You tryin’ to negotiate?”

He panicked for a moment and nodded.  “One nugget then I’ll tell.”  He repeated.

I thought about it for a long moment, watching him squirm with anticipation and nervousness all at once.  “One nugget, then the story.”

“Yes!”

“But the toy is mine until all of your homework is done.”

His face fell.  “Okay.”  He resigned as he reached in and took a nugget.

“Alright.  Now before your mother comes knocking on both of our heads, what happened?”

“Well,” Danny began, mouth half-full of chicken nugget.  “Sheila and I were talking at the benches about class.  We have different teachers but share a gym class and lunch and recess so that’s how I know her even though she moved here at the beginning of this school year.  Well, Sheila and I started talking about class and how I thought that electricity were made from these metal monsters deep underground and how she thought that electricity was made from these lectrins moving about at a mousey level.  Anyhow, Sheila and I were in a middle of discussin when Robert comes over.  I think Robert has a crush on Sheila or something cause he started makin a fuss.  Which was weird cause Robert and I just earlier that day were on the same kickball team in gym and we were winning and best friends right then.  Well, Robert said that Sheila was a no good rotten liar and I told him to take that back.  Then Robert said that Sheila’s mom was a presstitute, whatever that means.  Sheila started to go red in the face and started bawling.  As soon as I saw her crying I got real mad, you know?  Cause Dad taught me to always respect a woman, and Robert wasn’t respecting Sheila’s mom even though she weren’t there.  So before Robert could say another thing I socked him in the eye.  He went down and someone shouted ‘fight fight!’  Only I was too busy hitting Robert for what he said, shouting at him and all.  A teacher arrived soon enough and all three of us were sent to the principal’s office then the nurse’s office and then back to the principals.  And now I’m here.”

He took in a deep breath.  I stared at him without changing my expression.  “So you fought Robert because he said some very bad things about your friend and her mom?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And did you tell the principal what had happened?”

“Uh…” He thought for a moment.  “No?”

I sighed.  In lieu of his father I would have to be the father figure in his life.  That meant dealing with Suz and with her anger over the situation.  But, from what I could gather Danny wasn’t exactly in the wrong either.  It didn’t help that I wasn’t exactly the best role model, with myself on the Night Watch and all.  One part of me was wanting to congratulate Danny for kicking ass and taking names.  And another, more rational part of me knew that Danny was still young and impressionable, and that whatever I said now he would take with him to the grave.

“Okay.  First off I am very proud of you for stepping in and fighting for that girl and her mother.  It was a very admiral thing to do. ”

He beamed from ear to ear.

“However, violence isn’t always the answer.  There are other ways to fight for a woman than with your fists.”

“Like how?”

“Um,” I thought hard.  “There is always telling what happened to the proper people.”

“Like tattle-telling?  I don’t want to be a tattle-teller.”

“It’s not tattle-telling.  When someone is sincerely hurt over what had happened or what is happening, telling an adult you trust is how that situation can be solved.  There isn’t any fun when someone gets hurt.”

“Oh…I don’t get it.”

I smiled.  “You will one day.”

“Oookay?”  He eyed the bag.  “Can I have the nuggets now?”

I nodded, and he went at them with a vengeance.  I watched him as he ate.  Somehow, someway I needed to convince Suz that Danny had in fact done the right thing.  That was much easier said than done; considering how protective, and passably irrational, Suz was over her son while her husband was overseas.  I sighed softly.  Convincing her would be a pain in the neck.