by N L Hinkens
“Mom! Look what I painted today!” Jessica cried, as she clambered into the car trailing her backpack behind her and waving a sheet of paper in Sonia’s face.
“Wow! That’s beautiful!” Sonia exclaimed, admiring the lifelike robin her artistic daughter had drawn.
“It’s for Grandma,” Jessica said matter-of-factly, fastening her seatbelt. “She misses seeing all the birds on her morning walks.”
“That’s thoughtful of you,” Sonia said. “It won’t be too much longer before she’s back cruising around the neighborhood again. Speaking of which, we have a new neighbor—two new neighbors, in fact.”
“Who?” Jessica asked, her freckled nose pressed to the window as she waved goodbye to one of her school friends.
“You know Mrs. Jenkins who passed away—it’s her son, Ray, and her grandson, Henry.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. ”I never knew she had a grandson. Is he going to my school?”
“Henry’s only a little guy,” Sonia explained. “Three or four, I’m guessing. I told him we’d invite him over to play later.”
“I love little kids. Maybe I can babysit him sometime.” Jessica furrowed her brow. ”Do you think he likes to play with Legos? I can teach him how to build a fort and … ”
Sonia settled in for the fifteen-minute-drive home, offering intermittent responses as Jessica prattled on about the upcoming playdate—all the while wondering why Ray Jenkins had hidden Henry’s existence from his mother. There was obviously more to the story, and she intended to get to the bottom of it.
After a quick snack of apple slices and peanut butter at the kitchen counter, Jessica began bouncing up and down in anticipation of meeting Henry. “Can he come over now, Mom, please?”
“We can invite him, but he may not be able to play today,” Sonia warned her.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to go back over there again?” Evelyn muttered, pursing her lips as she cleared away Jessica’s plate. “Maybe you should give them some time to settle in.”
Sonia shrugged. The fearful look in Henry’s eyes as he’d gazed up at his father nagged at her. “What’s the worst that can happen—he says no?”
For the second time that day, Sonia found herself standing on her neighbor’s porch, about to engage the new inhabitant. This time she’d brought Jessica along as an olive branch of sorts. With a bit of luck she’d go across better than the muffins had.
The door opened and Ray stared out at them. His steel-gray eyes shifted from Sonia to Jessica and then back, revealing nothing.
“Jessica was wondering if Henry would like to come over and play,” Sonia said, hitching her lips up into a smile. ”I thought maybe it would give you a chance to unpack.”
Ray’s face clouded over. “Henry’s … napping.”
Sonia raised amused brows at the banging noise coming from inside the house. “Sounds like somebody’s awake now.”
Seconds later, Henry appeared in the hallway clutching a pair of pot lids. He stopped dead in his tracks, his attention drawn at once to Jessica.
Before Sonia could intervene, Jessica ducked under Ray’s arm and darted down the dark wallpapered hallway to greet Henry, enveloping him, pot lids and all, in an exuberant hug.
Ray peered nervously over his shoulder as the kids disappeared into Celia’s old guest bedroom.
Sonia gave an apologetic chuckle. “Sorry! Jessica’s used to running in and out of the house. Celia always gave her free rein. I worried about your mother leaving the door unlocked all the time—she had her purse stolen once, but even that wasn’t enough to convince her to change her ways.”
Ray’s lips twitched into a flicker of a smile. “Uh, actually … I’m glad you stopped by. I wanted to ask you a favor.” He hesitated, folding and then unfolding his arms awkwardly. “The thing is, I’ve signed Henry up to start at the local preschool and I have to list someone as an emergency contact. I work from home, so I don’t anticipate them needing to call on anyone, but I was wondering if I could put your name down, just to satisfy the school’s requirements. I realize it’s an imposition, but I don’t know anyone else in the neighborhood, yet.”
“Of course, no problem at all,” Sonia responded. ”I work from home too, so my schedule’s flexible. And Jessica will be delighted to have someone to play with.”
Ray gave a grateful nod. ”Thank you.”
They glanced up as the kids came barreling back down the hallway hand-in-hand.
“Henry wants to come to our house to play,” Jessica announced.
Sonia pinned a questioning look on Ray. ”Is that all right with you? You’re welcome to come over too, of course.”
Ray rubbed a hand over his jaw, debating with himself. “Um, I think I’ll unpack the rest of our stuff. It’s difficult to get anything done with a young child underfoot.”
“Tell me about it.” Sonia chuckled. ”We’ll bring Henry back over in an hour or two.”
She waved goodbye and followed the kids across the lawn to her house. Judging by the grip Henry had of Jessica’s hand, he had no intention of letting go anytime soon. He seemed more comfortable walking off with a virtual stranger than he was with his own father. And that bothered Sonia.
“Well, hello there, you must be Henry!” Evelyn exclaimed, setting aside the sage green shawl she was knitting when Jessica brought him into the family room. She smiled warmly at him, her eyes twinkling. ”Did you like my muffins?”
After a moment’s reflection, he gave a tentative nod. Sonia got the impression he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“I’m going to show Henry my toys,” Jessica said, giving his hand a tug.
“Trust Jessica to win his heart,” Evelyn said, reaching for her knitting as the kids tore out of the room. “She has him wrapped around her little finger already.”
Sonia wrinkled her brow. “He reminds me of someone.”
“Celia, no doubt,” Evelyn replied with a disgruntled sigh. “That son of hers is a right piece of work for keeping something so precious from her.”
“Ray was a little friendlier this time around,” Sonia said. “He asked if he could put my name down as an emergency contact for Henry’s preschool.”
Evelyn twisted her lips, her needles picking up speed. “That just tells me he can turn on the charm when he needs something.”
“Maybe.” Sonia glanced at her watch. “I need to take care of some emails while those two are occupied. Can I get you anything before I disappear into my office?”
Evelyn shot her a scolding look. “Stop fussing, dear. It’s been five weeks since I went under the knife. I can get around perfectly fine.”
Later that afternoon, Sonia and Jessica walked Henry back over to his house. Halfway there, Sonia noticed he had one of Jessica’s favorite stuffed toys under his arm. She contemplated bringing it up but decided against it. Upsetting Henry before she delivered him back to his father was hardly the way to win Ray’s confidence. Jessica could always ask for the bear back later.
“Thanks for letting Henry come over,” Sonia said when Ray opened the door to them. “The kids had a great time together.”
Ray frowned down at Henry. “That’s not your bear. You need to give it back.”
Henry’s bottom lip began to tremble.
Sonia opened her mouth to intervene, but Jessica beat her to it. “I gave it to him. He can keep it.”
“That’s … very kind of you,” Ray replied in a hesitant tone. “If you’re sure—“ He trailed off, raising his brows at Sonia, who nodded in approval.
“See you tomorrow, Henry,” Jessica chirped, letting go of his hand and bending over to hug him.
A solitary tear trickled down his pale face.
Sonia winced as though she’d taken a punch, the feeling in her gut that something was terribly wrong clamoring for her attention.
“Thanks again,” Ray said, swiftly scooping Henry up in his arms. He gave a curt nod and shut the door on them.
“That was nice of you
to give Henry your bear,” Sonia said, as she and Jessica walked back home. “I know Fudge was your favorite. Aren’t you going to miss him when you go to bed tonight?”
Jessica looked pensive. ”Henry needs him more than me. He’s not allowed any toys of his own.”
3
“Did you have fun playing with Henry today?” Evelyn asked when they sat down to dinner that evening.
Jessica nodded, a forkful of chicken halfway to her mouth. ”Uh-huh. He liked my Legos but he wasn’t very good at building stuff. I had to help him.”
“Did he talk to you much?” Sonia asked.
“Nope. He mostly nods and points.”
Evelyn doused her dinner vigorously with pepper. ”Poor little mite just lost his mother. He’s still traumatized.”
Jessica puckered her brow. “What does traum—what does that word mean?”
“It means he misses his mom,” Sonia said.
Jessica gave a pensive nod. “He didn’t want to go home. He crawled under my bed and kept saying, I want my mommy. I want my mommy.”
Sonia raised her brows a fraction, exchanging a furtive look across the table with Evelyn. It troubled her to hear that Henry’s plea for his mother had been triggered at the thought of returning home to Ray.
“Maybe you can invite Henry over to play again soon,” Evelyn said, patting Jessica on the hand. “He really likes you.”
“It was good of you to take him under your wing, sweetie,” Sonia added. “I know sometimes little kids can be annoying when they go through all your stuff.”
“Henry’s not annoying! He’s cute!” Jessica said. “I wish I could have a little brother. Can he have a sleepover, Mom?”
“It’s a bit early for that. I know he’s missing his mother, and he likes being with you, but we need to support his relationship with his dad too.”
Jessica took a gulp of her milk and set the glass down with a thunk. “Mom, you should tell his dad to buy him some toys. He only has one little Matchbox truck.”
“I’m sure he has plenty of toys, Jess,” Sonia soothed. ”They’re probably in a box somewhere. Maybe his dad got them out this afternoon while Henry was over here.”
Jessica shook her head. ”He doesn’t even have any stuffed animals to sleep with.”
“Not to worry. I bet the next time you go over there his bedroom will be all set up with his toys,” Evelyn chimed in.
“Speaking of bed, it’s time you washed up and got your jammies on,” Sonia said. She got to her feet and began clearing the table, trying to quash the lingering feeling that something was off about the relationship between Ray and Henry. Ray had totally overreacted when he saw Henry with Jessica’s bear. Was he really not allowed any toys? As she scraped the dishes into the garbage disposal, she mulled over all the little things that were bugging her: Ray’s close-lipped conversation, the fear in Henry’s eyes, his aversion to his father, the price tag hanging from his sweater, Jessica’s insistence that he had no toys, even the nagging suspicion that Henry looked vaguely familiar—what did it all mean, if anything?
She wanted to give Ray the benefit of the doubt. His world had been turned upside down, after all, with the loss of his wife and his mother. He had to be under a lot of stress, coupled with the recent move. It wasn’t all that surprising that he and his son were floundering in their efforts to find a new normal in their relationship with one another. She sighed as she set the dishwasher to run. She’d invite them over for dinner next week and try to get to know Ray Jenkins a little better. If they were to be neighbors, she needed to be sure she could trust him. And as things stood, she didn’t.
It took several attempts before Ray finally committed to dinner the following Friday. Sonia settled on cooking a pot roast, carrots and mashed potatoes, figuring it was something Henry would eat. Evelyn hadn’t been too thrilled at the prospect of entertaining Ray, but despite her misgivings, her curiosity about him won out. She had even deigned to make her famous brownies and homemade ice cream for dessert.
When the doorbell rang, Sonia stiffened momentarily, before reminding herself that the simplest explanation was usually the right one. Ray might hold his cards close to his chest, but it was highly unlikely he was a serial killer—more likely a lost soul struggling to cope with the double whammy of losing his wife and mother within weeks of each other and facing the unenviable challenge of raising his young son alone.
Sonia pasted a smile on her lips before pulling open the door. “Welcome!”
“Thank you,” Ray replied, tugging Henry after him as he stepped through the door, clutching her platter in his other hand.
Henry peered around his legs, a hopeful expression on his face.
“Someone’s been waiting very patiently for you to get here, Henry,” Sonia said, ushering him and Ray into the kitchen.
Jessica jumped to her feet and ran to squeeze Henry, before dragging him off to play with the Lego town she’d spent the afternoon assembling on his behalf.
“So, Ray, are you all settled into your mother’s place?“ Evelyn inquired, her prickly tone conveying her distaste for him.
“More or less. I didn’t have much to unpack.” He fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt as if feeling the need to explain himself further. ”I … thought it best for Henry to have a fresh start away from the home he associates with his mother.”
“And where’s that?” Evelyn asked.
“Richmond, Virginia,” Ray said. “I’ve—we’ve been living there for the past ten years.”
“It must be overwhelming having to deal with so much loss at once,” Sonia said.
Ray gave a stiff nod. “It’s been … difficult.”
“Can I offer you something to drink?” Sonia asked. “Glass of wine, sparkling cider, water? Sorry I don’t have any beer. My ex was a big beer drinker. Uh—” She trailed off, painfully aware that she was prattling on again.
“Sparkling cider sounds great,” Ray said. He glanced nervously over his shoulder as Sonia opened a bottle of Martinelli’s. “Do you think we should check on the kids?”
Evelyn threw him a sharp look as she set three glasses down on the counter. ”I’m sure Jessica won’t let Henry out of her sight. But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll peek in on them.”
A look of relief flitted across Ray’s face. ”That would be great. It’s just that … with everything that’s happened, Henry’s … not himself. He cries himself to sleep every night.”
Sonia tutted sympathetically as she poured the drinks.
“It’s kind of you to invite us over,” Ray said hesitantly, once Evelyn had shuffled out of the kitchen. ”I sense your mother doesn’t have a very high opinion of me—Celia being her friend and all. She probably thinks I’m a right heel for never visiting my mother.”
“It’s none of our business,” Sonia replied, avoiding eye contact as she lifted a cast iron pot out of the oven. “Celia was a sweet neighbor, but every family has their issues.”
Ray took a gulp of his drink. ”My father was extremely abusive to me and my brother, Tom.”
Sonia bit her lip. “That’s awful. Did … Celia know?”
“Yes, she refused to leave him.” He traced his fingertips over his jaw. “She was too scared of him to do the right thing. She lied to Child Protective Services when a teacher reported our bruises.” Ray paused, his forehead rumpling as if revisiting the betrayal. “When I left home at sixteen, I was a broken kid. It took me years to recover. My father suffered a heart attack and died a few months after I left. But, I vowed I’d never return home. I couldn’t bear the thought of ever setting eyes on my mother again, or even hearing her voice—it just … triggered everything.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sonia choked out, tossing the potholders on the counter and reaching for her glass. A pang of guilt hit when she saw the wretched expression etched on Ray’s face. Surely no one could fake that kind of pain. Perhaps she’d been too quick to judge him. She had no idea what it was like to be raised by an abusive pa
rent, but she did know something about the toll abuse took on the soul. ”I can understand why you wouldn’t want to visit your mother under those circumstances.” She hesitated before adding, “My ex-husband was abusive. And a liar too. There’s nothing I hate more than being lied to. Thankfully, I have a very supportive mother. I couldn’t have gone through my divorce without her.”
“You’re lucky to have her. I’m sure she’s a big help with Jessica.”
Sonia swallowed a mouthful of sparkling cider, twisting the stem of her glass between her fingers. “Do you mind if I ask what happened to your wife?”
Ray dropped his gaze. “She had … stomach cancer—stage four. By the time they discovered it, it was too late.”
Sonia blew out a heavy breath. “That’s so sad. You really have been through the ringer.”
“The hardest part is figuring out how to raise a four-year-old alone. Anyway, I didn’t mean to start the evening out on such a downer. I just thought you deserved an explanation.” Ray tweaked a grin and raised his glass. “Here’s to not being victims anymore.”
“Is dinner ready?” Jessica cried out, as she burst into the room. ”Henry’s hungry.”
“Yes, all set,” Sonia replied, setting down her glass and kicking into gear. “Go get Grandma and Henry.”
She placed the Mikasa stoneware serving dishes in the center of the table as everyone took their places. ”Ray, you’re the guest, so dig in. I’ll leave you to make a plate for Henry.”
“The table looks amazing,” Ray said, running an admiring eye over the rustic floral centerpiece and pillar candlesticks. “You have such an artful touch. Your clients must love you.”
Sonia unfolded her linen napkin, fighting to keep her expression neutral when she saw the overly generous helping of food Ray dished out for Henry. Was he actually that clueless about how much a four-year-old could eat? Maybe her mother was right, and he hadn’t spent much time at home with Henry before his wife passed away.
