1
Dylan
I never thought at the age of thirty, my five-year-old nephew would be the brightest spot in my life, or that his dumb ass parents could be so negligent. Yes, I’m talking about my own flesh and blood, bonehead of a brother. If our parents were still alive, they’d no doubt beat him black and blue.
Brody met Kena right after our parents passed away, one thing led to another, and nine months later Johnny arrived.
It was a devastating loss and one we didn’t see coming. One night they were here and loving every minute of their twenty-five years together. Then, a drunk driver collided with them in a head-on car collision and they were gone.
Brody was already at the edge of a slippery slope, and one woman helped push him further to the cliff. They were both toxic to each other. Keeping Kena clean while she was pregnant was hard. You’d think she would want to stay healthy for her unborn child. Wrong, she didn’t care and eventually I talked her into staying at a rehab facility during her pregnancy. She was still sneaking pills, somehow.
He and Kena signed over their rights shortly after Johnny was born and he’s been with me ever since.
It makes my heart ache to know that Brody gave Johnny away so easily, but I knew if I didn’t offer to take him off their hands, he would somehow end up hurt.
“Have a good weekend, Tabitha,” I tell my receptionist, as I head out of my office. I’ve been trying to perfect this app for children and adults suffering from dyslexia. I usually develop gaming apps, but when your very own little man has something holding him back from reading, you drop whatever you’re working on to see if you could get this right for him.
“Hi Mr. Sullivan, heading out for the day?” she questions.
“Yep, I’m off to grab Johnny and take him to the bakery,” I say, with a smile. Tabitha is older in age, her hair is greying at her temples, and she’s been the biggest asset since I brought her on six years ago.
“He’s going to have the biggest sweet tooth,” she admonishes.
“He’d get it honestly then,” I reply, giving an exaggerated toothy grin.
“It’s all the other junk food they sneak. Trust me, I raised three girls, and now I have six grandchildren.”
“I have a feeling you’re the one feeding them all the junk.” I finish locking up my office.
“You’re probably right. Have a good evening,” she says.
“You too, don’t stay too much later,” I say, with a wave.
I get to Johnny’s school fairly quickly. We live in a small town and it’s only a few minutes away and within walking distance. In fact, you can practically walk everywhere. He’s in the after-school program and I hate it. My job is flexible enough that he could come with me or I could work from home, but he begged to stay after and hang out with his friends. One look at his puppy dog pleading face and I caved.
I see him waiting on the stoop of the elementary school and my smile already broadens. He runs towards me, arms out, and yelling, “Daddy, guess what, guess what?”
I bend down and get on his level as I respond, “What is it? Did you have a good day?”
“I wrote my name. Mrs. Sanchez even said it was perfect!” he exclaims.
“I’m so proud of you, Johnny. I think this deserves a trip to the bakery?” I question, he doesn’t know I was planning on taking him anyways.
“Yes!” He’s beyond excited and something as simple as writing his name correctly, it tugs at my heart. I know he may not be mine by birth, but he’s mine all the same.
“Hi, Mrs. Sanchez,” I say, as I walk closer to her, where she has a clipboard with all the children’s name to sign them in and out.
“Hello Mr. Sullivan, ready for the weekend?” she asks
“We sure are,” Johnny squeals. He’s got a pile of energy and it’s only going to get worse, but to see that smile on his face, I’ll deal with his energy any day of the week. After he has his treat from the bakery, I’ll take him to the park, let him run, jump, and swing. That will tire him out before dinner.
“Have a good weekend,” I tell her.
“You too,” she replies, and we head off for our walk to the bakery.
2
Candy
I hear the doorbell ring and go towards the front of the store. I stop in my tracks when I see Dylan. He’s been coming in here with his son since I opened the shop up a couple of months ago. It was so endearing how he always gives him one on one attention, even when I hear his phone ring. He silences it and then turns right back to Johnny.