Mrs. James sat in her chair next to her old beagle. She was a widow with enough money to live on but not enough to travel so she spent most of her time alone. She’d grown to care for the strange man next door who reminded her of the son she couldn’t see. She noticed how he would forget to feed himself, often forget to comb his hair, and on the days he wasn’t job hunting, if Soc and Wings weren’t keeping him busy he wouldn’t even put pants on when going to get the mail. She chuckled at the last run in she had with him when he was up getting the mail in his boxers. He turned bright red realizing he’d forgotten pants.
“Mrs. James, I can make dinner for myself, you don’t have to worry so much,” Rat said watching the old woman as she carefully stood to head to the stove. She just smiled at him and walked past him.
“Don’t be silly, you’re not going to cook for yourself. The only home cooked you get besides my food is Wings,” she started cooking and he wanted to jump to his own defense but she was right.
He watched he before settling down into her couch. He agreed to have dinner with her and that’s exactly what he would do.
“Good, I’m glad it’s settled. I know you have plans with Wings and Soc when they get back from their trip but before and any other time, don’t be afraid to come over,” she mixed noodles into boiling water and began to work her magic on them. He loved when she made pasta. Any kind of pasta that Mrs. James made was fantastic. She said her grandmother taught her how to make the sauce right. Rat was happy to sit on the comfortable piece of furniture and loved the smell of her cooking. This was the closest thing to happiness he’d come across since the last time his family had been altogether.
He thought back to when he and his wife first found out they were having a son. They both found themselves in a state of shock. Everyone said they would be having a girl and they believed them but the doctor came back saying it was a boy and their whole world changed. A little girl meant standardized testing for all kinds of things. The city wanted to make sure no women carried the genes they were trying to weed out of the population. Having a boy meant there wouldn’t be any of the standardized tests and they would have the freedom and the income to support their family comfortably in their apartment. His wife looked him in the eyes and a weight she’d been carrying lifted. There was no money issues to deal with, there was no monthly testing to schedule around. A son granted them freedom.
Mrs. James brought Rat out of his daze. He imagined his small sons face. The bright white smile, the big brown eyes and soft brown skin, his dark curly hair bouncing with every step he took and stood up in all directions. He looked so much like his mother yet had a hint of Rat. She sat a plate down in front of him and returned to her chair not bringing Rats attention to the food. He soon found it on his own, still remembering the family he lost.
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Soc stood with her brother waiting on Rat. Today he had a job interview and they were excited to know if he got the job or not. They leaned over the roof and watched to road in front of the apartment building.
“Soc, don’t ask him, just let it go,” Wings was referring to the framed picture hanging on Rat’s wall.
“Wings, I just want to know why he spaces out, and why he avoids them like the plague. I need to know what's wrong with him.” Wings sighed. His sister was impossible sometimes. When she wanted to know something she was relentless even if it meant bringing up something someone didn’t want brought up.
“You could be hurting him, would you really like that?” Wings wasn’t usually one to get in the way of his sister but he could tell this was a sensitive subject for Rat.
“Holding it in is hurting him just as much as telling me would. He needs to let it out somewhere or else he’s going to explode.” Wings sighed again, heavier this time. Soc was a child. She was used to people telling her what she wanted to know and doing what she told them to do. Rat not telling her was baiting her. He knew the minute she learned it was just a boring family photo she would lose all interest and not deal with the mess she created.
“Soc, remember, other people have reasons to keep secrets just like we do. Let him be,” Soc said nothing but knew she couldn’t drop this. She needed to know and what’s more she knew he needed to tell someone and let out all the bad he kept stored up.
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