Bound By Love
A Day Out
Andy
I have never in my short life seen someone so…humiliated before. He hung his head in this demeaning manner. The way he would just sit so sadly on the floor with his knees pulled up his chest. I watched him and it inspired me to sketch more pictures. I drew a few of what I assumed his smile would be like and I just wanted to see it for myself.
That brought an idea to me. I put my sketch book down and sat down next to him.
“You want to go on a picnic?”
“How can you think about that at a time like this?” He mumbled.
“We’ll go to the one place that makes both of us happy. Get ready and I’ll set up.” I smiled and went into the kitchen.
“Mom?” She turned around and smiled.
“Yes, Andrew?”
“I need picnic food.”
“Right, uh, I’ll get right on that.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed a blanket from the closet and my iPod dock. When I returned to my room, Bill was dressed but he was glancing out the window sadly.
“Hey, can you pass me my iPod?” He looked over at my desk and got up from the bed to hand it to me. He caught sight of the drawings I just did and I swear I saw a small smile tug at his lips.
“Those are really nice. But you’ve never seen me smile; I’ve never seen me smile. How’d you do that?”
“I can see your smile lines on your face so I just imagined what they’d look like if you were to smile.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.” He handed me my iPod and slowly walked back over to the bed to pull on his shoes.
“I’ll go grab our picnic.”
“Okay.” I went back into the kitchen and there were sandwiches all nicely wrapped, grapes, bananas, juice, and many other snacks.
“Wow, mom you prepared all of this.”
“Your father and I went on many dates that involved picnics because at the time we didn’t have much.”
“You guys lived together?”
“Yeah, a few years before you were born but he ran out on me when he found out I was pregnant. But who cares, I managed to raise you and provide for you and I think I did a pretty good job even if I do say so myself.”
“Thanks mom. It’s nice to finally talk to you without work getting in the way.”
“I have a few days off while the board decides what to do about the building in New York. So you’ll be seeing a lot more of me kiddo.” She put down her coffee mug and hugged me.
“I am so proud of you, Andrew.”
“Proud of me? For what?”
“You didn’t have to help your friends but you do anyway and you work so hard to do what you love and that is a quality that you got from your father. He was a good man and even though he wasn’t ready to be a daddy, I hope you grow up to be as caring and as thoughtful as he was.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“Well, you better pack this stuff. I’ll go grab the basket.” She wiped away her tears and left the kitchen. I looked over at what she was staring at and saw it was a photo of her with a man. This guy looked just like me only he had my blonde hair like I used to before I dyed it black. She was smiling so brightly and it warmed my cold heart to know there was a person on this planet that made my mom this happy.
“Here you go.” I turned and saw my mom holding the basket in her hands.
“Is this him? My dad?”
“Yup that’s him. That was high school graduation and we went to the same college. I wish I knew where he was so you could meet him.”
“I’m sure he knows where you are. Your face is in every magazine as the biggest female CEO in the country.”
“Oh stop, help me pack your food.”
“Yes, mommy.” We put the food neatly into the basket and I carried it outside. Bill sulked out a few moments later; I snuck a camera in the basket so in case I get a smile out of him I’ll get the moment on camera. I took his hand and we walked down to our park.
“I haven’t been here in the past few days.” He muttered.
“I know, that’s why I brought you here, silly. That’s the point of a secret yet not so secret date.” His face turned beet red and he looked at the ground.
“T—thank you, Andy.”
“No problem. Let’s sit.” I chose a nice spot under a tree and we sat down on the cozy blanket.
“Ham or Turkey, my mom made both.”
“Turkey’s fine.”
“Okay.” I handed him the sandwich and he looked at it.
“What are you waiting for, Chinese New Year? Eat the sandwich.”
“My dad never let me eat what I wanted. He said that giving kids too much power made them grow up to fast and they would start to go over their parents.”
“Well I am not your dad. If you wanted to eat boogers, I’d stare at you weirdly but still let you do it. It’d be really gross but I’d still let you do it.”
“Really? That’s…different.” He unwrapped the sandwich’s plastic covering and bit into it.
“You like it?”
“It’s good.” He took a few more bites and looked at the ducks swimming in the pond. The evening glow made his skin look so translucent. I smiled and cocked my head to the side.
“What?” He asked once he noticed me staring.
“Nothing, you just look so beautiful in this light.” He blushed again and quickly looked away.
“Thank you.”
“You know what people used to think about me?” I randomly brought up.
“What?”
“They used to think I was angry psychopath.”
“Why would they think that?” He turned to look at me.
“Funny story, I was on a school mandated trip and basically some dog looked at me funny and I nearly turned this dog into mincemeat. I’m talking full on fake barking, snarling, and growling. I was in full character and at a standoff with a fucking dog. Turns out though this dog was in fact a statue that looked and sounded like a real dog that was about to attack someone. It took me an hour to figure that out.” Bill stopped eating and looked at me. He swallowed his food and another smile tugged at his lips and he fell back in harsh laughter. It was the first time I had seen him happy. He just laughed so hard and when he sat back up he was wiping tears of joy from his eyes.
“That is so funny.” He chuckled. He smiled at me and I snapped a quick photo of it.
“So, Bill, how are you feeling?”
“For once in my life, happy. Thank you so much, Andy. I love you.” My heart stopped.
“You---you love me?”
“Mhmm, you are like the light in my dull, dark world and whenever I need to smile, I know that I can just come to you. Thank you.” He reached over and hugged me. He felt so natural in my arms. I didn’t think that this simple picnic would mean so much to him. This simple picnic may have changed his life forever.
I have never in my short life seen someone so…humiliated before. He hung his head in this demeaning manner. The way he would just sit so sadly on the floor with his knees pulled up his chest. I watched him and it inspired me to sketch more pictures. I drew a few of what I assumed his smile would be like and I just wanted to see it for myself.
That brought an idea to me. I put my sketch book down and sat down next to him.
“You want to go on a picnic?”
“How can you think about that at a time like this?” He mumbled.
“We’ll go to the one place that makes both of us happy. Get ready and I’ll set up.” I smiled and went into the kitchen.
“Mom?” She turned around and smiled.
“Yes, Andrew?”
“I need picnic food.”
“Right, uh, I’ll get right on that.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed a blanket from the closet and my iPod dock. When I returned to my room, Bill was dressed but he was glancing out the window sadly.
“Hey, can you pass me my iPod?” He looked over at my desk and got up from the bed to hand it to me. He caught sight of the drawings I just did and I swear I saw a small smile tug at his lips.
“Those are really nice. But you’ve never seen me smile; I’ve never seen me smile. How’d you do that?”
“I can see your smile lines on your face so I just imagined what they’d look like if you were to smile.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.” He handed me my iPod and slowly walked back over to the bed to pull on his shoes.
“I’ll go grab our picnic.”
“Okay.” I went back into the kitchen and there were sandwiches all nicely wrapped, grapes, bananas, juice, and many other snacks.
“Wow, mom you prepared all of this.”
“Your father and I went on many dates that involved picnics because at the time we didn’t have much.”
“You guys lived together?”
“Yeah, a few years before you were born but he ran out on me when he found out I was pregnant. But who cares, I managed to raise you and provide for you and I think I did a pretty good job even if I do say so myself.”
“Thanks mom. It’s nice to finally talk to you without work getting in the way.”
“I have a few days off while the board decides what to do about the building in New York. So you’ll be seeing a lot more of me kiddo.” She put down her coffee mug and hugged me.
“I am so proud of you, Andrew.”
“Proud of me? For what?”
“You didn’t have to help your friends but you do anyway and you work so hard to do what you love and that is a quality that you got from your father. He was a good man and even though he wasn’t ready to be a daddy, I hope you grow up to be as caring and as thoughtful as he was.”
“Thanks, mom.”
“Well, you better pack this stuff. I’ll go grab the basket.” She wiped away her tears and left the kitchen. I looked over at what she was staring at and saw it was a photo of her with a man. This guy looked just like me only he had my blonde hair like I used to before I dyed it black. She was smiling so brightly and it warmed my cold heart to know there was a person on this planet that made my mom this happy.
“Here you go.” I turned and saw my mom holding the basket in her hands.
“Is this him? My dad?”
“Yup that’s him. That was high school graduation and we went to the same college. I wish I knew where he was so you could meet him.”
“I’m sure he knows where you are. Your face is in every magazine as the biggest female CEO in the country.”
“Oh stop, help me pack your food.”
“Yes, mommy.” We put the food neatly into the basket and I carried it outside. Bill sulked out a few moments later; I snuck a camera in the basket so in case I get a smile out of him I’ll get the moment on camera. I took his hand and we walked down to our park.
“I haven’t been here in the past few days.” He muttered.
“I know, that’s why I brought you here, silly. That’s the point of a secret yet not so secret date.” His face turned beet red and he looked at the ground.
“T—thank you, Andy.”
“No problem. Let’s sit.” I chose a nice spot under a tree and we sat down on the cozy blanket.
“Ham or Turkey, my mom made both.”
“Turkey’s fine.”
“Okay.” I handed him the sandwich and he looked at it.
“What are you waiting for, Chinese New Year? Eat the sandwich.”
“My dad never let me eat what I wanted. He said that giving kids too much power made them grow up to fast and they would start to go over their parents.”
“Well I am not your dad. If you wanted to eat boogers, I’d stare at you weirdly but still let you do it. It’d be really gross but I’d still let you do it.”
“Really? That’s…different.” He unwrapped the sandwich’s plastic covering and bit into it.
“You like it?”
“It’s good.” He took a few more bites and looked at the ducks swimming in the pond. The evening glow made his skin look so translucent. I smiled and cocked my head to the side.
“What?” He asked once he noticed me staring.
“Nothing, you just look so beautiful in this light.” He blushed again and quickly looked away.
“Thank you.”
“You know what people used to think about me?” I randomly brought up.
“What?”
“They used to think I was angry psychopath.”
“Why would they think that?” He turned to look at me.
“Funny story, I was on a school mandated trip and basically some dog looked at me funny and I nearly turned this dog into mincemeat. I’m talking full on fake barking, snarling, and growling. I was in full character and at a standoff with a fucking dog. Turns out though this dog was in fact a statue that looked and sounded like a real dog that was about to attack someone. It took me an hour to figure that out.” Bill stopped eating and looked at me. He swallowed his food and another smile tugged at his lips and he fell back in harsh laughter. It was the first time I had seen him happy. He just laughed so hard and when he sat back up he was wiping tears of joy from his eyes.
“That is so funny.” He chuckled. He smiled at me and I snapped a quick photo of it.
“So, Bill, how are you feeling?”
“For once in my life, happy. Thank you so much, Andy. I love you.” My heart stopped.
“You---you love me?”
“Mhmm, you are like the light in my dull, dark world and whenever I need to smile, I know that I can just come to you. Thank you.” He reached over and hugged me. He felt so natural in my arms. I didn’t think that this simple picnic would mean so much to him. This simple picnic may have changed his life forever.
@Purdy's_little_lady_outlaw there's a sequel called Fond Memories
5/6/14