Flash tale #2 - "Sucked" (Patreon)

After I drop Haley off at school (she really is such a sweet girl!) I come home to check on Robert.

I open the front door, using Haley’s key in the lock (she doesn’t need it anymore). I smell fried bacon. My stomach growls, and I fleeting hope Robert has made enough for two, although I expect he’s got more on his mind right now than fixing breakfast for his wife.

Wife?

We’ll see about that.

Robert’s sitting on the kitchen floor, wearing just his shirt like a tent. Little Robert. I would put him at about nine months old, give or take. He looks up at me with a mishmash of fear and grease on his face.

I crouch down in front of him. “Smells good in here!”

“Faith, I'm sorry, ” he says, with a squeak of a voice. He pushes away from me, scooting backwards on his butt.

Sorry for what? Making a mess in the kitchen? Breaking his marriage vows? I remember the anger I’d felt, when I discovered Robert’s infidelity. A range that simmered over weeks and then months as I planned my response. As Robert and Hayley continued to meet, my thoughts grew darker.

For some of those thoughts, I didn’t need magic. Just a blunt instrument. Just a weapon.

It’s all right. Don’t panic. In the end, flicking through an old photo album, my heart softened and I choose a magical remedy instead. I chose innocence.

“I know you’re sorry, honey.” I lift Robert out of his shirt, pick him up and kiss his mouth, taste bacon on my lips. “Looks like you made your choice.”

Robert wrinkles his nose. “I didn’t…I didn’t make a…” His face reddens, and he looks to be on the verge of a tantrum. He waves his arms impotently. “I just got hungry, but as soon…” He gestures towards the table with a chubby fist. “As soon as I ate, I started getting smaller.”

I make a sad face. “Poor darling,” I say, and I’m sure that my tone is infuriating. “Same thing happened to Haley. She started the day off with a healthy breakfast, waiting for her visitor, and then she started getting younger.” I smile. “To be honest, when I appeared at the door instead of you, I think she was actually relieved!”

My husband struggles in my arms and then seems to understand the futility. “You said I had a choice,” he whispers, his head resting against my chest.

I nod. I did say that.

If you don’t like plan A, there’s always plan B.

But I’m also still mad at my unfaithful husband.

“You had a choice. You filled your face with magic food.” I give Robert an indulgent look. “You never were good at portion control. You could’ve been the same age as Haley, or perhaps her big brother. Instead…well, look at you.” For a moment, I do just that. He is a handsome, chunky little thing, just like the photos promised.

I still love him. Better yet, I will like him.

“Please,” he whimpers. “Turn me back.” He lifts his head, looks at me with a mournful expression. “I choose us, Faith. I choose us together. I’ll be a father, we’ll be a proper family, the whole deal.”

It’s a lovely idea. I could almost believe him, but I can see that spark of thoughtfulness in his eyes, I can see him wondering what he can do to get his way. Even now, helpless in my arms, he’s still scheming.

“I’ll let you choose,” I say. And I guess that’s a lie. I have made the choice for him.

I take Robert upstairs to a nursery that didn’t exist until a few minutes ago, just like Hayley’s bedroom. It’s all new, it’s all magic. The house has changed around us, and I’m the only one who looks the same.  I dress Robert in a diaper and stripy tee shirt, and then I sit down on the rocking chair, perching the baby on my lap.

“Mmm.” I nuzzle his head. “You look adorable. What a gorgeous baby. I bet there are all kinds of cute outfits for you in the closet.”

“You said I get to choose,” Robert complains, tired already of being treated like a little doll. “I don’t want to be little.”

I smile at him. “Here’s your choice. You can stay like this, with your old thoughts. Or you can let it go.”

Robert understands. He opens his mouth to reject the offer and I hush him with a finger. “Think about it. Think how excited Hayley will be, to come home and find she has a baby brother. Maybe I’ll even let her remember who you really are…what you both used to have.” My eyes widen with anticipation. “Just imagine the look on her face!” I smile.

When he doesn’t smile back, I let myself pout for a moment before saying, “You’re right. That would be humiliating.” I hold him to my chest, rub his back and tell him softly, “Show Mommy what a good baby you are, and I promise you won’t be embarrassed. Hayley can be a sweet little girl and you can be her sweet baby brother.”

I kiss his forehead and whisper, “Babies know how to make themselves feel better.”

I don’t have to put the idea in his head. He already knows what to do. Because he’s a baby, except for those distracting, worthless adult thoughts still taking up real estate in his mind. I look him in the eye, still smiling, and I feel my remaining anger leave me as Robert puts his thumb between his lips.

“What a clever baby,” I say sweetly.

There will be no more lies, not for a long time. The next time Robert makes something up, it will be a childish fantasy. Telling Mommy he didn’t eat the cookie, crumbs on his lips. Telling Mommy he didn’t tinkle in his pant, his crotch wet with the evidence.

I can handle that kind of lie.

“Good boy,” I say. I watch as Robert sucks his thumb, and his expression changes. The final, calculating look in his eye is replaced with a glassy-eyed innocence. All he knows is the comfort provided by his thumb, the loving presence of his mother.

“There’s my good boy!” I say brightly. Robert responds to my tone with a smile, lips curled around his thumb, a trail of saliva running down his chin.

I am merciful. I am loving. Like Hayley said, I could have turned him into a frog.

THE END