IT
chaffin
I told him to go get it. He told me he couldn’t find it; this child of mine with long, thick, curly, dark brown hair and big brown puppy-dog eyes. We both knew he hadn’t even looked.
I was his hero, being in the Navy and always coming and going. His mother was the disciplinarian. He would argue with her about anything. For me, he would do anything without question, yet here he sat on my lap insisting he could not find it.
I made a stern face telling him to go Lind it now; leaving no room for discussion. He crawled off my lap, head hanging and marched slowly toward his room. I smiled thinking what a wonderful actor he, would make someday, but stopped when he turned to give me one last sad-eyed look. Seeing it was useless he continued his death march.
My curiosity got the better of me. I tip-toed to his room and peeked in. I found him standing in the middle of his room, head tilted back, staring at the point where the walls join the ceiling. He did this rocking heel-toe step, turning a complete circle never taking his eyes off of that point.
I got back to my chair in the kitchen just in time. He walked in with his head hanging. He crawled unto my lap, hugged my neck, kissed my cheek and said quite earnestly, “I look everywhere!” with a smile I couldn’t hide I said, “Come on...”
It has been many years and I’ve long forgotten what it was.
