Promise
He bit his lip at the top of the stairs, wondering if his father was done for the day. He knew making the man angry wouldn't be good, but he was so eager to show his father what he drew that he decided to take a chance.
Hopping down each step, pushing up his glasses that nearly fell off when he reached the bottom; he wandered to his father's study, slowly pushing the door open. "Papa?" the child asked, cautiously stepping in.
His father sat at his desk, working as he normally did. "What is it?"
He sounded irritated but the child swallowed, determined to not let the fear of his father get in the way of his excitement. "Papa." He stood by his father's chair. "I made this for you." He turned the picture around, holding it up for his father to see.
The man took a quick glance before returning to his work. "Alright."
"…but, papa. You didn't look at it." He tugged his father's arm. "Please look at it."
Sighing, the man turned to his son, taking the picture from his hands, examining it. It seemed to be a picture of him, his son and his wife who passed away two years ago, the child getting his chocolate hair from his mother. "Mm." he returned the picture to his son as he resumed his work.
The child frowned. "I made it for you."
"I know."
"D…Don't you want to keep it?"
His father gave another irritated sigh. "I don't have time for this right now boy. Let me get back to work."
The child's bottom lip quivered but he left the study as he was told too. Tears prickled in the corner of his eyes. He swallowed the growing lump, but could no longer hold in his tears as he looked at the picture he drew. "Momma…"
"Alan?"
The boy looked up into the kind eyes of their family's butler. "…hello Mista William." He muttered.
William cocked his head, kneeling to the boy's height. "What's troubling you?"
"…papa doesn't love me anymore. He's too busy to play with me or take the drawing I made for him." He showed William what he drew. "See? That's daddy, that's me and that's momma." He pointed to each figure in the picture.
William took the drawing into his own hands, smiling at the child creative ability. "I'm sure your father will return to the way you remember him." He ran his fingers through Alan's hair. "You're a very talented artist."
Alan's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. "Really?"
"If I do say so myself." He stood, taking Alan's hand. "Why don't you show me what else you drew?"
"That's it."
"Then why don't you give me a private lesson? I can't draw anything and I'd love to learn from an expert."
Alan wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his head. "I can do that." Though he glanced back at the study door. "…would papa like me to teach him to draw?"
William scooped Alan into his arms. "I'm sure one day you can. Your father is still dealing with-"
"Momma's death?"
"…yes."
Alan laid his head on William's shoulder. "Why did she go?"
"Because everyone has to someday."
"…even you?"
William sighed, holding Alan a little closer. "Even me."
"But…you can't leave. Mummy said you'd be with us forever."
"Your mother was right. I'll forever be with you just like your mother is now. Just, in here." He set his hand to Alan's chest. "In your heart. So long as you don't forget us, we are never truly gone."
Alan took William's hand. "I promise to never, ever, forget you or mummy…or daddy." He looked back at William with determined eyes. "I promise."
