Haiti Relief Donation Gratitude Contribution
A Rough Start from Anthony's Point of View
Photograph.
The raindrops made an angry sound as they pounded relentlessly against the windowpane. Flashes of lightening illuminated the bedroom in bursts of momentary light, and when thunder rocked the small room, Anthony bolted upright, and sat stock still in the middle of his supple mattress. His eyes roved around his bedroom to see that it was more populated than it had been when he'd gone to sleep that night. And though he hadn't seen a lot of the things in a long time, they were all familiar. Even the small, white bedside table that held his airplane lamp and a picture frame with the picture of a man and his motorcycle that had come with the frame.
The light blue sheets clung to Anthony's legs as he listened to the fierce weather outside the walls of his room. Another peal of thunder rocked the sky and Anthony kicked against the hold of his bedding and scrambled from his bed. Thrusting his bedroom door wide open, Anthony ran out into the brightly lit hallway, his bare feet slapping against the bright oak floor.
The hallway seemed much longer than it did during the daytime, and Anthony felt that he had to run forever before he finally reached a pale olive door that was slightly ajar. Slowly he peered inside; the yellow walls made it look like morning instead of the blue-black of the night.
Anthony stood frozen in the doorway as his eyes scanned the room for signs of safety. In one corner of the room there was a small table with a pale blue tablecloth on it. Atop the tablecloth was one of the white spider-web looking circles that his grandmother used to make with her metal hook and magic finger. A short ways away, there was a large gray stuffed mouse that lay on the floor, slouched against a chair that hadn't been there only moments before.
"Moppy!" Anthony called out to the toy he hadn't seen in a long time.
The warbled distortion of his voice shocked him, but he dismissed it quickly and turned his attention back to the room. The last time he'd seen Moppy, he'd been at his old home. The home he'd shared with…
"Grandma?" Anthony asked, now fully focused on the sound his voice made.
But then Grandma appeared, and his voice was forgotten.
"Grandma!" Anthony called as he ran into the room excitedly, his feet pounding as loud as his heart.
Grandma looked up in Anthony's direction and smiled. Anthony returned the smile.
"David, you were right! That fertilizer did the trick. The azaleas are in full bloom!" Grandma called as her eyes focused on a spot just behind Anthony. His breath hitched as his grandmother neared him.
But then she passed right by him as she moved over to a window that he hadn't seen before.
Anthony turned to follow her with his eyes and was startled to see that a large window had replaced the door he'd just entered through.
As he watched his grandmother peer out the window, the sun illuminated her silhouette and he squinted against the brightness.
Behind her, large, full white clouds traveled slowly against the brilliant blue expanse of sky. Anthony wasn't sure how it had already become morning, since it seemed like only minutes had passed since he woke up during a nighttime thunderstorm, but he was pleased to see the light of day. Darkness scared him.
"Grandma, Grandma!" Anthony bounced up and down as he tried to gain her attention.
But she wouldn't acknowledge him.
"They all sprouted?" Grandpa wheeled himself into the room then. His wheelchair seemed bigger than Anthony had remembered. The wheels were large and they sparkled when the sunrays hit them.
"Grandpa! I'm back!" Anthony shouted. He ran over to his grandfather's wheelchair and placed his small hands on the armrest.
But Grandpa only had eyes for Grandma.
"I'll have to be sure not to let Anthony over water them this time. He's always so afraid that they'll be thirsty," Grandma chuckled. "I should probably plant some coco plants and let him have at 'em with the hose."
"Yeah, and tell him that's how chocolate is made. He'll think you're the best grandma in the world, planting him a chocolate tree," Grandpa said.
Grandma looked over at Grandpa and laughed. "Didn't you see the magnet on the 'fridge? He already thinks I'm the best grandma in the world."
"Grandma! Grandpa! I'm right here! Maybe you think it's not me because I got bigged, but it's me! I'm just in kindergarten now!" Anthony's volume grew louder as he spoke, but with the same result. Grandma and Grandpa continued to look everywhere but at him.
"Grandma?" Anthony whimpered as his fingers came into contact with the thin fabric of her cotton dress. He watched as his hand, though able to feel the cloth, made no effect of movement upon it. "Grandma, hear me!" he pleaded.
Suddenly the room turned dark once again, and Grandma was no longer looking out the window. The wall bearing the door had returned and when Anthony turned to look once more, Grandma stood across the room, giving Grandpa his power pills.
Tears threatened to overflow as Anthony pounded his tiny fists against his thighs. Why couldn't they hear him?
"You are my sunshine…my only sunshine…you make me happy when skies are gray…"
Anthony immediately recognized that voice. And suddenly, the fact that Grandma and Grandpa couldn't hear him didn't seem to be a dilemma he had to figure out on his own.
"Mommy!" Anthony's hands tore at the doorknob. He threw the door open with an overabundant force and raced out of the room and down the hall once again. "Mommy! Mommy!" he called as he searched for the source of the voice.
"You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away…"
There was an endless array of doors as his mother's voice continued to croon the soothing melody.
"Mommy, I'm here! Where are you?" Anthony called as he opened door after never-ending door.
He started to panic when he continued to hear her but wasn't able to find her. To calm his little heart, he kept talking to her, as if that would make her magically appear.
"Mommy, can you hear me? Grandma can't hear me! Grandpa can't either! Mommy! Mommy?"
"Anthony, I'll be right there."
He stopped running immediately and stood cautiously in the hallway. Unintentionally, he'd run all the way back to his room. Through the open door, he could see his bed, disheveled and empty, inviting him back within its confines.
"Mommy? Are you gonna tuck me in?" Anthony called back toward where he'd last heard the voice.
"I'll be right there, Anthony."
"Okay, Mommy," Anthony said happily. He crawled into his bed and sat on top of his blue striped comforter to wait. His eyes roamed around his room as he waited and he visually greeted belongings that he hadn't even realized he'd missed.
And then his eyes, once again, settled on the framed photograph on his bedside table. Mommy had said that every frame came with that picture when you bought one in the store. She said she didn't put a different picture in the frame because she liked the motorcycle in the background.
Anthony liked the jacket the man in the picture wore. It looked like an airplane pilot jacket. And just like his mother, he also liked the motorcycle.
While he waited for his mother to come tuck him in, Anthony reached over and grabbed the picture to get a better look at the motorcycle. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he also recognized the man in the photograph.
"Mommy!" Anthony called, suddenly afraid that she wouldn't be able to find him. After all, he hadn't seen Mommy since he'd met the man in the photograph.
"Mommy!" he called, louder this time. "Mommy, can you hear me? I'm in here!"
Suddenly soft hands were on his face, smoothing back his hair and bracing his jaw. "Ssshh. You're okay, baby."
"Mommy?" Anthony didn't remember closing his eyes, but he opened them to find Miss Swan looking down at him from where she sat next to him on the bed.
"Miss Swan, where's Mommy?" Anthony asked.
"Your Mommy went to a special place, Anthony," Miss Swan answered.
"Can I go with her?" Anthony asked, a sense of dread filling the pit of his belly, as he already knew the answer.
"I'm afraid not, kiddo," Miss Swan answered with sad eyes.
"But is she coming back?" Anthony asked.
Miss Swan softly shook her head. She held her hands out to him, but when Anthony tried to climb into them, he was stuck to the bed.
"Miss Swan! Get Mommy! I'm stuck!" Anthony screamed. Repetitively he screamed for his teacher to go get his mother to help him. But then his throat began to hurt, so he began to call for his mother on his own.
He strained his ears to listen for his mother's approach, but instead, he heard a steady rustling before the entire room began to shake violently.
"Mommy!" Anthony screeched with all that he had left. "Help me!"
"Anthony!"
Now Mommy's voice was sounding weird, too.
"Grandpa?"
"Anthony. Anthony, wake up."
The shaking continued. Anthony felt himself lifted from the bed minutes before a warming sensation traveled across his legs.
"Aw, shit…"
The voice didn't match his or his mother's and it didn't sound like Grandpa either.
"Anthony! C'mon. Wake up!"
There was the sound of water running and then cold dots pelted his face.
"It's raining again," Anthony murmured.
There was a chuckle and then, "Man, you are a hard one to wake up."
Cold water tickled Anthony's toes. Slowly his eyes pulled open and he struggled to focus on the square-by-square pattern of off-white tile.
"Mommy?" he asked with less assurance.
"Anthony? Are you awake?"
Anthony turned quickly and realized that he was standing in a bathtub, arms of support wrapped around his torso.
"Where's Mommy?" Anthony asked.
The man from the photograph leaned down so that he was eye level with Anthony. "Mommy's in heaven, Anthony. Remember?"
Anthony looked down at the small amount of water that danced around his toes. And then he did remember.
He remembered that he used to live somewhere else. Somewhere where the sun shined a little more. Somewhere where he lived in a sunny yellow house with his grandmother and grandfather and his mother.
Somewhere with a large cookie jar next to the kitchen sink. Somewhere where he and Grandpa snuck extra cookies whenever Grandma and Mommy left them alone to go shopping.
He had three extra cookies that day. The day Mommy said she would be right back.
"I miss my mommy," Anthony whispered.
"I know you do, buddy," Edward said as he pulled Anthony into an encapsulating hug. "I know you miss her. But you have me, okay? I'm here with you and we can remember your mother together anytime you want."
Anthony cried quietly against his father's shoulder until he had no more tears left to shed. Anthony watched as Edward leaned over and turned the bath water back on, filling the tub with warm water despite the fact that Anthony still had his pajama bottoms on – and they were already wet.
"I had a accident," Anthony lamented.
"No big deal," Edward said quickly. "Just step out of your pj's here in the bathtub."
Anthony did as he was told and watched the fabric balloon from the effects of the water. He sat down quickly to let the warm water soothe his skin.
Anthony pulled his knees up and leaned over to rest his cheek comfortably against them. He peered over to find Edward watching him with tired eyes.
"You had a motorcycle," Anthony stated, matter of fact.
"How'd you know that?" Edward inquired; shocked that Anthony would mention something he himself had nearly forgotten after all this time.
"You were in the picture in my old room," Anthony said. "You used to watch me while I sleeped."
"You had a picture of me?" Edward asked, astonishment coloring his face.
"Mommy said all the picture frames from the store have that picture," Anthony said. He searched his father's face for the truth.
Edward laughed and shook his head, but he didn't validate Anthony's question either way.
They sat in silence for a long while until Edward asked Anthony if he would be okay on his own for a few minutes.
"Yeah," Anthony said as he waved hands to create currents underneath the water.
Once he was alone, Anthony pulled down the plastic boat that sat on the edge of the tub and floated it in the soapy water.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," Anthony sang quietly to himself. Over and over, he sang that lyric until Edward came to retrieve him from the tub.
Edward handed Anthony a fresh pair of underwear and a t-shirt before asking, "Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?"
Relief was immediate as Anthony realized he didn't have to go back to that room where the storm had started.
"Okay," Anthony readily agreed as he followed Edward to his bedroom. He clambered up onto the mattress and pulled at the sheet until his father came over and helped him settle into the bed.
"Lights on or off?" Edward asked.
"On," Anthony said quickly.
"Okay, then," Edward said as he moved Anthony's hair off his forehead before making a show of placing a picture frame atop two boxes he'd stacked next to Anthony's side of the bed as a makeshift bedside table.
Anthony stared at the picture for as long as his tired eyes would allow. But finally his lids grew heavy and his eyes closed.
"Goodnight, Mommy," he murmured just as one hand nested under his pillow and the other found purchase around the rim of Edward's shirt.
Anthony slept soundly for the rest of the night, peacefully and securely between his two parents.
