Rest 3
He woke up and cracked his back. It was a Saturday in summer. Two of the best combinations in the world, he thought. Alice was watching cartoons. He smiled. She had to go to school during the year and the company was just getting started so Once-ler had Laura keep her during the school year and she stayed with him during the summer.
He got up to brush his teeth and looked in the mirror. His eyes were met by a distorted image. He looked in the mirror eyes widening in shock and horror. He now saw everything his mother was seeing. He was too fat for that photo shoot. He locked the bathroom door. He didn't know what to do.
He started doing insane numbers of sit-ups in a mad attempt to erase the image. He looked in the mirror and as quickly as the image had been there it was gone. As quickly as that inflated balloon like image of him had been standing in the mirror, it was now gone.
"I'm going crazy," he whispered. He got dressed in his work clothes and brushed his hair.
He leaned against the locked door before opening it. He was trying so hard he was trying to balance it all and it was blowing up in his face. He was scared and he was sure it read.
"Beanpole?" The Lorax as he walked into the room. "Rough morning?" he asked.
Once-ler nodded. His dark hair lay disheveled. He was scared.
"You okay kid?" He asked.
"I don't know." Once-ler admitted honestly.
"Not the answer I was looking for kid." The Lorax said looking up at him.
He made breakfast for Alice and the animals and left eating nothing himself.
"Kid aren't you going to," the door closed, "Eat something?"
Alice shared a worried look with the Lorax.
"What's wrong with Daddy?" She asked.
"I don't know Bright Eyes." He said sadly watching Once-ler walk to his office which was just a few blocks away.
Once-ler chewed on his pencil. "I'm so proud of me. Look at this! This is amazing!"
"Oncie I need to talk to you." His mother said. He spun the swivel chair towards the window.
"Production is too slow." She said.
"You've told me before but I want to preserve the trees. What can we do?"
"Well and this is just a thought we could chop down the trees."
"That's out of the question." He stated.
"Think about it Oncie think about your business and your mama."
"Fine I guess we could chop down just a few trees." He whispered.
"Now you're talkin'" His uncle shouted.
"Bret! CHET!" She screeched. They began chopping down five or six trees.
"That's not what I had in mind!" Once-ler shouted. He shut the drape of the window and leaned back on the swivel chair.
'I said a few not half the forest!'
"Beanpole! Hey! You broke your promise! You're better than this! Stand up to her!" His aunt slapped her hand over his mouth.
That stunned him. "Stop!" He shouted.
"Can't stop now you run the business, mom runs the labor," Bret said.
"I run the business MOM runs nothing stop chopping down the trees!" Once-ler said.
The Lorax wasn't around to see or hear what happened when Once-ler attempted this. His mother took the butt of one of the axes and slammed it into the teen's small body.
"Don't you dare Oncie or I'll forget which side is which."
He gulped. Melvin brayed and ran over to his master. He kicked the middle aged woman in the stomach and stood over Once-ler protectively.
"You tell that mule of yours to learn its manners Oncie!" She said picking herself up.
The trees continued to come down despite his protests. Tears of shame and anger ripped down his face. He skipped lunch. He stayed in his office and refused to leave for dinner.
Laura came home and found the Lorax and Alice looking sadly out the window.
"He isn't home yet." Alice said sadly.
"It was a rough day for him."
"I saw stumps why did I see stumps?" Laura asked.
"His family finally got the better of him," the Lorax said sadly.
"Oh boy," Laura shook her head, "And I'm sure that's not the only lies she's fed him."
"Come on Alice time for bed. I'm sure he's fine." She said softly. "I'll go look for him."
The Lorax slipped out and went to Once-ler's office. The kid was crying surrounded in papers and he didn't even know what else. He saw pencil stubs, eraser bits, and tissues.
"Kid? Kid are you alright?"
"I'm sorry; I-I tried to stop her but . . . she's taken over. It's not even my business anymore I don't have a say in anything!"
"Oh," the Lorax whispered. "What do you mean you tried?"
"Nothing. She just; she pushed me too hard." He said putting a hand on his bruised abdomen.
. . .
I should have checked. I was the guardian of life and in that moment I failed. I failed him. I watched him cry for a long time and I didn't try to force information from him. I didn't tell his family; his pain to go away. I just sat and watched. He may have backed out of his promise but I failed in my duties too.