L and I were riding in the car. L shifted uncomfortably in his new car seat.
"I say, where on Earth are we going Mr. Whammy?"
"I'm taking you to the park, so you can play with all the other boys and girls."
"What?"
"You said you wanted to play."
"Yes, but I meant you and I."
"L, its high time you start hanging out with children your own age. You can't stay cooped up in the house with me all the time."
L was persistent.
"Mr. Whammy, please let's just go home and play together. I'll let you pick the game."
"Why don't you want to play with the other children?"
L sighed heavily.
"Other children don't like me."
"Oh? Why not?"
"They used to make fun of me and call me ugly names. Sometimes they threw rocks at me and whatever else they could get their hands on, so I stopped going outside altogether. They used to say that I was dirty and they would spread rumors that I was diseased and flea-ridden and that if you touched me then you would catch it."
I felt sorry for him. I admit that L wasn't the...prettiest child one could ever lay eyes on but he was far from ugly. He looked unhealthy and emaciated but not diseased.
"What was 'it'?"
"Anything those hooligans could think of, they said I had all types of disgusting and vulgar illnesses."
"L, there will always be cruel people in the world. You can't run from all of them, so you need to learn to stand up for yourself. Don't let people like that bother you. YOU know that you aren't dirty, YOU know that you aren't diseased, and YOU know that you don't have fleas."
"I know Mr. Whammy. However I like to avoid taunting at all costs. Please don't make me go to the park."
I pulled up into the park parking lot.
"Too late. Let's go L."
L pouted and undid his seat belt. He slide out the car and hid behind my leg when he saw all the other kids running and playing. I turned to him and patted him gently on his head.
"Go on L. Don't be shy."
He clutched my pants leg tighter. At that moment a little girl with braces bounded up to us around the same age as L she smiled at me and then at L.
"Can your son play with me, Mister?" she asked.
I smiled and moved from in front of L.
"You most certainly can." I nudged L closer to her.
"Hiya! My name's Tatiana! What's yours?" she held out a hand.
"Umm...I'm...L." said L.
"L? Ha! That's a funny name! But still kinda cool. You wanna play on the slide with me and my friends?"
L's face turned a deep red.
"Ummm...yeah." he said. I wondered where L's affluent vocabulary had disappeared to.
"'Kay then!" she grabbed L by the hand and dragged him over to a mixed group of boys and girls.
"Hey guys this is L!" I heard her gush to her friends. They smiled at him and then ran over to the slide. L hesitated for a moment and then ran to catch up with them. Since he was new to their group they let him go first on the slide. L climbed up the ladder and slide down. His normally solemn and deadpanned face began to crack a small smile. After about 10 mins I was surprised at L's drastic change in behavior. He was running, laughing, and smiling with his new friends. He saw me watching on the bench while he climbed to the top of the monkey bars.
"Mr. Whammy, look at me!" he called from the top, waving with one hand while trying to maintain his balance with the other. I waved back and could help but crack a smile of my own to see my L happy. After the monkey bars L and the other children got on the swings and L pushed Tatiana as high as he could, then they switched and she pushed L as high as she could. I let L play for about another hour or two. It was starting to get late and Tatiana's and the other kids parents were gathering their children and telling them it was time to go.
"Bye, L! I hope to see you again sometime!" called Tatiana waving happily at L as she climbed into her car.
"Good bye Tatiana!" he called back, waving as he walked over to the bench that I was sitting at.
"I take it you had a good time?" I asked smiling.
"Indeed so, Mr. Whammy. Tatiana is a wonderful young woman, and her friends certainly are spirited."
"Aren't you glad I drug you out of the house?"
L looked down shyly.
"Yes..."
"And did they call you dirty?"
"No."
"Or diseased, or flea ridden?"
"No."
"See?"
"You were right Mr. Whammy."
"And I see you have a girlfriend..."
"For your information, Miss Tatiana and I have a strictly platonic relationship."
I got and started walking to the car with L tagging along behind.
"Oh, so now its Miss Tatiana?"
L blushed.
"I understand L. I was your age once too you know."
L got in his car seat and fastened his seat belt.
"I still want us to play catch Mr. Whammy."
"We'll do it tomorrow. Its almost bath and bedtime for you Mister."
"Do you promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
"Mr. Whammy, am I really not a replacement for Colin?" he asked after a while.
"You aren't L. You're in a class all your own."
We rode in silence for a while.
"I love you Mr. Whammy." murmured L softly as he drifted off to sleep.
"I love you too, my little dark angel L." I whispered.