Chapter 22
Bryan didn't want to talk to me. He didn't even want me to talk to him. It went on like that for three days. If he wanted something he asked Charlie. He wouldn't take his food, his drinks, or even his medicine from me. Because Bryan wanted his father to do everything; his sister's followed in his footsteps for no reason. Other than they wanted to do everything their big brother did.
"Daddy!" Anna screamed. "Can you get me my juice after you get Bryan's?"
"And after you get Anna's can you get me juice too Daddy?" Isa replied.
"And me too Daddy!" Mira piped in.
"I'll get your drinks." I told them.
"No!" Isa whined. "We want Daddy do it."
"Daddy!" Bryan cried.
We want Daddy to do it mommy!" Mira said after, she was almost in tears as if I had taken away her favorite toy or something.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" The chanted and beat their fists on the table.
"Annabelle, Mirabelle, Isabelle. I did not raise you like this! That's enough!"
Bryan got up and went over to Charlie. He pulled at his pants leg.
"Just get my juice Daddy...not sissys."
"Bryan...I can get you the juice, go sit down Charlie."
"You're not Daddy!"
"Bryan Jay!"
It was at that moment Charlie threw a glass plate in the sink. It shattered loudly. He didn't say a word. He stomped to our bedroom and shut himself up in it. The door slammed and I heard him lock it. I groaned in frustration.
"Where's my juice?" Anna asked sweetly.
"Babies...I will get you all your juice and your lunch...just give me a minute. "
"I don't want any lunch from you! I don't want anything from you!" Bryan screamed at me.
"Bryan...I hate to do this...but go to your room...go to you room and stay there...don't come out until I say."
"You're not Daddy."
"So I've been told, but I'm still your mother...and you've never not minded me before now go on...oh wait...here."
I gave him some fresh fruit. I didn't want him to go without food.
"I'll make you a sandwich and meet you in your room later..."
He left. He had tears in his eyes. I fixed the girls their favorite sandwiches and got them their juice. I cleaned up the kitchen as they ate. There wasn't a word from Bryan or from Charlie.
"I guess Bryan is on the bad list for Christmas this year." Mira told her sisters.
"Yeah..." They agreed.
"Girls...eat your lunch please..."
"Can we play in the snow again?" Anna pondered.
"Not today..."
Juju was at my feet. I put some fresh food in his bowl. I then left to talk to Charlie. I knocked softly on the door.
"Charlie..."
I knocked again.
"Charlie...please open up..."
I heard the door unlocking. As soon as the door opened Charlie stood there with a red face. He looked as if he had been crying.
"Char..."
"I...I'm alright...I just needed a break for a little bit...sorry about the plate...did they kids get their lunch?"
"Yes..."
"Okay...where's Bry?"
"I sent him to his room...Charlie...don't let Bryan use you like that or the girls either; you're their father."
"I know but I can't...I can't just ignore their cries for me...because I am their father."
"We need to try to understand what's going on with Bryan."
I wrapped Charlie in a hug. He embraced me back.
"He just...its as if someone told him that having his powers is bad..." Charlie told me and hid his face in my shoulder.
"Maybe we did...indirectly."
"I don't see how...we're supportive...encouraging...
Have we not done all we can to help him?"
"Of course we have Char..."
"Then its something about his new power that's got him scared...I don't know, but I also don't know how much longer I can stand this."
"Why don't you go over to Josh's for the day...I'll take care of the kids."
"Not with Bryan the way he is."
"I don't care what Bryan wants...having you at his beck and call and this lashing out is not what he needs."
"Okay...call me if you need me."
"We won't." I kissed his cheek.
After Charlie left, I stepped in the kids room to talk to Bryan.
"Hey..."
He was lying in bed turned away from me. I slowly sat next to him.
"Daddy's gone for a little while so it's just us..."
He didn't say a word.
"Bryan...you know after you were born your Daddy was gone a lot...he finished school and got a job at a radio station he interned at...and for many hours during the day it was just you and me."
He just sighed.
"I carried you on my hip and held you with one hand while I cleaned with the other...I remember when I'd put you down for a nap you'd just look up at me. Your eyes were transfixed on my face. You held on to every word I said and every breath I took...we did errands together...I held you longer than I should have...you could have started walking earlier if I hadn't of done that...but I did it because you wanted me to hold you. You yearned to be near me..."
Bryan slowly began to face me.
"It was just us Bry...even from the very beginning...You know I had you in the bathtub of our first apartment. I pulled you from me out of the water. I was the first one you saw. The first one to hold you. The first person to love you... you can love your Daddy as much as you want to...there's nothing wrong with that...but it's us we have to fix Bry..."
He sat up and looked at me.
"You thought I was a fairy once. You finally learned to control your visions...but then you got telekinesis...and everything changed...what's happened between us Bryan? You used to tell me everything...you used to love the idea of having powers...and you used to love...me."
"I...I still love you Mommy...I never stopped..."
"Well...There he is...hello...and I know that sweetie, but your actions say a different story...and your almost six...you shouldn't be having this tantrums your sisters have...they watch you Bryan...they learn from you, and your teaching them all the wrong things and sending the wrong messages...what's happened Bryan?"
He sighed.
"I...I..."
"Yes?"
"I don't want to be a superhero."
"And no one said you had to be one."
"I just want to pretend I don't have powers and be more like Daddy...and I can only do that if I'm with him."
"Bryan Jay LeMay...you don't have to do anything you don't want to do...but you can't run away from who you are...and trying to stay close to your Daddy isn't going to make you just like him..."
"Never?"
"Never."
He started to cry.
"Sweetheart..."
I pulled him over to me. He actually hugged me.
"Is this because Daddy doesn't have powers?"
He nodded.
"Well baby...just because you have powers and Daddy doesn't does not mean there's something wrong with you...besides you don't have to try too hard to be like your Daddy...you are like him...more than you know."
"Really?" He sniffled.
"Sure! You have his beautiful eyes...his hair...his smile...his laugh...you and Daddy are both diabetic."
"Yeah..."
"But you're strong and you've helped me so much. Remember all you did for me when I started to have your sisters? You were little then...and despite it all you and your Daddy pushed through each and everything that's ever been thrown at you. Even when things got hard there you both were standing taller than anyone...I'm jealous that you can do that."
"Mommy...I...I'm...sorry."
"I know you are son...but if you are that afraid of your powers you don't have to use them...just remember they make you who you are...and there's nothing wrong with you...and you are a superhero Bryan...you've always been one...even before the powers...your powers now just give you a new advantage...that's all...did someone tell you they were bad?"
He nodded slowly.
"Who told you that?! It certainly wasn't me. Did Daddy tell you that?"
He shook his head.
"Your sisters?"
"No...at the Christmas party on our last day of school I told Harvey about my powers...we both went to the bathroom and I showed him my telekinesis by levitating a trash can I couldn't keep it in the air and accidently threw it at him...he said I wasn't human."
"He did, huh? Well don't you worry...you're perfectly human...why don't you go eat your lunch and tell your sisters to get dressed...we'll all go play in the snow some more."
"Okay!"
He started to leave, but he came back and wrapped his arms around my neck. He then kissed my cheek.
"I'm sorry Momma...I do love you...you're the best."
"Thank you...Bryan."
He then left. I smiled. Before I took the kids back out I got Deanna on the phone and told her about Harvey.
"He said what?!"
"I'm just telling you what Bry said Dee."
"I just can't believe Harvey said that...wait until Rodney gets home...he'll have a few things to say. Girl, I'm so sorry...Harvey get in here!"
"What?! I'm playing a game!" I heard him yell in the background.
"Did you tell your god brother that he wasn't human...you really hurt his feelings!"
"I said something like it...but he picked up a whole trash can and threw it at me!"
"He just got that power he can't control it yet...now you get in here!"
I heard some static and a rattling noise.
"Hello?" Harvey's voice came through.
"Hello Harvey...hold on a sec...Bryan!"
Bryan came running so I gave the phone to him.
"Oh hello Harvey..."
"I'm sorry Bryan...I didn't mean to call you that...you just really freaked me out."
"Uh-huh...that's okay...thanks...bye."
He gave the phone back to me. Deanna also had her phone back.
"Again, Harmione I'm so sorry...Harvey really is a nice boy...I know seeing that trash can move about really shocked him...still I'm sorry he upset Bryan and your family...I don't think that was his intention."
"It's okay Dee, I'm just glad I figured out what was going on with Bryan and we got everything sorted out. Don't punish the boy Deanna...not many boys have their friends pick up and throw trash cans with their minds."
A little later we were all outside in the front yard playing in the snow. I left Juju inside this time. He was actually very happy to sleep in his little bed by our Christmas tree. I left the front door open so he could see us through the glass screen door. Mira screamed and laughed as she fell on her butt.
"Are you okay Mira?!" Anna shouted and laughed herself.
Mira just threw the snow up in the air from where she sat. Isabelle was making snow angels with Bryan.
"Like this Isa!"
They made a few and started another snowball fight. As I watched them I noticed Bryan was a tad taller than they were. He was a wonderful big brother. I know when the girls get to be teenagers there is gonna be one superhero looking out for them.
"Ah watch out!" I heard him scream.
"Get him!" Mira exclaimed.
"Take this Bry!" Isa said after.
"No fair! You bunch of girls!"
Mira tripped and he picked her up and helped her to her feet again. He then tried to run away from them as they pounded him with snowballs. I heard a truck pull up in our driveway. It was Charlie. He got out and put his hands in his coat pockets.
"Need another guy little man?!" He shouted.
"Yeah!" Bryan yelled back.
To my amazement he then shouted:
"Come on Momma! Be on my team! Daddy can be on the girls team!"
I looked at Charlie. Charlie looked at me. We smiled at each other. We then joined the snowball fight. Charlie helped the girls make their snowballs. Bryan laughed and ducked down. Charlie came up behind me and picked me up. I screamed.
"I got her girls, get her!"
The girls started throwing snowballs at me.
"Charlie!"
Charlie laughed. His laugh was a lot like Bryan's only deeper.
"We got ya." He whispered into my ear and kissed the side of my head.
"Y'all are cheating!"
Bryan then hit Charlie from behind.
"Got you! Let Momma go Daddy!"
"Alright...I'm caught." Charlie told him and let me go.
Bryan ran over to me and I picked him up. He hugged me around the neck tightly. I savored that hug as if I had never been hugged before.
This was my baby. My Bryan. My superhero.