We'll Meet Again

This is a one shot based on the following (very) unique prompt: Liam and Hope, as children, playing together.

"Liam, stay where I can see you!" His mom called to him as she took up residence on a park bench with the other mothers. She pulled a thick paperback novel from her purse and was soon lost in the words as Liam scoped out the playground, trying to decide where he wanted to play today. At the tender of age seven, he was already a bit indecisive about some things. Did he want to try out the big slide with all of the curves and loops in it or just go for the swing set?

Hands resting on skinny hips, he surveyed the lay of the land. The slide, while indeed appearing incredibly tempting with its great height, was very crowded today. He would have to wait in line a long time to take his turn. The swings, meanwhile - well, they were all but deserted. There was only a tiny blonde girl sitting on one of them. She was just sitting on the plastic seat, not moving at all, not kicking her legs, or anything. Liam wondered why she was just sitting there. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked over. He tugged on the twin ropes of the swing next to hers as he slid onto the banana-yellow seat.

"Hey," he said to her. "How come you're just sitting there like a bump on a log?"

The girl looked up at him, blinking wildly. She had really big blue eyes. It looked like she wanted to cry. "There's no one to push me. My brother Rick brought me to the park but he has a new girlfriend and they went away awhile ago."

"They're probably kissing," Liam said.

She sighed softly. "Probably. They do that a lot. My mom does a lot of kissing too."

"Does she kiss your dad?" Liam asked as he scuffed the soles of his tennis shoes in the dirt and watched her under his eyelashes.

"No. My mom says my dad is a dirtbag. He doesn't come around at all. I don't remember him. She kisses a lot of different men though. Sometimes I forget all their names." She splayed her hands helplessly. "Anyway, Mom had a date with her new boyfriend so Rick had to bring me here but he's not watching me so there's no one to push me."

"I can push you."

She looked up at him hopefully. "Would you really help me out like that?"

He nodded. "Sure. I like to help out people sometimes. My mom calls me her little helper."

"Does your Mom kiss a lot of men too?" She asked as he stood and moved behind her.

"Hold on tight," he said. He watched her squeeze her hands tightly around the ropes, her knuckles turning white with the pressure. He began to push her slowly at first. "And no, Mom doesn't really date anyone."

"Is she married to your dad?" The girl called over the wind as Liam picked up the speed of his pushes.

"No. I never met my dad either. I don't know his name or anything about him."

"So is he a dirtbag like my mom says my dad is?" she asked, flaxen hair whipping wildly as she soared higher. Her voice was nearly lost on the breeze.

"Probably he is, though she won't say for sure," Liam said. "Someday though, I am gonna find him." Determination was in his voice.

They faded into silence as he kept pushing her on the swing. All he could hear was her occasional giggles as he pushed her upwards. Her skinny, short legs pumped wildly as she hurtled forward and back, forward and back. They must have gone on like that for a good fifteen minutes at least before Liam couldn't take it anymore. His arms were burning from the exhaustion. He slowed pushing her and finally tugged her to a jerky stop.

"I'm tired," he said when she blinked up at him in surprise. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "You're nicer than Rick. He still hasn't shown up. What if a kidnapper came along or something and got me?"

"I won't let any old kidnapper get you," Liam said.

"Thanks," she said with a wide smile. "I am thirsty. Should we go to the water fountain, uh -" She looked at him curiously. "I just thought of something." She tapped her forehead. "Duh. I never asked your name."

"I never got yours either."

"I'm Hope."

"I'm Liam."

"Cool," Hope said.

"Cool," Liam agreed. "Come on, let's go get a drink of water." He led the way to the fountain. They took turns drinking and then Hope looked up at him.

"What should we do next?" She asked.

Liam shrugged. "I don't know. The slide is still pretty busy..."

"That's okay. It's pretty tall anyway."

"You're not scared of heights, are you?"

"Yes, I guess I am."

"But you let me push you really high on that swing."

"Not that high."

"Well, that settles it. We have to go on the slide."

"Why?"

"So you won't be scared anymore. Come on."

"No. I can't. It looks way too big, Liam."

"Hope, come on!" He grabbed her little hand in his and tugged her forward. She tried to break free of his grasp but he was a lot stronger than he looked. She was shaking her head vehemently as he yanked her right to the base of the steps leading up to the super-sized slide. "Come on. Let's start climbing."

"I'm scared," Hope said. Her voice shook noticeably.

"Don't be. I'm right here. I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay? I promise." Liam squeezed her hand. "Come on. We'll go up together and then slide down side by side. There's enough room for both of us."

"Are you sure?"

"Totally sure. Let's go!" Liam drew her forward and she took a step upwards. It was a slow process with so many children ahead of them but Liam talked to her and tried to soothe and calm her as best as he could, using the same gentle tone of voice his mother used on him when he was worried about a trip to the dentist's office. They finally climbed the fifteen steps and reached the mouth of the slide. Liam saw Hope gulp hard.

"It's okay, Hope. It'll be fine. Just hold my hand and remember, don't pee your pants if you can help it!" He said. He helped her sit down. He noticed her eyes were closed and he said, "Open your eyes. If you close them, you'll miss all the fun. Open, open."

She opened her eyes and peeked over the side. "It's too far down, Liam. I'm so scared!" She was trembling.

A chubby kid behind them screamed, "Hurry up, you brats. You're holdin' up the damned line!"

Liam glared at him. "Hey, be quiet. And your mom should really wash your mouth out with soap."

"Shut up, you little bastard!" The rotund boy spat back.

Liam immediately stiffened. He knew what a bastard was. His neighbor Gladys had called him that once when she had caught him traipsing through her yard on the way to school. She'd yelled to his mother, "Kelly, get your goddamned bastard of a son out of my rosebushes!" He'd asked his mother what a bastard was and Kelly had answered that it wasn't a nice word that civilized people used. When she'd refused to say any more about it, he'd looked it up later in the dictionary; had learned it really meant a fatherless child. He was a fatherless child. Gladys had spat the word out as if it had tasted like poison on her tongue. That was the first time it'd ever bothered Liam that he had no dad. Now it was bugging him once again.

Liam just sat there now. Frozen. Frozen in horror and pain. And anger. He felt Hope tugging on his hand. Heard the fat kid behind him yelling obscenities at him. "Liam," Hope's voice met his ear. "Liam, what's wrong? I guess we'd better go. Everyone's getting mad at us." Other children were yelling too; getting impatient for their turns, but Liam didn't care.

"Let them get mad. That big bully had no right to call me that."

"Oh yes, I did! You're a bastard. A bastard! That's what you are," the big kid taunted. Liam's ears burned. He could actually feel them turning red. He'd never wanted to hit anyone before, but he did now. He'd be a fool to take on the other kid and yet the idea tempted him. A lot.

Hope tugged on his shirt sleeve this time. "Liam, come on. Let's just go down the slide. I'm - I'll be brave for you. Let's just go. Don't get in a fight. He's not worth it."

"Hope, do you know what a bastard is?" Liam asked in a very high voice. He felt like he was going to cry and he was embarrassed. But he couldn't help it either.

Hope shook her head. "No."

"It means a kid with no dad. A kid no dad will call his own. My parents were never married."

Hope gave him a timid little smile. "Oh, Liam, then I guess that makes me a bastard too."

"What?"

"I am a bastard too," Hope said. "My dad won't claim me either and he wasn't married to my mom. So we'll be bastards okay, but we'll still be better than that guy." She pointed over her shoulder at the fat kid who was fuming at them. "Now come on. Let's go. I'm not scared if you're next to me. C'mon!"

Liam nodded slowly, touched somehow by Hope's words in a way he could not begin to explain. He vowed to put all of the hurt behind him for now.

"Ahh, alright."

He waved to the big kid. "See ya!" He grabbed Hope's hand and they sailed down the slide together. Their shrieks were happy ones as they soared around each winding loop of the sleek metal track.

When they got to the bottom of the slide, they were still laughing and squealing with delight. "That was fun! That was so fun!" Hope screamed.

"Told you!" Liam returned. They shimmied across the sand, back towards the fountain where they each took a few sips of water. Liam watched her as she held back her straight hair with itty-bitty fingers. "Hey, Hope?" He said.

She lifted her head and looked at him as she dabbed at her wet lips. "Yes?"

"Wanna be my girlfriend?" Liam asked.

Hope thought it over for a moment and then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Cool," Liam said.

"Cool," Hope agreed.

"Hope! Hope!" A loud male voice suddenly called from behind them. They both turned to see a twenty-something guy and girl approaching. "Hey, Hope. Caitlin and I are ready to go home so come on."

"But, Rick-"

"Come on, Hope. It's time to go," Rick said. He took Hope by the hand and started pulling her along. Liam stared after her, feeling very sad. He knew she felt the same way because he saw tears fill her big blue eyes.

"It's okay, Hope," he called after her. "I know we'll meet again sometime. I just know it!" He waved to her and she offered him a little smile in return.

Someday they would meet again.

And it would be epic.

THE END.