Author's note: Merry Christmas guys. I hope you enjoy this one.
Chapter 6
It was a quiet Saturday morning and the young family is in the living room watching TV. William was seated on the couch, sandwiched between his mother and father while Sarah sat on Leonard's desk, doing some stuff on her old laptop computer.
"Mommy, what's a divorce?" William asked out of nowhere, greatly surprising his parents and sister. Penny bowed her head, unable to believe what her son asked of her. "Oh my god." she said.
Leonard turned to face his son, knowing that they have to be delicate about the situation. "Who told you that?" he asked the young boy.
"You really have a knack for asking awkward questions huh?" Sarah told her brother.
"Am I in trouble?" William asked his parents.
"No sweetheart, you're not in trouble." Penny said to reassure her son.
"Now tell me, who told you about it?" asked Leonard.
"Well...there's this one kid in my class...Robbie...and he was always getting in trouble picking fights with the other kids...so his daddy came to school to talk to the teachers." William said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sarah asked.
"I'm getting there..." answered William before continuing. "So his daddy came to school to talk to the principal and the teachers because one of the kids that Robbie fought came home with a bruise on his face..." said the young boy.
"Okay fine...go on..." Penny said.
"So Robbie's dad came to school and was talking to the teacher and I passed by them and heard him say something about a divorce or something." said the young man.
"And why were you there anyway?" asked Leonard.
"I came back from the toilet to pee...and they didn't notice me until I was near them...and when they saw me, they quickly stopped talking and told me to go back to class." said William. "I knew it was serious because of the look on their faces."
Penny looked at Leonard, silently wishing that they didn't have to explain such a topic to their five-year-old son.
"I'm sorry mommy." said William.
Penny hugged her son, reassuring him that it's alright. "It's okay sweetie...you did nothing wrong." she said.
"But can you tell me what is a divorce and why did Robbie's daddy say it?" asked the young man.
"It means that Robbie's mom and dad are no longer together." Sarah chimed in.
"They're no longer together?" asked William.
"Yes buddy...a divorce is something mommy's and daddy's go through when they decide to no longer be with each other." said Leonard.
"But why wouldn't they be with each other? Don't they love each other anymore?" William asked.
"I don't know sweetheart, maybe they're having problems and they're not happy anymore." said Penny.
"Like money problems?" asked William.
"Maybe...or one of them did something that hurt the other...it's hard to explain." Penny said.
"Like cheating?" asked the young boy, making the couple sigh at how sharp and inquisitive their son is. "Yes buddy, that can be one of the reasons...but since we don't know Robbie or his parents, we can't be exactly sure." said Leonard.
"But when they got married, they promised to love each other right?" William said. "So when one of them cheats, it means they broke their promise." he added.
Penny leaned over and kissed her son. "Why are you so smart huh?"
"What happens now when they get a divorce?" asked the young man.
Leonard looked at Penny and knew that their son wouldn't let up until all of his questions are answered. "Well, usually they would get a lawyer to do all the paperwork so they could settle who gets what...like the house...the car...money...the kids..." said Leonard.
"The kids?" asked the young boy.
"Usually, if the kids are under eighteen years old, the mother would get custody of them and the father would just visit them from time to time...it's not the same for everyone but it's generally the case for most." Leonard said.
"That sounds complicated..." William said.
"It is buddy...and if the couple has lots of properties like houses and cars and other stuff, the divorce could be exhausting because both sides would be fighting to get as much as they could." said Leonard.
"That sounds terrible." said William as Penny rubbed her hand on his back to reassure him.
"And the kids would go to the mother?" asked the young boy. "Buy what about the father, wouldn't he feel sad because he wouldn't see his kids as much?"
"You're right buddy...that's why the kids are the most affected when their parents go through a divorce..." Leonard said.
"Didn't grandma and grandpa get a divorce too?" he asked, surprising the couple.
Leonard sighed. "Yes buddy...they did." he said. "Your grandma and grandpa went through some problems and the best way to move forward was to get a divorce, so they won't make matters worse."
"Don't they love each other anymore?" William asked.
"I don't know buddy...if you want you could ask them yourself when we visit them this Christmas break." said Leonard.
William nodded. "Okay...I'll ask grandma about it." he said. "Did you feel sad when they got divorced daddy?"
"Of course I felt sad...they're my parents. But it was a different situation because me and your uncle Michael and your aunt Cathy were already adults when mom and dad separated. When that happened, we were old and mature enough to handle the situation...we already understood that it was our parent's decision and we just have to accept it for what it is." said Leonard.
William nodded. "I understand." he said before looking up to his mother. "Mommy..." he added.
"Yes sweetheart...what is it?" Penny said.
"Please don't get a divorce." said William, making his mother emotional and Sarah laughing a little at her brother's innocence.
"Oh my god sweetheart...don't say that. Your dad and I are not getting a divorce." Penny said while hugging her son tight. "We would never do that to you and your sister."
"She's right buddy...it would take the end of the world before your mom could get rid of me." Leonard said, tapping his son's shoulder.
"And don't you dare think about it! You're mine jackass!" Penny told Leonard, piling it on.
"Mommy why do you keep calling daddy a jackass? Doesn't jackass mean stupid or something?" asked William, making them all laugh.
"It does sweetheart...but that's just my way of telling him that I love him." said Penny.
"By calling him stupid?" William asked.
"Trust me sweetie, when you're old enough and have a girlfriend or a wife, you'd have nicknames for each other that people would find weird or strange." Penny said. "And that will be between just the two of you."
"So does that mean that I can't call daddy a jackass?" asked William.
"Yes buddy...don't call me that." Leonard said.
"That would be disrespectful little brother." Sarah chimed in.
"I know...and I wouldn't want to call daddy that name..." said the young man.
"So...do you have any more questions?" Penny asked.
"No...I guess I understand why Robbie is always in trouble at school." William said.
"Really? And why is that?" asked Sarah.
"Well...he probably knew that his parents were separating, making him feel bad and lonely...and maybe that's his way of dealing with his parent's divorce because he doesn't know what's gonna happen to him and his little sister..." said William, making them smile at how perceptive he was.
"You're so smart...tell me more." Penny said while kissing her son.
"Well...if I was in that situation, I'd probably cry a lot because I don't want my mommy and daddy to split up...and he's thinking that his daddy is gonna spend less time with him...you know, play with him and stuff..." said the young man.
"That's very good buddy...let's just hope that Robbie's situation gets better...okay?" Leonard told his son.
"I hope so too." said the young boy.
Penny hugged her son, touched by his compassion. "You're so sweet." she said.
"Are we really gonna spend Christmas with grandma and grandpa in New Jersey?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Yeah, so you better get your winter clothes ready because it's cold over there, especially during the holidays." said Leonard.
"Really? Is it gonna snow there?" asked William.
"Yes little brother." Sarah chimed in.
"Does that mean that we can make our own snowman?" William asked, obviously excited with the upcoming trip.
"Yes sweetheart...and if we have time, we'll go and find a skating rink...if you want." Penny said.
"But I don't know how to skate on ice. I don't even know how to skate on the road." William said, making them all laugh.
"Okay buddy, I guess we'll just stick to making a snowman..." Leonard said.
"Daddy can we Skype grandma and grandpa?" William asked.
"Okay sure...what are you gonna tell them?" Leonard said, grabbing the iPad by the side table.
"I'm gonna tell them what gift I want for Christmas!" said the young man.
"Sweetheart, that's not nice...you have to let your grandma and grandpa give you something that they thought of themselves...and not because you told them what you want." said Penny, hoping her son understands.
"But that would make it easier for them so they won't have to guess and stuff.' William pointed out. "...and besides, I'm not gonna tell them what I want." he added.
"And how are you gonna do that?" asked Sarah.
William slightly bowed his head. "I'll just mention this and that...you know, drop clues and stuff..." he said, making the couple laugh.
"Aren't you worried that grandma and grandpa are just gonna see through your plan?" asked the young lady. "They are smarter than you after all."
"You're right, but I'm cute...and adorable!" William said, making his parents laugh at how confident the young boy is.
"Okay buddy, whatever you say." said Leonard as he started scrolling on the iPad to call Beverly.
"Don't say we didn't warn you." said Penny.
"Don't worry mommy. I'm a big boy now. I can handle it!" William said, making his mother laugh as Leonard propped the iPad on the coffee table with a couple of books to have a good view of them.
"Hi grandma! I miss you so much!" he said, as Beverly appeared on the screen, slightly focusing her phone.
B: "Hi dear...I missed you too! You got bigger huh?"
Wi: "I did grandma...I'm eating a lot of vegetables, just like you told me."
B: "That's great...where is Sarah anyway?"
Sa: "I'm here grandma...how is everything over there?"
B: "Everything is fine here dear...I see you changed your hair a bit huh?"
Sa: "Yeah...mom helped me with it."
B: "I think it looks good."
Sa: "Thanks grandma."
Wi: "Daddy said we're gonna go over there for Christmas grandma!"
B: "He's right dear...I already had one of the rooms cleaned for you guys."
Wi: "Do you have a Christmas tree grandma?"
B: "As a matter of fact, I haven't had the time to put up a Christmas tree in the living room."
Wi: "Why not? It's not Christmas without a Christmas tree."
B: "Tell you what, we'll put up a tree when you arrive...how about that?"
Wi: "Okay grandma, I'll help you out. But how about presents? The Christmas tree won't be complete without presents."
B: "Well now that you mentioned it...what do you want for Christmas?" William was suddenly quiet, not expecting his grandma asking him directly.
B: "What's wrong dear? Are you okay?" she said, slightly having an idea of her grandson's sudden change in behavior.
P: "Sweetie, are you alright? Your grandma asked you a question."
Wi: "It's alright grandma...it doesn't matter what you get for me..." he said, making his parents proud.
B: "Really? I was hoping you'd tell me what you want so I could get it for you...at least I won't have a hard time choosing which toy to buy."
L: "Buddy, didn't you tell me that you want that toy you saw on TV last week?"
Wi: "I do...but I don't want grandma to think that I'm asking for too much...I know she doesn't have a lot of money so it won't be fair to her." he said, making them smile.
B: "It's alright dear, tell me what's on your mind."
Wi: "No." he said before quickly snuggling up to Penny and pushing his face to her side, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment at being put on the spot.
They all laughed, finding the young man adorable.
P: "Ugh...come on sweetie, your grandma is waiting for your answer..." said Penny, trying to free herself from the young man's bear hug.
William suddenly got off the couch and quickly ran to the stairs, making them laugh a little.
B: "What did i say?"
Sa: "Don't worry grandma...I'm pretty sure he got really shy at being put on the spot.
B: "Why would he be shy? I'm totally fine with it...makes my job a lot easier actually."
Sa: "Does that apply to me too?"
P: "Sweetie! Come on." said Penny, silently telling her daughter not to ask too much from her grandma.
L: "Your mother is right honey. Just because your grandma asks you what you want for Christmas doesn't mean that you can ask her for anything."
B: "It's fine by me."
Sa: "Dad is right grandma...it's alright, you don't have to get me anything."
B: "Are you sure? I mean, I know you've been asking your father for a new computer."
Sa: "It's alright grandma...a computer is way too much..."
B: "Okay, if you say so."
They continued the video call with Beverly with William coming down to say goodbye to his grandma, still shy to ask for the Nerf Gun that caught his eye when he saw it on TV.