*Chapter 2: Return, Sibling Rivalry and Runaway*
The day after, the doctors brought Martin to my house. He was still unconscious, but alive. David seemed to notice all the noise, so he came where I was…
"David? The most wonderful thing in the whole world has happened. This is Martin…this is my son"
I showed my son to David, and he was serious…very serious…and I thought…what would happen to David, now that Martin is back?
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Martin and David seemed to get along, until I saw them in Martin's room. It looked like they were making a contest or something like that…
"Come Teddy! Come!"
"Mommy! Mommy!"
"Are they torturing you, Teddy?"
They seemed to be bothering Teddy, because he ran to me asking for help. I took him, and walked out of the room.
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I was in the kitchen, and David was helping me to organize the pills in a container. Then Martin came over.
"Okay. Then you gotta put the green ones…"
"Read to us?"
"Hey...let's see. Oh, yes…"
"David's going to love it"
Martin asked me to read "Pinocchio" to them. So we went on a boat…and I read the book.
"As soon as the show was over, the showman went into the kitchen, where the whole sheep, which he was preparing for supper, was roasting on a slowly turning spit in the furnace. When he saw that there was not enough wood to finish roasting it, he called Harlequin and Pulcinella and said, 'Bring me in Pinocchio! You will find him hanging on a nail. He is made of nice dry wood and I'm sure he will make a nice fire for my roast"
When I read that, I could have sworn I saw a frightened look on David's face…but I didn't know why…
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"Exactly...oh, work has become so silly…Does he eat?"
"I'm not sure"
"You're not supposed to do that"
We were in the dining room having lunch, and talking about one friend of ours, Josephine. When Henry said that thing about eating, I turned to David, who was trying to eat some spinach…I was scared, I didn't know if he could eat…
"David, what are you doing? David?!"He continued eating, even when I asked him to stop. I saw Martin eating too, and I knew that Martin was provoking him to eat…
"Martin, put the fork down. Put it down now!"
"Stop. Stop, David. Will you stop?"
"David?! Stop it. Martin you're provoking him. OK?"
When David stopped, his face seemed to loosen, exposing some metallic parts of his face…it was horrible! But I was so scared that all I could think was in taking him to be fixed…
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When we arrived to Cybertronics, David was taken by some technicians who were going to fix him. I stayed with him all the time, and I was afraid he could suffer. But David took my hand and smiled at me.
"It's OK, Mommy. It doesn't hurt!"Okay, it didn't hurt. But I was still worried about him. Maybe because I felt like he was my son…
I went outside with Henry and Martin. I was so confused…I didn't know what to think…or what to do.
"Monica..."
"No! I just have to..."
I knew he wanted to leave David there, but I didn't let him talk…
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David was finally fixed and we went back home. Everything was fine, at least that's what we thought. One night, Henry and I were sleeping when I heard him screaming David's name. I opened my eyes, and I gasped when I saw David in front of me, with a pair of scissors in his hands. He was trying to cut something near me, I didn't know what, but I felt slightly scared. And Henry shook David violently…
"Why did you do that?! Why did you do that…?! Talk to me! David…god damn it, talk to me, David! Why did you do that, David?! Why did you do that?! Tell me WHY-DID-YOU-"
"Henry, what are you doing - you're hurting him! Henry, let him go! Henry, you're hurting him! You're hurting him! You…DON'T BREAK HIM!!"
I was worried because Henry might break David, he was shaking the poor little one so violently…but suddenly, I felt a slight pain in my eye…
"Oh my god, I think I cut my eye"
"Let me see"
"Oh god, I think it's bleeding!"
I went to wash out my eye, and when I went back to my room, David wasn't there. And I was wondering…why did he do that? I couldn't understand…
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The day after, was Martin's birthday. We organized a party for him, and we invited all his friends, who were hanging out near the pool. Henry and I were organizing everything, and we talked about what happened last night…Henry thought that David tried to harm me…
"It's normal for little boys to feel jealous and competitive. Martin's only been home a month and...it's normal for brothers to challenge each other. He...he was playing a game, he made a mistake, and he - he's practically human"
"That's not how he looked holding the knife"
"Scissors"
"It was a weapon"
How silly! Why did he think David was trying to hurt me? I knew he wouldn't do that. But he told me that we shouldn't risk our lives, especially Martin's, by keeping him. But I didn't want to take David back to Cybertronics…I didn't want him to be destroyed…
"Think about this. If he was created to love, then it's reasonable to assume he knows how to hate. And if pushed to those extremes, what is he really capable of?"
Good question. Anyways, I didn't think that David hated us…but what if Henry was right? What could David be capable to do?
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We were organizing the presents, when I heard Martin screaming…I looked around, and there was David…apparently pulling Martin to the pool! And they drowned in the water…I was so scared…
"Let me go! Mom! Mom! Mommmmmmmm!"
"Henry!"
We reached the pool, and Henry rescued Martin. He was unconscious, and wasn't breathing…
"Oh my...God! He's not breathing...he's not breathing! Come on, breathe!"
"Come on...come on, man...Martin! Take a breath...cough it up! Thatta boy, that's a great boy!"
"Oh...thank God...thank God…thank God!"
"Call Frazier-tell him what happened! Get him outta there!"
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We took Martin and David inside, and Henry talked to me, insisting in taking David back to Cybertronics. I wasn't sure, but I started worrying about Henry's question… so I went to Martin's bedroom, where David was writing. When he saw me, he hugged me.
"Hey David?"
"Mommy! Mommy!""David, wait. I need to speak to you for a minute, okay?"
"Okay"
He sat down, and I went to the table where I found some papers written by him…
"My dear Mommy, How are you really, do you love me as much -"
"Dear Mommy, I love you and Daddy and the sun is shining -"
"Dear Mommy, Teddy's helping me to write to you. I love you and Teddy -"
"Darling Mommy, I'm your one and only son and I love you so much that some times -"
"Dear Mommy, you're really my mommy and I hate Teddy -"
"Darling Mommy, guess how much I love -"
"Dear Mommy, I'm your little boy, not Teddy, and I love you but Teddy -"
"Dear Mommy, this is a letter to you just to say how much how ever so much -"
Some tears came from my eyes…he was trying to show me how much he loved me, and I had to take him back to that horrible place…I felt so sad…so miserable…so ashamed of myself.
"Um, hey David, I was thinking that we could go for a drive tomorrow in the country. You and me. What do you say?"
"And Teddy?"
"Yeah, and Teddy"
"Thank you Mommy! Thank you so much!"
He hugged me again, and I sighed, relieved. A drive…what a merciful lie for this little, innocent boy…
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We drove in the road, way to Cybertronics. I wasn't sure yet about taking him to be destroyed…because I loved him. Okay, he's a robot, but he looks so real…I felt so bad for David, and for myself, that some tears came from my eyes…
"Are those happy tears?"No, they weren't. But how could I tell him that? He started asking me questions, and I didn't know what to answer, I was so confused, so sad…
I saw a sign with the Cybertronics logo, and I knew we were close. But I wasn't strong enough to take him there…so I took another road, and we ended on the woods.
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When we arrived, David took the blanket and put it on the floor. That was the moment to tell him…
"David, listen. Now, you won't understand the reasons, but I…I have to leave you here""Is it a game?"
How innocent. He thought we were going to play a game…but I told him the truth.
"I'm not coming back, David, you...you'll have to be here by yourself"His sad face told me he had realized the truth. And he pleaded and cried…it was so sad…I felt horrible…
"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, Mommy, please, no...no, please no Mommy no, no Mommy...Mommy, no! I'm sorry I broke myself! I'm so sorry I cut your hair off and I'm oh so sorry I hurt you, and I hurt Martin, and I hurt Henry! And I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't go, please, Mommy! Don't! Mommy…! MOMMY…!"
I was so shocked that I thought about taking him back home, but I knew that I couldn't, and I didn't have the strength to take him to Cybertronics. But I had to throw him there…I mean, I had to, I didn't intend to, but there was Henry, and Martin…at least I could give him a chance to survive…
"Now, listen…look. Look! Take this, alright? Take this. And don't let anyone see how much it is. Now look…don't go that way, alright? Look! Don't look at me, look! Don't go that way, alright? Go anywhere but that way, or they'll catch you! Don't ever let them catch you! Listen…stay away from Flesh Fairs, away from where there are lots of people! Stay away from all people! Only others like you, only Mecha are safe!"
"Why do you want to leave me? Why do you want to leave me??!"
His pleading and his crying were so convincing that I felt like crying…he didn't want to stay there, I knew that.
"I'm sorry I'm not real, if you let me I'll be so real for you!"That phrase tore my heart in two…he loved me that much…but I had to go, otherwise it would be harder for me…so I did. I dumped him on the woods…
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the world!"I quickly entered into the car and closed the door, but he tried to open it, reluctant to stay there. I drove away from there, leaving him behind…I still could see his reflection on the rear mirror…I was obsessed. I felt like I had committed a crime…I had thrown my own son away…and I would never forgive myself for that…
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That night, when I arrived home, I told Henry that I had left David. He must have seen the tears in my eyes, because he hugged me.
"I'm sorry, Monica" he said "I'm so sorry…"
I knew he pushed me to dump David, but it wasn't his fault. He just wanted to protect us, but he didn't make the right decision telling me to leave David…
"It's alright. I forgive you" I said.
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I went to my room, and burst into tears. I missed David so much, but I knew that it had to be done. I loved him very much, but everything went so wrong…
I knew that we had to continue our lives, with or without David. We had Martin, our son, our real son…but David stayed in my memory…and he would always haunt me…until the last day of my life…
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Author's Note: Well…I hope you liked this chapter. Let me tell you something…did you read the letters David wrote to Monica? Those letters appeared in the movie, but not all of them, so I read Brian Aldiss's "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" and I obtained the rest of the letters. Okay, I covered here from Martin's coming back home to Monica dumping David in the woods…what will happen next? Check out Chapter 3, and don't forget to leave a review!
