Tony stood in the dark room with the shadows gathering around him, listening to the sounds of the hotel. There was laughter from someone in the hall and he could hear the 'creak, creak, creak,' of a squeaky wheel on one of the maid's cleaning carts as she passed in front of the door. He could hear a thump as someone moved around in the room above him.
Lives were going on around him. No one was aware that a little boy was alone and frightened in a strange place. Would anyone even care if they knew? He thought Mrs. Brown might, but she was just a maid, there was nothing she could do for him.
Then another thought struck him, how long would it take people to realize that he didn't belong, that there was no one in the suite with him?
Then he was seized by the mad inspiration that he could just stay at the hotel and live in his father's suite.
They obviously hadn't noticed at home that he was missing, they might never realize he was missing. He could just stay in the suite in the Maui Hilton, calling for his meals from room service. Maybe sometimes Mrs. Brown would invite him down for meals in the kitchen again, he would like that.
He was excited and intrigued by the idea of a life on his own. He imagined that he would just become a fixture at the hotel and eventually they'd stop asking where his father was because Tony Dinozzo belonged there.
When a tourist asked who he was, the staff would say, "Oh, that's just Tony, he lives here." He grinned thinking about it.
Then his dream came crashing down when he realized he'd eventually have to go to school and then there'd be questions. The teachers would want to meet his parents and he'd have to tell them the truth of his existence. Then he'd be taken home like some piece of luggage that had been lost at the airport and miraculously retrieved years later.
Would his parents be glad to see him?
He imagined that his mother would be surprised and might even take a moment from her busy schedule of continually redecorating their home to blink at him and wonder where he'd been. His father on the other hand would reprimand him for not taking the initiative and getting himself home sooner.
Tony imagined that his father would be too busy to come get his wayward son himself, he'd probably send his assistant to retrieve him. He'd done that the day Tony had gotten in trouble at school.
The fight hadn't been his fault, not really, even his teacher agreed with that point. Even so, both boys were dismissed for the day.
Tony watched as the other boy's mom AND dad came to pick him up. They'd scolded him right there in the principal's office, but then they'd hugged him as they left to take him home.
Tony had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the tears from coming. He knew that there would be no real scolding from his parents, but there would also be no hugs.
He wasn't surprised when a stranger arrived to collect him. The assistant had taken the boy home and left him in the care of the housekeeper. Tony spent the day in his room, sprawled on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
That night Tony sat in his father's study. He watched as his father worked and drank, waiting for some word – disapproval or anger, anything would be better than the heavy silence that hung over the room. At last the man put aside his glass and raised his eyes to his son.
Tony squirmed under the eyes of his father. He saw disappointment in his father's eyes, a desire for a son who was more than Tony. Tony had no real idea what his father wanted from him, he never told him to study harder or to play sports. If he would give Tony some direction, the little boy would have done anything to gain his father's approval. It just seemed that Tony was supposed to know what was required of him and do it. And in not knowing, that was the greatest failure of all.
He didn't speak to his son of his failings or even reprimand him and command him to do better. He just looked at him while Tony sat, trying not to shift under his father's baleful gaze. Until at last, without a word, his father rose and left the room, turning out the light behind him.
Tony sat for a long time in the dark, letting the tears come before he scrubbed his eyes and went to bed.
It felt a lot like that now. His father had left his son behind to get himself home the best way he could.
The shadows around Tony began to take on form. Looming over him in the darkness was his mother and his father, watching him, to see what he was going to do. He began to feel like the darkness was pressing in on him, crushing him.
"What are you going to do, Anthony?" He heard his father ask out of the blackness. "Are you going to cry again?"
Tony stiffened defiantly. He went to the sofa and plopped down on it. Picking up the remote control he pushed the power button. Instantly the room lit up, pushing back the shadows. He turned up the sound as loud as he could, drowning out the sound of his father's voice.
Sorry, if you get two notification that this was added. I'm still trying to figure out the new 'improvements' to the site.Just a little more angst before we get on with the story!