Sixteen year old David sat at the kitchen table; a pen and paper in hand, a stack of books in front of him. Daphne paid him no mind and continued milling about
in the kitchen, putting away the dishes. She wished that her son would pick a quieter place to study, but apparently he preferred the chaos of the kitchen of
their home rather than the quiet of his bedroom; the room that had the expensive built-in desk and bookshelves.
She wanted to complain, since she and Niles had gone to great lengths to create a comfortable space for David to work on his homework and other projects. A
contractor had transformed one corner of his bedroom into a student office that even Niles was envious of. But at the moment she didn't feel like arguing. Her
scolding could, in fact have the opposite effect and distract him from his work. And as long as he was working on his school projects, it really didn't matter
where the studying occurred.
But she'd no sooner turned back to her task of drying the dishes, she heard David utter a swear word that he'd never said before. Her eyes opened wide and she
whirled around. "David Crane, what did you just say?"
She expected her normally obedient and kind-hearted son to apologize and never utter that horrible word again. But instead he repeated it… more than once.
No longer able to contain her growing anger, Daphne threw down her dish towel and marched over to her son. "David Crane, I'm ashamed of you! I know
perfectly well that your father and I have warned you countless times not to speak that way in our home. Now, if you can't obey, then perhaps you should just
go upstairs and study in your room!"
Again she expected him to apologize but to her horror, he shoved his books with such force that they slid off the table and went crashing to the floor.
"DAVID CRANE!" she screamed, so angry that she was shaking with rage. "Bloody hell, what is wrong with you?"
"I hate school! I hate it!" He yelled, startling her. "I'm not going anymore!"
"Oh, is that so? Well, if you think that your father is going to accept the fact that his son is a high school dropout; you've got another thing coming! I have news
for you. There is no way that you'll amount to anything if you don't finish school! Is that clear?"
His angry eyes met hers, but seconds later his gaze softened and he began to sob.
Daphne was completely taken aback and her resolve melted away. She went to him, enfolding him into her arms, stroking his hair the way she had done so
many times when he was a little boy. And all the while, he cried against her.
"Shhh… It's all right sweetheart." She whispered. "Just let it out. Mum's here. It's all right."
He cried until he was spent, but even after he'd calmed some, she continued to hold him, never daring to let go until she was sure that he was ready. She kissed
his damp cheek, surprised when he didn't protest or pull away. Normally boys of David's age didn't like receiving attention from their parents. But to her surprise
(and delight) he snuggled closer to her.
"Sweetheart, what is it? Why are you so upset?"
"They don't like me at school, Mum. No one does."
"That's not possible, David. You're wonderful."
He drew back to look at her but she felt the loss of his body heat immediately. "No I'm not!" he said his voice raising several octaves. "Can't you see that?
Maybe you and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma Ronee and Uncle Frasier like me, but people at school don't! I don't fit in there, mum, I'll never fit in!"
"David-."
"I'm sorry, Mum. I just… I can't go back there, ever."
When he wordlessly turned and ran up the stairs, Daphne retreated into the living room and sank onto the fainting couch, crying into her hands. She barely
heard the door open and then close, but suddenly she felt him sitting beside her, holding her close.
"Daphne, what's wrong?"
She looked at him tearfully. "Oh Niles…. It's David!"
His mouth fell open in shock. "I-is he hurt? Sick?"
She shook her head, feeling slightly guilty for worrying him so. "No, but… Oh Niles, I need to go up there and talk to him, but he was so upset! He was just
doing his homework and all of a sudden-."
Her wonderful husband kissed her and then wiped her tears away with his handkerchief. "I'll go and talk to him. Where is he?"
"I assume he's in his room, but Niles-."
"Don't worry, it'll be all right."
He kissed her softly and she tearfully watched him head upstairs. With a sigh she rose from the fainting couch and returned to the kitchen. David's books and
papers were still scattered on the hardwood floor. She gathered his school work, stacking the papers and then she arranged his books and papers onto the
kitchen table. The task made her feel a bit better, but not much.
As soon as she pushed open the swinging door that led to the living room she saw then; Niles and her handsome son were standing at the foot of the stairs with
their arms around each other. But as soon as David's eyes met hers, he left his father and went to her, engulfing her into a hug. His face was buried against her
neck and he held her close.
"I'm sorry, mum. I'm so sorry for the things that I said and the things that I did. I love you so much."
Once again, Daphne began to cry and she kissed his cheek. "All right. I love you too, David. And nothing will ever change that."
"I have to agree with that statement." Niles said. He joined them in the kitchen, putting his arms around him, so that the three of them were hugging tightly.
They held each other close, and Daphne knew that no matter what, she'd love David and Niles forever.
