Martha Wilde is Nick's mother. She's a sweet homemaker reaching her fifties. Having suffered a lot of ordeal with her cruel husband and previously with her abusive parents she tries to steer her son's life into best way possible, unfortunately, it's not so easy for a forlorn mother to take care of everything, especially with a lot of pressure in her work.

That's a small note on Nick's mother for this chapter. Enjoy

In the shadow of the father

Chapter three: Talk with the Archenemy

Martha's point of view

Suburbs of Zootopia November 21st 6.12 pm, Wildes apartment

There is no more distressing sight for mother than seeing her beloved son being on the slippery slope and having no leverage to change that pernicious path of her one and only offspring.

I've been struggling that way of life for some quite long period, but I have no other choice than go to this arduous and tedious labour work of mine. I'm working at least twelve hours to afford me and my son as such residence. Sometimes I have to stay at work for some extra night shift when the money I earn from my regular time off work doesn't last to the end of the month.

I'm near my fifties right now, only ten more years till the retirement but even then I will have to work because my retiring pension is not so promising that we'll be able to provide us at least major needs of life.

I remind myself that there is nothing in the fridge for supper so I must go for some shopping to the near grocery. I don't think that Nick will eat something today regarding his state.

What makes me most anxious and powerless is that I can't do a thing with Nick's lifestyle. Because what can I do? Ban him? For what, for going out from the house or cut his money off? I did that once, which led to a big argument but I made it firm and he couldn't outtalk me in ways he always does. But still, he got money from I don't know where because he crossed his heart that he wasn't stealing or anything and drug dealing drops of because he's too young for that. I mean who would buy any drugs from an immature teen who's recently got rid of his juvenile acne. Shoving my worrying thoughts aside, I go to my bedroom and get changed from this worn work outfit. Mentioning my work, I earn my living in near manufactory as a cleaning lady, but I clean very expensive plastic bottles producing machines so that a little mistake can cost me a life. Literally. Fine for spoiling one of those could reach up to hundreds of thousand, and I can barely make money for this mildewed flat.

I put on some good pair of jeans and quite trendy flower-patterned blouse and put some perfume to cover my sweat odour. When I'm ready, I grab a linen reusable bag and go out to make some marketing. Fortunately, Nick doesn't have a gourmet's palate so basic delicatessens will do.

The first thing that catches my eye after closing the door of my apartment is my adorable neighbour. She's a vixen like me, but unlike like me she has a loving husband and stable family relationship with her daughter, she's living in this hovel because her spouse is building a nice house for them and they couldn't get any lodging right now, so she's only temporary here, tough titty, she's very nice to me. Completely opposite to my neighbours who all are bleak and abrasive.

"Hello Martha!, I haven't seen you in a while" she greets me with a smile showing on her prim muzzle. She beams with positiveness and benevolence, it's so rarely seen today. Maybe not this times but in this poor district. So I try to act against my current mood and put on a smile and say,

"Hey, Leila! How've you been?"

"Everything's good with me, Marcus gets through with the house, such a pity we won't be able to see each other soon. Maybe you will meet in our new place when it's done? I'd love to regale you and Nick." she says, mentioning her husband Marcus who is a lawyer.

"I'd love to but you know how things are with work. I barely have time anything, huh. Not mentioning Nick of course.

"Oh yes, Nick. By the way of him, I didn't know that he goes out with my daughter." I froze at that. Nick goes out with Leila's daughter? It sounds ridiculous, because she's a well-behaved kid, educating herself to be a doctor, speaking of which, she has recently achieved some award from chemistry contest.

"Yes I saw them together last evening at the downtown"

"Maybe they were hanging out in a group or something, I don't expect your daughter to have an interest in my son," I say while ruminating their opposite behaviours.

"Well I don't know what they were doing but seeing Ollie and Nick all kissy-kissy doesn't give me any other conclusion rather than they are a couple." At that, I compose the puzzle of thoughts into a cohesive outcome. She must have been liquored her last night, that's why she let him be all around her, probably pop her cherry too.

I only hope that it won't result in her being pregnant or anything. That would make me dig my grave.

"Ohh, yes, now I remember, they were hanging out a bit lately, say Leila, when did your daughter come home yesterday night?" I ask, pretending to not remember that they're together because I don't want to embarrass myself.

"Um, she was around seven, but I didn't catch a lot of talk with her because she went to sleep early, oh and I think that they went to some lousy dinner because she was puking like a whole hour from food poisoning." Of course, having no alcohol tolerance may cause a teenager a puking on hangover.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Excuse me but I have to hurry to the shop before they close."

"Of course, I don't want to stop you. Could you ask Nick from me if he's stable with my daughter for now, because I'd love him to date Ollie" she says enthusiastically, less enthusiasm with me. I try to digest her words about Nick and her daughter and make a proper response. Finally, I find the words and say, slowly fading away from her in the direction of the staircase.

"I will talk with him"

"Good, thank you. So...goodbye, we'll see each other soon I think"

"Yes, goodbye to you too" I try to make it less awkward than it's now

I can't believe Nick would take advantage of such sweet girl Ollie is, but having the knowledge of alcohol effects, I assume it was her on him too.

The rest of the walk to the shop goes normal. I pass some another fox and porcupine couples with their kids, they're happy together.

It would be less tense with Nick if we could make some agreement with each other if he would listen to me sometimes than always knowing better and arguing. This leads me to some pleasant memories with him, when he was 9 and we were like the normal families I passed.

Flashback

Narrative point of view

"Mommy, mommy, look at me!" screamed a young fox kid to his mother, they're sitting and playing with each other on the playground

"Nicholas, you are my greatest hero!" mother of the kid replies, admiring his self-made vigilante mask and cloak running after his peer wolf friend who's clad in some robber-looking outfit

"I will catch you Seito" the kid yells one more time to his friend

"You wish you could, Foxman" they were playing thief-policeman

play. After then the fox cub and his mother went home, having some ice-cream en route.

"That was the best day of my life,"the smiling kid told his mother, at what she replied.

"I'm happy that you're happy son, tomorrow we can go here and have something sweet to" at that the little, adorable kid ran to his mom and hugged her fondly while saying

"I love you mom, I will never leave you"

She hugged him even more tightly and said

"I know that you won't son" The happy family went back to their home but to the outsiders, it might leave a one, important question.

Where is the father?

End of flashback

Those were good days when we used to talk to each other like mother and her cub should. Maybe it was because Nick hasn't had many friends, not like today. Or maybe because it's undeniably easier to take control of nine years cub than of almost grown-up and mutinous teenager. He may seem mature but only his age, not with his way of thinking.

I try not to think more about it, so I focus myself on the pavement and shove aside my thoughts.

Shopping is also a very tedious thing to do. I never understood the shopaholics, how can anyone last in the shop more than an hour, an hour of course when it's necessary. While doing my normal shop routine, I meet one of my co-workers and we have some chit-chat about some insignificant topics like, what's the weather today and how our labour-work is wiping out our lasts of energy. I don't have much time and most of all disposition to talk about unimportant things so I say that I left a bowl of soup on the cookstove and I have to go.

At the checkout the female otter cashier says,

"37 dollars and 86n cents" I reach for my purse and see in that lasts of my digit are only two 20 notes. It will do for marketing but I'll have to spend my savings again because I don't have any more money left.

"Thank you and have a nice day, ma'am," she says and that makes me think If Nick could take some job, maybe as a cashier or something, maybe he could hand out leaflets, He's mature enough to help the home budget. But for now, I drop the topic and make my way out of the grocery shop.

Jesus Fox, I'm over it, at least for a few days.

When I arrived at my flat I drop the bags and put some things into the fridge, It's past 8 so I have a bit of time for myself. I sit on the old armchair and take out a book, but reading makes my eyes close, I put the book away and drift into sleep.

Drrrrrr, drrrrrr. The phone rings, sending shrill sounds throughout the room. As soon as I wake up, I make my way to the home phone. Many mammals got rid of this kind of communicating device, but I think that it's convenient to have one. I reach for the receiver and put it near my chocolate-brown ear to be greeted with the happy voice of my good friend.

"Hey Martha, what's up with you. You didn't call me last night, has something happened" Pol, my best bestie, who works in as a flower girl in one of the flower shops in downtown. Also, I recall that I indeed had to call her last evening but the things with Nick

overwhelmed my mind and I must have forgotten to call her.

"No, everything's fine, besides Nick"

"Oh? What's with him, or maybe let me think. He went to one of his crazy parties, didn't he" knowing me a couple

good years she reads me like a sheet of paper.

"Yes, he did, but called me and got home around evening. Pol, I don't know what to do with him anymore. I'm worried about him"

"I think that the best way to deal with him is to let him be. He's through tough span, high-school, pressure and everything, and besides, what can we or what can you do about him. He's not a clumsy kid anymore." that's what I recalled myself on the way to the shop.

"Yes, maybe you're right but what If he ends up being some prowler without any perspective for proper life" I can imagine her saying 'he's now' but I make this thought fade as fast as it's occurred.

"Don't worry so much Martha, he will get through high school, find his significant other and settle down" Pol regarding a 'significant other'hit me with another presumption

"Yeah, he already fucked neighbour's daughter, so no need to worry about him finding a girl" I say it sarcastically and wait for the lingering silence to reach its end

"What?" Pol says sounding astonished

"Knowing Nick, it shouldn't be much of bewilderment"

She tries to digest my words and replies, adding a bit of sarcasm too,

"At least you don't need to worry about his sex life" her attempt to lessen the mood didn't work out as well as she expected, so she adds

"That wasn't the decent thing to say but trust me, he'll settle down, he has to someday"

"I hope he will" I say showing a bit of sadness in my voice.

We talk a little more about her life. She started dating some 33 years old stallion, they got to know each other through the internet dating site. The talk finally goes to its end and we say our farewells to each other. Putting down the phone I feel this warm feeling inside me because somebody cares about me and my problems. I start making my way to the armchair I sat on half an hour ago, looking at the clock, it says it's quarter to eleven so I better go to sleep for the sake of my damn work and my exhaustion. But when I collect my book from the coffee table and make my way to the bedroom, the phone starts to ring again.

Who might it be? Maybe Pol forgot to tell me something important. As soon as I put my book on the chest of drawers next to my bed, I make a way back to answer the phone. I put the phone to my pointed ear and wait for Pol's voice to enter my ear for the second time this evening.

"Hello Martha,..." "How have you been?"

My blood freezes, my heart reaches its highest possible pulse. I should be chuffed that another person cares about me, but this time I reach for the lasts of my nerve and try to catch my voice to proceed the words out of me.

"Imposs...Impossible" I feel faintly right now, not believing to whom I'm talking about

But then I clear my mind and say firmly, without any kindness in my voice,

"What do you want" I bark sharply through the receiver

"I just want to ask how are you guys doing and ho-"

The fox on the opposite side of the phone has no right to end his sentence because is being interrupted by the more incandescent female voice of mine

"You left us behind ten years ago, how dare you call me and ask me how I'm doing, you, you...you lousy shot!"

Silence hovers through the air for the second time, I wait for his response. Finally, I have a chance to hear it.

"I just thought that maybe you and Nick need some financial support and also I wanted to know how things are."

I try to calm myself and not curse at him or worse, sling the phone in the nearest wall, I grit my teeth and say.

"Things in this house are not your concern anymore, and we don't want your mob-money. What the fuck do you think, huh? That I can't raise a kid and afford a flat without an excuse of a husband?"

I shout through the receiver but soon cool out, because I don't want to wake Nick and let him know that his father called. It would raise only questions: how's he? Why did he leave us? What he's doing now? And many more.

"That life is far behind me, I on-" another pause made of my voice stops him in his words.

"Say, do you beat the shit out of your whores like you used to with me or you left that behind too?" knowing his attitude this statement might be defiant to him, but I don't care. All I want right now is to let all the thing out. He stays silent for a while and then he says

"Umm.., how things are with Nick"

"He has already cleared his mind of you" I think that stings his ruthless soul for a bit because he seems like he can't catch any words to respond.

"Tell him that I can meet with or maybe offer him a job" at this I freeze for the second time. I don't want this jailbird near my Nick anymore.

"You better stay away from him, you devil. He's perfectly fine without you and so am I" I say, and I think that it gave him something to think on because for one last time I have to process the agonizing silence on the phone. It lasts longer than I expected, so I simply end this call with the last sentence.

"I assume we're done. Don't bother us any more. We don't need you, I don't want Nick to end like you did!"

"Take care, Martha. I lov-"

"Go to hell!" I had to yell because him telling me that he loves me, make all my muscles go tense again. How can he say that to me after what he did to us?!

Despite my excitement, I drop all my thoughts aside and try to focus on my temporal life, without him in it.

I only hope that he won't call Nick, or worse, that he won't draft him into the wrong path of life. Worse than he's now on

I lay on the bed under a soft duvet, looking at the ceiling I'm saying my prayers for better tomorrow and at the same time, I try not to cry. Maybe our Lord will listen to my prayers and help me. I close my eyes and rest because tomorrow is the next day of my excruciating ordeal.

Thank you for reading