Chapter Three: The Caring Son
Henry
Henry Cassidy raced home after he got off the school bus. He was going to spend the rest of the day with his dad and he couldn't wait to get home. When he saw the red door that would open up to his warm home, he smiled and picked up the pace. He pushed open the door and it banged loudly against the wall.
"Henry," his mother called in a not so stern voice.
"Sorry mom," he called back and raced up the stairs to his bedroom to toss down his backpack.
He then ran to the kitchen to eat his afterschool snack. A red apple, cut into wedges, peanut butter on a slice of toast, and milk. Some kids would prefer something salty or sugary, but not Henry. His grandmother always told him that eating healthy was a far better reward. He admired his grandmother and believed everything she said.
"Henry," his mother sighed from the kitchen door. "Slow down."
"Can't," he said as he removed his gloves and scarf. He placed them on the kitchen table. "Dad's gonna want to leave soon and I want to be ready."
"I'm sure he will wait for you," Mom said as Henry sat down to eat his snack.
"He said he has to see Mr. Gold today," Henry explained. "You know Mr. Gold hates it when anyone is late."
"Of course," Mom said.
Henry took a second to look up at his mom. He always thinks she's great. She is always there for him when he needed her. She is kind and loving. She is the best cook he knew. She always made sure every meal is ready for him at the right times. She still tucked him in at night. He was 11 now, but he didn't mind. Mom used to read to him before bed and she would change her voice for each character. Dad would stand at the door and smile at them. Now they just kiss him on the head and wish him good night now.
Mom always welcomed his help in the kitchen and tell him stories about her father Henry Mills. Henry Cassidy loved hearing stories about his grandparents. He only had one. Dad never knew his parents and his mom's dad died before he was born. The mayor was the only grandparent he had left. She was one of the adults that he looked up too.
Henry looked up to his mom because of her care and love. He looked up to his dad because he was strong, brave, and a successful artist. He admired his grandmother because she was wise and ambitious.
"What was that loud bang I heard early?" Dad said coming into the room.
"Um…" Mom said as she searched for the words to explain.
"Sorry, Dad," Henry said with an apple wedge in his mouth. "That was me. I opened the door too hard."
Dad frowned down at him. He was the disciplinary in the household. Mom hated to fight with anyone. Dad only fought when he had to. Henry knew better than to cross him.
"Henry, you should be more careful and not rush," Dad said. "Do you remember your tumble down the stairs last year?"
Henry found it hard to swallow his bite of peanut butter toast. He remembered the accident. Mom and Dad were taking him to the movies that day and he ran too quickly down the stairs. He missed two steps and fell the rest of the way. He hit the wooden floor hard and was knocked out. He was in a coma for a couple of days after that. He woke up with a slight headache and a bit groggy but other than that he was fine. He had no broken bones and no permanent damage. He was very lucky.
"We don't want that to happen again," Dad said. Then he smiled. "Take your time. I don't have to meet Mr. Gold for another 20 minutes."
Henry smiled back at his dad.
"What about homework?" Mom asked.
Henry went to answer her, this time his mouth was full of both apple and bread. His father gave him a look and Henry knew to finish swallowing before he spoke again.
"I did it at school," he said after a large gulp of milk.
"Okay," Mom said with a nod.
Henry loved his mom and dad. They always believed him. That may have to do with him being a terrible liar, a quality he inherited from his mom. He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything past his parents.
When Henry finished his snack, he and his dad kissed Mom on her cheek and left the house.
Henry loved walking through Storybrooke with his dad. They would usually stop and say hi to people. Sometimes they would take their cameras and take pictures. They didn't go out every day, maybe just twice a week, three times at the most. So, Henry relished when they did.
They walked instead of driving most days, but since they were heading to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop, they took the car. They had to make sure they were on time. If they didn't get so distracted by their surroundings when they walked, they could have walked to Mr. Gold's but they had what Dad called the Artist Eye. This meant they saw the beauty in everything they saw. They got distracted by the littlest thing and would stand for minutes talking about whatever had caught their eye.
The drive to Gold's was a quiet one. They listened quietly to the radio. Music from the 80's blared as loudly as Dad would dare. Too loud music was the only thing that seemed to make Mom angry and Dad liked to take advantage of her not being with them. Dad couldn't have the radio up as high as he would like. Sheriff Nolan actually gave out tickets for disturbing the peace for too loud music.
Henry didn't mind. He loved listening to the radio with his dad. He just loved his dad and respected him. He loved and respected his mom too. He would do anything they asked him to because he knew they loved him too.
END OF CH. 3