Kingdom Come Undone

Shade of Blue - Part 2

"Yep. So hold up your hands to camera for me, J? Just like this." I paused, forming my fingers into little mouth shapes on each hand. Your left hand makes a less than sign. Left hand. Less than. Say that for me."

"Weft hand. Wess dan."

"Perfect. Let's look back at that problem then. 15 _ 13. Is 15 greater than or less than 13?"

"Gwaiter dan means bigger, wight?"

"Right. Remember being greater than someone else at soccer practice means you're doing better. You have more skills. So greater than in math means you have more value. You are bigger."

"I fink I got it."

"Like we practiced, talk it out for me."

He nodded, holding out his hands. "Fiteen is gwaiter dan firteen. My weft hand makes a L and weft hand is wess dan. Dat means my wight hand is gwaiter dan."

"That's exactly how you should be thinking it out, Jacob! If that's all true, put the correct sign in that blank and show off for me a bit." I clapped as he turned his paper to show the correct answer: 15 > 13. "There you go! I know it's kind of confusing because of the symbols, but as long as you get the concept and remember your tools, you've got it! Do you feel more confident about it now?"

"You make mafs weally easy, E."

"You're the genius out of the two of us, sir! I'm just giving you the time to think. It's okay if we forget sometimes though, J. The important thing is that we remember that we were able to do it once. And if you did it once and were successful and felt proud, then you can do that again. Do you think you can do the last ones on your own?"

"I fink so. I tell Mommy if I need to cawl fow hep." He paused, rocking back and forth in his seat. "Is it kestion time now?"

"It seems like it. Want to see who can get Mommy upstairs first? Don't go until 3. I'm going to call her on my phone. You yell down from your seat. Ready? One. Two... Three!"

"MOMMMMMYYYYY! MOMMMMY!" He started screaming as I doubled over in laughter, unable to even hit the call button on my phone before Alison raced around the corner out of breath. "I win!"

"What in the world is happening?" She stopped, looking at the screen as I tried to get it together.

"Iss kestion time! Kestion time!"

I held up my hand, "I told him it was a race, but he screamed bloody murder." I kept laughing as Alison sat down next to him at his playroom's desk, wrapping one arm around him as she kissed the top of his head.

"You scared me, Bug. But you were just excited?" He nodded wildly, before reaching for the phone in Alison hand. She looked up at me. "Definitely excited. He had me write his questions down this morning. Let me think about them a little bit too. Here you go. Start from the top." She pointed before I interrupted.

"Should I call Carter on my end then?"

"No, he said it was fine. He wants Jacob to tell him all about it tonight for bedtime." I sat up a little taller knowing he wouldn't be listening, "Go ahead, Bug."

"In da hobsital, I had to go ebry day and way under a ting dat cwicked and hode my head weawy stiwl. What is dat?"

"Hospital." Alison corrected. "Sorry. Continue, babe."

"Yeah, so there's a lot of ways to treat cancer, J. Some have a lot more side effects than others. Because of your age, your parents and doctors chose one of the safest ways to treat your cancer. It's called radiation. Think about the sun when you stand underneath it in the summer. It's hot, isn't it?"