Charlie's Angel

16

Chris

"Where's Jared?" Isaiah asked. He splashed around in the bathtub with his Buzz Lightyear. "Is he gone?"

I sighed as I scrubbed his neck. "Isaiah, he's your dad. You gotta call him that."

He shook his head. "I don't like him!"

That makes two of us. "But he loves you, man," I murmured. I didn't know if it was a lie or not. He ain't act like he loved his own kid. "But yeah, he's gone back to work." His father did the same thing every single birthday. He visited the day of, celebrated–and I use that term loosely—and left the next morning. I swear, it was obligation. He only acted like he gave a fuck about Isaiah just to make my sister happy.

"Oh."

I dumped some water over his shoulders to rid of the bubbles. "So besides your little accident at school, how was the rest of your day?"

"The kids were making fun of me because I peed my pants," he mumbled. I went to pick him up early from school because the teacher said he wet his pants during story time. This was, like, a week after his birthday when I was feeling better.

"The same kids that thought I was the coolest uncle ever?"

He nodded. "Mhm. They thought the way you fell at my birthday party was the coolest thing ever," he laughed a little bit at that, but the smile was gone just as quick. "But now they call me a baby."

"The way I fell?"

"Yeah," he sniffled. Shit, he was crying. "When you just fell to the ground at Chuck E Cheese's. They all thought it was funny and asked if you could do it again."

I kissed my teeth.

"And then I kept calling your name and you wouldn't wake up," his voice turned sad and hollow. "I got scared."

"But I'm okay," I replied. Which was true, with some nasty-ass pills the hospital prescribed me, I was better in a few days.

"Jared wanted to take me with him, but I cried and screamed. I wanted to stay with you and Bash." He looked at me with wet, red eyes. "Don't be mad at me. I'm a big boy, I promise!"

I let out a breath. "Isaiah, you're gonna have to go with him sooner or later." I turned his chin upwards. "When your mom comes back, she and your dad are gonna take you away from here."

He turned his chin away from my hand. "No!" He shouted. His little ass jumped from the tub and he ran into his room and under the Buzz Lightyear and Woody sheets on his bed.

I could hear his quiet cries from all the way in his bathroom and my heart dropped a tad. I just crushed my nephew's spirit. I sat on his bed and waited, seeing the fetal position shape under his blanket. "Isaiah, come on. Talk to me."

"No," he mumbled. "You're gonna give me away."

I pulled back the blanket and looked at him wiping his eyes. "But your mom and dad want to have you be their son, not my son."

"But--" he sniffled "--I have more fun with you. Am I not your best friend?"

"Of course you are," I murmured.

"Best friends don't leave each other," he sobbed. "That's what Jimmy said about his dog. Sparky is his best friend and Jimmy said he'll never give him away because they're best buds."

"Isaiah," I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. He had a point, and damn he was smart. "Can you put some clothes on, please?"

He sat up, wiped his nose and reached for the fresh clothes on his pillow. He went about the actions somberly and wordlessly. Then after that he went right back to the wet spot on his bed, defeating the purpose of putting clothes on. He was getting his new clothes wet. "I wanna stay with you forever, Uncle Chris."