Walt Disney College

Chapter 50

Ms. Davis was worried about her son. She could see him trying to smile, playing with Buster around the house, and attempting to act nicer to Molly.

But she knew it was all fake. She would've fallen for it, if it wasn't for what she saw yesterday evening.

She was going to remind Andy about the dinner that Friday, and she had found him stroking Buster slowly, tears trickling down his face.

Ms. Davis sat there, staring at her cup of tea, expecting it to just fly towards her mouth.

"You know, that's gonna get cold Mom," Molly said, closing her tween magazine. "If you're free, can we discuss my thirteenth birthday party ideas?"

Ms. Davis sighed. "Molly, your birthday isn't for another three months. Is this really a topic for—"

"Good morning."

Molly and Ms. Davis looked up to see Andy walk down the stairs, his eyes swollen and his hair a mess. He immediately walked towards the fridge, searching for something to eat.

The silence lingered a little longer, until Ms. Davis finally replied. "Good morning."

Molly greeted him too, then turned back to her mother. "So?"

"Not now Molly, and remove that from Buster's mouth, please."

Molly rolled her eyes and picked Buster off the ground, taking him to her bedroom.

Andy set down a bowl of cereal on the table and ate in silence. Ms. Davis wanted to fill it with something. She just couldn't.

"I'm going to Mrs. Anderson's today. You know, Bonnie's Mom?"

Unexpected, but it was a start. "May I ask why?"

"I...uh..."

Ms. Davis set down her newspaper. "You want to see the toys, don't you?"

Andy ate another spoon of cereal and said nothing.

"So you can grovel over the memories you and Tadashi had?"

Andy visibly flinched. It was an automatic reaction to the name. He gripped his spoon, and his voice sounded small when he said, "so what if I do?"

"You're supposed to be moving on, Andy. Not living in the past!"

Andy gave a bitter laugh. "Right. Just how you moved on when Dad left."

Ms. Davis's mouth fell agape. "That's not fair Andy!"

"You're right, it's not. Dad's still alive. You can still mend things. But Tadashi —Tadashi is gone, and I will never see him again, and you expect me to move on when it hasn't even been a year?"

"I just want you to have a speedy recovery! I'm tired of seeing you like this!"

Her eyes watered a little bit, and she tried to stop the tears from coming.

"Well don't expect one. It takes time to grieve. Especially when the person was your best friend." His voice cracked near the end, and he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Whatever. Go see the toys," she mumbled.

"I will."

Andy washed his bowl and stomped upstairs. Before he reached his room, he heard a tiny voice call for his name.

"Andy?"

Andy saw Molly, standing just outside her bedroom.

"What is it?"

"Can you just...not bring up the subject of Dad around Mom? He's gone now. No need to go back to the past."

Andy glared at her. "Sometimes reliving memories can give us strength."