Reflections of Light

Clingy

Billy was attached to his mother's hip as she attempted to get together something for dinner, rummaging through cupboards and draws in search of something she could use.

He sat on his mum's hip, supported by her arm around him, his arm around the back of her neck and his knees gripping her waist, and his head resting on her shoulder.

For once, he actually appeared his young age, timidly clinging to his mum, sucking the fingers of his spare hand.

Luci groaned. "Nope, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to put you down for a second. I just need to get something, and I think it'll require both hands.
Down you go."

She set him down on the floor, where he stood, looking quite lost, sucking his fingers and, almost unconsciously, reaching for the material of the back of her trousers.

Luci smiled kindly at him. "Sweetheart, can you do me a favour, and check if we've got... Well, anything in the fridge?" She said, turning back to the cupboard and stretching upwards to peer into it, standing on tiptoes.
"And don't suck your fingers like that, you'll end up ruining your teeth."

Not removing his digits from his mouth, Billy tottered over to the fridge, pulling it open and crouching down to look in it.

Her pulled his saliva-sopping fingers from his mouth to talk. "We got juice."

"Anything else?" Luci asked, an ominous clattering of shifting pots and pans echoing from her direction, followed by unintelligible muttered cursing.

"Ice cream."

"Anything else?"

"Uh... I fink dis is cheese. An'... A teeny likkle potato."

"And with all of that, I can make... Absolutely nothing." Luci groaned, pulling her head out of the cupboard.
She'd had a feeling this might be the case. The stuff from quick run around the shops she'd managed a couple days ago clearly hadn't been going to last long, and now they were on the tail end of that.

Luci mentally cursed, reaching for the phone, and shooting Billy a grin. "New plan. How does pizza sound?"

Billy's eyes lit up. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Luci began dialling. "We'll have to shop later though, or we'll have nothing for tomorrow, unless you like cheese and mutant potato ice cream for breakfast.
William, that was not supposed to sound appealing!"

She chuckled at her son's eager expression and enthusiastic nodding.

Dialling the number, she made the call.

Billy sidled up to her, leaning against her body and wrapping his arms around her waist.
She stroked his hair fondly.

"Are you okay? You're being very clingy."

She crouched down, scooping him up in her arms. Billy snuggled his face into her shoulder.

"C'mon, what's up? Are not feeling well?"

Billy shook his head.

"Are you scared of something?"

Another head shake.

"Are you upset about something?"

There was a pause. Luci could almost hear the cogs wiring in his head.

"So... A little bit upset about something? But that's not the whole picture?"

Billy nodded.

"Okay... Is something worrying you? Is that it? Are you not sure about something? Is there something you don't understand?"

There was a nod.

Luci kissed the top of his head. "Tell me, what's upsetting you that you don't you understand?