Samuel Ares

Mother; Father

         "Samuel," my mother fumed at me as I banged two pans together, laughing at the sound it made and the rumble that occurred when they both hit each other. It was interesting to me, as a lot of things were. I found great joy in discovering this new sound.
         "Stop playing with the dishes, for the love of.. Here. Give me those!" she snatched the pans from me and I let out a sob. I missed the pans, and losing them was the only stress I had. When you're young, it's not like you have a family to feed, or a house bill to pay, or a school to pass. You just sit down, eat whatever food you're given, shit every once in a while and your parents love you for it. But either way, my mother put nothing pans on the table where I couldn't reach them. I pouted and crossed my arms.
         "He needs toys, Marcy. He's only a child and children his age always have a toy to play with. It keeps them occupied." my father chimed in. He picked me up off the dirty floor and held me there in his arms. He smiled at me and I laughed, as I thought his face looked funny.
         "He'll be fine without toys. Buying them isn't worth it, he'll get over it by the time he's over and never look at it again." My mother then took me from my father and proceeded to pat my back, even though I wasn't crying, and didn't need to burp anytime soon. I hummed, fascinated by the way my voice would jump every time I was lightly hit on the back.
         "Kids toys are the most memorable. One day, he'll see it again and remember his past. He'll remember us. Our son will be reminded he's loved, and that he always has a home. And then, he will pass the toy down to his children. Isn't that great?" Then, my father once more took me in his arms, then set me back on the floor. He set next to me a little wrapped present, and watched with a smile as I played with the wrapping paper, though I wasn't strong enough to tear it apart. The wrapping paper consisted of a blue background and a bunch of little ducks on it as the design. My mother let out a sharp exhale from anger and gave my father a glare.
         "You only wasted our money. With that, we could have bought food, blankets, just.. more important things than something so temporary! Whatever, don't start crying when we go bankrupt!" and with that, she left the room, leaving me and my father alone in the kitchen. I didn't mind too much about the argument, as I found the gift more important.
         My father kneeled down next to me and picked up the gift. "Here, let me give you a head start." He ripped a piece of the wrapping paper and handed the gift back to me. Now, with a little boost such as that, I could open the gift. I teared off the wrapping paper, feeling as if I was Arthur pulling a sword out of the stone. Once ripping off the wrapping paper, there was a box that had the gift inside. I put the box aside and continued to tear the already torn up wrapping paper, finding that way more amusing. My father laughed some, and took away the wrapping paper.
         "No, open the box." He guided. And so, I pulled off the top of the box, revealing a stuffed bear inside. I took it in my arms and gave it a tight hug. Father smiled and patted me on my head.
         "Happy birthday, buddy." He told me with a smile. He then left to go make up with his wife.

.        .         .         .        .        .        .         .

Years later...
         "Sammy, I found something under your bed." my brother Jameson  told me.
         "Why were you looking under my bed?" I asked, not looking up from my book until I had finished the page. I set the bookmark and closed it shut. When I looked up from it, I was surprised to see the same stuffed animal in his hand.
'One day, he'll see it again and remember his past. He'll remember us.'
        
I couldn't help but feel emotional at the forced memory of my missing family, and my brother noticed.
         "Where is it from?" He asked me as I held it in my own hand. I stared at it for a while, its dark brown color, it's black button eyes, and its little red bow tie under it's neck.
         "People. Now go away."
         He hesitated, but left me alone to wonder how he found it and why he picked it out specifically.