Short stories

Mary

Mary.
It's a short name, but it's one that makes you think. Who is this? Are they even human? Is it a snake? Or a snail? Or maybe even a rock a small child refuses to leave at the park. Well, this time it's a woman. A woman who sits in her living room most days, watching her son play with his cars, or a soft toy, or watching a movie.

When she's not in the living room watching him play Mary cooking in her kitchen while he hugs her leg and whines about being hungry, or she's trying to find a pen that actually works so she can write down that important phone number or so she can write her shopping list.

But sometimes Mary gets quiet. I hen her wine is at day care on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On those days, during the short few hours, she sits. And waits. Or she thinks. Or reads the clock. It only gets harder as her son gets older.

At 2 he refuses to eat with anything other then his yellow chicken spoon. At 5 he has more tantrums then Mary thought was humanly possible. But it was. It always was. When he was 10 he wanted to play with his school friends at the park and would come home when the sun started going down. When he was 15 he wanted to be left alone in his room with his phone and headphones, hating any man Mary would date or even invite into the house. 17 was the age when girls were brought home and he would stay out until the sun would rise again. Mary tried not to worry. She smiles at him every morning and always makes dinner for his girlfriend or friends who come for "Mrs G's good pasta!".

But sometimes it gets too much. And in those moments she thinks of Peter. Their life before they had a son and before Peter joined the army. Before she got the letter form the general saying Peter went "MIA". She never told her son Peter was in the army, or even who Peter was.

She thinks of Peter before she cries.

She never cries in front of her son. No matter how much they argue. She never cries. Peter always told her that she has to stay strong around their son until he got back. So she stays strong. No matter how much she wants to break, she wont. She can't.

She won't let Peter down like that.