Forgive Me, My Love ~ ReddNook

Chapter 39

Tom walked out of the room and went down the stairs. When he got to the living room he found Tommy on the sofa watching a cartoon on the television with a pack of chips in his paws. Tom sat down next to him. "Tommy, can we talk for a minute?"

No answer. His eyes were fixed on the screen. The tanuki grabbed the remote control and switched off the device. Tommy whirled around and glared at his uncle. "Hey, I wanted to see that!" He grumbled.

"You'd better explain to me why you humiliate Timmy with such insults," Tom replied sharply. "You can't do that." Tommy flanked his ears in frustration. "He deserves it!"
"Why?" Tears formed in the boy's eyes.

"Because ... because it's all about him!" Tommy growled. "He's always preferred. It's so unfair!" Tom was speechless. "What are you talking about? That's not true. Nobody is preferred here! You are just as important to me as Timmy."

Tommy sobbed. "Liar! The truth is, Timmy is your favorite nephew, right?"
"That ..." But the little tanuki did not let him finish. "You are always more loving to Timmy than to me! I always get in trouble, but he can do anything and is never scolded."
"Tommy, you are acting impossible!"

"See?", he hissed. "I'm always yelled at. You don't even notice it!" The older one sighed and ran his paw over his face. "Good heavens, what's the matter with you? Why are you so aggressive?" Tommy jumped off the sofa.

"Because this is hell! I don't feel like living with you anymore. Especially not with Timmy! I'm moving to uncle Redd!" He decided. "At least he's not yelling at me." Tom got up. "Are you serious now?" He asked perplexed.

"What is this nonsense?!" Tommy stomped out of the living room. "I'm not going to be missed here anyway!" He tore open the front door angrily. "Tommy, come back immediately! I do not tolerate this behavior! "

But the tanuki didn't listen to him at all, but slammed the door behind him with a loud bang. Tom ran his paw stressed through his face once again. "This child makes me insane."

--------------------------

Redd was just finishing his work of art - which he must have been working on for four hours - when suddenly the bell rang. He twitched his ears in astonishment. "Who wants to visit me at this time?" He muttered as he put the brush aside and rose from his stool.

Maybe it's Tom? Redd wagged his tail in delight, as he hurried down the hall. "I'm coming!" He sang and opened the door. But as it turned out, it wasn't Tom, but Tommy. "Hi, kid! What's up?" He looked at Redd with big sad eyes.

"Can I stay with you, uncle Redd?" he asked in a husky voice. "Uncle Tom is mad at me." The fox knelt down by the tanuki. "He's mad at you?" He repeated gently. "What happened? Come in first."

Tommy stepped in and after he closed the door he started talking.

----------------------------

Tom stood in front of Redd's house and rang the bell. After a few seconds the door was opened by Redd. He smiled. "Hey, honey! You're here for Tommy, aren't you?" Tom nodded tiredly. "Yeah. I hope he didn't cause you trouble. I don't know what got into the boy." Redd leaned against the door frame.

"He told me what happened and after we had talked a little bit he became calm again." Tom blinked in amazement. "Apparently you can deal with children better than me." The fox laughed slightly.

"Nonsense! The little one just needed someone to listen to him," he explained. "Mostly, you feel better when you talk about your problems." Tom sighed. "I tried to talk to him, but ... that didn't quite work."

Redd nudged him lovingly. "Maybe you just have to be a little more patient with him, Nooky." The tanuki snorted. "If it just could be that easy." Raising two children was not so easy after all. But Redd was right about that.

"Uncle ... Tom?" Tommy peered carefully from behind Redd. He blinked uncertainly and had clung shyly to the fox as if a stranger were standing in front of him. "Tommy, are you still mad at me?" Tom asked gently.

The little Tanuki hesitated, but then shook his head. "No." A little more anxiously he added: "And you? Are you still angry with me for behaving so wrongly?"
"No, of course not," replied the older one. "I'm sorry that I freaked out," Tommy said.

"And I'm also sorry that I was so mean to Timmy. I didn't really meant it that way."
"Tell that Timmy and not me," Tom said. Tommy looked sadly at the floor.

"After I've been so mean to him, he definitely won't want to talk to me anymore."

"I don't think so," the tanuki replied. "He will be happy when he can get along with you again." He held out his paw to his nephew. "Come on, partner. Let's go home. I'm really tired." Tommy took his hand.

"Okay. Bye, uncle Redd!", he said to the fox and gave him a high five. "See ya, kid! And be nice to your brother, kay?", Redd added with a wink. To Tom he said: "I'll see you again tomorrow, right, Nooky?"

The tanuki grinned and kissed him. "Of course. I promised you." He pulled the fox into a tight hug and closed his eyes. He would have loved to fall asleep in his arms. Tommy tugged impatiently on Tom's shirt.

"Are we going now, or not?"
"Yes, yes", the older one sighed and reluctantly let go of Redd. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye, bye, honey!"