Mama was really soft. Dad said that's why she died. Altair said that it wasn't. Desmond wasn't sure what the truth was, but it was confusing to sit at the breakfast table and not have her sitting next to him. He had to add his own sugar on his wheat puffs, and the first time he put in too much and Dad had to smack him for it. Altair helped him measure after that.
Altair said that Mama would want him to work hard in school, and to clean up his room, and to brush his teeth and bathe. Desmond knew she would, and he wanted to do good things so Mama wouldn't have to worry while she was gone, but doing all that stuff would take time away from playing. So Altair said they would 'compromise', and Altair would clean up his room if Desmond did his homework and brushed his teeth. He still didn't like to take baths, though.
One morning -because all the important things in Desmond's life seemed to happen in the morning- he asked Dad if they could go to the park for a while to play. Desmond loved the park; he loved climbing to the top of the slide and sitting up there on top of the world, he loved being pushed on the swings until the chains bounced from going too high, he even loved just hanging from the monkey bars until his fingers started to tingle, then swinging back and forth, travelling without even touching the ground.
The thing he loved most of all, though, was watching Altair at the park. He never used the ladders, or the stairs, and he could move so fast from the top of the lookout tower to the bottom of the sandbox and back again. Desmond tried to follow him all the time, but he was never as fast. Altair didn't mind though, and taught him how to grab a ledge, how to jump to the tricky spots, and how to tuck-and-roll if he missed. The old ladies in the red hats who came to sit on the picnic tables would point at him and call him a monkey. Desmond liked being a monkey. Dad didn't.
That morning -the important one- when Desmond asked if they could go to the park Dad looked at Desmond carefully. It was the look that Desmond knew he got when Dad had heard him talking to Altair again. Dad said he didn't like Altair. Altair said he didn't like Dad. It made his insides feel funny, so he tried not to think about it.
"Fine Desmond, we can go. But I have important phone calls to make, so don’t bother me." Dad said. Desmond didn't mind, and ran to get his shoes. Altair would play with him, if he asked nicely.
The park was really close to their house, but Dad always drove them there. Desmond liked it, because once in a while if he was good and quiet and didn't bother Dad, they would go and get ice cream after. Desmond loved chocolate ice cream, but Altair said it was too sweet for him, so sometimes Desmond got vanilla instead so they could share.
When they arrived at the park that morning there were some people already on the swings, so Desmond followed Altair over to the play structures to practice climbing. The old ladies with the red hats weren't at the picnic tables today, so Desmond knew that Altair would be jumping from there to the structure. Desmond couldn't jump that far yet, but Altair said that someday soon he'd be able to.
He had been hanging in the middle of the monkey bars for a while, but his fingers weren't tingling yet when someone poked him in the leg. He turned around and looked down at two kids. The one with the floppy red hat had poked him, but Desmond could tell they both wanted to know what he was doing. Sometimes this happened.
"I'm hanging 'cause I like it." He explained. The one with the red hat wrinkled his nose like he'd licked the inside of a lemon, and the other one with the funny chin looked surprised. Desmond adjusted his grip a bit, and waited for them to go away.
"Why?" Funny-chin asked. Desmond tried to remember what Altair had told him.
"'Cause it promotes patience, endurance, and upper body strength'."
Both boys looked behind them and up, at thin air. They seemed to be listening to something, and Desmond suddenly felt worried. Altair was at the top of the play structure, but when Desmond looked over at him, he jumped down and came over right away.
Childhood Fantasies, Part 1
Altair said that Mama would want him to work hard in school, and to clean up his room, and to brush his teeth and bathe. Desmond knew she would, and he wanted to do good things so Mama wouldn't have to worry while she was gone, but doing all that stuff would take time away from playing. So Altair said they would 'compromise', and Altair would clean up his room if Desmond did his homework and brushed his teeth. He still didn't like to take baths, though.
One morning -because all the important things in Desmond's life seemed to happen in the morning- he asked Dad if they could go to the park for a while to play. Desmond loved the park; he loved climbing to the top of the slide and sitting up there on top of the world, he loved being pushed on the swings until the chains bounced from going too high, he even loved just hanging from the monkey bars until his fingers started to tingle, then swinging back and forth, travelling without even touching the ground.
The thing he loved most of all, though, was watching Altair at the park. He never used the ladders, or the stairs, and he could move so fast from the top of the lookout tower to the bottom of the sandbox and back again. Desmond tried to follow him all the time, but he was never as fast. Altair didn't mind though, and taught him how to grab a ledge, how to jump to the tricky spots, and how to tuck-and-roll if he missed. The old ladies in the red hats who came to sit on the picnic tables would point at him and call him a monkey. Desmond liked being a monkey. Dad didn't.
That morning -the important one- when Desmond asked if they could go to the park Dad looked at Desmond carefully. It was the look that Desmond knew he got when Dad had heard him talking to Altair again. Dad said he didn't like Altair. Altair said he didn't like Dad. It made his insides feel funny, so he tried not to think about it.
"Fine Desmond, we can go. But I have important phone calls to make, so don’t bother me." Dad said. Desmond didn't mind, and ran to get his shoes. Altair would play with him, if he asked nicely.
The park was really close to their house, but Dad always drove them there. Desmond liked it, because once in a while if he was good and quiet and didn't bother Dad, they would go and get ice cream after. Desmond loved chocolate ice cream, but Altair said it was too sweet for him, so sometimes Desmond got vanilla instead so they could share.
When they arrived at the park that morning there were some people already on the swings, so Desmond followed Altair over to the play structures to practice climbing. The old ladies with the red hats weren't at the picnic tables today, so Desmond knew that Altair would be jumping from there to the structure. Desmond couldn't jump that far yet, but Altair said that someday soon he'd be able to.
He had been hanging in the middle of the monkey bars for a while, but his fingers weren't tingling yet when someone poked him in the leg. He turned around and looked down at two kids. The one with the floppy red hat had poked him, but Desmond could tell they both wanted to know what he was doing. Sometimes this happened.
"I'm hanging 'cause I like it." He explained. The one with the red hat wrinkled his nose like he'd licked the inside of a lemon, and the other one with the funny chin looked surprised. Desmond adjusted his grip a bit, and waited for them to go away.
"Why?" Funny-chin asked. Desmond tried to remember what Altair had told him.
"'Cause it promotes patience, endurance, and upper body strength'."
Both boys looked behind them and up, at thin air. They seemed to be listening to something, and Desmond suddenly felt worried. Altair was at the top of the play structure, but when Desmond looked over at him, he jumped down and came over right away.