For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquities, and my bones are consumed. Psalms 31:10
As he pulled up to the house, Sonny panicked and tried to get his story straight. She went to the bathroom and was gone for a while and when she finally got out, she said she was sick. We were having so much fun, I guess she ate too much junk food. Whatever the excuse, it had to come quickly, as Pearl had still not awakened, and the front door of the house opened. He walked around to the passenger’s side of the car and opened the car door, then stooped down to lift her out. She opened her eyes briefly and said, “I promise I won’t tell if you just stop. Please stop,” then laid her head back into his chest with closed eyes and shallow breaths.
Their mother stood in the jam of the open doorway with an astonished look on her face. “Sonny, what on earth is going on?”
“I don’t know mom. One minute she was fine, and the next thing I know, she said she didn’t feel well. I took her to the car, and she fell asleep before I could even get her in. Feel her head mom. She feels really hot.”
Their mother felt the head of her little daughter and knew she needed a tepid bath. As she prepared it, she asked Sonny a million questions. Sounding like the perfect caretaker, he answered each of those questions with confidence. When the bath was ready, she took her child in and set her in the tub. Pearl woke with a start, “No Sonny, please.” Her eyes fixed suddenly on the reality of her mother holding her in the water.
“Pearl, are you all right. Pearl. It’s mommy. Pearl, talk to me.”
“I don’t feel like talking mommy. I just want to go to bed. I want to lie down. Please let me go to sleep.”
“Hey now. Hey sweetie. Wait a minute. Are you hurting anywhere?”
“No. I just don’t feel good. I feel like I have bruises all over me and like someone is sticking me with needles.”
“Okay honey. You are almost finished. I think you have a sudden case of the flu from your aches. Come on now let’s get some warm jammies on and get you into bed.”
She crawled into her bed, shivering and shaking, as her mother pulled up the covers. “Well, you must have had quite a day. Did you eat too much candy and just get plain tired?”
“I guess so mom.” She said as she turned her body away from her mom and wiped a tear from her face.
“Good night Pearl. You sleep tight okay.”
“Night mom. Love you.” She answered weekly as she drifted into sleep.
~~~
Over the next few days, Pearl slept for hours at a time. She missed school and talked to no one. In her short periods of wakefulness, Pearl curled up underneath her built-ins and cried softly and weakly. The third day of her “sickness,” and one of the moments where she was curled up under the dressers, Pearl heard the door creek open. It was a slow creek as if the person pushing it feared what lie inside the room. Pearl pondered whether to pretend she was a sleep or to rise up and peek to see who was entering her room. She opted to appear asleep in fear that it might be her mom, or worse yet, Sonny.
A few moments later, Pearl’s blanket was tugged gently; she felt a hand on her shoulder and a small body snuggled next to her. It was not long until she heard shallow breaths from the intruder, and she opened her eyes to find exactly what she thought she would find. Teddy, curled up against her fast asleep with tears drying on his face. She sighed to herself and patted his face then fell asleep again.
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