Chapter 1
It was with a sense of dread that I walked up the flight of stairs to my apartment. It was the same thing every day, but somehow it never got any better. I stared at the worn carpet in the stairwell as I slowly took each step. I took my keys out and turned the lock – the clunk of the deadbolt echoed in the empty hall. The door swung open and I held my breath for just a moment, then felt a wave of relief wash over me – there she was, my Alice, as lovely as ever. “Oh, welcome home, dear.” It was a simple phrase, one that I had heard nearly every day, but that simple phrase conveyed so much more to me. Just hearing that meant that she was here. “Hi, honey, thanks. How was your day?” I indulged in routine pleasantries. There was really no need to ask since I knew the answer, but there are some things you just do. “You know, keeping the house clean, taking care of Marcus,” she held up a book of sudoku puzzles, “I'm going to need a new one pretty soon. I've almost finished this one.” I walked over to her and she put the book down. I bent down and gave her a kiss and the touch was something reassuring. The sound of plastic crashing against plastic accompanied by amateur animal noises came from down the hall where Marcus' room was. If I had to guess based on the sounds, I would say that the dinosaurs were invading the pony kingdom, but the defenders were putting up a strong fight. Marcus didn't discriminate with his toys – if he could make them fight each other then it was fair game. Alice smiled. “He's been at it for an hour now. It's at least given me a chance to tidy up.” The smile on her face became pained for a moment, then she regained her composure. “Well, shall we have dinner?” I nodded as I took off my coat and hung it up on the wall. “Marcus, dinner!” I called down the hall while I began to set the table. The dinosaur sounds abruptly stopped, then I heard his door open. “Hi, dad! I didn't hear you come in.” At 10-years old, Marcus was still on the small side for his age. He pulled out his stool and washed his hands, then he grabbed the plates and forks and began to set the table. Alice, meanwhile, began to pull the food out of the oven and put it onto serving plates. “How was school?” He fidgeted as he looked around the room. “Fine.” I raised an eyebrow at him,You are way too young to be giving me the teenager treatment. “Monosyllabic responses? Come on, you can tell me.” “It's just... there are some kids at school making fun of me.” My other eyebrow joined the first in a look of surprise. I looked over at Alice who only nodded her head. “Making fun of you? Why would they be making fun of you?” The nervous shifting continued. I knew I had to throw him a carrot here. Kids, especially kids who are getting made fun of, tend to have a hard time sharing their thoughts because they're afraid that it will lead to more teasing. “Marcus, it's okay, I won't get mad and I won't make a scene at your school. But sometimes it helps to talk things out. You might even find a solution that you couldn't see on your own.” Marcus let out a big sigh; “It's because I don't have a mom.” The bottom fell out of my stomach for a moment and I looked over at my wife. From her earlier nod she was telling me that she already knew the cause of Marcus' distress, but even still, as I looked at her, tears began welling up at the corners of her eyes. She set down the pot she was holding and put her arms around her son, but he just stood there. I walked over and hugged him, too. “Hey, little guy, it's okay. Every family is a little bit different. Ours just happens to be making due with what we have.” I looked over at my wife, tears welling up in my own eyes. Marcus began to let out soft little sobs and he pressed his face into my shirt. I could feel the damp warmth of his tears as they soaked through my shirt. I reached out and grabbed Alice's hand as we let Marcus get it all out. When the moment had passed and he had calmed down we sat down and started serving up the dinner. Marcus had just picked up his fork when he slowly stopped. “Hey dad, why is the table set for 3?”