A Little Ray of Sunshine

By: Kamika Farinas

A/N: Written for my teacher's first original Short Story prompt.

All was fine in his world. He had his mommy and daddy, and he automatically thought that his family would stay the same as it was. He had his pretty mommy who took care of him all the time: fed him, bathed him, tucked him in at night and alls orts of nice things. Then his daddy would always play with him. (The little cars were his favorite.) Daddy'd watch TV with him and talk about different things. And then his mommy and daddy would laugh and joke with him, and it was PERFECT. He guessed that was why he was so surprised as soon as he found out the news, news that mommy was pregnant. While most 6-year-olds would ask, "Where do babies come from?" or "Is it a boy or a girl?", little Ray asked, "Why?" His parents were slightly surprised by the question, not expecting him to not be as happy as they were.

He thought that he hadn't loved them enough. That was why they were sending for another little child. That child would make up for the lack of love he had been giving them. Well, he wouldn't let it! He wasn't sharing his mommy and daddy. They were his and his alone. But they didn't seem to think it was a bad thing this baby was coming. They were excited talking about names to give it when it was born. He heard names like Mary and Joseph, or Destiny and Michael... But he thought, "What about me?" Was he so unimportant now that they would just ignore him?

It got worse quick. Daddy told him that the baby would take a while, about 6 months until she or he was born. Ray didn't want it to last that long. That would mean they wouldn't be able to joke around anymore. No more fun times. No more TV and talking. No more of anything. That's when he burst out crying. His parents ran to his side quickly, asking him in their usual loving voices of "What was wrong?" or "Does something hurt?" or "Do you want anything?" Ray just couldn't stand it. They woon wouldn't do that anymore. Not with another child. He couldn't answer in between his sobs, and so his mommy picked him up to rock him.

She whispered the softest things into his ears that made him feel warm and gooey inside. This is what it should be like. Not some little child coming in from nowhere. He... or SHE didn't know them. He was their one and only, and this thing was not going to take them away from him. So as he sucked his thumb while his mommy rocked him, he started to think. Started to think of what he could do to make them focus on him more and not this new child. Maybe, maybe if all went all right, he could make them think that they didn't need this other baby. They'd have all their love from him. That's it. HE'D be the only one they needed.

Of course, mommy and daddy didn't need to know about what he was thinking about. They shouldn't have a clue. Which is why they were in sheer confusion when suddenly all the baby name books and pregnancy books went missing randomly. Ray didn't want to be the one to tell them that they were underneath the couches, right where he had stuffed them when he had seen them on the coffee table that morning. They did find them soon enough, and Ray feigned innocence to knowing they were there. Somehow, he didn't think they bought it, but he hadn't gotten punished for it.

Then they started to fix up one of the rooms. "Your little brother or sister will be here," they told him. He didn't like the idea. It had taken even him a while to get his own room, which is why they had moved from the really small apartment they had lived in earlier. Suddenly, this baby would get its own room right off the bat? What was the right with that? It was a new person thing; it shouldn't be allowed to have its own room. It should stay with mommy and daddy first, to test them out. Maybe it wouldn't like them. Ooooh, wouldn't that be a good thing? Then it would have to leave because it doesn't like them and he'd have them to himself again. But that would have to happen later, 5 months later, or so his daddy would tell him.

Soon enough, mommy and daddy brought a picture of the baby. It had been fuzzy and black that he couldn't really tell exactly which part was the baby. Mommy happily would say that it was most likely going to be a little girl and that Chastity was going to be the greatest daughter.

Mommy then would lift him up into the sky and tell him that Chastity was going to be really happy because she would have a mommy and daddy that loved her and a big brother that would take care of her.

Ray couldn't bring it upon himself to tell his mommy that this big brother wasn't exactly the best one to be speaking to about this. To make matters even worse, his daddy would talk to mommy's belly and tell Chastity, Ray supposed, that they'd be seeing her in 4 months. Ray didn't know what to think now. Maybe it'd be fine if there was another little child in the family. Mommy and daddy seemed really, REALLY happy with the idea of another kid and they weren't ignoring him.

Ray thought that way for another month. The books had stopped going missing, the new baby's room was never messy, and Ray rarely ever cried anymore. They were going to be fine all together like this, he would think happily. Mommy and daddy didn't act any different, although mommy now had a bigger tummy. He would talk to the baby himself, like daddy had done that one time. He'd tell the now "Melissa" that he was her big brother and that he was going to tell her what the best toys were.

Then daddy told him something that made him angry again. They were sending him to SCHOOL. He'd have to go there during the day and leave mommy and daddy alone. School was starting in 2 months, which was a month before the baby was born, and Ray didn't like it.

"Why?" he'd ask them, and they'd answer with a "Because it's good to learn other things."

He cried again, telling them that they could teach him. They were the smartest people in the world. They'd laugh and give him a hug, saying that these people, teachers were what they called them, were even smarter than they were. He'd have a good time and meet other little kids. Ray was furious. They were only sending him to school so they could spend time alone with "Melissa." He didn't want her again. She wasn't needed, and HE didn't need school.

A month quickly passed by, and soon the things he had stopped doing the previous month, happened all over again. This time though, his mommy and daddy knew exactly what was going on, and they were not happy. They did think that Ray was doing it all because of school, but he knew better. He knew it was all because of the now "Rachel." She was ruining everything! If she hadn't been coming along, then he wouldn't have to be sent to school, and he wouldn't have to go away so that they could spend more time with HER.

His daddy did a lot of work on the room during this time. They painted the room a really pretty blue, a blue he wished his room was painted with. Instead, his was a boring white, but they promised they'd paint his room after the baby was born. That's all he heard nowadays: "After the baby is born."

Mommy was a lot more tired than usual and couldn't play with Ray like she used to. Daddy did a lot of her work for her, and Ray, although he liked his daddy, wanted his mommy around. So, he followed her around all the time. He'd hug her and tell her that he loved her and tried to help her out. He'd give her pillows or blankets or books for her to read. She'd smile at him and tell him thank you. Ray knew this would just help him out in the end.

But then, school began. He kicked and screamed and cried his heart out. They still made him go. The lady there, the teacher, told him that she'd help him get through this first year and that it was always the hardest. He ignored her and started at his parents waving in the window. Ray watched as they walked away and into the car and away from the school completely. He didn't talk to anyone, although a few kids tried. He stayed by the Legos and spent all his time there until finally, he heard his mommy's voice calling out for him. He raced to her and told her he hated it, and he wanted to be home with THEM. Mommy smiled at him sadly, telling him she missed him, too, but that school was a great place, and he'd just have to learn to get used to it. Ray sobbed into her shoulder this time, and couldn't stop himself.

"She's coming!" was what woke him one morning, and Ray woke to find his auntie standing by the front door, waving to his daddy and mommy. He walked towards her, used to her being around because she always took care of him when they were gone, and asked her what was going on. She picked him up and hugged him, announcing that the baby was going to be coming. Ray broke down crying again, and his auntie rocked him. She smiled knowingly before she spoke, "Don't you worry, little one," she added, "Your parents won't forget about you. They have enough love for two kids."

A little comforted by her words, he calmed down, "R-R-R-Reaaaalllly?" he asked, in a bit of a slur. She laughed and nodded. Leading him back to his room, she sat him on his bed and sat next to him. After that, she started to tell all about how she hated it when she was a child and his daddy was being born. She would kick and scream that she was supposed to be their only child and nobody else was supposed to be added, like he had been doing. Ray listened, a little amazed. His auntie thought the same thing he had! But... Daddy was still around, right? He asked. She nodded and toold him that when his daddy was born, she didn't feel the same way anymore. He had been so little and so small that she wanted to take care of him herself. That's why she was the greatest big sister around, just like he was going to be the greatest big brother.

He saw her later that day. Chastity, they decided on, was the smallest person he had ever seen. They even let him carry her for a second, although daddy was helping him the whole time. Ray thought that maybe his auntie was right. Maybe having another baby wasn't too bad. After all, mommy and daddy were very, very loving. They could love both kids completely.