My Friend Robert

The small boy shook the nice lady’s hand. It felt nice, a lovely hand belonging to his new mother. Stepmother, to be correct, but the little boy didn’t know of that concept. He smiled politely and then let go, walking shyly to his room. He didn’t hear her whisper in his father’s ear; he didn’t hear her say anything about his limp.

“Jacob,” she put her hand on his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me about his…” she paused, “…limp.”

“Well,” Jacob replied slowly, “I did not think it would be an issue.”

The woman just smiled and nodded. She was a kind woman but she was skeptical of what kind of son he had because his little boy looked so much like his mother.

Physically, they were opposites; she had fiery red hair with shiny streaks of yellow, brown eyes, and very fair skin. The little boy had dark hair, gray eyes, and, not that it mattered to her, dark middle-eastern skin.

Although, there was one thing that made the little boy and her similar was a horrible red, bumpy scar. It was a scar that crawled down her left check and dribbled down her neck on the west side. It disappeared then reappeared on her right thigh and down her leg. She was protective of herself and she was beginning to feel protective of the boy as well.

“But if you’re worried he’s going to have trouble…” Jacob interrupted her thoughts.

“No, no. He’s going to be just fine.” She reassured him.

She shook her head, He is the perfect son, she thought happily.

Jacob sat at the side of his bed. Or was it their bed? They slept in it together. Or is it still plain old ‘Jacob’s bed’? He didn’t want it to be plain old ‘Jacob’s bed’; it just didn’t sound right. Not in the slightest, so that’s why it was their bed.

He sat on the side of their bed for thirty minutes, the time it took Lucy to get ready and that was enough time for him to reminisce about his life. Mostly what he thought about was that he too was ‘ugly’ or ‘abnormal’. He had a prosthetic leg but it made him no different, to his family or the world. Alas, Jacob did not understand this concept, he considered himself too young to be a veteran and too old to be a martyr.

Lucy, she understood Jacob completely. The nice things she said at dinner dates or in bed, the things she’d do for him without making him feel helpless, and her job was well paying. Not that his teaching job at the university made money. They would still make rent and have food on the table without making Lucy do over time, if the school didn’t make budget cuts so often.

She stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom with her bathrobe pulled on. It covered most of her scar that she was self-contious about.

He took his eyes off of his fake leg and focused them on the beautiful woman before him. He got up and embraced her gently without a word, he just held her head to his chest, and stroked her velvet soft hair. He was very grateful to have someone like Lucy in his life.

She’s going to be a wonderful mother, he thought happily with tears in his eyes.

The next morning, when little Robert awoke, he was ecstatic. Today was the first day of school. Although he did not go to school yet (he was only four) he loved to walk to the bus stop with the pretty girl next door. He got up quickly and pulled on his robe over his pajamas and slipped on his shoes, she would be ready soon and he could hardly wait.

She had just put her bowl in the sink and put on her shoes when she heard a knocking on the door. She smiled, it was the little boy next door and he remembered.

She opened the door and her grin widened, there he stood with a sleepy grin on his face.

“Robert. How nice of you to come!” she greeted him. He stepped forward and gave his friend a stiff hug. She returned the hug and patted his head. Then he looked up into her eyes and then past her, at her backpack.

She giggled, lifting her hand to cover her mouth.

“Oh thank you Robert, how nice of you,” she said as he went to go retrieve her backpack for her.

Robert waddled out from behind her, grabbed her backpack, and then handed it to her. His mobility with his limp was effortless and it continued to amaze people, but not her best friend, she knew that it wasn’t a curse for him.

She smiled and took her bag from her friend, then called goodbye to her mother, and the pretty blond girl and Robert walked out into the hall down to the bus stop.

They waited for a few minutes in silence, Robert would always wonder what her other life was like when she got on that big yellow car. She was so pretty with her dirty blonde hair, curled to perfection, and eyes so blue they were like the ocean.

This is what starts his day off right, as he looked up at her angelic face he wished that the yellow car didn’t have to take her away.

Then it was time, the bus rolled up to the stop and Robert’s friend turned to him and gave him a hug goodbye.

“I’ll see you after school Robert.” She said to him.

She gets on smiling but the smile slowly fades when she sees the other children on the bus in their designated cliques and seats. She obviously didn’t belong with any of them; so she sat alone in the back, faked a smile, and waved to her only real friend before the bus rolled away from the stop.

Robert limped up to the apartment with the help of the doorman. Once he got to his apartment he shook hands with him, his way of saying thank you.

The super knew that and he said, “You are absolutely welcome Robert,” and walked back down the hall. Robert tiptoed into his room and pulled off his robe and shoes, and climbed back into bed. He lay there and knew this was going to be a great year.