THE SECRET A SON KNOWS ABOUT HIS DAD

A young boy has an after school conversation with his mother.
In the moment, he is very troubled and very disturbed.
He wants to talk to his mother about...
The Secret A Son Knows About His Dad!

RLJ

A young boy appears from his bedroom, standing in the jamb of the kitchen entrance where is mother is cooking an invitingly aromatic dinner, to engage her in a conversation. He has a haunting secret... that has affected him in a very, very dark way!


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THE SECRET A SON KNOWS ABOUT HIS DAD

(Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Bobby Sanders: "Mummy... I have a secret to tell you."

Laura Sanders: "Oh my, sweet-ums... a secret?"

Bobby Sanders: "Yes, Mummy... it is a secret that I'm scared to talk about."

Laura Sanders: "First things first, Bobby... let me give you a big hug before we talk about it, OK?"

Bobby Sanders: "Thank you, Mummy... I love you so much."

Laura Sanders: "OK, son... so, do you still want to tell me about your secret?"

Bobby Sanders: "Yes, Mummy..."

Laura Sanders: "As I have always told you, your dad and I are the two people who you should always talk to when you have any kind of problem. And, like we have talked about, that might mean you might want to talk to us about secrets, too. You are only seven years old, but do you remember most of our talks?"

Bobby Sanders: "Yes, Mummy..."

Laura Sanders: "Good, good... so, what do you want to tell me about your secret?"

Bobby Sanders: "Do you promise that this secret will only be between us, Mummy. Not even to tell Daddy about it?"

Laura Sanders: "Baby, that is a lot to ask of me. Usually, I don't keep secrets from your dad... even though we are living in separate apartments? We both have to know what is going on with you to be good parents."

Bobby Sanders: "I know, Mummy... I know why you and daddy are not living together. Believe me, I heard the arguments before he left."

"Laura Sanders: "I am so sorry, Bobby. I am so sorry you have to be burdened by our actions at your young age. I'm so sorry..."

Bobby Sanders: "Don't cry, Mummy. I need you to be strong right now."

Laura Sanders: "Wow, Bobby... you really are my little man, aren't you?"

Bobby Sanders: "Yes, Mummy..."

Laura Sanders: "OK, Bobby... what we are going to talk about is between just you and me, OK?"

Bobby Sanders: "Thank you, Mummy. OK... remember when I visited Daddy the last time?"

Laura Sanders: "Yes, I remember that was three weekends ago."

Bobby Sanders: "Well, Mummy... I saw something at Daddy's apartment that scared me so much that I have not talked about it to anybody. Not even you..."

Laura Sanders: "OK, Son... well, I am right here for you right now. Talk to me."

Bobby Sanders: "Jeff Anderton and some of the other boys talk about why Mary Bloom was taken out of the classroom by the policeman a while ago. Some of the boys said the policeman came to get her because her Daddy killed her Mummy by shooting her with a gun... in her head. We have not seen Mary since that day, Mummy."

Laura Sanders: "Wow, Bobby... this is craziness. The school never let me know about that."

Bobby Sanders: "Mummy, that is not even the secret. The secret is... remember, you said this is between us, right?"

Laura Sanders: "...Between us, Bobby."

Bobby Sanders: "When I was at Daddy's apartment, I saw something that scared me a lot. What I saw was... Daddy has two huge hand type of guns. They were sitting on the nightstand in his bedroom and he had some boxes of huge bullets, too. I did not say anything about it because I do not like guns. But the question for you Mummy is... why does Daddy have two guns?"

Laura Sanders: That is a good question, Bobby. That is a very good questions."

Bobby Sanders: "Do you think Daddy is going to kill you with those guns, Mummy?"

Laura Sanders: "No, Bobby... I do not think your Daddy is going to kill me with a gun."

Bobby Sanders: "Mommy, I heard Daddy tell you that he would rather kill you than see you in the arms of another person. Did he not say that to you when he left the apartment the last time?"

Laura Sanders: "Bobby, I was not a good parent to allow you to hear such things. You should not have those kind of memories in your mind."

Bobby Sanders: "Well, I heard Daddy say those things... and a whole lot more... and I did not like them, Mummy. I did not like them at all. I will never let someone kill you, Mummy!"

Laura Sanders: I'll tell you what, Bobby... can I have a few minutes to think about what we just talked about? I am not going to tell anyone, I just need to think for awhile. OK? Can you finish your homework right now and I will call you out when I finish dinner?"

Bobby Sanders: "OK, Mummy. Are you going to be OK?"

Laura Sanders: "Sure, Bobby. Thank you, Bobby. And always remember that I love you, OK I am your mother and I will always love you, right?"

Bobby Sanders: "OK, Mommy."

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And with that verbal exchange between mother and son finished, young Bobby Sanders exited the kitchen and walked back down the hallway to his bedroom. Before he sat down to his homework desk, Bobby opened the bottom drawer of his chest of drawers. He slowly, carefully moved the many pairs of socks over to the side and extracted a tightly folded pair of smiley face gloves he got from grandma from last Christmas.

Contained inside the soft folds of the cotton of the left hand glove lay three .38 bullets... the same type of bullets he found in the boxes of bullets inside his father's bedroom . And young Bobby Sanders contemplated, again, who he could talk to out there on the street between here and school to get himself a gun that would fire these bullets...!

RLJ