The magic was all in the finishing touches.
She had read that once, God knows how long ago now, and she chuckled as she adjusted the glass on the table.
Magic, drugs. Potato, po-tah-to. Either way, something’s gotta give. But since there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of giving going on around here, I’ll just take what I need.
She wiped a ring of liquid from the table and inspected the drinks one last time, paying special attention to the one in the blue edged cup. No residue, no colour, no clues. The glass sat innocently on the table giving no hint to its contents, and she smiled at her genius.
Bingo.
She straightened her aging frame and turned to face the mirror over the mantle. She adjusted her apron and sighed. She looked tired. She felt tired. More tired than she had ever been in her entire career as a mother, but she found comfort in the fact that she finally had hope. A flicker of hope that she clung to with the kind of tenacity that only a desperate woman can muster.
The familiar sound of keys in the front door lock shook her into reality.
She looked at the door and smiled.
Right on time.
“Hey guys! How was swimming?”
She made her way to the door and greeted her husband with a kiss.
She knelt down in front of her preschooler and helped him remove his jacket.
“Hi lovey! Did you have fun with Dad today?”
She waited for answers that she knew would never come. She always waited.
“Del, tell Mom about the slide!” her husband gently said. “Tell Mom about how you went down all by yourself!”
The three person conversation with two voices continued.
“Oh lovey, that’s wonderful! That must have been fun. Was it fun? Were you nervous?”
She removed his boots now as the brown-eyed wonder stared at the ceiling and started pulling away, eager to get into the house.
“Let’s get some jammies on and we’ll cuddle and have a snack”
Her husband, Matt, led the boy towards the bedrooms and came back a few minutes later, with Del wearing his favorite pajamas.
The clock said 8:00pm. Most 4 year olds are already off to dream land at that time, but not Del. Del was always a poor sleeper. Maria loved her son with a ferocity that comes with parenting a child with special needs, but weariness was seeping into her bones. She could feel it altering her life, her decisions, her mood.
And so she made a decision. She hadn’t told Matt about the Melatonin yet because she knew what he’d say. She told herself that she would tell him eventually, once he saw what freedom and peace it brought to their family. But not yet.
“Honey, come sit by Mama. I made your favorite juice!”
She pulled the glass towards her, the one with the blue edge that she had so lovingly added the Melatonin to, and handed it to her son.
She watched as he finished the glass, and when he handed it back to her she pulled him into her lap.
Over the course of an hour Matt watched in disbelief as their son sat calmly, became very quiet, and then softly drifted off to sleep.
“Maria, are you seeing this?! Is he really asleep?” His voice was filled with awe.
Maria closed her eyes and absorbed the moment. She felt her son’s breathing become long and slow under the weight of his sleep. She smiled and held him closer, willing this peace to last through the night, so that he may become good and strong and to stop this cycle of sleep deprivation.
She breathed in the scent of his hair and squeezed him gently.
The magic was all in the finishing touches.
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I am linking up this week with some of my faves and some newbs over at The Speakeasy! You should consider it too! Every week we are given the first line to use in our piece, and a photo that we must reference. Easy peasy but not so sleazy.
In case you were wondering this story is fiction but is definitely taken from our experience with medicating our toddler who does happen to be in the process of being assessed for autism and many other things.
So read and enjoy the post. If you have some free time, why don’t you come on over to The Speakeasy and read some more? Just click that fabulous button and it will take you right on over to sexy town. On Thursday you even get to vote for your three faves! Not a bad way to spend your pantless internet time. Don’t act like you’re better than me.
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Such a sinister start and such a different ending. Most stories with twists go from light to dark, but this was the opposite. Well done.
Thank you very much Sandra!
I agree with Sandra. You also did a fantastic job of drawing this family and their dynamics in such a short piece.
Thanks Kristin! That is great to hear. I appreciate it. I found it easier that I thought I would because it’s essentially my family.
As a parent to a child with special needs, I understand the gravity of the mother’s decision. She is making a tough call but the result is beneficial to the whole fammily. Great Story.
Thanks for the kind words, Georgina! Sleep is such an incredibly important part of life.
You scared me shitless when she was thinking so hard about the contents of the glass. I was afraid she was going to poison the kid. I’m familiar with those three person two sided conversations where the absent parent asks the kid how things went and the present parent supplies answers as if they are reminders to the child. We have those things so often at our house. Well written!
Haha, Jess I could NEVER write a story like that! Well at least I don’t think I could. Yikes!
However I am glad that it brought emotions to you. THAT is what I wanted.
And yeah, I figured there would be quite a few of us who have those conversations. I’m glad I made it believable!
Thank goodness this took the turn it did — I think I might have lost it if she poisoned the kid…
And bedtime is the worst — my kids aren’t special needs (that I know of) and I still feel like drugging them to sleep sometimes. JUST GO TO SLEEP ALREADY! I’m pooped and want to got o bed, too…
Oh Courtenay, how about I personally promise you that won’t write anything like that. I don’t want you to lose it on me!
I completely agree that bedtime usually sucks for most people. Without melatonin Xan will not be calm enough to sleep until midnight or so. It’s not that he fights sleep, but that he is physically bouncing off the walls. Then he would be up throughout the night and be up for the day at 5am. The baby is similar, but with Xander sleeping better now (thanks to an anti-anxiety med and the melatonin) he is easier to deal with!
I hope that your littles are just caught in a phase and that they become all-star sleepers soon!
Wow… there’s not much else I can say that hasn’t been said but just… wow!
i admit i was worried for a brief moment but i just KNEW it wouldn’t be awful. this really tugged at my heart strings. must be the use of Lovey. ;D
xoxo
Awesome piece Dawn! It’s so nice to see you back at the speakeasy
I like how you took your personal experience and inserted it into this fiction. I too was terrified that she was going to poison him at first, but then when I realized her son was special needs, I guessed you wouldn’t be able to go that direction. I’m so glad you didn’t. I love the sweet ending.
This is great, Dawn. I didn’t know where the story was going – that’s a good thing. I read your post on deciding to medicate – it’s a good one. Sleep is such an essential element in our lives. ‘Sleep heals’ a nurse once said to me when I was recovering from an illness. She was encouraging me to take a medication that helped me to sleep. In closing I have to say I love your upbeat attitude. I’m referring to your ‘not a bad way to spend your pantless Internet time – don’t act like you’re better than me. That is funny!
This is such a great piece of writing! You’ve hit the nail on the head with regards to the awful effects of sleep deprivation. Lovely!
So, so well written. I thought for a minute poison was in the cards too. Phew! Beautiful piece.
Now that’s how you write character. Fantastic.