Leaves

He ran from the house.  He raced off the rickety wooden steps of the mobile home's ratty porch.  He sped away from the trailer towards the old oak tree in what passed as their front yard.

He dove into a pile of autumn leaves accumulated near the trees and bushery that grew relatively wild on their untamed residence.  A large truck tire dangled from a tree limb, the chain holding it up broken on one side, rendering it unusable.  He would sometimes try to ride the top of the tire, but it was next to impossible, and not very comfortable.

He dove deep into the leaves.  They were not pretty or colorful.  They were brown and damp and dying, any delightfulling of chlorophyll long since vanished.  Even though they were nasty and moldy, he did not care.  Hr wished he could bury himself in them.  But they were not deep enough to cover even his six year old body.

He heard the screen door creak open, and then snap shut on it's spring.  The boy's heart beat faster.  He scooped the leaves as if that could hide him.  But he saw him.  It was too late.  Too late to hide, too late to run.

He was not scared.  He was mad.  He just wanted to run away before his Daddy could.

"Bobby?" the man said, as he approached the little boy.  "What you doing in the middle of these nasty leaves?  You don't wanna get no ticks or chiggers now, do ya?"

The boy, sitting on the ground, enfolded his head into his arms.  Maybe if he didn't look, Daddy would just go away.  That's what he was going to do.  Go away.  Daddy always went away.  This time he feared for good.

Daddy sat down next to his boy.  "Now, son.  I'm sorry I got to go away.  But I got a job upstate and I can't pass up the money."

The boy looked up at him, tears streaming.  "You made momma cry."

Daddy looked at him sadly, his big blue eyes brimming with his own tears, tears that as a Daddy. he would fight to make sure never fell.  "Yes, Bobby, your Momma is upset now, but it's got nothing to do with you.  We both love you very much.  Your Mama just needs some alone time too.  At least away from me for awhile.  I'm sure things will be better when I get back."

Bobby would not be fooled anymore.  "You're not coming back!"

Daddy looked away for a moment.  He had to think of what to say.  Bobby saw this on one of the shows Mamma watched, one of those detective shows.  That meant Daddy was going to lie.  "I'm coming back, Bobby.  I promise."

Bobby clutched some leaves, bunching them tight in his fist.  "When?  When you coming back?"

Again Daddy looked away.  Then he stared back at Bobby.  It was going to be another lie.  "As soon as the job is done, Bobby.  I can't say how long it will take.  With any luck, I can be back by Christmas."

Halloween was just last week.  And for a six year old, Christmas was a universe of time away.  And even that was a lie.  Bobby knew that it was a lie.  Daddy opened his arms.  "C'mon, Bobby!  Give you old man a hug goodbye.  Don't let me leave without a hug."

Bobby jumped to his feet, and threw his handful of leaves in Daddy's face.  He threw them as hard as he could, and he could tell Daddy was surprised.  "I hope you get chiggers!  I hope you get chiggers and die!"

Bobby tried to run past Daddy, but Daddy caught him.  And hugged him as if he would never let him go.

But Daddy did.

Bobby ran back to the porch, his chest heaving, tears pouring down, watching, watching.  Watching as his Daddy leaves.

Never to return again.