Songs of Darkness

“The principal called.” These words didn’t cause any effect whatsoever. Will just shrugged his shoulders and didn’t even raise his eyes from the homework he was working on. “That kid,” he thought with a glimpse of pride and started making their dinner. As expected, Will volunteered to help, and soon enough he was chopping the vegetables, secretly very proud to be trusted with a real knife. Being a single dad didn’t seem much of a bother. They were a team, Will and he, they cooked together, watched movies together, shopped for groceries together and fished together. But at school, Will was on his own. He didn’t comment on a bruise on Will’s cheek because it was an unspoken rule they had. Do not complain if you can handle it. Will wasn’t a crybaby, he was a resourceful little man who asked to teach him how to fight instead of complaining about problems at school. “You can always tell me if you need help, Will. You know that?” “Yeah, Dad. I know.” “Because you and I, we are a team. Right?” “Right.” He would tell his co-workers, whose faces changed as his seasonal work did, in a very matter-of-factly way that Will was an alright kid. It wasn’t in his way to boast. James Graham strongly believed that a man should never boast openly about something he treasures. Because you never know. Because people are shit. Because grass is always greener on the other side. Mr.Graham could trust his son with almost anything. “He’s an especially bright child for his age.” “I know,” James wasn’t even trying to hide his proud smile, and nodded politely to the teacher. A pretty young woman with beautiful hair tied in a bun, she was too young to have kids of Will’s age of her own, and there was something innocent and gentle in the way she behaved. Kids must have liked her a lot. Such a shame she wore her hair in a too-tight and neat bun, the auburn wave must have been unruly and free outside her working hours. “It is usually very bright children that have some… incidents with their fellow students. And…” “Look, Miss Miller, Will is a new kid, and new kids often have problems adjusting, right? This is… an ecosystem of a sort, isn’t it? It resists anything from the outer circle.” Too much. He stopped and made a short laughter that sounded like a bark. “Will’s just a new boy and he had a fight to prove that he is worthy of something,” he had to tune down. He had to play the male mindset card to take it back home. “Nothing out there. He’ll get by.” “Our policy…” His mind wandered. Miss Miller, the young woman with gorgeous hair and the grace of a doe was trying to help as much as she could. She needed this speech more than he did, and James politely listened. “I talked to your teacher today,” James is chopping the onion. “Miss Miller? I like her. She is nice,” Will is putting the plates on the table. They’re a team, they cook and eat together. “She thinks you’re bright.” “I can read quicker than others,” Will doesn’t want to brag but James hears that proud undertone in his voice and smiles. “Just that.” “U-huh.” Will’s ears turn pink and he fumbles napkins a little longer than needed. James pretends not to notice. Who hasn’t had a crush on their teacher? And Miss Miller has beautiful hair. He gets his two beers in the bar far enough from home. Will has no problems with Dad going for a drink or two with his friends after bedtime. Will is a good boy. James wouldn’t call these random guys from work, all beaten up by life, alcoholism, cheating girlfriends and unwanted teen pregnancies his friends, but he’s the last person in the room to judge. The bar has a juke-box that plays three songs an hour and they all sound the same to James. He gets to the bar anyway, the noise is nice, and it silences all the unwanted thoughts of the day. Sometimes he hooks up with some Cassy, or Mindy, or whatever, and is careful enough to always use protection. Sometimes he pays for it, and that is also fine. Sometimes he buys them a drink, whether he had paid for fun or not, and tells them about his son at home. More often than not those women he pays to tell them about their own sons and daughters, sleeping at home while mommy works. Sometimes he just sips his beer warily and watches women come and go, their hair blond, and brunette, and all the colors you can think of. Sometimes he never even touches the beer he pays for. “Will, we are a team, aren’t we?” The boy momentarily tenses. He knows what that means, and James hates himself so much for saying what he has to say. But there’s no other option. “Yeah, Dad. We are… do we have to move again?” “I’m sorry, bud,” he sits next to his son who will have to be the new kid in school for so much longer, and sighs. “It’s just the way it is.” Will keeps silent. Do not complain if you can handle it, right? He can, James knows that. “That’s okay,” it comes a little later than expected, but that’s okay as well. They are on the road again. They don’t have much, but they have the road for themselves, and old country from the radio station that’s getting more and more distant hence the noise. James Graham suddenly feels an urge he has never felt before. They are a team, right? “Hey, bud… wanna hear a secret?” Will never turns from the window but his reflection is there. There’s a look of unease in his eyes. “No… not really, Dad.” James nods and makes the radio louder. Will is a bright kid. Too bright.