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"Then little Abe laid his hand upon his horse's blind eye and spoke these words, 'Don't cry, because I love you, and I promise to make it better.' He let go, and amazingly, Buttermug's eye was healed. Then the two rode off into the Virgina sunset, just a boy and his horse. The End."
"Woah…" Chip leaned over his mama's arm to look at the ending page, tracing his finger along those last two embolden words. "Abe's magic?"
Mama laughed, closing the book and readjusting him to sit in the crook of her arm. "Well I don't know about that, I think it was their friendship and love that was the real magic."
"Cool." Chip awed to himself as Mom pulled his bed covers back and laid him down. "I- I wanna friend like that mama."
Mom smiled as she tucked him in. "You mean we're not friends?" She asked with a fake whine, leaning in close and blowing multiple raspberries into his cheek.
Chip whined, but his heart wasn't in it as he shoved his chubby little hands against her face haphazardly. "M-mom! You're em-embarrassing me!"
Mama sighed against his cheek, finally relenting. She leaned back and adjusted her sweater sleeves. "Alright, alright, I suppose most young boys don't want to be friends with their mothers anyway…."
Chip hiccupped, averting his gaze not knowing if he was actually in trouble. "I didn't mean it like that…"
Mom laughed again. "I know you didn't sweetheart, I'm just teasing….and you know keep on praying and one day you may very well get a friend like that."
Chip hummed, burrowing deeper into the quilts. "Okay, I will."
Mama leaned back in one last time, pressing their foreheads together as she reached for the oil lamp at his bedside. "Til then you'll just have to settle for your embarrassing old mama."
With that, she kissed his forehead and headed for the door.
"Good night Chip."
"Good night Mama."
"I'd just like to say…Whoo! Take that, you. absolute. Amateurs!"
Bill sighed, sitting back and rubbing his forehead as Chip continued to bask in their 'epic' victory.
"Pft, you only won because our numbers weren't rolling!" Cricket shot back with his arms crossed as Gloria nodded in agreement and began collecting the game pieces.
"Hey, read the box. Battle Wars is clearly a strategy based game." Chip retorted as he helped Nancy and Tilly take the board apart.
"Well luck does certainly help." Bill chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I will admit, that trade with Ma and Tilly was a good move."
"Thank you." Chip replied with a smug grin. Finally someone was beginning to appreciate his genius. Gramma rolled her eyes in the background, muttering something about how she knew she should've listened to her gut.
"Two nights in a row we've won, I think this is a turning point Bill."
Bill let out something between a laugh and a sigh. "Now don't go jinxing us just yet."
Chip rolled his eyes placatingly and put the lid on the Battle Wars box.
"Here, I'll put it up." Bill offered, preemptively placing his hands on it. His scarred hand brushed Chip's.
Chip startled, flinching back and almost dropping the box as Bill took it from him. He snapped himself back to reality a second later and stood back with an awkward cough as the farmer placed the Battle Wars box back on its shelf.
If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.
As per Cricket's advice last week Chip continued to try. Well, about as much as before.
And in his opinion he wasn't doing half bad, for someone who had their entire safety net ripped out from under them just a few months ago anyway. Chip knew he could certainly be doing worse.
He was doing farmwork just about everyday, granted he still hated it with a burning passion,but at least he could say he had some experience now. And he'd gone from twenty complaints a day, to a measly sixteen.
Plus he was actually beginning to, how did Tilly phrase it? Self-reflect?
Yeah that.
Like right now, as Chip watched Gramma take off her wooden leg and set it aside between them on the couch he realized the old Chip would've probably fainted.
"Oh yeah that's the stuff." Gramma said as she scratched her, well stump.
Chip offered a fake grin as he tried to subtly avert his gaze and maybe edge just an inch away from the discarded limb. Okay, so he hadn't changed that much but it was still progress!
"Hey Alice, you wanna watch the premiere of Snug Lil Room season five?" Gloria casually asked as she played with Patrick on the recliner.
"Are you kidding, I've been waiting for it all week." Gramma replied, throwing her arms in the air, her elbow knocked against her wooden limb, causing the thing to clatter to the floor.
"Oh darn, hey woodpecker, mind picking it up for me?"
Chip's eyes widened. "Uh…Can't you?"
Gramma flattened her gaze. "Well I just figured since you're the one with the long arms here. Plus isn't it customary to help elderly women…especially if they're housing your sorry butt."
Chip gritted his teeth. Looking back at the wooden limb, an unsettling feeling began to crawl its way up his gut.
"I…." He gripped the couch cushion and splayed his legs to face forward. He didn't know if it was him moving slow, or if time itself was coming to a halt.
The leg just laid there, staring at him. He tried to will his hands to reach out and touch it, but his arms stayed glued to his sides.
'C'mon Chip they're watching….it's just a leg, just a leg..not even a real one. So why are you still sitting here?'
His toes curled together, and try as he might to steady his breathing, it just wasn't happening.
Chip forced himself to pause for a second. He closed his eyes. 'I can do this, I can do this.'
Chip's sweaty hand finally unstuck itself from the couch and he could feel it moving forward. Finally.
"What are you doing?!"
Only for him to yank it back at the last second. "I have to go to the bathroom!" Chip announced as he hastily jumped to his feet and fled towards the hall.
Alice arched her brow as she watched Gloria frown and get the leg herself. "He does know the bathroom's the other way, right?"
Alice sighed, taking her leg from Gloria with a brief nod of appreciation. "Heck if I know…."
Boy was probably just feeling woozy, or something.
Still, she hadn't seen that bad of a reaction since…since…
"Now, how long you gonna wear that ugly sweater for?"
"Martha?!" Everyone cajoled together.
"What? We were all thinking it." Martha defended as she sewed another patch onto her side of the quilt. "It's June, Mallory."
Alice sighed as she looked at the far corner, poor, mousy Mallory barely looked up from her work as she muttered, "Really I had no idea."
Martha Taunt rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm sorry girl ,but I've seen roadkill nicer than that sweater."
Mallory shook her head, her frizzy blonde hair shielding her gaze. "Then you must've seen alot of roadkill. Now that I think of it, was that what you brought to last week's potluck?"
The circle broke out into awed laughter.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Alright, ladies if you're gonna sling mud do it outside so you don't get it on the wallpaper."
Martha Taunt shook her head. "I think some mud on that thing would actually be an improvement."
Mallory Piper finally looked up from her needle and thread. "You know what Martha, if you're so concerned you can buy me a new sweater yourself then. If not, leave it be. This is the only one I have."
"But why do you need a sweater this time of year anyway?" Lydia Larynx chirped up, always the prodder. "Aren't you burning up?"
If Mallory Piper was blushing it was hard to tell with all the hair in the way. She pursed her lips for a moment of silence. "I'm…I suppose I'm just a bit cold blooded is all…"
She stood up awkwardly after. "Alice, you don't mind if I use your powder room do you?"
Alice raised her brow. "No, not at all. It's the first door on the left."
Mallory nodded and took off towards the bathroom.
When the girl was out of sight Alice shook her head at Martha. "You know I usually don't mind your loud opinions Marth', but you sure are barking up the wrong tree today."
"You should just be glad I'm not going after those boots." Martha shot back, with a pointed head nod towards Alice's footwear.
The farmer scrunched her nose as the circle erupted into laughter. "Alright, see if I offer y'all any beverages next time."
With the tension lifted they sewed in relative peace for the next fifteen minutes, til Alice realized she had to use the ladies room. She picked herself up off her recliner and excused herself down the hall as she retreated to the bathroom.
To her mild surprise she realized Mallory must've still been in there, if the locked door was anything to go by. Alice sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the door, oh well.
She spent the next half a minute picking at the scab on her thumb, til the bathroom door suddenly flew open again, causing her to come crashing backwards. Whoops.
"Ooomph." Alice let out as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" Mallory gasped as she kneeled beside her.
Alice laughed. "Oh don't get your heart strings in a twist sweetheart, I'm fine.." Alice shivered slightly as she felt the girl's hands help her up, they were soaking wet, looking up Alice realized Mallory's face was too. Must've been hotter than she let on.
"I've been through…" Alice trailed off as she realized she wasn't staying upright, had to lean on Mallory for support. Looking down, the answer became clear as her wooden leg stared at her across the bathroom tile. "Dagnabit, my leg popped off."
Alice turned to look back up at Mallory. "Would you mind getting it for me?"
She didn't know if Mallory had heard her, if the girl was even listening. Mallory just stared straight ahead at the detached leg, her face pale and sweaty. Like a deer in headlights.
"I..yeah, yeah. I've got it." Mallory took a deep breath and let Alice steady herself against the bathroom counter as she graciously bent down to grab the leg. Her hand subtly trembled as she gripped it, quickly handing it over to Alice without raising her head.
Alice couldn't help ,but arch her brow. She'd gotten the odd stare before sure, but she'd never seen someone shake like a leaf like this. Poor girl, probably more sheltered than Fort Knox.
"Thank you sweetheart." Alice commended as she sat on the closed toilet seat and reattached her wooden leg.
Mallory watched with a strange mix of wariness and curiosity, as if in a trance.
"I know it's not the best prosthetic, but it keeps me upright so-"
Mallory finally seemed to emerge from whatever trance held her hostage. "I-I didn't-I'm sorry. I didn't mean.. I just.." The girl trailed off into unintelligible apologies, raising her arms to hug herself as she tried to explain.
She didn't seem to realize that, in the process of dousing her arms with water, her sweater sleeves had gotten wet too, and that extra weight caused them to slip down to her elbows when she raised her arms.
Alice tried not to let the widening of her eyes show as she stared. On the topside of Mallory's left hand, a white gash, the length of a copperhead, trailed all the way down to her elbow. There was another, shorter scar on her right arm to match.
Mallory caught her staring, took her a moment to realize why.
"Oh my-" Mallory let out a curse as she pulled her sweater sleeves down again. She looked mortified, not knowing what to do with herself as she stared at the floor. "I-I'm sorry I-"
"Hey, hey calm down," Alice put her hands up comfortingly as she took a step closer. "It's alright…I didn't see much anyways, I swear."
Mallory nodded, forcing herself to believe it. An uncomfortable silence settled between them as the sounds of their friends' chatter rang out from the living room.
Just as Alice was about to awkwardly ask to use her facilities in peace, Mallory spoke.
"Do you…do you ever get angry, at the person who..who did that to you?" She gestured to Alice's leg.
Alice stilled for a second, then looked back up at Mallory with both brows raised. "What makes you think someone did this to me?"
Mallory shrugged in uncertainty. "I don't know….You were in the war weren't you, I thought.."
She trailed off awkwardly. "I guess that was presumptuous, huh?"
Alice couldn't help ,but chuckle. " Little bit, but hey don't worry about it. No skin off my nose….And, honestly whether someone did or didn't do this to me, it doesn't really matter, cause either way, I wouldn't change a thing."
Mallory's eyes widened. "You mean you wouldn't-even if you could have your leg back?"
Alice shook her head. "No, I'd have to trade the experience I've gained because of it, and that I'll never do."
Mallory didn't seem to understand, but Alice didn't blame her too much. Too young. Things went quiet again for a bit, then.
"Did someone do that to you?" Alice couldn't stop herself from asking as she gestured to the girl's arms. Mallory stilled. She tried to shake her head in denial ,but stopped short with a shaky sigh, looking so, tired.
"My mom.. she, lost her job again and we're all under a lot of stress so….you know?"
Alice froze. No, no she didn't know.
"Oh, sweetheart." Was all Alice could say as she edged closer and laid her hand just under Mallory's shoulder. The girl jumped and turned her nervous gaze back to the floor. Tears had been building, but she'd just managed to stifle them.
One more time silence fell between them, but this last one was the heaviest by far and just as Alice was struggling to bear the weight of it, Mallory took a long, deep breath.
"I think I'm gonna go away for a while."
It was almost comical how casually she'd said it. Maybe because this wasn't the first time she'd said it out loud, just the first time someone else was there to hear.
"I don't know when, could be tomorrow or next week, but…I think I'm gonna do it, just take my sister and, hit the road."
Alice's brain whirled as she tried to summon a response. Seconds ago her biggest worry was getting to the can in time. "Where to?" Was all she could manage.
Mallory sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not entirely sure yet. I think I'm gonna see if my friend in Amberville has any room."
"Oh…" Alice frowned. "Amberville huh? That's..that's pretty far."
Mallory nodded, shyly brushing one of her many loose strands behind her ear. "I know… I'm uh, sorry ,but I'm probably gonna have to miss our quilting sessions for a while."
Alice couldn't help ,but snort. "I think the ladies and I'll understand."
Mallory nodded again. "I'm sorry I spilled all that onto you just now..I just..I felt like I had to tell someone."
"It's okay I..I understand…Really, I do" Now it was Alice looking at the floor. "You, gonna be okay?" It was a dumb question, but she voiced it anyway.
Mallory nodded a final time. "For the first time in a while, I think I will be."
Chip closed his bedroom door and quickly fell into a crouch. First thing he did, was run his fingers along the insides of his jaw, mindlessly, yet methodically trailing them across every tooth to make sure they stayed in place, that karma wasn't going to come out of nowhere and make them all fall out, again.
Chip kept it up until his fingers dipped in at the front, at the death valley that was his, stupid, missing tooth. He sighed, laying his hands down as he self consciously closed his mouth. His hands mindlessly wandered to his elbows as he sat there and hugged himself like an idiot.
At least unlike out there-and most of his life-no one was around to see him make a fool out of himself in here.
'I can hear the laughter now.' Chip thought bitterly. 'Silly Ole Chip can't handle-'
The former ceo's eyes widened. He hadn't realized how far his hands had traveled until he felt the familiar line of raised skin beneath his fingertip.
Chip looked down, raising the corner of his elbow length sleeve. He frowned as he stared at the scar, and continued to trace it.
In this moment of hyperawareness, he'd bleach it off if he could.
"Are you sure you don't want me to-"
"Mallory I swear I will duct tape you to that chair if you don't quit it." Auntie Sue said as she flipped the burger patties. Chip giggled, watching from the adjacent counter top.
"Salt." Auntie ordered, not even bothering to look up as she held her hand out expectantly. Chip quickly nabbed the salt shaker and handed it over.
"Well I feel bad just sitting here-"
"That's because the last time you sat down the Earth was still flat."
Mama rolled her eyes as Chip let out a loud snort, slapping the counter top for emphasis.
His mother's eyes followed his arm, her face twisting into concern as she stood up. "Oh honey, I think your band-aid fell off again."
"Huh?" Chip looked over his shoulder to see the Croblins themed band-aid curled up on the countertop as his mama walked over. She sighed, shaking her head as she fetched the band-aid jar from the cupboard.
Chip smiled at Aunt Sue. "I fell off the bed, and, and scratched my arm."
Auntie frowned, leaning over into his personal bubble as she looked at his arm. "I don't know seems like it's pretty much healed at this point Mallory, why don't you-"
Mama vehemently shook her head no as she placed the jar on the counter, Chip pursed his lips as he unscrewed the lid and tried to find another Croblin band-aid.
"I don't want it to scar." Mama explained as Chip finally picked a band-aid, it was a Lil Abe themed one, instead of Croblins ,but it would have to do. He handed it to Mom and leaned forward so she could stick it on.
From the corner of his eye, Chip watched as Auntie shook her head and went back to flipping the patties.
"There we go, thank you pumpkin." Mama smiled as she ruffled his hair. "And don't sit close to the stove you could accidentally burn yourself." With that she gripped his waist and moved him back slightly.
Chip nodded as he kicked his legs back and forth.
Auntie pursed her lips. "I mean yeah if I decided to throw the entire pan at him I'm sure he'd be sitting too close ,but-"
"Sue." Mama said pointedly. Chip's eyes widened.
"What, I'm just…nevermind." Aunt Sue sighed, waving mama off. "Pepper." She ordered, holding out her hand again.
"Here I'm closer," Mom reached out and handed Auntie the pepper. As soon as she tried to let go though, the edge of her shirt sleeve snagged on the cap.
"Uh oh, hang on." Mama frowned as she tried to maneuver it off. Aunt Sue's eyes widened as she dipped forward in the struggle. "Woah, careful now."
Chip gripped his knees as he watched, he almost reached out to help ,but then he remembered. He wasn't allowed to touch Mama's hands without permission, if he did he'd have to wash his own immediately after, and he'd already washed up before supper so..
Mom and Sue resolved the mishap within another few seconds anyway….
Another half hour passed and Daddy was back from working the field and they finally got to eat.
"Sue, these are amazing." Dad said as he took a bite out of his burger.
Auntie smirked at Mama. "Told you it was a good idea to let me cook."
Mama shook her head playfully. "Yeah you're just happy to show me up."
Auntie shrugged at the accusation.
Mama sighed. "You may not know how to cook a lot of things, but I will say you grill a good burger."
"T-the only thing Daddy knows how to do is boil a potato." Chip giggled as he drowned his burger patty in ketchup. Mama blushed as Dad shot her a look.
"Heh, don't know where he heard that..."
"Hey, you loved those potatoes." Daddy defended, raising another laugh out of his son. Then he shrugged his flannel shirt off and laid it on the back of his chair. "I could certainly tell y'all have been cooking the second I walked in, it's like the Sahara in here."
Chip had to agree as he wiped his sweaty cheek against his shoulder.
Mama said nothing, just took another sip of water.
Chip felt his eyebrows drop in sympathy, poor mama, always having to wear those long sleeves.
He'd seen why. When he was younger, he crept into Mama and Daddy's bedroom one night. Mom only ever took off her sleeves when she was sleeping, and she let Dad hold her as much he wanted.
Chip gripped his knees again with a frown. He didn't get that. Not to say Mama didn't ruffle his hair, or lift him up to play spaceship whenever he asked, she just…didn't like it when he touched her hand, specifically the topside.
The only time they really held hands was in the winter time, when Mama had to wear gloves because of the cold.
Chip had a rare bout of self awareness as he stared at his half eaten supper, maybe that was why she was always cuddling him, to..make up for it somehow…
Poor Mama.
"Hey Chip," Auntie Sue called, interrupting his thoughts. "I hear you've gotten pretty good at the harmonica, do you think you could show your favorite Aunt."
The boy's face broke out into a grin as he looked up. "You're my only aunt."
"Chip," Dad chided without any real heart in it.
Chip giggled playfully as he hopped down from his high chair. "I'll go get it."
It wasn't until later, when they'd long since had dessert and Mama had read him two bedtime stories and a magazine article about the benefits of using mayo instead of shampoo, that the thought came back to Chip. He'd realized it when Mom tucked him in and he'd accidentally reached out to touch her hand.
Mama jerked, she looked at Chip, then back at her hand. She frowned and let out a short sigh, must've decided to let it go for now.
Without much else, Mama leaned forward again and kissed his forehead like she did every night, then finally stood back up.
"Good night Chip,"
"Night Mama."
When his bedroom door was shut, Chip immediately threw his covers off. Looking back and forth in the darkness, the boy hopped off his bed and tiptoed over to his dresser. He felt around until his hands found the familiar cover of his favorite book. Lil Abe.
Chip crept over to the wall and sat just beside his night light.
He opened the book to his favorite part and quietly read aloud. "Then little Abe laid his hand upon his horse's blind eye and spoke these words, 'Don't cry, because I love you, and I promise to make it better.' He let go, and amazingly, Buttermug's eye was healed."
Chip pursed his lips in thought as he absentmindedly traced the pages. "'..I promise to make it better..'"
Maybe…maybe he could make it better for Mama.
The light bulb that went off above his head stayed there as he reveled in his brilliant plan over the next few hours.
It wasn't until the kitchen light went off and Chip was sure that everyone was definitely asleep that he worked up the courage to open his bedroom door and sneak out.
He quickly tiptoed his way through the kitchen and the living room, thankful for the soft carpet stifling the sounds of his footsteps as he crept past his snoring Auntie fast asleep on the couch.
Chip gulped as he stared down the opposing door standing between him and his parents bedroom. He edged his small hand over the much bigger knob and started to turn it.
The slight creak of the door almost sent him running, but Chip pressed on. He wedged his body through and rolled over to their bed.
Daddy snored like a log whilst Mama laid cuddled beneath him, his chin gently resting against the top of her head.
Chip took a deep breath and gripped the covers, using them like a rope ladder to climb on.
Once he reached the top of the bed, Chip crawled over to his mother.
He gulped as he stared down the matching scars littering her arms, like two white snakes that'd bite him if he got too close.
He'd make them disappear.
Gathering what was left of his courage, Chip edged as close as possible and laid his hand atop his mama's arm.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Don't cry, because I love you, and I promise to make it better."
He let a moment of weighted silence passed before he opened his eyes again already smiling as he prepared to see-
Wait.
The scar was still there.
Maybe…maybe he said it too quietly? Chip closed his eyes again and repeated the words, just a hair louder this time.
He opened them again and,...
Mama's scars were still there, both of them.
"I don't understand…" Chip couldn't help ,but say aloud. Mom suddenly shifted, as if she heard him. Chip jumped and tried to crawl back, but before he could escape Mama abruptly sat upright.
"What.." Mama moaned as she removed her eye mask. "Was.." Her eyes widened as she saw him.
"Chip?"
The boy bit his lip trying to think of an explanation. "Mama I-"
Mom's eyes widened further when she realized he was touching her arm. "What are you doing?!"
The sudden spike in volume caused Chip to yelp and quickly try to hop backwards off the bed, but his foot got tangled in the sheets and he ended up falling back first against the hardwood floor.
"Ow,"
Mama's mouth dropped. "Chip!?"
She threw her covers off and leapt down to scoop him up into her arms, panicking as she checked his little body for injury. "Are you hurt? What happened? Why were you-"
Chip didn't know if it was the fall that made him dizzy or the barrage of questions ,but either way he struggled to answer. "I was just..I just wanted to..make it better." He practically whispered the last part, and mindlessly gripped his mama's arms for emphasis.
Mom froze, realizing she wasn't wearing any sleeves.
Chip winced. "Mama?"
His mother didn't say a thing, just grabbed a nearby sweater out of her closet and marched them both out to the kitchen, leaving Daddy to snore in peace.
Without a word she pulled up a chair against the sink and sat him in it. She turned the faucet on and grabbed a bar of soap.
"Mama?" Chip tried again as she cupped her hands over his and began scrubbing them with the soap. It was like watching a robot, mindlessly methodical.
It was scary.
"Mama?" Chip tried one more time, his eyes almost welled with tears as he tried to get through to her, but she just kept scrubbing. "Mama please,…It hurts."
Mom stopped. Her gaze slowly traveled down to Chip's hand, they'd turned a tomato red with all the harsh scrubbing.
With wide eyes Chip watched as a drop of water hit his wrist.
It wasn't from the sink.
"I'm sorry, Mama." Chip lifted his hands to rest against his mother's cheek as he said it. "I'm sorry."
Another tear fell from her eye, then another, Mama's whole face turned red as she cried.
"What's going on?"
Chip jumped as he looked over his mother's shoulder to see Aunt Sue standing in the kitchen's entry way.
"Mallory?" Auntie's eyes widened as soon as she saw Mom. "Oh no,"
Sue looked back and forth between them, then took a deep breath as she lifted Chip out of the chair to set him back on the ground. "Why don't you go on to bed bud, I'll talk to you later okay?"
"But," Chip trailed off as he looked back at his mother's crying face. "...okay."
He turned and walked down the hall without looking back, even at the sounds of his mother's sobs as Sue embraced her.
He didn't hear much of their conversation through his door, just small sprites here and there.
"Mallory it's okay, it's just a scar. He can handle it-"
"You don't understand, he shouldn't have to handle it…He shouldn't have to know that…that the person who's supposed to love you most in this world could do this…that I could.."
"That's…that's what this is about? Mallory you're nothing like her, you're a good mom, I promise you are!"
Chip looked down at his feet as he sat on his bed, mindlessly kicking them back and forth as the hours ticked by. He didn't know when his bedroom door opened again, just that it was Aunt Sue this time, not Mom.
He wanted to cry at the thought that maybe Mama was too mad to see him.
"Hey bud," Auntie began awkwardly as she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Gotta admit, I was kinda hoping you'd be asleep by now."
"..."
"You mind if I sit down?" Aunt Sue asked as she gestured to his bed. Chip shrugged. Auntie sighed as she sat beside him.
"So, that was..probably a little scary huh?"
Chip shrugged again, playing with his thumbs.
Aunt Sue coughed. "Well I just want you to know it's gonna be okay, and, none of that was your fault. Your mom she…she just worries about you is all."
Chip nodded. "I know….I just thought..I thought I could make it go away."
Auntie didn't need him to specify. "I know you did. But, you know that's the funny thing about scars. You can't erase them or make them disappear. No matter how hard you try, you're stuck with them for life."
"Then why does Mama try?"
Sue sighed. "Because that's the other thing about scars, they tell a story, where've you been….and sometimes, sometimes the story they tell is one, you'd give anything to forget."
Auntie looked longingly at the door. "Do you…do you know how she got those scars?"
Chip shook his head. He had theories, like maybe Mom'd been a secret agent when she was younger and got those scars saving the world from some evil dictator who probably had an eye patch and liked to pet cats.
Auntie sighed again. "You know how good of a mom she is, don't you?"
Chip nodded his head. She was the best mom.
Aunt Sue exhaled, absentmindedly played with her necklace. "Well when me and her were younger we, we didn't have such a good mom."
"You didn't?" Chip arched his brow. Huh…
Auntie shook her head. "No, our mom…our mom would get angry sometimes and…and when she did she'd..throw things."
Chip frowned, it took his brain a second to connect the dots, but when it did he gasped clutching his knees even tighter.
Aunt Sue laid a hand against his back. "And one night, one of those things was….a broken bottle."
Chip didn't know how to respond, he sat there with a blank look on his face as he stared at the floor.
"Why?"
Auntie shook her head. "Lord only knows, but hey. You don't tell your mom I told you this, okay?"
Chip nodded. "I promise…what happened then?"
"We left, and…didn't look back. Now she can never hurt us again." Aunt Sue shook her head again with a sigh. "But, you know that's why your mom worries so much about you. She doesn't want you to have to go through what we did."
Chip looked down at the floor again. He self consciously traced the Lil Abe band-aid.
The next morning, Daddy would ask him why he was wearing that itchy flannel shirt he hated.
Because, it was the only thing with sleeves long enough to cover the scar.
He'd cover every scar, every scrape and every cut with whatever he had, just so Mama didn't have to see it.
He'd do anything not to see her cry again.
Chip sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against his door.
So what was he supposed to do now?
How was he supposed to change fast enough to keep up with all the changes going on around him? These people, not just the Greens, but this entire city just felt so, foreign to him now.
How long had he been hiding?
Chip opened his eyes and the narrow ceiling of his bedroom stared back at him as he absentmindedly traced the floorboards. He felt old.
Another few minutes passed, and Chip sighed again getting ready to walk back out and hope Gramma and Gloria had pushed his little freak out to the back of their minds so he could-
Chip stilled as the entire underside of his left palm erupted into pain. With wide, unblinking eyes he turned his hand over to see his entire palm covered in splinters.
"Are you kidding me!?" He shouted to the ceiling. "I take one moment to revel in self pity and that's when you decide to strike, really?!"
Chip didn't know if anyone could hear his mad ravings at the universe, but he didn't really care either. He leapt to his feet and jimmied his door open so he could sprint to the bathroom.
"C'mon, c'mon," Where did Gloria keep her eyebrow tweezers again?
"Chip?"
The blonde jumped, accidentally banging his head against the medicine cabinet. Chip looked over his shoulder in annoyance to see Bill staring at him from the doorway. "Watcha doing?"
Chip rolled his eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing? I got splinters because of your crummy floor."
Bill winced, ignoring the insult as he walked closer and looked at his palm. "Oh geez, that's not good. Alright, alright follow me."
Chip arched his brow as Bill led him out to the kitchen table. Bill sat him in a chair and plucked one of Gramma's sewing needles from her pin cushion.
Chip's eyes widened. He leaned back and watched Bill grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol as he sat down next to him. "Okay, give me your hand?"
Chip flinched. "What? No I-What are you gonna do?"
Now it was Bill's turn to look confused.
"I'm gonna get the splinters out." Bill explained as he put on his glasses, and held out his scarred hand, presumably for Chip to place his in.
Chip froze, shaking his head. "No, no, I..can't"
No wait, he could now..right?
'Urgh! This is so confusing!'
Bill leaned back. "You can't?"
Chip shook his head. "I, mean I can I just-Urgh I'm sorry I don't.." His breaths were picking up as he looked around the kitchen for some kind of answer. Maybe the universe would come out of nowhere and give him a sign.
Maybe he didn't deserve a sign…maybe he should already know the answer, but that was so unfair because he clearly didn't and the universe shouldn't just expect him to be able to do something he couldn't. It wasn't fai-
"Chip." Chip froze as he realized Bill was watching all this stupid mess unfold. Just great now he-
"Chip, it's okay. If you want, we can go to the doctor instead, or I could have someone else do it. …It's okay."
Chip hadn't realized Bill was touching his shoulder till now. He looked at his unscarred hand, then back at the farmer.
"I don't…I don't understand."
Bill frowned. "Whatever you need to do, it's fine. We'll get the splinters out somehow and it'll be okay."
Chip shook his head, placing his head in his unsplintered hand. "I don't-tell me what I should do."
Bill raised his brow. "I don't know Chip, there's not really a right or wrong answer here."
Chip shook his head again. "No, no, don't say that. There's always a right or wrong answer and lately it feels like all the answers I've been picking have been wrong, so..so, just tell me what I should do?"
He didn't even know if he was talking about the stupid splinters anymore.
"Um," Bill coughed awkwardly. "I think you should do what's best for you."
Chip's brows dropped, his gaze lowered to the floor. His hand hurt, and he was losing patience. "That's not what I wanted to hear."
"Then what did you-"
"I don't know, okay!" Chip snapped. He felt kinda bad at the way Bill flinched. "...I don't know…"
Silence fell between them, and Bill just sat there staring at him. Then, "Um, well ..all can I say is, whatever you pick, it's gonna be okay. We'll make it better either way, alright?"
Chip froze.
Moments later, he sighed and finally relented, placing his hand in Bill's. "Please , just get these stupid splinters out."
As Chip watched his hand tremble with every poke and prod of the sewing needle, he couldn't help ,but stare at Bill the whole time.
Chip didn't know if he'd ever felt smaller.
Why did Bill have to simultaneously make him feel like the bad guy and like he had nothing to apologize for, all at once.
Chip couldn't help ,but scratch his forehead. It didn't make sense. If anyone had refused to touch his perfect hand he'd have a complete fit, blort he literally went after an entire family just for messing with his teeth so why….
Why did Bill just, not care.
Actually, come to think of it… Chip looked over his shoulder out at the living room to see Gramma and Gloria laughing together as they watched Snug Lil Room.
Why did none of them care? Even Gloria had gotten over her missing tooth days ago.
Granted she still kinda hated him, but she'd certainly hadn't tried to seek revenge. At least not that he was aware…
So why was it just him?
Chip sighed as he looked back at the floor, wincing as Bill pulled a particularly big splinter out. "Sorry." The farmer apologized.
Maybe because, unlike him…none of them were ashamed of their scars.
And in that moment, a terrible realization crept its way to the back of Chip's brain, one he'd never let see the light of day if he had any say in the matter.
He envied them.
Bill didn't care if Chip flinched every now and then when he held out his scarred hand,because to Bill it was just his hand, and that was ..okay.
"Alright last one,"
Chip stifled a yelp as Bill prodded the last tiny piece of wood out his hand. "And that's it. Thanks for sitting still for me Chip."
The blonde shook his head, rolling his eyes as Bill sprayed some disinfectant on his hand and wrapped it up in some roller bandages. "I'd say you're good to go."
Chip nodded as Bill gave his bandaged hand one last reaffirming squeeze before finally letting it go.
Chip bit his lip as he stared at his bandaged hand.
After that night, he never touched his mother's hand without her permission again…and eventually he just stopped trying to hold it all together.
Chip sighed as he realized.. he'd give anything to be able to hold her hand again.
Pursing his lips, Chip looked up from the kitchen chair and watched Bill put away the disinfectant.
With one last sigh, he stood up.
"Hey Bill," The farmer turned to face him. Chip took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He grabbed Bill's scarred hand and pulled the farmer in for a hug.
Bill's eyes must've been a mile wide as Chip squeezed his back. "Thanks."
"Uh," Bill coughed, gently patting his back. "Yeah, no problem."
Another second passed and the former ceo quickly released him.
Chip coughed, sticking his hands into his pockets. "You tell anyone, I'll find another wrecking ball and destroy your roof all over again."
With that, Chip quickly retreated back into the hall, uncaring of the dumbfounded Bill he left in his wake.