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Death is scary even for adults. Who wouldn’t be afraid of such a thing?
For a child to find out is mind-scattering and horrifying.
And it really can happen at any moment.
Unfortunately, that had to happen today.
Sharon was washing the dishes as she always did after lunch, though today it was later than usual since Randy took so long to finish up in the barn. Whatever, despite how annoying it was she considered it part of her daily routine.
That is until Stan came bursting through the front door, letting his bookbag hit the floor partway through his mad dash to rush over to his mother.
Startled, Sharon drops the dish she was holding back into the water, raising both hands as she turns sideways, watching her son tuck his face into her thigh.
“Stan?”, she coos in a soft voice, drying her hands off on her shirt before pulling off his hat so she can pet his hair, waiting for him to resolve himself.
After a moment he looks up at her, the death grip around her leg not lessening, eyes wet with tears that he’d been rubbing into her pants.
“Are you gonna die someday?”
Her heart sinks into her stomach. Oh, so it’s time for this talk.
With a slowly inhaled breath, she gently parts him from her, kneeling down to be on his level.
“Oh, honey.”, she says in a delicate tone with a warm smile, “I won’t lie to you, yes I will. But you have to understand that it’s going to be a very long time from now until you need to worry about that. Okay?”, as she speaks she cups his tear-stained face, swiping her thumbs over his cheeks.
He sniffles and stares deep into her eyes, continuing to cry, nose red and the rest of his face following suit.
“I don’t want you to die mom… Please?”
Her chest pulses with a dull ache, pulling him in for a hug, feeling his small arms do their best to wrap around her.
“There’s nothing I can do. But it’s okay, alright? That won’t be for a long time, like I said. And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I’m here as long as I can be.”
He nods and tries to hug her in even tighter, breathing slowing as he begins to calm down.
“As a mommy, you immediately learn that the most important thing in your life is your baby. And even in death, I’ll find you, and you’ll feel me, my heart will never be far from yours. I love you, Stanley. Mommy is right here.”
Stan's eyes snap open as soon as Alexa yanks open the curtains, harsh sunlight making him wrinkle his nose up and flinch.
“I said it’s time to wake up, asshole!”, she says bitterly with her arms crossed, shaking her head as she rolls her eyes, sitting down in the chair by the window.
He grimaces and rolls over, waving her away, “Alexa set a timer for fifteen minutes.”
Even though he can hear Alexa scoff and repeat the order, he shuts her out, rolling over to face away from her.
In spite of the tears he feels heating up his face, he also feels a deep warmth in his chest, which he can’t decide if it brings or takes away comfort.
Sharon's words ring clearly in his ears though they begin to fade despite how hard he focuses.
Still, he can almost still discern the sensation of her hug so firmly around him.