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When Amber’s mommy got pregnant, Daddy’s friends gave him cigars and pounded him on the back. Mommy’s friends talked in low voices and offered kept saying how sorry they were. Daddy was sure Mommy had a special friend somewhere who had something to do with it. Amber heard this all the time. No matter how many times Mommy said it wasn’t the butcher, Daddy never really believed her.
By the time Amber was four, people referred to her as precocious. She thought it might have something to do with her curly hair. She was a quiet child, more given to sitting by herself with a favorite toy or a book. It wasn’t like she had a choice. There were no kids her age in the neighborhood, no one else to play with. Her sister and brother were both in high school and they were far too busy with their studies and friends to bother with her. Was it any wonder that Amber created a rich world peopled with imaginary friends, friends who always had time for her and were kind?
“Mama, you have to do something about Amber.” Amber’s head turned at the sound of her name through the open kitchen window. She was having a tea party with a few close friends on the front porch. Mommy didn’t like her to go very far.
“What has she done now?” Mommy sounded so tired.
“She’s talking to herself.” Jessie was her older sister and there was no love lost between them.
“Leave her alone.” That was Louie, her brother. Amber idolized him.
“Lots of children talk to themselves, Jessie. She’s not bothering you,” Mommy said.
“I’m having friends over and I don’t want her jabbering like a monkey. They’ll think she’s brain damaged.”
“You were the one dropped at birth, not her.” Louie always stood up for Amber and she smiled.
“And you won’t always be around to protect her either,” Amber heard Jessie whisper and felt very small.
Grabbing her favorite dolly, she carefully climbed down the porch stairs and took off, heading for the tree line. Just over the hill was the sandpit. It sounded like a magical place when her brother talked about it. It was filled with fun and friends and Amber wanted both of those. She was so lonely and it was obvious that her sister wouldn’t miss her.
The branches and briars tore at her dress and stung her face. She tried not to cry, but it hurt. Suddenly the ground fell away at her feet and she hung suspended in midair. She thought that this must be what it was like to fly and for just a moment, she wasn’t scared.
Then, she was back on solid ground, two strong hands around her waist. Louie had saved her. Amber turned and froze. The person standing there was the largest person she’d ever seen. He seemed to go up to the sky.
“Hello.” He rumbled something and she smiled. While he looked scary, he had nice eyes. “My name is Amber. What’s yours?” She didn’t understand the response. “Can I call you, Giant?”
The tall man smiled and nodded. Then as if she didn’t weigh anything at all, he picked her up and carried her back home.
Just as they got to the tree line, Amber heard her mother calling her. Mommy’s voice was so scared.
“That’s my mommy. I’d better go. Will you come and play with me again, Giant?”
“Yyyeessss.” He nodded slowly and smiled.
“Good bye, Giant! I’ll see you tomorrow! I love you!”
Her punishment didn’t matter to her for now, she had a friend. They would spend afternoons together, picking flowers, watching bugs. Whatever she wanted to do it was fine by Giant, just as long as they were alone. Giant didn’t like crowds.
“Where have you been, brat?” Jessie was being forced to babysit and was not happy about it.
She’d heard her sister calling, but ignored her until Giant thought better of it. “Me and Giant were looking at shapes in the clouds.”
“Will you give it up? There is no giant, just a little bug that I could squash.”
“Might not want to do that with a witness.” It was Louie to her rescue. He was sitting on a chair, smoking a foul-smelling cigarette.
“You wouldn’t be so brave if Mama was here.”
“If Mom was here, I wouldn’t have to worry about Amber’s safety. When is she getting out of the hospital?”
“This afternoon, thankfully. Poor Daddy has been awfully worried.”
Even at four, Amber knew Daddy wasn’t worried. He’d been having parties every night and sometimes Jessie joined him and his friends. The way they laughed made Amber a little sick to her tummy and she took to sleeping under her bed, well away from Jessie’s reach, just in case.
It was a rainy afternoon, something Amber hated because it meant she wouldn’t see Giant. He didn’t come out in the rain, nor would he come into the house. Amber did her best to amuse herself, but it wasn’t the same without him.
“Mommy, why doesn’t Giant want to come inside?” She was sitting at the kitchen table, slowly moving a spoon through her soup.
“I don’t know, sweetheart.”
“I think he’s afraid of Jessie. She can yell really loud.”
“She means well. She just has your father’s temper, that’s all. She’s your sister and she loves you.”
Amber knew better, but she didn’t want to argue with Mommy.
“MAMA!!”
Amber knew from the yell that Jessie has discovered that Amber had braided all her hair ribbons, then stapled the ends of them together to make one long snake. She thought Jessie would like it rather than have the ribbons scattered all over the bathroom.
“I have had it!” Jessie stormed in, carrying her poodle skirt. Amber had forgotten that she’d drawn a face on the doggie. He looked much happier now. “I was going to wear this to the dance and now it’s ruined. You have to punish her. Spank her – hard! Or better yet, let me do it.” Jessie snatched up a wooden spoon and raced towards Amber.
Amber was small, but she was fast. She was out the door and into the rain before Mommy could even react. She screamed as she ran because she knew the consequences of Jessie catching her.
She raced around the corner and slammed into something hard. It was all black, like a big scary monster. Then she saw it was Giant and he was wearing a raincoat. He’d come to see her, after all.
“Run, Giant. Jessie chasing me. if she catches you, she’ll spank you.”
Giant rumbled something just as Jessie rounded the corner. “Now I’ve got…” She trailed off at the sight of Giant. Amber hid behind him.
With deliberation, Giant reached out and took the wooden spoon from Jessie’s grasp and easily snapped it.
“Be nice,” he warned as he draped a corner of his raincoat around Amber.
“Jessie, this is Giant. You know the one who isn’t real.”
Jessie’s mouth worked and she backed up a step, then turned and ran as if the devil was after her.
“Guess I’d better go, too, Giant.” She was reluctant to let go of his leg, though.
“Tomorrow?” Giant rumbled and Amber nodded.
“Okay.” She looked back at the house. “What about Jessie?”
“Call me.” He handed her a piece of paper with a name on it and some numbers.
“Thanks, Giant.” She gave him one last hug and raced back to the house.
Lurch watched her go. He remembered when his brothers used to bully him and how Douglas had protected him. Now it was his turn to protect and it made him content.