Work Text:
Disappointment in Five Stages
Stage I: Loss
They met in college in 1981. Amy was more adventurous in those days. Mike was quiet and loved to read. The couple balanced each other out. Their friends thought they looked great together. He wooed her with poetry and little songs he wrote. She helped him come out of his shell a little bit more around their social circles. It wasn't long before Amy and Mike graduated, got married, and had a son.
Wirt idolized his father. Mike was the one who first introduced him to poetry and music. Some nights, they would stay up and Wirt would listen to him playing his guitar. At times, the little boy would fall asleep by his side. Mike even showed off one of his prized possessions to his son when he was a baby, a tape recorder he got as a graduation present in 1982. One could say that Dad came first before Mom. The family was okay with that. Music and the arts were one way the father and son bonded.
One Halloween evening, Wirt wanted to go to this Halloween party at his school with his father. He had been looking forward to it for days. The boy already had the costume that he wanted to wear in mind. Mike was counting down the days himself. Amy had tuned them out by that point.
However, Mike got a phone call at the last minute.
"Hello?" he asked. The call couldn't have lasted for more than five minutes. Little Wirt could see the pensive look on Mike's face.
"Oh…" Mike mumbled. He hung up, letting the phone drop by his side.
Little Wirt watched from the doorway as his parents talked in hushed voices in the kitchen. Mike had a little problem.
"But I promised Wirt that I would take him to his party."
Amy gave him a sympathetic look. "It will be fine. When was the last time you saw them?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly!"
"But…"
"It's okay." She took him by the hands. "I can take Wirt to his party. You just go and see your old friends again." Amy looked him in the eye. Mike struggled to think of any excuse or reason to throw back at her. He dropped his shoulders.
"I guess it could be alright," Mike said at last. Best it be him to be the one to break it to Little Wirt gently.
"I'm sorry, buddy," Mike said. He knelt down to Wirt's level.
"Listen, I know we are supposed to be going to that Halloween party but…" Mike struggled to carry out this piece of bad news. Swallowing bitter pills would've been easier than this.
"Something important's come up." The words didn't come out so easily. The glow from Little Wirt's eyes started to dim as he looked like a balloon being deflated.
"Aw don't be like that," his father said. He reached out and patted the boy on the head.
"Look, I will make it up to you, okay?" Even Mike didn't sound so convinced by his own words. Wirt tried not to cry as he reluctantly accepted them. His father hugged him close.
"I will make it up to you, I promise," Mike whispered. This didn't feel right, but his wife insisted.
Moments later, the family went out for the night.
But he would never get to keep that promise.
No one wants to see blue and red flashing lights in front of their house at one in the morning. Amy was woken up by a knock on the door. She hadn't expected to see a police officer.
"Yes?" she asked. The news sank in with one sentence. Amy sank to her knees wailing. It was a drunk driver. All but one of the college buddies were killed in the accident. The drunk driver would end up in a coma for months. Mike died en route to the hospital. The police had the grim task of breaking the news to his wife. Wirt awoke to hear her screaming.
"Mommy?" he asked half-asleep. His mother and the cop turned to see him walking toward them, rubbing his little eyes. The cop cursed himself under his breath. Amy had to be the one to break the bad news.
"I'm so sorry, baby," she said once she got herself together long enough to talk. She told him the worst news in the world.
"Daddy's never coming back."
Those four words hurt worse than any bully's taunts in the world. Something inside of Wirt broke and was never repaired.
The funeral arrangements were made. That black suit looked like it was going to swallow the little boy whole. Amy kept Wirt by her side. She had him put a lily on the casket. Mike was laid to rest at three in the afternoon on November 6, 1990.
The family was never going to be the same.
Stage II: Connection
Two years have passed. Amy had time to heal. She and Wirt were doing much better. However, she always seemed so lonely. On the surface, Amy acted upbeat and full of sunshine. But what did she have outside of work, her coworkers, and Little Wirt?
Said coworkers could see it and it was too painful to watch.
"There must be something we can do."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Maybe get her a date or something. What? Too much?"
"No, that could work."
"But who do we hook her up with?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… I mean… Mike is kind of a hard act to follow."
"You think?"
"You saw how happy she looked when she talked about him. They were so much in love. How do you top that?"
"Hm…"
"Hey Laney, is your cousin still looking for anyone?"
"What?"
"Is he?"
"I don't know, I guess."
"You guess?"
"Uh… It's just…"
"Just?"
"He's… a bit awkward."
"That should be fine."
"Huh?"
"Amy is good with people. She could help him open up. She'll be a good match."
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah."
"Okay… I'll call him later."
They all agreed a little blind date would do Amy some good. She would have somebody new in her life, plus Wirt needed a father figure in his life. So Laney made the call.
The coworkers came to Amy around her desk. They all had big smiles on their faces. She blinked at them with the phone to her ear.
"Yes?" she asked. One of her coworkers giggled. Amy raised an eyebrow.
"Guys, what are you up to?"
"Are you doing anything this Friday?" Laney asked. The other woman paused as she narrowed her eyes.
"Why?" The coworkers looked at each other for a moment. Amy's eyes shifted back and forth as she looked at them.
"Guys?"
One woman in the group tossed back her curly blonde hair.
"We're setting you up on a date," she said. Amy made a face.
"I'm sorry?" The girls were grinning and giggling. It took her a while for her brain to piece it together.
"Oh…"
Her coworkers weren't going to do her dirty. They kept this blind date simple enough. Just a nice dinner at a casual restaurant downtown. She still had to look nice. So, she got all dressed up, left Little Wirt with a babysitter, and headed out the door.
Amy sat at a table near the front doors. If things went wrong, she could just slip out when her date wasn't looking. Maybe she wouldn't have to do that. This could be a good time. It didn't help that her nerves were getting the better of her. If only there were some way to…
"Amy? Amy Palmer?"
She lifted her head.
A man with messy dirt-blond hair tied back into a ponytail stood in front of her table. He looked nice in jeans and a t-shirt. Amy stared at him for a moment.
"Yes?" she asked. The man breathed out in relief.
"Oh good," he said. He nervously laughed for a moment as he messed with his hair. Amy didn't know how to react.
"Are you my date?" she asked.
"Yeah!" the man was quick to say. He held out his hand.
"I'm Johnathan," he said. Amy could see that he was just as nervous as she was.
Stage III: Romance
The date turned out to be a great one. Amy couldn't remember the last time she was so happy.
"Can I see you again?" she asked at the end of the night.
"Of course," Johnathan said.
It didn't take long for the two to start dating. Amy started to feel like her old self again. Johnathan didn't mind that she had a kid from a previous marriage. Her coworkers were happy for her and thought they looked cute together.
But what about Little Wirt in all of this? How does he feel about his mother with a new boyfriend?
Well…
"Wirt, this is my friend, Johnathan," Amy said. This didn't end well.
Who was this man? What was he doing with his mom?
"Hey buddy," Johnathan said. He reached over to pat him on the head. Little Wirt backed away, frowning. He turned and ran to his room.
"Wirt!" Amy shouted. She tried to go after him, but Johnathan took her by the hand. His girlfriend turned her head.
"Just let him be," he said in a calm voice. Amy opened her mouth, but he shook his head. She gave up at the end.
Things didn't get better from there.
It's hard when your romantic partner's child doesn't like you. Still, Johnathan was determined to win Little Wirt over. However, that wasn't going so well. When they were together, the boys were either quiet or Wirt would be screaming in rage at him.
"Stop it, Wirt!" Amy shouted at Thanksgiving. Her son looked up at her with anger. How could she do this to him? It was like his mother was trying to replace his father. He didn't enjoy this man always coming around the house. It didn't help that his mother kept getting closer to him. That man started making more appearances around them. It wasn't long before he spent the holidays, weekends, and vacations with them. Little Wirt wished that Johnathan would just go away.
Too bad things were about to get even worse.
Stage IV: Betrayal
Johnathan was the one to propose in the summer of 1993. They were walking around the park when he popped the question. Amy happily said yes. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Wedding plans took months. She wanted to get married in December. Amy had always dreamed of being a snow bride. The woman looked so pretty in her wedding dress.
Last time, she had a small wedding. It was her family, Mike's family, and a small number of their friends. Johnathan wanted to throw his snow bride a huge, lavish wedding. Amy had to politely turn him down.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I just want you to be happy." Amy took him by the hands.
"I'll be happy being by your side," she said. That was good enough for him.
The couple was married on December 23, 1993. The wedding was a small one. Just her family, his family, and their friends. It was at the courthouse instead of a church. Everyone should have been happy, right?
Well…
Wirt was not happy to be in the wedding party in his little suit. Johnathan was the one who put the tie on him. However, the tie was the least of his unhappiness.
This man was going to be around more often. Not just staying over the weekends and holidays. Johnathan was going to be living with them. He was marrying the boy's mother. His father was being replaced. There was nothing that the child could do. By now, Wirt's anger had fizzled out. By now, he was just tired. Along with that, something else came with it.
Disappointment.
However, it didn't end there.
Stage V: Greg
One little pink plus sign.
Amy was pregnant with child number two. This was going to be the first baby with her new husband. She broke the news to her older son.
"You're going to have a little brother or sister."
Little Wirt didn't like the sound of that. Already, he had to deal with Johnathan around the house. Now, this would make him a more permanent fixture. By now, the boy was ten years old. Tantrums and pouting weren't going to cut it anymore. All of the outward anger and resentment had been used up days before the wedding. The child just resigned himself to this new twist of fate. There wasn't anything he could do anyway.
The parents were excited about the new coming baby. Johnathan got to work painting and setting up the nursery. He and Amy didn't give up on including Wirt in the joy of the expanding family. This would be good for him. He could have some little siblings to play with.
Nine months was a long time to wrestle with your feelings as a child. Everyone kept asking Wirt how he was doing. He would lie and say that he was fine. On the inside, the boy was screaming. He just wanted to be left alone, but didn't know how to say what he really felt.
By September of 1995, Amy was in the hospital after her water broke. Young Wirt and Johnathan sat in the waiting room. Neither one spoke to each other. Wirt wouldn't even look at his stepfather. Johnathan reached out and rubbed him on the shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, buddy," he said in a low voice. "Your mom is going to be fine." The boy snatched his shoulder away.
Greg was born early in the next morning. Wirt may have come off as aloof toward the baby, but he does care in his own way. The older brother will learn to adjust, just like he had been doing ever since his father died. Somehow, this kid was going to survive and grow up.
Not like he was going to experience a near-death experience on Halloween after a botched mission to get back his love confession to his crush on audio tape or anything. Right?