The Man and His Boy

He held in his hands the perfection of innocence. He cradled in his arms every piece of himself that was good and pure. This was his one treasure; his true love. The man stared down at his beautiful boy, at his only son, not daring to look away. If he looked away for even an instant, his child might disappear. No, he would not look away. He would have this moment for as long as he could.

In the street there was honking and shouting.

The baby slept peacefully, wrapped in an old blue blanket. His little fists, tiny to the point of absurdity, were balled and held against his mouth. He let out a small hiccup as he slept. The man laughed softly, feeling an immense amount of joy in the thing his boy had just done. This is my living, breathing son, he thought to himself. That was my son’s noise. My son made that noise with his own mouth.

In the distance, a siren sounded.

The father felt joy because the boy could do no wrong. How could he? Looking down upon the bundle of blanket and skin, the notion that this child could cause any harm was ridiculous. And besides, angels don’t hurt. Gifts from God cannot bring about pain. They can only bring happiness, contentment, and wonder.

The alley was wet from the morning rain.

With an introspective smile, the father looked at the face of his precious boy. He wondered if he would grow to be a good, strong man. He wondered if his son would do the things that he never could. He wondered if his son would love any person the same way that his father loved him, right now, at this moment.

The evening air was cold.

With small pouting noises, the son awoke. The father felt cold inside himself, inside his chest. His eyes, he thought, his eyes are just like hers. But they were so different. The fire in his son’s eyes was shining, hungry to see and to learn and to understand. His mother’s eyes were losing focus. His mother’s eyes were dimming as her breathing became slow and shallow. Her eyes were meaningless glass balls inside of a skull, her mouth a maw of flesh, her hair was tattered cloth.

The father could not stop the tears. As he lifted the silver trash-can lid, the baby started to cry. He did not try to calm the child. He lowered the bundle in his arms gently into the cylinder, laying it to rest atop a pile of refuse. The child was bawling in earnest. His fists flailed against the air and his little body. Sobbing, the father bent down and kissed his son’s silky, warm forehead. The shadow of the trash-can lid traversing the child’s bright face was like an eclipse of the sun.