Calvin
“Aaaahh!”
She slumped into the couch. Saturday is when Meg bundled in all her chores. Laundry, Dishes, Groceries, House cleaning and all. But today was different. It was beautiful Summer day and Meg knew she wasn’t going to waste it on chores. She had been awfully busy at work these past few weeks. She hardly had had time for any fun. Calvin was mad at her too. He was a quiet one but she knew all his moods. She had lived by herself all this while but now she had him, her family. She knew just the thing for the both of them. They needed a fun outdoor activity to re-bond. She had planned a picnic in the park with all his friends.
Back home now, she was exhausted. The sun and games had sapped her out. She had fixed a quick dinner for Calvin and herself. And now she was ready for bed. If only, Calvin would let her sleep. He had been playing all day but he wasn’t done. He barely touched his dinner. Just took a few bites and ran off!
‘If only, I had the energy of a four year old!’, she thought to herself. ‘It’s gonna be quite a task getting him to bed!’
Once Calvin was in his zone, it was impossible to get him back. It took all her perseverance to get out of the couch and go to the back porch. But she did it. There he was. Playing in a sand pit in the backyard.
“Calvin!!….COME IN!..TIME FOR BED!”
He turned around to look at her and almost instantly went back to his games.
“Calvin!!…HOME!….NOW!”
He gave her a longer look now. He knew he had to come back. She could see the reluctance on his face. But he ambled on back. A few steps from the house, he sat down on the grass. It was still early in the night. He was tired but not tired enough to call it a day.
“Calvin, come on! I have a long day tomorrow. I need sleep.”
He just looked at her with a knowing smile on his face.
“Aaaahh…I know what he wants! I have no energy for this,” she muttered to herself.
She knew she had no way out. He wasn’t just going to run around all day and go to bed instantly. She had to ease him into it.
“Alright Calvin! Let’s play.”
She untied the blindfold from the porch rail and put it over her eyes and walked towards him. This was their special game. He instantly got up and started circling her. He just loved Blindman’s buff! He was quiet on his feet and never failed to surprise her with his touch. Something about the way she gasped just gave him so much joy!
Meg just didn’t get why he still enjoyed this game. They had been playing this for a while. She tried other games with him but he always insisted on playing this one.
The night wore down.
The next morning, Meg knew she had to play catch up with her chores. Laundry, Groceries, Dishes, Cooking, her day was packed! She quickly sprung into action. She laid out milk and breakfast for Calvin and while he sleepily chomped on it, she made a list of her groceries. A quick coffee and a bite and soon, she and Calvin were in the car. Calvin was in his usual spot in the back. Today, he didn’t even resist it. He always insisted on sitting upfront but by now she had convinced him that he wasn’t allowed.
It was a quiet Charleston Sunday. Despite her sleepiness, Meg quickly negotiated the small streets and made her way to the freeway. She took a quick peak at Calvin. He was his usual self in the car. Lost in his thoughts, just looking out of the window. He was so young but had such a strong mind of his own. Leagues ahead of his peers.
She looked at her dull face in the rear view mirror. She had a young face but when she rested it, she seemed to grow by five years. She gave a wide grinned smile to herself. She noticed something stuck on her front teeth. A small spinach leaf from her sandwich. She tried to chisel it out with her nail but no luck. She took a good look in the mirror while hacking at it.
And then it happened. A loud honk and a crash. She didn’t even see it. No time to react. The last thing she heard was Calvin’s scream.
“Meg…..Meg…..Megan….Can you hear me?…Can you hear my voice?…Can you see me?”
She could barely muster the strength to speak. Her head hurt. She felt drowsy.
“Yes…..I…can.”
“Good. How are you feeling? You had a concussion.”
“I am fine. Calvin…Where’s Calvin?”
“Relax. You must take rest. You’ll be fine soon but you must…”
“Is Calvin fine? Where is he?”
“We’ll talk about that. Susan, can you get her some water?”
“Please tell me he’s fine!”
Her head started throbbing now. She couldn’t keep her eyes open.
“I’m sorry we can’t tell you that. He’s….”
She went into a deep slumber.
‘He looks so cute in this picture. Quintessential Calvin!’, She thought to herself as she looked at the ‘MISSING’ sign that she had been posting all day. It had been four days since Meg got home from the hospital. No word about him. She still couldn’t reconcile the fact that he was missing. The Police were stumped. How could he have gone missing from an accident site? Several theories were thrown. Meg didn’t know what to put her faith in. She oscillated between despair and hope.
She wasn’t herself. Frail and lost. Broken. Lonely.
It was a gloomy Tuesday evening. She walked to her back porch and took a seat. The silence was broken by the chimes hung on her porch, blown fiercely by the wind. As the lonely minutes passed by, there was only one thought in her mind.
He’s gone forever, and it was all her fault.
With no one around to hold her, Meg broke into tears. She had never felt so alone in her life. The wind blew her long tresses on her face but she didn’t care to sort them. She just sat and wept.
And then it happened.
The wind untied the blindfold on the porch and set it to flight. With nothing but Meg in it’s path, it wrapped around Meg’s eyes. She gasped in surprise. As she felt the touch of the blindfold, a sudden burst of memories flooded her mind. Memories of a little, happy and playful companion. She burst into small spurts of laughter.
Her tears dried up. The wind ceased. She heard a familiar sound. A voice that she knew well. Calvin?
“Woof…….Woof…..Wooof!”
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