The Center

Frank:

The soft, low buzz that was once The Center no longer existed during nap time. The babies were in cribs and pack’n’plays, and the toddlers resided in uncomfortable cots in the nap room. The big kids, old enough to make their own choice, were either on The Center’s circle rug, quietly watching a movie, or in their respective room where they could try reading, or playing with toys, or even enjoy a computer game. I, however, was on break. The sixth break since working here, actually, and I couldn’t believe it. These six days have flown by so incredibly fast! I'd already known most of the staff, minus a select few, and the kids were really eager to get to know me, too! Most of them, that is. Sebastian was still hesitant, but my first night home mom assured me that he was just a quiet boy, not to take it personally. It wouldn’t stop me from trying to befriend him, though. Nothing pushy, nothing forceful, just genuine kindness is all. It wouldn’t be too hard, either. I love being around the kids! I love seeing them laugh, and how proud they are of their projects, or how excited they get showing you a new toy they’ve brought in. The silly stories they tell me and the funny things they do. It was hard not to love it! Loveable or not, though, I guess I could always use an hour off.

Every day at one thirty is nap time, just a half an hour after a noon lunch. Once everyone is settled, I'd usually check the nursery to see if they’d needed anything and then tip-toed into the cot room to see if they’d like anything either. As soon as I knew I was free I'd stroll off to the Staff Room and pop a veggie Hot Pocket into the microwave and grab myself a can of Coke from the fridge. Slipping into my routine was quite easy, the hard part was finding something to do after I'd eaten! Sure, there were other people to talk to, but everyone always has something to occupy them. Books, magazines, Gameboys, texting. Everyone already had a thing, and I didn’t want to intrude. I didn’t really have the attention span to read, and the only person I could text is my best friend Ray, but he had a stuffy office job and wasn’t even allowed to have his cell phone on. Other than him, though, I was somewhat of a loner. Just me, and my fatty food, and my carbonated drink.

Today, though, I was pleasantly surprised to meet up with my mom’s right hand man, Bob. He’s worked here for a year and has turned into Mr. Nanny, specializing in infant care. He’s a nice guy, from what I know, and mom’s convinced that he’d live at The Center if she’d let him. I was surprised to see him in the staff room, though, because I've yet to see him even taking a second for any type of personal break.

“Well, would you look at that! Super Nanny’s out of the Nursery!” I teased, walking towards him, ready for a ‘man hug’. He’d been standing near a little table with a coffee in hand and looked a little anxious. He smiled when he saw me, though, and set his coffee down.

“Hey Frank, how’s it been?” his low voice asked, referring to working I assumed. I shrugged, but smiled.

“Really, good. The kids are great, y’know?” I said, stepping a foot away to reach into the fridge and get myself a Coke. He laughed and nodded his head before taking a sip of his coffee.

“I do, I do. I wouldn’t even be here if Linda wasn’t forcing me. “Bob, I can’t have you working full time without a break! It’s against the law! It’s inhumane! We all need a break sometime!” “ He said, doing his best to mimic my mother’s voice and succeeding to make me and a few other people laugh as well.

“And here you are!” I said, spotting an open couch and gestured towards it so we could sit.

“Here I am,” he sighed as he sat down, his feet tapping at the ground. Forfeiting lunch for some human interaction, I decided to strike up a conversation.

“So, what are you up to, man?” I asked, casually. I placed my arm on the arm rest and turned so that I could face him better. He took another gulp of coffee and scrunched up his face a little bit.

“Other than The Center?” he laughed, pausing to catch my smile telling him to go on. “Nothing really. Wake up, go to work, come home, feed my cats, watch some TV, go to bed, do it all over again, y’know?” he told me, sounding a little bored with his schedule. I knew he was in love with the place, but I'd never guess that he didn’t really have much of a life.

“Really?” I questioned. “No parties, no clubs?” I asked, not being able to help myself. I didn’t get out much myself, but at least Ray and I made it a point to do something occasionally. His sad smile told me that he didn’t go to parties and he didn’t go to clubs.

“Nope, no night life at all, I guess.” He replied, quietly, downing the rest of his coffee. I didn’t know what to say after that. I'd managed to make it officially awkward between me and then only guy in the break room I could talk to. Awesome. Great.

I was saved, though, when someone plopped down next to him.

“I've been trying to get Bobby here to go out for months! He’s a party pooper!” My cousin, Alicia, giggled, poking Bob in the stomach. She’s only seventeen, but mom gave her an after school job during the year, and a full time position in the summer. Since she’s stationed in the kid’s room, she doesn't have an assigned lunch hour, which is why I've probably yet to see her in here.

“And I refuse because you’re underaged!” Bob retorted, jokingly. I laughed when Alicia rolled her eyes at him while drinking from the straw that had been poked into her juice box. There are times when I forget that she’s three years younger than me, but then I realize that she’s still my baby cousin.

“Well, going out doesn’t necessarily have to mean going out! Maybe we could get together over the weekend or something? Just hang out and watch movies, get a little take out?” I suggested, hoping I wasn’t being too forward in Bob’s case.

Alicia’s eyes bugged and her shoulders started to bounce. Once she’d finished her juice box he dropped it in her lap and grinned. “Yes! Movie night! Oh, I'm so in!” she exclaimed, looking over at Bob hopefully. I did, too, as he glanced down at his empty coffee cup, looking unsure.

“C’mon, live a little! I'm sure your cats need a night off!” I joked, winking when he glanced up with a sheepish smile.

“I… I guess…” he hesitantly decided. Alicia threw her arms around him, which caused Bob to blush, and I laughed at the scene. I'd have to ask mom if she minded me throwing this little get-together in her living room, but I'm sure she wouldn’t. It’s not like they’d be staying the night. Plus we’re all, for the most part, mature adults. I mean, how much trouble can we possibly cause?

“Yay! I have a beach party to go to on Friday, but are you two free Saturday night?” My cousin asked, grinning at Bob and I. He nodded immediately, which caused me to smile and nod as well. Today’s Monday, which gives me plenty of time to convince mom, and I thought maybe I could invite Ray, too. That would give us a chance to hang out, but also allow him to meet Bob since he’s already met Alicia.

“Sounds perfect. Would you mind if I invited Ray along?” I asked, just to make sure Bob was comfortable. He looked a little confused, though, so I decided to elaborate. “Ray’s my best friend, I figured he’d add to the party.” I laughed, thinking how Ray really wasn’t much of a party guy at tall. Alicia giggled, too, knowing full well how quiet he can be. Kind of like Bob, actually.

“Oh, sure. Uh, the more the merrier, I guess,” he told us, smiling. Alicia clapped her hands together and bounced her shoulders again.

“Well it’s settled! Seven o’clock sound good to you boys?” she asked. Seven was fine for me, it’s not like I had any other plans. Ray should be all set to go, too, as he didn’t work on the weekends.

“I'll bring some horror movies,” Bob told us, looking excited, which made me glad. I always loved making new friends.

“Excellent, we’ll order some pizza and just chill out.” I said, but at the mention of pizza, my stomach began to grumble. I guess giving up lunch wasn’t such a great idea after all!

They both laughed at me, and after exchanging numbers with Bob, we separated to have some alone time with our food. As for me, I had a date with a Hot Pocket! My favorite way to eat them is to cut them up with a knife and fork, and the use my utensils instead of my hands. It saved me from getting burned and messy, but also didn’t make me look like a complete barbarian as I gobbled it down within mere minutes. Once I finished my meals, I decided to go back to the Toddler Room and see if anyone needed help getting ready for Music Hour, my absolute favorite!

When I entered, though, I was shocked to find that instead of a couple of staff members, I was met with Cora and Sebastian. Now, Cora does work here, and is pretty nice, too, but Sebastian’s supposed to be asleep! I felt awkward just standing at the door, so I went over to the table they were both sitting at. As it turned out, he was painting a picture.

“Hey guys, couldn’t sleep?” I asked carefully, deciding to take a seat next to Cora. Sebastian didn’t pay any attention to me, but Cora looked up and gave me a sad half smile.

“Sebastian had a bad dream, so I thought it’d be nice if he painted a picture. Isn’t he doing a great job?” she asked, encouraging. I glanced down to see an unhappy tree and a cute, smiling dinosaur. He was in the middle of neatly dipping his brush into a jar of clean water.

“Wow! That sure is an awesome picture. Why is the tree sad, though?” I asked, curiously.

I waited a minute or so while he carefully set down his brush, and then stared at his paper almost as if he was analyzing it. I took a glimpse in Cora’s direction and found her biting her lip, a worried expression all over her face. Was I not supposed to ask something like that? Was it inappropriate?

Like the first, and only, time he’d answered me, Sebastian took a deep breath. He blinked a couple of times and then looked up at me with sad eyes

“He had a bad dream, too…” he whispered, slowly. I frowned, wanting to just hug this kid. Instead of overstepping my boundaries, though, I pointed at the dinosaur in the picture and tried to give Sebastian my best smile.

“Well, it’s a good thing that Mr. Dinosaur’s his friend, right?” I asked, attempting to make light of the situation.

And, incredibly enough, he smiled. He looked over at the red dino and it was barely even there, but I could tell. I saw it. I saw the proud smile on his little face and I broke out in a grin. I couldn’t help but feel proud, myself. After a week, I felt like I finally connected with him, even if it wasn’t all that much. I believe I've just witnessed the first of what I hope will be many, many smiles from Sebastian.

Cora stayed silent as she watched the two of us interacting. I was silent too, as he picked the pink paint to dip his brush into. I didn’t know what he was adding, or what he could use the pink for, but when a heart appeared on the paper Cora nudged my arm. I looked up to find a grin on her face, making me break out into one as well.

All of the sudden, though, she checked her watch and bolted up. “I'm sorry Sebastian, but we’ve got to clean up now. How about you empty your jar while I clean out your tray and Frankie puts your picture in the drying rack? Would that be okay?” She asked, bending down next to him. I stood, too, getting ready to put his paper away if he’d allow me.

Cora didn’t wait for a response, however, and went about cleaning up. Sebastian was still for a second before looking up at me, his blank expression back on his face. My hand made its way to the back of my neck and then up to my hair, messing it up. His eyes glanced to his paper and then back to me, almost as if he was trying to figure out if he could trust me with such an important task. Was I capable? Was I worthy? I sure hoped so…

His reply was an easy nod of the head before he slowly turned from me to grab his jar and walk over to the kid’s sink which was right next to the normal sized kitchen one. He didn’t just leave the jar in the sink, either. He made sure to put the water on and swish it around a little before putting standing on his tippy toes to place it carefully on the counter so that Cora could put it in the strainer. I felt that this was my cue to get going on my part of the deal. Easily I picked it up, pinching each side so I didn’t ruin anything and could have it flat enough so that none of the paint would run. I walked my slowest over to the rack and then decided that his deserved the very top spot. Luckily it hadn’t already been taken or else I would have had a tough time trying to move things around!

It seemed that as soon as the paper hit the metal the padding of little feet could be heard and “Don’t run!” echoed in the room. Almost immediately a smile was back on my face as I turned around to see all of their refreshed faces, excited to continue on with their day. They all took a seat and most looked pretty eager to hear Amie play them the violin ‘Just like a hillbilly!’. I walked to the back of the room as she was setting up to stand by the rest of the staff and leaned against the counter, folding my arms over my chest.

“You know, that was pretty awesome today with Sebastian.” Cora whispered over to me as she took a seat on the counter top.

“You think? I mean, he’s quiet but is it really that rare of an occasion for him to smile at someone?” I asked, baffled.

“Well, I haven’t seen one since he’s been here.” She said sadly, looking over at him.

My gaze drifted towards the little boy as well and saw him sitting in the seat he’d been in while he was painting. A smaller blanket was bunched up, except for a corner, which he was rubbing against his nose. He’s done this every day during Music Hour. From what I figure, it’s somewhat of a comfort thing, or a safety zone even. I rested my head on a cabinet and sighed.

There was progress today, that’s for damn sure, but practice made perfect and I sure as hell wasn’t giving up.