The Ripple Effect

The people who employed me were not at all nasty; they were just…different than I. Their house was a palace of sorts, every inch covered in cold marble or tile. The couple who owned this place were elderly, but they had a child not much younger than Rein living with them; he was apparently their grandson. Brian was very quiet most of the time, and I hardly ever saw him; when I did, however, he just stared at me as if he wanted to remember something long-since forgotten. Or maybe something he had never known. But he was a sweetheart regardless.

I shook my head fervently and scrubbed harder at the kitchen tiles to rid myself of these silly, unfounded thoughts.

My cellphone beeped curiously, so I took a quick break to glance at the screen. The number was not recognized. But it said, “Mama, Jonathan has a fone!”

I grinned. Spelling had never been Rein’s best subject. I messaged him back quickly.

While I honestly tried to continue on with my work, the damn thing vibrated yet again! I glanced quickly around before dropping my sponge and collapsing on my rear end like a teenager hiding in a supply closet at school to avoid PE class.

“It is soooooo cool, Mama! And Jonathan says hi. We’re colouring, and the teacher thinks I’m cute to be texting my Mama. I miss you.”

I tried to text back, but another text stopped me.

“I miss you, too, Maman.”

My heart wrenched for that little boy who easily could have passed for Rein’s brother. In fact, I doubted if anyone would even blink twice if I picked him and Rein up from school on any day.

“I miss you, too, sweethearts. But Rein doesn’t have a phone so he pays attention in class. Should I talk to your Papa about taking yours, Jonathan?”

He didn’t reply, and I laughed to myself before tucking the device into my pocket.

“Your face only lights up like that when you’re talking to your little boy.”

I glanced up quickly, trying to wipe the stupid grin from my face. It was a miserable failure.

“You caught me, Clarice,” I admitted, scrubbing lightly at the floor as she stepped closer to me with a wine glass in her hand. “His friend has a phone, so he was texting me in class.”

The warm smile on her face always seemed to make everything…almost okay. If I didn’t need the money badly, I would come here for free. For the family feel I so desperately wanted for myself—but mostly for Rein.

“Him, too? Kids these days,” Clarice mumbled, making a strange face. “Brian was on us for three months before we even considered getting him one of those things. He’s tried showing me to use it, but I say don’t teach an old dog new tricks!”

“Clarice, come now; you’re a spitfire.”

She laughed heartily, her cackling filling the entire house before she dropped her glass loudly on the counter.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Sophie. I’ve taught you well, dear.”

I laughed with her before dropping my sponge in the bucket of soapy water and pushing myself to my feet.

“Is there anything else you need done?”

She glanced to the clock, and then she gaped in horror. “Oh, Sophie! School’s out! You stayed too late!”

I grabbed her arm gently. “No, it’s okay. He’s being picked up today.”

Clarice eyed me warily. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Of course. I’m sure I’ll get a phone call soon enough. Hopefully Rein still has his key…”

She seemed to calm down. “Well, in that case, here’s your paycheck for this week…” Her hand plunged into her purse before rifling around. “And here’s next week in advance. If I’m not wrong, it’s time to pay the bills.”

“You are too good to me,” I murmured, staring up at her in shock.

“Nonsense. Just say goodbye to Brian before you go. I wish Nate were here to say goodbye, but the fool is out running errands.”

I gave her a quick nod and moved to leave, but her hand caught my shoulder softly.

“Clarice?”

“Just…be easy on him. Brian has a hard time understanding some things, and I don’t blame him. You don’t know about my daughter, or his father… He does.”

“Of course. You take it easy, okay, Clarice?”

“No need to worry about me,” she mumbled, waving a dismissive hand at me.

I scurried into the living room, and—sure enough—Brian’s face flushed bright red and his hazel gaze dropped to the very phone Clarice hated. His black hair was flat against his head, his fringe cut straight across his small forehead. Everything about this boy made him seem so small and fragile, and I had this urge to protect him much like I needed to protect my Rein.

“Hey, Brian,” I whispered, dropping gently beside him and catching his tiny hand in mine.

“Hi, Sophie,” he breathed, still staring at the phone rather than me.

“Clarice tells me that your birthday was last week.”

He nodded, struck with the usual case of muteness.

“You know, when I turned six, my Mama and Papa gave me something really special: it was a necklace.” I reached under the collar of my shirt and grabbed the white gold chain. The simple pendant looked like a coin, but I opened it for him to see. An engraving of the moon was on the inside.

“It’s so pretty,” he whimpered, suddenly his eyes stuck on the object as his tiny hands flung out.

“I think so, too. So I saw this in the store the other day, and your Nan was nice enough to pay me early so I could buy it for you.” I dug into my pocket and produced the necklace similar to the one around my neck. “Now, gold is expensive, and my parents had a lot of money. But when I do, I’ll buy you this exact necklace, okay?”

I placed it delicately in his hands, and his tiny eyes all but bulged out of his head. A small smile crept onto my lips. I wanted to see him like this more, engaged in the world of child wonderment.

When I tried to leave, I was stopped by tiny fingers wrapped around one of mine.

“Sophie, wait!”

“What is it, Brian?”

I was hardly able to catch him when his body suddenly flung at me, his legs wrapping around my waist just as his arms tightened around my neck. He shook from the adrenaline—or so I thought. Small sobs escaped his lips, but I didn’t say anything; I just held him.

“I love you, Sissy,” he sobbed into my shoulder. “Don’t leave me like Mama and Papa. Promise you’ll come back, please!”

My heart all but shattered into a million pieces. I didn’t know the story of his parents, but it must have been terrible for him to think about. “Oh, Brian… Of course I’m coming back. I love you.”