The Son and the Sparrow

Chapter Twenty Two(v3)

Chapter Twenty Two

When Leon woke the next morning, Haley was absent from bed and the incredible smell of pancakes floated in the air. Leon's stomach automatically growled in response to the smell, and he licked his lips. Pancakes; how long had it been since he last tasted pancakes? It made Leon feel as though all was right in the world, as though the nightmare of Clay's death had never happened. Leon stretched toward the foot of the bed, his toes pointed, before he got up. He didn't want to get dressed quite yet, so he donned a bathrobe and wandered into the hallway. The intensity of the bright light that lit the hallway surprised him. How late had he slept?

Leon looked up and down the hall, his eyes naturally falling upon that door. He imagined the ghostly whisp of a laugh that would echo through the house on mornings like this. On the door were two signs, one that said 'Clay's Spaceship' in typed writing, and other, handwritten under it that said 'No parents or aleins allowed." Clay had been going through a rebellious stage when he had put it up. For a time, whenever he or Haley would come in he would pout and complain, but eventually he understood that his sign wasn't enough to keep parents out and forgot about the made up rule. He was a good boy. Leon grabbed the knob in his hand, took a breath, then twisted it. Should he be doing this? He was inviting pain to wash over him again and ruin the peaceful morning.

He pushed the door open, his shoulder pressed against it, staring at the carpet. He saw an action figure lying near his feet. Leon sucked in a breath. He raised his eyes, but couldn't see clearly through his tears. He wiped them away, and collapsed to the side, his weight against the wall. Glow-in-the-dark stars stuck his ceiling. His toys had been put away, his blue blanket tucked neatly into the mattress of his bed. Usually his toy cars were strewn across the rug-a map of a city with roads the cars could 'drive' on. Leon looked his right and saw his distraught expression in the mirror. He pulled his sleeve to his eyes once more, tearing the tears away, and calmed himself. He remembered to breathe. So many times he had opened this door, and popped in to see Clay playing. Clay would look up, smile, and continue. Leon remembered, right before the accident, explaining what school was going to be like. School. Leon frowned for a second, something flashing through his mind, emotions of anger and something else, but then it was gone. Leon stared at the empty, devoid room for a few moments longer before retracting himself from it. He threaded his fingers through his hair and sighed. That was it. The remnants of Clay's dead life, and perhaps his own as well. Leon shivered.

"Leon!" Haley called from down the stairs. "Are you up?"

Leon jumped away from the door as though it was a crime, then relaxed and nearly chuckled at his behavior.

"Yes Hon." He replied.

"Come down." Haley invited. "I made pancakes for you."

Leon's stomach flared back to life, and he felt almost normal again. He smiled to himself, took one last look toward Clay's bedroom, then walked down the stairs and into the dining room. Haley strolled out of the kitchen with a plate of food and kissed Leon's cheek. Leon felt a warmth spread through his body, and once again he was hovering in bliss. They sat at the table and Leon spread warm syrup on his food. He tore off a piece and plopped it into his mouth, closing his eyes as he chewed to enjoy the sweet satisfying flavor. There was no taste, no ambrosia on earth that could compare to pancakes. Haley glanced up as Leon's throat rumbled with appreciation.

Leon smiled sheepishly, and explained, "I've been living off cereal for the last month."

Haley sighed. "But you can cook Leon."

That was true. Leon wasn't a good chef, not at all, but he wasn't horrible either. He could produce a couple of decent meals. He shrugged, as though cooking had not occurred to him. Which it hadn't. They ate in silence, which Leon relished at the moment. It was a comfortable quiet, one Leon didn't mind. He was so focused on eating, his conversation probably would have been muttered through bits of sweet cake, syrup and bacon anyway. Haley watched him from time to time with a small smile framing her face. Leon knew why she smiled, as he could feel it too. They were whole again. A family, almost. It was so heartbreakingly perfect. He just wished all the pieces could be in place. It was like a puzzle-sure, without a piece you could see what the picture was, but that didn't mean the puzzle was complete. They felt together, united, yet they both knew it would never be the same.