Our Boys

Odds and Evens

"Hey there, can't sleep?" he asked softly.

Vik shook his head.

"Wanna come up here and have a cuddle?"

That was all the encouragement Vik needed to clamber up onto his fathers big bed. Simon remained asleep as JJ held onto the warm form that wrapped itself around him. It still amazed him that - not only had his heart been stolen, but that anyone, much less a small boy would make him the centre of their world, place in him unconditional trust and grant him unconditional love. He gently stoked Vik's silky black locks.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Vik sighed.

"Come on, whatever it is, I bet we can work it out together."

"I don't want anyone to be unhappy," Vik finally admitted.

"Why would anyone be unhappy?"

"'Cause the numbers are odd," came the quiet reply.

Forcing himself to keep his voice soft and calm, JJ pressed on. "Why don't you tell me all about it, start from the beginning."

"Okay, you 'member Josh showed me all the pictures about the theme park he got from the internet?"

"I do."

"Well I took the pictures to school for show and tell and I showed them and I told them I was going here for my birthday treat and well... Michael Lang said he's been there and he tolded everyone all about it and he said all the rides are for two and that's a even number."

Vik stopped, apparently believing he'd explained the problem.

"Well," JJ began, "two is an even number, why is that a bad thing?"

"Well I wanted to have Josh and Ethan and Tobi come too and I asked them and they said they wanted to come."

"I know and they're looking forward to it." The three might be quite a bit older than Vik but they enjoyed spending just as much time with him as Harry did. And there was no way they would let themselves miss the youngster's first birthday with the family.

"Well with you and me and Harry and Daddy that's seven and then someone would be on their own, 'cause if all the rides are for two people and we have a odd number then someone has to sit on their own and that's no fun."

JJ wasn't sure how much about odd and even numbers four year olds were taught, but he was pretty sure Vik had understood a lot more than he was actually taught, sometimes just how smart his son was just hit him in the face and it scared him. Even as all this ran through his head, Vik was still speaking.

"So I thought I could ask Zoe, then that would be eight but then she'd be the only girl, so I was gonna ask Rachel but then it would be nine so I was gonna ask Uncle Deji, but if I ask him I have to ask Uncle Cal and then that's eleven." Vik took a deep breath and then continued. "So then I was gonna ask this boy I know at school, his name's Rob and he's from Canada and he's nice and that would be twelve and that would be alright, no one would be on their own, but twelve is a lot of people and I know it costs lots of money to go to Chessington and Josh always says we mustn't ask for too much. "

It took JJ a moment to realise Vik had stopped speaking and work out what he'd said.

"Okay, let me get this right. You're worried that if only the seven of us go that's an odd number and that won't be fair?"

"Uh huh."

"But if you ask our babysitter Zoe, she'll be the only girl, and that's not fair either."

"Uh huh."

"But if you invite Rachel Davis that's another uneven number so you were going to invite Uncle Deji, but you can't invite him and not Uncle Cal, so you thought of inviting your friend Rob, but that would be too many."

JJ felt, more than saw, Vik nod his head.

"Well, you sure have done some serious thinking about this. First off, yes it would cost quite a lot for twelve of us to go, but that doesn't mean we couldn't, we're family now, no one is going to send you away, not ever. I know Josh always says to not ask for much but that boy goes too far in the other direction sometimes. If you really want to invite more people we can, though it's short notice, so you might find some of them have other things to do. Simon and I thought about inviting Zoe but she is working next Saturday."

Vik sighed. "Oh, okay."

"But I don't think you need to worry about someone being on their own."

"But it's not fair."

"Well, not everyone likes all the rides; I don't like rides that go around and around very quickly."

"You don't?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They make my belly feel funny in a bad way, but that doesn't mean other people don't like them. And some of the rides are only for kids."

"But I want you to come on the rides with me," Vik protested.

"And I will, if you want me too, but there may be rides you and Harry can go on without grown ups, special rides, and Daddy, your brothers and I will watch and take pictures. And remember, someone will have to be filming, we want a video, don't we?"

Vik remembered the fun they'd had watching the video of the snowboarding trip. "I guess."

"Me and Daddy and your brothers will take turns filming. No one minds and that way no one will have to ride alone."

"I don't want anyone to be left out."

JJ pulled Vik a little closer. "No one is going to be left out, I promise. Now do you want to invite anyone else to your birthday?"

Vik thought about it and wondered if inviting Rob would be a good idea. Most boys his age would have invited some school friends to their fifth birthday, but Vik had only been at his current school for less than four months and was still somewhat shy around strangers. He really liked Rob but for a small child who'd been through so much trauma at a young age, just the thought of inviting someone he didn't know that well to come to his birthday seemed very scary.

"Do you think it will be okay if it's just us?" Vik asked.

"Just the seven of us?"

"Yeah?"

"I think that would be fine." JJ kissed his son softly on the top of the head. "Now how about we get you back to bed, little Miss Molly might get lonely if she wakes up and she's on her own."

"It's not good to be on your own."

"No kiddo it isn't, but that's why we're a family."

Hmm, who should the next one be focused on I wonder?