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The days in the sky seemed to be the same: the same sun, the same clouds and the same moon. That relationship was not toxic at all, although the rain, the hailstorm or the snowing were stuck in the middle. Everything worked as if these guys would have never soiled these radiant days and those mysterious nights.
Frederick, in the other hand, was neither radiant nor mysterious. Bonnie started doubting a little about his behavior toward him, because, since he was born, aunt Chyna always told him how valuable and friendly his dad was. When they were alone... everything was different. At least he still found that warm and tickling sensation in his heart every time Frederick made up his basic necessities: changing diapers, wash him in the tub and feed him.
Today was a new day, and Bonnie was willing to demonstrate how servile he was so he could show his dad how much he loved him.
Frederick had once again green tamales on the same porcelain plate with rice atole for breakfast; regardless of not being the best of options, that still gave him some grace. When he was done, he glanced over Bonnie to see him playing with that mountain made out of plushies: he had the brown bear, a red-eyed, purple rabbit; a red fox and a yellow chicken next to every edge of a Monopoly board. Of course, he did not know how to play, but he was pretty keen on watching a game on live.
And then Frederick walked in.
"What are you doing?" he asked him with the same hoarse and monotonous voice.
Bonnie stared at him as if he would have screwed it up. He told the truth.
"Playing Molopoly," he replied with a stack of orange dollars between his paws.
Not even that scene changed Frederick's mind.
"Go to Mabel's and take this back," he stretched the plate in front of Bonnie's face.
Bonnie hesitated for a moment, but he immediately remembered that little promise he made to himself: everything for my daddy bear-y. And then he grabbed the plate and ran with that smile no one was ever going to erase. Besides, he loved to go out over the grass, see the butterflies, say hi to the ants, to those neighbors that had already once seen him running errands, to the clouds, to The Moon, to The Sun... to the... Well... whatever was up there higher.
When he was at Mabel's front door, Bonnie stood on his toes so he could reach the doorbell, but nobody answered. Maybe she was busy cooking too many tamales and she did not hear? He tried one more time. She did not answer again. Strange, wasn't it? Because Mabel was always here. They did not call her Mailbox for nothing.
Not being answered at the door made Bonnie a little ashamed. What was he going to do? He knew that if he got home and told his dad that he could not return the plate, he would get mad and yell at him, because, yes, that had already happened! Although, eventually, he apologized with a brief whisper and plopped himself back onto his homework chair to eat.
And then he got the best of ideas ever, yes! He remembered that Mabel's front yard was right away when entering the house, and then her living room, which did have a roof and windows. If the yard was roofless... Bonnie walked backwards. He measured the distance between him and the wall shielding the yard. It was not too far or high. Just like those cartoons about battles, he aimed over that wall before him and fired the projectile. In his mind he exclaimed the same statement his good, ol' friend Dora the Explorer always said at the end of any chapter: we did it! The plate was taken back.
For some reason Bonnie ran back home.
"All set!" he told dad when he was at home.
Frederick, who was standing next to the door gazing the blue sky, nodded to acknowledge him. Bonnie went back to the bedroom to play with his plushies.
That way to nod did not praise anything at all, it was just a blank gesture to get him out of his snout. It was not just that though: he was staring at that sky that still radiated natural warmth, the same that motivated him and Mallory to start making plans. Was he still thinking about it? Really? Bonnie was already two and the memories that occurred on that dire night felt like they happened just two hours ago. Why? Why life was capable of changing in just a blink of an eye? What had he had done to deserve somebody like that? To be locked in with a beast that did nothing but reborn those comeuppances? It was not all about his presence: those eyes... those eyes... those eyes... Mallory...
Today was a better day to Frederick: Chyna wouldn't be there until tomorrow because she had made an appointment with a customer. This would grant him the chance to remember, remember, remember... feel... to see one more time that furry face that used to spoil him every time he came back exhausted from ANNGO; to lay back on the couch and feel her warm paw tousling his fur until he fell asleep; to plop himself into the tub while she, from behind, scrubbed his chest like Vivian did to Edward. God! If bringing this back up was already a living hell, it was even worse if there was some beast around.
He turned to Bonnie, who had already prepared his breakfast: a bread, one of those Frederick was now buying more often, and a cup with warm milk. This breakfast always left him with milky little whiskers and his shirt covered with crumbs. Even the cricket that sneaked itself into their room giggled for how silly and cute Bonnie looked. He also shared his bread and milk to his plushies!?
Frederick, after thinking about the beast, picked up his car keys, his wallet and headed out. I left some food in the fridge, he won't starve, he thought as he hopped into the car. Deep down he knew this meant no trouble for Bonnie, because, at his short age, he already knew how to boil a fifteen-pound pot with food, as well as putting salt, pour water, sit down on the kitchen's bar and left the Looney Tunes on TV. He was not a schmuck, but how come he had learned to do such things?
Chyna's absence did not just let Frederick go out and drown his plights with empty calories, but he also got the chance to go to that bar close to Fox's workplace. It was just an hour past noon, so he would have to wait another one so they could meet up during his lunch hour.
This bar was not that crowded, it was like those days no soccer play nor a holiday came across. It was just an ordinary and boring day. Frederick came to sit on the bar.
"Freddy!" the barman exclaimed in front of him. "You're a sight for sore eyes, kid! Not working for ANNGO anymore? Thought you were General Manager already. How long has it been already? Three years?"
Seeing Frederick with his arms on the bar and his face buried into them changed the barman's mind, and he knew somehow that if he wanted to keep him as his loyal customer, he had to shut his snout.
"What can I get you, kid?" he asked quieter.
"Rum," he replied still with his whole face into the hole his arms formed.
Although it did not look like it, it was hurtful for this barman to see Frederick like a wreck: having his ten-year-long favorite customer like this was harder than sharing the house with a hideous beast. Maybe less.
When Fox arrived at the bar, Frederick had about three shot by then. Frederick recognized from the corner of his eye Fox's black suit and red fur.
"Fredo! What got ya here so early? They kicked your ass from ANNGO?"
He patted his back with his red paw. The first thing he noticed was how weak and flab-ish his back felt like. Fox gasped next to him as he noticed his neck, his arms and his belly.
"Oh my God! Did you swallow Mallory!? What's with all that blubber?"
For a second there Frederick felt like crying again. Not here, at home. He swallowed that knot on his throat.
"It's happened a lot that I couldn't tell you anythin', man." He strengthened himself back up.
Fox could tell he smelled a lot like sweat, alcohol and more sweat.
"But what's wrong? You look like you haven't showered in days."
And then Frederick explained to him everything that had happened two years ago: the way the Sun stopped rising for his days, the way my nights felt colder, the way food had turned into the best analgesic...
"Man, how come you never talked? I could've come to your place to help, y'know? To aid you through and whatnot, I dunno."
But then he froze when he heard what came out of Frederick's chubby snout:
"I wanna get rid of him."
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