The Kite That Once Flew

        TW: mentions of death, and drugs 

 

        Every Saturday after work, I find myself hopping into my police car and taking trips to the different neighborhoods of my city. Westboro, like all towns, is nothing out of the ordinary — just a bleak dot on the map. However, I wouldn’t trade living here for the world. 

         Driving slowly by one of the many parks, I notice kids innocently playing on swing sets, jumping off and pushing each other on the swings. A group of toddlers run around the woodchipped area of the playground, screaming their heads off with joy. I swear the playground has been there for ages. The wear-and-tear of the paint on the monkey bars and slides are quite visible. I chuckle and look at the moms sitting on the hickory bench. They’ve got on the standard mom outfit for Westboro — looking put together, but tired from having to shepherd their kids around all day.

        My eyes turn to the open soccer field. A teenage couple is sitting on a blanket on the grass, feeding each other strawberries. I sigh and roll my eyes. Typical teenage behavior. From the driver’s seat, I scan the soccer field and notice a little kid standing in the dead center, with his back to me, holding a kite. He looks like he’s six or seven, with no parents in sight. I pull the car over and park it near the field. He’s concentrating on controlling the kite as it soars through the air. The kid stares straight up at the sky and seems to have tuned out the real world, only focusing on his kite. After a minute, I decide to get out of the car and approach him. With every step I make, he doesn’t tear his gaze off of the kite. 

       “Hey kid,” I shout as when I’m about six feet from him. “Where are your parents?” The kid finally turns his head to face me.

       “Dad?” he asks. I gasp and my legs suddenly feel like they’re going to give out from underneath my body, shaking uncontrollably. My heart pounds, hammering inside my chest.

       “...D..Danny?” I question, my mouth agape. “What are you doing out here?”

       “Flying my kite!” he laughs loudly.

       “We should get home, it’s getting late,” I say.

       “Please Daddy, only a few more minutes,” he pouts, his puppy dog eyes growing wider by every word.

       “Fine, only ten minutes,” I say. He grins and looks back up at the kite. I find myself staring at the kite as well, remembering the time I bought it for him. We were at the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia      looking through the gift store when he spotted a red, yellow, green, and blue kite. He practically begged me to buy it for him, so how could I say no?

       “How was work?” He asks, his gaze still transfixed on the kite.

       “Well, today we busted a drug addict and found her kid a new home. He’s safe, now living with a foster family,” I tell him.

       “So his mother abandoned him? Like you and Mommy abandoned me?” I step back.

       “What?”

       “Remember Daddy? We were in the hospital. You said to let go, so I did.”

~~~

       “Mommy, Daddy, I’m scared,” Danny cries.

      “Honey, it’ll be okay. You’ll be okay,” my wife says. Tears stream down her face as she hugs him tightly. I put my hand on my wife’s fingers, interlacing them with mine. I kneel down to the height of the hospital bed so I can see Daniel’s big, blue eyes. 

      “I’m getting sleepy,” Daniel says. 

      “Daniel, it’s okay to let go,” I whisper. “It’s okay to stop fighting. Just know that we’ll always love you.”

      “I… love you… too,” Daniel whispers as his eyes close. We hear a loud, drawn out beep. A nurse and a doctor rush into our room and all look at Daniel. My wife sobs, turning away from Danny. I embrace her in my arms, squeezing tight. Tears stream uncontrollably down our cheeks. Daniel, my only son, is gone.

~~~

        “Danny, I didn’t leave. I’m right here,” I say, looking at where he was once standing, but now isn’t. Wait, where’d he go? All that remains is the kite he was flying. I pick up the kite and grasp it firmly in my hand. Looking around frantically, I hope I didn’t lose him again. My surroundings are now pitch black. “DANIEL!” I scream into the night. I look every which way, but to no avail. All I have left of him is the colorful kite that he once happily flew.