Cheryl Tardif - Children of the Fog

She pushed it. “ Jesus!”

Her son’s bedroom blasted her with frigid air. When she glanced toward the far wall, she spotted the culprit. The blinds were wide open and the window was shattered. On the floor, a foot from Sam’s bed, was a brick.

“What’s going on?” Philip demanded, flicking on the light.

Speechless, she reached a hand to her throat as her eyes swept over the room, then screeched to a stop on Sam’s bed.

His empty bed.

Panic seared through her, hot and fearful. “Sam?”

Behind her, the closet door creaked. She moved closer, but Philip beat her to it. When he whipped it open, she was overwhelmed by relief. Her sweet boy was curled up in the corner, tears flooding his face.

She swept Sam into her arms. “Only my bat boy would hide in the closet,” she murmured, stoking his hair. “Philip, who would do such a thing?”

“Shit, I don’t know. Probably just kids out carousing. Tuck Sam back into bed and we’ll clean this up.”

“I’ll put him in our bed,” she said dryly. “He’s not sleeping in here tonight.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll clean up the glass then.”

Sadie hefted Sam to her hip and made for the door. She could feel his heart beating rapidly, and it didn’t slow until she reached her bedroom and tucked him into the king-sized bed. When he reached up, she kissed his forehead. “No worries. You’re safe, honey. I promise.”

Lugging the vacuum behind him, Philip paused in the doorway. His gaze wouldn’t meet hers.

“I’ll report it first thing in the morning,” he said before disappearing.

A minute later, the vacuum roared to life.

These were the moments—although rare—that reminded her of why she had married Philip. He always took care of business.

Leah arrived just after one-thirty on Sunday afternoon.

Sadie took one look at her friend’s downcast face and knew instinctively that something was wrong.

“What?” she demanded.

“They didn’t have your cake order, Sadie.”

“But I called it in last week. How could they—” She caught sight of Leah’s sly grin and twinkling eyes. “What’s going on?”

“April Fools!”

Leah darted down the sidewalk, then returned a minute later bearing a sweet gift. Sam’s Batman birthday cake.

“April Fools’ Day ends at noon, you know,” Sadie muttered.

“Not in Canada, silly. Besides, I couldn’t resist.”

Sadie gave her a saccharine smile. “No problem. I’ll get you back next year.”

Juggling the cake box, Leah kicked off her shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen. “There’s no room in the fridge.”

“Leave it on the counter then,” Sadie said, emptying a bag of steaming microwave popcorn into a bowl. “Are you ready for this?”

“It’s a kids’ party. How bad can it get?”

Sadie opened her mouth, but then clamped it shut. Leah didn’t have kids.

And after today, she’ll be very thankful of that fact.

When they entered the living room, it was already in a state of chaos. Toys and kids were scattered on every piece of furniture. In one corner, twin boys jumped on the sofa, fighting over a plastic sword. Victoria, Sam’s new school friend, stood nearby with her hands on her hips.

“Stop it!” the little girl demanded. “Put that down and stop fighting!” Her blond pigtails bounced with every word.

In the middle of the room, a copper-haired boy sat on the floor, eyes glued to a movie. Beside him, Sam was busy pretending to be a T-Rex, his voice competing with the screams of his friends and the deafening volume of the TV. So far, he was in the lead.

The look of sheer horror on Leah’s face was almost comical.

“Oh… my… God,” she said. “How on earth are you gonna survive all these monsters?”

Sadie grinned and passed her the popcorn bowl. “That’s what I have you for.”

Leah’s face paled. “Hey, you only asked me to pick up the cake. You never said anything about me staying.”

“Then you don’t get any cake.”

“But that’s… blackmail!” Leah sputtered. “Fine then, but I’m leaving after the ice cream.”

The doorbell rang.

Sadie wiped her fingers on a dishcloth and hurried to the front door. When she opened it, she was relieved to see that the entertainment Philip had hired had arrived.

Clancy the Clown stood on the porch, his curly orange hair flapping in the wind. His face was caked with white paint and a bulbous red nose covered his own. An exaggerated crimson smile took up the lower half of his face. To Sadie, it seemed more grotesque than happy.

“Hey, Mrs. O’Connell,” the man said in a nasally tone. “Sorry I’m late. My car broke down and—”

She waved him inside. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just thankful you made it. You look very… uh… colorful.”

The clown sported a blue and orange striped jacket, a white shirt and bright yellow baggy pants held up by lime green and gold suspenders. A tiny top hat was perched on his head and a huge daisy was pinned to the left lapel.

Sadie suspected that one sniff would get her drenched.

“Do you want cash or a check?” she asked.

“Cash, if you have it.”

She pulled a wad of twenties from her pocket. She counted out three hundred dollars, paused, then added an extra forty.

You’d better be worth it, Clancy.

Handing him the money, she said, “Three hours, right?”

The clown nodded, placing the bills inside a canvas bag. “I’ll let myself out at…” He checked his watch. “Five-fifteen. Then you’re on your own.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Clancy smiled. “Did you call the agency?”

“I’ve had my hands full with these kids.”

The crimson smile stretched further. “The boss doesn’t know I’m late then. Thanks.”

A snort sounded from behind Sadie.

“If you want to thank her,” Leah said wryly, “then round up the little hooligans and do your thing.”

The clown’s brown eyes shifted to Sadie. “No problemo. Su casa es mi casa.”

With a bob of his head, Clancy and his neon red, size fourteen shoes clomped into the living room. He was welcomed by a boisterous Sam who shrieked with delight.

“Oh, Jesus,” Sadie moaned.

“Just think how loud things’ll be when Sam starts talking,” Leah said. “Once he starts, you won’t be able to shut him up.”

“That will be the best day of my life.”

Leah’s expression grew sad. “I know.”

Sadie watched Sam and his friends play with Clancy. The kids were fascinated by the clown, pulling on his suspenders and stepping on his huge shoes, and shrieking when he sprayed them with the daisy.

“Hey,” Leah said, jabbing her. “Let’s grab a glass of chocolate milk. I need something to wash down this popcorn. ”

As Sadie followed her into the kitchen, she peered over her shoulder. Sam’s beaming face brought a smile to her own.

“You’re a lucky mama,” Leah said softly.

“I know. Sam is the best thing in my life.”

When the door closed behind the last child, Sadie and Leah released a collective sigh, looked at each other and laughed.

“Birthdays were way easier when he was a baby,” Sadie said.

Leah pushed back her limp hair. “I just have one thing to say to you, my friend. I’m going to have a root canal this time next year. It’ll be a slice of heaven compared to this.”

“If you can get a two for one special I’ll come with you.”

“Yeah, but that would mean Phil would have to actually show up,” her friend said sourly.

The smile on Sadie’s face faded.

“Hey,” Leah said. “I’m sure he’s got a good reason for not making his own kid’s birthday party.”