WHERE IS MY SON?
1003 Words
EVELYN
So the plan to have a chill night outside was a fail.
By the time Lionel dropped me off at home, my headache had doubled. Between stabbing a man, seeing Arthur, and having him openly question Toby’s paternity in the middle of a nightclub, I was dangerously close to losing whatever remained of my sanity.
The second I stepped through the front door, I kicked off my heels and let out a long breath. Thankfully, Toby was already asleep by the time I got home.
I stood in his doorway for a few minutes, watching him sleep. His blanket was half-kicked off the bed, one sock was missing from his legs, and his stuffed dinosaur was lying face-down on the floor.
I smiled despite myself, then I covered him quietly and headed to bed.
Tomorrow would be better.
It had to be.
⸻
Tomorrow was not better. Not even close.
The morning started well enough. I had several meetings and in all meetings where I pitched my company for an architectural job, my presentation stood out. To the point where I could feel everyone else looking at me with malice in their eyes.
Eventually, time for lunch rolled by. After eating, I decided I would pick up Toby myself from school. I mean, I was happy. And we could both use a treat after school.
By the time the school dismissal bell approached, I was ready to go. Before hand, I’d called his nanny to forget about picking him up today.
I arrived at the school a little later than usual.
Children were already flooding through the gates in groups, some running toward waiting parents while others climbed into cars.
I smiled automatically as I searched for Toby’s familiar face.
A few minutes passed, and then more. My smile slowly started to falter. I recognized his class teacher—Mrs Shelby—coming out of the building, and I rushed to her.
“Excuse me, have you seen Toby?”
A look of panic crossed her face.
“Huh?” She asked and glanced toward the gate. “I thought he’d already left.”
A feeling of dread settled in my stomach.
“What do you mean?” I asked with a calm I didn’t feel.
Mrs Shelby stuttered, “H-his aunt p-picked him up.”
For a moment, I simply stared at her, utterly unfounded.
“My what?”
“His aunt.”
The dread in my stomach started to crawl up to my throat, suffocating me.
“I’m sorry,” I said slowly. “Could you repeat that?”
She looked really confused now as she obeyed,“His aunt came about twenty minutes ago. He was even happy to go with her. She didn’t call you first? She said she did…”
My pulse started to pound.
“Toby doesn’t have an aunt.” I started calmly, and then my voice escalated, “Toby doesn’t know any f*****g aunt, I raised him all alone!”
Mrs Shelby’s expression changed instantly.
“What?”
The word barely came out, my chest tight with emotion. Every muscle in my body locked as I struggled to ask for the umpteenth time,
“Who picked up my son?”
The teacher looked alarmed now.
“She introduced herself as his aunt.”
“Okay. Okay… what’s her name?”
There was a pause, and then she shook her head in a helpless gesture.
“I don’t know her name.”
I felt my blood pressure spike.
“You handed my child over to a stranger and you don’t know her name?”
Several people nearby turned to look, but at this point I couldn’t give two shits. Not even about the fact that Mrs Shelby was shivering in front of me.
“She knew his name?”
“So?”
“She knew yours too.”
My heart was hammering hard enough to hurt.
“She said she was family.”
“I don’t have any f*****g family!” I yelled, ignoring the staff that had now gathered to know what was wrong. I was already pulling out my phone with my hands shaking badly.
I called Toby’s smartwatch. It rang severally, but there was no answer.
‘Please God,’ I prayed in my heart, ‘please save my son. He’s the only reason I’m surviving every day. I can’t lose him…’
“Miss… Miss, let’s work together.” Someone was saying. I heard another ask,
“What was the name of this aunt?”
“Rebecca.” Mrs Shelby asked and my head snapped up so fast, I had to stagger back from the force.
“W-What?”
They all turned to me.
“What did you just say her name is?” I had already started moving backwards to my car, my heart pounding three times faster.
“Rebecca. She mentioned being a paternal aunt—”
But I’d already turned around and stared to rush towards my car. I jumped into the front seat like a lunatic, dialing Arthur’s number.
He picked on the very first ring.
“H-Hello? Evie?”
“You’re such a devil. Give me back my son this instant or I swear, I’ll be forced to do something drastic.”
There was a long pause from the receiver’s end.
“What are you talking about?”
I slammed my palm against my steering and yelled at him, “Oh stop acting clueless! Stop! You guys took my son from his school! Rebecca came here and had to guts to f*****g pick up my son! I swear, she would be visiting jail. I’ll make sure she pays for this! You all!”
“Shit.” I heard Arthur mutter under his breath.
“I’m coming over to your house now. Hand me my son in peace. Or in pieces. Your choice.”
I hung up then and threw the phone across the passenger’s seat, my heart beating out of my chest.
Please be safe, Tobs… mommy’s coming.
- Writer
