10 of 33

Write now Article Tools

Page 3 of 3

is just depressed. It's my fault. I should have checked the sugar before I went to bed last night."

The Nurses were scolding at Jake's Mother's story and informed her to take better care next time: "Do not go near the beehives without protective clothing and most importantly, do not run into the trees when trying to get away from the swarm."

Jake's Mother amazed him with her excuses. She should have been a writer. Her tall tales were bound to enthrall a wide audience.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's stop and buy some pies for dinner. I am so sorry that you stood up to your Dad. Promise me you will not do it again and everything will be all right. What pie do you want? You're choice because you are my favorite child: my little man."

Jake's mother made an extraordinarily expensive purchase of individual gourmet pies - one each for of them. "Oh great!" Jake thought. "Another fight tonight over the amount of money she wasted."

When Jake and his siblings scrambled to the dinner table, hungry for the delicious smells that wafted from the oven, they each found their pie lovingly wrapped in pretty notepaper. "Oh oh - more money waste," thought Jake. Thankfully for all the kids, Jake's mother stated that, "Father was working late at the office and wouldn't be coming home tonight." Even without his presence, Jake warily unwrapped his pie paper and read it aloud.

"Dear Jake, I love you very much and I hope that you will be a good boy from now on. Soon you will be grown up and you will know how hard it is to look after a family. Discipline is the best policy. Remember that. For now though, I have decided to let you go on the Scout Camp that I had previously said was too expensive. You can have my Christmas money son, because you deserve it and because I love you so very much. I am sorry that I am a bad mother sometimes and I ask you to forgive me. Love, Mother and Father."

Jake looked stonily at his siblings. "What's on your paper?"

Each of them read their note of apology and buyback promises. They were all similar: promises and excuses for their Father's intolerable abuse. Jake's mother was continuing to take responsibility for her husband's very bad behavior. Nothing was getting better in their house. The lying and covering up was just becoming more regular. The promises were paper - easily ripped up and thrown away.

"Daddy! Pass the paper napkin!" Julia's demanding finally broke through Jake's intrusive memory and he gladly passed one. Amazing! Something had changed for Jake.

"So bet you can't think of how to put pie and paper in a sentence Dad. We got you this time!" Stanley threw out his little challenge to Jake.

Looking like he was trying to decide whether to lie or to make an excuse, Jake reached out and held our son by his shoulder. "I am up for the challenge of tonight telling you many true sentences about Paper Pies from the olden days. Now hurry up you two. We're leaving for school in ten minutes."

I pretended to be busy, washing up and wiping down. "Well done Honey," I offered in my secret squirrel tone so the kids would not realize something was wrong. "You go off to bed and I'll deal with everything."

Shaking his head, Jake overcame his usual "Paper Pie" desire to stay sitting on his behind and blame the world for being against him. He pushed his chair backward, a huge grin on his mouth, and announced, "Today I'll go back to work and tonight we'll celebrate by each choosing a little gourmet pie from the bakery."

Oh Jake. Welcome back, sugar pie.

Learn more about this author, Megan Bayliss.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3

Add your voice

Know something about Short Stories: Jake?
We want to hear your view. Write now!