Nico -Chapter 2: Daddy's Home

As the sun rises on a cold morning of December 11, 2006, Nico slowly arises from his deep precious sleep to hear birds chirping and something that he wished he had never heard this early… his mother singing Miley Cyrus.

“I CAME IN LIKE A WREEEEECKING BALLLLL*voice crack*”

Somethings in life, aren’t meant to be perfect but you know neither is Nico’s moms voice. Yeesh.

Back to Nico.

Nico was sitting up in his bed looking out at the sun and the animals singing in the early morning aka 7. Yep you heard it folks, Nico’s moms ear bleeding singing of what is “supposed” to be Miley Cyrus woke him up, trust me, not a fun thing to wake up to if you really heard it. Nico slowly climbs out of bed and heads down stairs. Miss mommy seen him though and stopped..thank god. Nico felt relieved. He sat down at the big, brown, dinner table to sit with is mother as she made him chocolate chip pancakes. They said grace. “Amen”. They ate their breakfast and since Nico didn’t have school today although being a saturday, he went over and plopped his tiny little body onto the couch and turned on Spongebob, which everyone knows, Spongebob is the best television show known to mankind.

Nico was still watching Spongebob when his mom announced that she had to go to work. Nico jumped up and he hugged his mother tightly and then she walked out the door, she headed off. Nico of coursingly went back over and plopped his tiny, little body on the couch again and turned back on his show.

3 hours later as Nico was passed out cold on the couch for an afternoon nap, the phone rang.

“Ring, ring, ring”.

It rang 6 times before Nico really got ahold of it to answer it. A soft calm voice said in a stuttering way, ‘’hello’’. As much as the voice on the phone was thrilled to hear Nico’s soft little boy voice, he still had no idea who it was. Nico tried to hang up but the voice on the phone said,

“No, wait, before you hang up, I have something to tell you. I...i am your grandmother!”

Nico was surprised. He didn’t know he had another grandmother. Must of been on his dad’s side. They talked for hours and Nico really felt the connection. He knew that maybe never meeting her in his life really made an impact because she was the best woman he could ever meet. They talked about everything including his mom and his dad. He found out everything he didn’t know about his dad before he left.

Nico’s mother was home from her job and seen Nico on the phone and snatched it from him and put it to her ear.

“Who is this?’’ She asked into the phone.

“Ah, Olivia, I knew we would talk someday soon’’, the voice said.

“What in god’s name are you doing talking to my son?!”

“Calm yourself, I was only trying to reach you to tell you that I have some of Maxwell’s stuff here if you want it.”

“Don’t you tell me to calm down you defective woman, and don’t you ever call back here again and DON’T you ever talk to my son again.”

She hung up the phone and Nico looked so shocked and hurt.

“What are you doing talking to her? What did she say to you?”

“Mommy, it’s okay. We talked about daddy and how much he misses me. We talked about you, she said you were a doll, whatever that means. Anyway, I met her for the first time and she was amazing and I didn’t know that I had a grandmother like her. And your a horrible mother to keep her from me.”

That was horrible and bad. Nico ran to his room and didn’t talk to his mother for several hours, maybe even a day. Nico was very hurt. Nico has been all cooped up all by himself knowing that he really didn’t have any family. The fact that his mother kept her from him really hurt him. All Nico could think about was how badly he probably hurt his mother and how badly he misses his father. As much as nico was very upset, he knew deep down that his mother was upset too.

The next day, Nico woke up and it was dark. He slowly got up from his bed and slipped the covers the left side of his bed. He looked out the window of his foggy, old window and he saw that it was dark and cloudy. He seen rain drops slowly dripping down the window as he stared out. He slowly walked back over to his bed and started to sit down slowly. The exact minute he sat down, he realized how much he is now hurt. A tear falls from his eye and slowly makes it to his chin. He heard a noise coming from downstairs. He wasn’t sure what the noise was so he went to the old, brown doorway of his room and heard the noise clearer. He knew. It was his mother crying.

Nico, slowly started to walk down the staircase. One step at a time, the stairs creaking beneath him. When he reached the bottom, he stopped and stood there in complete silence. He looked out into the livingroom to see his mother on the floor with a box. She was looking through the pictures of Maxwell who is Nico’s father in which you didn’t know. However, Nico’s mother really misses him. As she took out pictures of Maxwell and Nico, she smiled, sometimes even laughed as she cried. Nico started to cry as well knowing how much that he misses his father too. He walked over to his mother and his mother looked at him, eye to eye. As she smiled at Nico, she pulled him into her arms. After that, they talked and talked. All they really did was apologize to one another.

“I’m sorry for keeping all of this from you Nico. I am sorry I am such a bad mother”.

“Your not a bad mother mom. You a great mother and i’m sorry if I made you feel like a bad mother. I’m so sorry mommy!”

As they both cried, they looked at some of the pictures of when Nico was little and was all over Maxwell. They laughed and they cried. This was one of the times that Nico and his mom really bonded the most in years after Maxwell left.

As the night passed, Nico and his mother were fast asleep on the dirty, dusty livingroom floor. When it hit 10 AM they both woke up at the same time and hugged each other.

“I love you!” They both said.

Olivia, (Nico’s mother), was so happy to have her little boy back and she went in a made him the biggest breakfast that he loved very much. Nico decided to go into the kitchen and help his mother cook and once again, they really bonded. After Nico was all done eating his lovely breakfast with his mom, he slowly ran up the old stairs as they creaked beneath him. He went into his bedroom and grabbed his blue, plaid button-up shirt and a pair of his tan cargo shorts. He bounced up and over his bed and slipped into the bathroom going a thousand miles an hour. He slammed the door.

“OOPS!” He yelled as he slammed it.

After Nico was done getting dressed, he quickly combed his ragged, knotty hair and then quickly brushed his teeth. He went back into his bedroom and slipped on his black ankle socks. He grabbed his tennis shoes and put them on, stomping and jumping on the ground to make sure that they are on right and tight.

Nico slipped down the stairs, once again, hoping not to fall. When he reached the bottom, he and his mom were both ready to leave. Olivia, (Nico’s mom), grabbed her keys as they jangled in her hand loudly, they went out the door. Nico hopped in the car at the same time his mom did, they drove off. Around each corner and at every stop and go at the lights and signs, they made it to James’s house. Olivia just did a dump and run.

James and Nico spent hours talking and playing with G.I. Joe action figures.

“This one is my favorite Nico, see!” James said showing him the Storm Shadow figure.

Nico smiled and continued playing. As time flew by of the two talking and playing, Olivia called and was here to pick up Nico. As she was waiting in the car, Nico and James said their goodbyes.

Nico happily jumped into his seat in the car and buckled himself up. His mom turned around and looked at Nico,

“I have a surprise for you at home.”

“Yay, what is it?’’

“It’s a surprise hun.”

NARRATOR: As I recall, when Nico was playing with James, Olivia was driving home and received a call, it was from the military academy. They said that Maxwell was KIA, killed in action. However, when Olivia got home, her surprise KIA husband was standing with a smile on her front porch.

When Nico and his mom got home, the lights were on in the house and Nico was kind of suspicious and excited at the same time. When they were parked in the driveway Nico was bouncing in his seat. Olivia turned around and said,

“When you walk in, no yelling or screaming, it is nighttime son.”

Nico had no reply, he just jumped out of the car. He ran across the grass, slipping sideways and of course he fell. He giggled and got back up, he kept running. He opened the door to see nothing. Nothing was there and it was quiet.

He ran up to his bedroom and the door was closed. He opened it slowly and saw a man sitting on his bed. Who could this strange man on Nico’s bed be?

“DADDY!!’’ Nico screamed.

“Hey sport”.

Nico jumped into his dad’s arms and started crying. Maxwell crying too. Olivia was standing in the doorway and she said,

“I told you it was a surprise and I said no yelling or screaming son” she laughed and cried at the same time.

Nico was so happy that he couldn’t stop crying and he would not let go of his dad. This is everything Nico ever wanted was for his dad to come home. Dreams really do come true huh? Even though Nico was beyond happy, Olivia was happy too. No wonder why they tricked her, it was because, it was Maxwell’s big surprise. Maxwell was home for good now and was ready to be a dad again. All Nico could think about at this moment was the counting sheep but, better yet, his dad coming home.

“Daddy’s home!” Nico said.