Revealing Glances: Unsettling Short Stories & Their Making

Assumptions

“Excuse me, Miss, can you please help me find my daddy?”

A polite little boy tugged at my sleeve, distracting me from my phone. The food court in this bustling mall was packed with friendly faces escaping the summer heat, yet for some reason this kid chose to approach me. He couldn’t have been older than seven, his cherubic face framed by a halo of wild locks and his S's whistling through his missing front tooth. He’d fit right in with the rowdy first-graders I taught.

He looked up at me with nervous eyes, one hand gripping my sleeve, the other holding a phone. Kids these days, mastering technology before they could walk. I didn’t get my first cellphone until I was fifteen, but I was positive all my students were already coding their own apps.

“My daddy said to call if I got lost, but I can’t ‘cause my phone’s dead.”

“Hey, buddy, don’t worry. Why don’t you give me his number? We can call him from my phone.”

“I don’t remember it,” he said, his voice wavering.

I patted his arm as I comforted him. “Hey, no problem! We’ll just go to security. They’ll make a big announcement over all the speakers in the mall so your dad will know where to find you, how’s that?”

He nodded, holding out his hand, and I took it, tossing my coffee and abandoning the table I worked hard to secure. A couple of teens pounced on it at the same time as a businessman, and although I would’ve loved to stay and watch the fight, I had to reunite a little kid with his father.

“What’s your name, buddy?” I asked as we walked.

“Benjamin Drell, six-and-a-half years old,” he replied before giving me his address.

“Ah, okay. But don’t give your address like that to strangers, Benjamin. Only to police officers or someone you trust.”

“But I trust you.”

“Well, thank you. But you just met me and you alw—“

“Hey, you there, stop!”

We turned towards the angry man running over, and so did the people around us. I hugged Benjamin and took a confident stance, but the kid didn’t seem to need my protection as he pointed with an excited smile.

“That’s my daddy!”

The man came to a stop in front of us, his wary eyes darting between Benjamin and me, and Benjamin grinned as he held his hand, linking the three of us.

“Hi, daddy! She was helping me find you!”

The man’s features softened and he bent over and tilted the kid’s chin up. “Benjamin, don’t you ever scare me like that again!” He turned to me with a grateful smile. “Thank you for helping my son.”

I didn’t release Benjamin's hand. “You’re welcome. I hope you don’t mind, because I can see Benjamin knows you, but can I have proof you’re his dad and legal guardian, please?”

The man looked surprised, but he complied as he pulled out his phone and swiped through a few photos of him and his son together. “My wife passed away last year, so it’s just Benji and me. I don’t have legal documents on me, but I swear I’m his father.”

“This is my daddy, Miss! He’s single.”

I looked down at him, amused. Kids these days.

“Aha, alright Benji, that’s enough,” the man said with a flustered chuckle before addressing me. “Thank you again, I really appreciate your caution.”

“No problem,” I said. “I’m a teacher, so we have to keep an eye out on abductions, especially from family members.”

Benji looked up at his dad. “Can she have lunch with us?”