As we were wrestling to get him ready I saw a dark blue spot just above his underwear line. He settled down and I gently pulled down the back of his briefs. A deep-blue bruise from the small of his tiny back down almost to the crack of his butt stared back at me. I am not kidding, Mitch; this bruise was at least six inches long and almost as wide!”
“Jesus, what did you do?” Mitch asked, sitting up in the bench.
“What could I do? I didn’t know what to say. I think he knew I saw it because he was real quiet—we both were until he started sniffling, slowly at first, until emotions got the best of him. He exploded into loud crying as he grabbed my arm and wouldn’t let go.”
“Don’t ever leave me here alone Sari, please. Daddy is so mean sometimes, don’t ever leave …”
“It’s okay, Danny, I won’t. I promise I won’t.”
“I’m so scared all the time, Sari, please don’t leave me. Say you won’t leave, promise me!”
“I promise, Danny, I promise.”
“I love you, Sari, you’re nice to me.”
“I love you too, Danny, you’re a good boy.”
“My God, what did you do next?” Mitch said ready to crawl out of his skin.
“I held him in my arms and cried with him until he stopped. I knew I would always love him after that—kinda like mother knows no matter how much her kid’s screw-up, she will love them, unconditionally. He’s such a cute boy with his blond hair and blue eyes.”
“Yeah, I saw him here with you one time, looked like a young Robert Redford.”
Giggling again Sarah asked Mitch when he had seen her.
“It was right before my birthday so it must have been in early July. I remember thinking that little kid looked so happy. It was a hot day and you were wearing shorts with a purple blouse; low cut to show-off your boobs.”
“I wasn’t trying to show-off my boobs.”
“Sure looked that way to me, but it’s okay, I mean if I had boobs like yours I would want to advertise them too.”
Laughing she said, “I enjoy talking with you, Mitch, you make me laugh, but I’m wondering about you.”
“Really, when you figure it out will you let me know?”
