Adoration

chapter 2

Mike picked up his plate and book bag and went down to his room as fast as he could manage. James chuckled and punched in the pizza parlour's number. His stomach was barely full despite everything he had eaten today, he didn't have that heavy, full feeling that he loved and it was like an addiction. He couldn't relax until he had that feeling again, despite what he acted like James really did know he was getting fat.

He loved to play the denial game with his wife; it was something they had started a few years ago when Mike was too young to notice. As he waited for the pizzas he glanced over at the pictures on the sideboard, it was just after he'd met his wife and it was also Mike's ninth birthday. He looked so skinny back then compared to what he looked like now. James was widowed when Mike's mother died in an accident, she was coming home and it was pouring rain; visibility was almost non-existent and she didn't see the other car until she rand head long right into it. The driver of the other car didn't last long after he was taken to the hospital and his wife had died instantly on scene. Mike was only five and suddenly James found himself a widow and a single father. He managed for about three years to balance work with raising his son but eventually it got too much and he needed help. The school had voiced their concerns to the social services board when Mike started gaining weight and not doing very well in school. They even had a social worker breathing down James' neck about getting Mike some proper nutrition and cracking down on his school work.

James was left with a hard choice; get Mike back on track or lose him too so soon after his wife. That was when he started looking into babysitters and nannies for Mike while he worked. Most of the babysitters he interviewed were barely older than Mike and hardly competent to take care of him the way social services demanded. He started looking into nannies and quickly realized he could never afford to pay one what they wanted and still maintain his budget.

When he found Merida he was at his wit's end with babysitters; he had a deadline to meet set by social services and time was running out too quickly for his liking. Merida was perfect, she was old enough to be competent to take care of Mike, she had the qualifications both social services and James wanted and she would work for an affordable rate.

She did have a part time job at some big box store as a cashier but the hours weren't that great, with what she was asking for and what James could afford it worked. He hired her immediately and social services backed off, Mike didn't like Merida at first, he was petulant and hostile with her and nothing seemed to work. But Merida was patient and let Mike vent his feelings, it took about six months but Mike eventually calmed down and started behaving for Merida. He started to lose weight and his grades got a lot better, Merida had a talent for teaching Mike she was even better than James was. As for James, his weight didn't go down as easily as Mike's did, he was still gaining.

Merida was too polite to say anything about it but he could tell she wanted to. The stress at work started to get worse for James and it was beginning to affect his health, he was snapping at even the smallest things Mike did and the poor boy didn't know what he had done wrong to deserve his father's anger. He had confided in Merida who eventually came to James to clear the air. Even when James snapped at her, she didn't react defensively; she let him vent and calm down before saying something. He was glad she didn't fight or yell back at him because he felt guilty and ashamed that he had been scaring his son with his anger and taking out his frustration on him.

"I'm so sorry, to both you and Mike...I feel so ashamed of how I acted." James confessed.

"Perhaps it's time to take some stress leave from work just until you can get a better handle on it. I know it would mean a lot to Mike if you did. He misses his father; I can only do so much as his babysitter." Merida said.

"You're much more than just his babysitter; that much I can tell. He opens up to you almost like..." James trailed off.

"Like his mother? I'm not his mother though." Merida finished.

"I know but you've done such a good job with him over the last three years, it feels like things are back to normal again. You've helped both of us heal and come back together as a family."

"I was just doing what you paid me for." Merida said.

"You don't have to be so modest; you've already gone way beyond what I hired you to do. You've helped him, you even helped me. I think I will take that stress leave you recommended...if you'll be around with me during it." James said.

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