Vowing to behave himself, he slipped a cookie into his pocket! Rusty only had four cookies left. He had decided to eat one a day to make them last. He had eaten five of them the day before. Not only could he not eat his supper, but his stomach hurt. He woke up from a dream in the middle of the night of pork chops and mashed potatoes. His favourite. Today it would be only one cookie, but he had never been good at hard and fast rules.
Counting out all the change he had collected over the year, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get everything wanted, but he’d try. He was on a mission. Lucky school was out for the December Pro D day. This was something he had to do on his own. Despite his mother trying to teach him that there were no separate girl things or boy things, he didn’t always agree with her. He didn’t want any of his friends to catch him buying baking things. Not even Ben. Some of his friends would be ok with it. Frowning, he shook his head. There were those guys that would be teasing him about it for the rest of his life. He didn’t want Ben to have to stick up for him all the time. He had to do this on his own. Besides it wasn’t anyone else’s business.
~~~~~
Rusty’s mother, Madge, worried about her kids. More recently Rusty. He didn’t talk about it, but she had heard about the bullying at school. Mothers do have their own information line. When he left the house that morning, she had asked him where he was off to. He mumbled something about the Mall. “Are you meeting Ben?” Gruffly he said “Maybe, just for Christmas stuff. I’ll be back for lunch.” The door slammed behind him. Madge was relieved. She didn’t like him going off anywhere on his own, especially to the Mall. Ben seemed a responsible young man and she had to trust that they knew what they was doing. Rusty couldn’t tell his mom that he was going on his own, or she wouldn’t have let him. So he knew he’d better be back for lunch.
~~~~~
“Hi mom! I’m back! Is lunch ready, I’m starved.” Rusty came bursting through the front door. “You’re in a good mood. You and Ben must have had a good morning.” Madge had just finished putting sandwiches on the table. “Your dad’s at work and he called to remind me that we’re all going out to supper tonight. It’s his office Christmas party with all the families. What have you got there?” Rusty looked all around. “Where’s Annabelle? She can’t see this.”
“She and Abby went to the roller rink. She’ll be back soon.”
Rusty helped himself to the sandwiches and took a big drink of milk. “Ok I got this Christmas ornament for one of her presents. I want to get some baking things but didn’t really know what to get. I couldn’t find a clerk. So maybe you could help me make a list of things I can get at the Dollar store.”
“This one is a pretty good start, honey. It’s a cinnamon stick. Not one that Abby could use, but it works with the plan you have.” She paused, a tear in her eye. “You know, Rusty, I am very proud of you.” With his mouth full, her son said. “Why? Cause I got a good present?”
“No, honey. Because you’ve had a tough time at school and you’re just out there getting your sister’s gifts anyway. Hasn’t slowed you down at all.”
“Course not, mom. It’s not going to mess up my Christmas.”
“One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked,
but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.”
~ Michael J. Fox
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