As Tears Go By by Lydia Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t assume to tell me how to
parent my own son.”
    “We
need to remain consistent. It’s what the—”
    “I know
how to handle him!” he snapped, then huffed. “I have to go. I’ll pick him up
Wednesday from school.”
    She
nodded and entered the house. The sound of Kevin’s car pulling away dragged a
lot of her tension with it. She found Hunter in his room pacing, a Koosh ball
flapping in his hand as he marched from corner to corner.
    She
placed his belongings on the floor by the bed and sat. “Did you have a nice
weekend at your father’s?”
    “Daddy’s
house is blue.” He paced to the other corner. “Wild Blue Yonder,” he said,
matching the house to the exact crayon color.
    “That’s
a nice shade of blue. Would you like to help me put your things away?”
    “Mmm.”
    She
unzipped his bag and refolded his shirts. At least Kevin washed them. “Can you
find your shirt shelf?”
    Hunter
wandered to the closet, where the doors had been removed, and tapped the label
with a picture of a shirt. “Good. Put these shirts there please.”
    He
carried the shirts over to the shelf and shoved them into place.
    “Pants
next.”
    They
repeated the process until all of his belongings were put away. Hunter was
being vocal, but his words were still pitched in a way that told her he was far
from relaxed.
    They
had dinner and that was another battle. Tomorrow would be better, because
Hunter would be waking up in his usual bed and following his customary routine.
    It was
anybody’s guess how long the trial period of split custody would last. If
Hunter didn’t eventually adjust to their separation, she’d have to speak to the
courts about altering the agreement, due to their circumstances and Hunter’s
needs.
    If it
came to that, Becca feared she’d burn out. Being a parent was hard work and
could overwhelm anyone. But being a single parent of a growing boy with autism
was daunting. Her skills would be tested to the max as she weathered the days
alone.
    Kevin
had never been the greatest helpmate, but he at least was there for the moments
she needed to do the shopping or just take five minutes to regroup. Not to
mention the moments she was physically drained and needed his strength to
situate their son. Hunter possessed an inexhaustible energy and could be quite
stubborn at times.
    Kevin
loved their child, but part of her suspected it would be easier for him to
simply offer monetary support and visit occasionally. It was only the remainder
of his tattered conscience that seemed to keep him from making such a request,
that or misplaced pride. His version of pride would never mirror hers in terms
of their son. For some reason their son’s limitations had always fed his
personal insecurities, where she tended to appraise Hunter’s progress with
delicate discrimination.
    She
wanted what was best for Hunter, but she also didn’t want Kevin in her house.
The hollow joys of marriage were not worth the unbearable tension and betrayal.
The day she relinquished her ideals of a united family she suffered crushing
sorrow, not for herself or her husband, but because family should have been the
one thing she provided for Hunter, and theirs was broken.
    All of
these reasons were why she couldn’t take on one more thing in her life. She was
tapped out.
    That
night she battled with Hunter to brush his teeth, a tactile torture he hated,
but tolerated, due to positive reinforcement and a detailed token economy
developed with his team. Her reflection showed a bruise forming on her chin
where he’d head butted her earlier.
    It
wasn’t easy staying small as Hunter grew. Bruises were a commonplace
occurrence. On the calm and content days he was a gentle-hearted boy, but when
his frustration toppled his ability to communicate, the storm brewing within,
often erupted and devastated his temperate nature.
    Her
body ached as she stripped off her sweats and slid on a nightshirt. Another
blotch of purple marked her arm. Before she went to