Mad About You

Little by little, the bare spaces in his room were filled with toys, his newly papered walls cluttered with posters.
    Only one box remained, smaller than the others, and Chad seemed reluctant to open it.
    "What's in this one?" Virginia asked.
    He frowned and bit his lip. "Some things my mom gave me, pictures and stuff."
    She inhaled and exhaled quietly, not sure she was ready to see the face of the woman who had stolen her child, who had cheated her out of seeing her son grow up. Today especially had shown her how much she'd missed. "Go ahead and open it," she said finally.
    Gingerly he tore the strapping tape and folded back the top flaps, reaching in to pull out a handful of pictures. "I don't remember all of these," he said. "I was too little, but she wrote on the backs so I'd know when I grew up."
    Virginia withdrew one photo with a shaky hand. Lois Green smiled back at her, her pale features unremarkable but pleasant, her eyes shiny. Chad was an adorable, laughing toddler standing on a table bent over a cake, and she held him by the waist... as if she had given birth to him, as if she had every right to pose for a picture with him, as if she were his mother. She turned over the photo. Chad's second birthday with Mom.
    Tears of frustration welled in Virginia's eyes, and she tried mightily to blink them away. Hurt ballooned anew in her chest, smothering her. This woman had taken everything. Because of her, Virginia's life had been devoid of her child's love. Eight years of her life, of her son's life, she could never recapture.
    She stood up and clutched her burning chest, watching the picture spiral to the floor.
    "Are you okay?" Chad asked, concern in his voice.
    "I’m sorry," she said weakly, swiping at her tears. "I just can't... I can't look at these."
    She turned and stumbled from the room and down the hall into her own bedroom, where she dropped onto the padded bench seat of her vanity and tried to harness her emotions. But one look in the mirror at her own hurt, and the dam burst. All she could see was the glassy-eyed expression of the woman who'd ruthlessly uprooted her life. "I... hate... her... I... hate... her," she said over and over, punctuating her anger by pounding her fist harder and harder onto the cold marble vanity top.
    In the mirror she saw a movement behind her and drew a shuddering breath when she saw Chad standing in the open doorway, tears streaming down his face. His eyes met hers, then he shot off. His feet pounded down the hall, then came the teeth-jarring slam of his bedroom door.

Chapter Nine

    VIRGINIA KNOCKED SOFTLY on Chad's closed bedroom door. "Chad, I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"
    She pressed her ear against the door and thought she heard him sniffling. Closing her eyes, she sagged her shoulder against the door. I've done it now. She quietly turned the knob, but met the lock's resistance. Knocking again, she said, "Chad, please let me in."
    "Go away." His voice sounded muffled.
    "I need to explain some things to you." When she heard him rise from the bed and cross to the door, relief flooded her limbs. She stepped back from the door and wiped her cheeks. Then she heard a swishing sound and felt something hit the toes of her shoes. Defeat washed over her as she stared down at his Keep Out sign.
    The doorbell rang, startling her. She expelled a frustrated sigh, then headed for the stairs. At the top step her foot hit something solid, sending it airborne. Her heart froze as she watched Chad’s handheld Nintendo bounce from step to step before landing on the wood floor with a terrible crash that left it in at least three pieces. His most cherished item... Lois's last Christmas gift to him.
    She stood paralyzed, staring down at the mess, her hands covering her mouth. How could she ever make it up to him?
    He must have heard the noise, because suddenly he was standing beside her.
    "Chad—" she began, reaching for his arm.
    "My Nintendo!" he cried, then ran down the stairs. He turned a tear-stained face up to her. "Why'd you do it?" he yelled.
    Somewhere in the distance Virginia heard the doorbell ring again. She started down the steps slowly. "I'm so sorry—it was an accident."
    "No, it wasn't!" he yelled, crying harder. "I heard you! I heard you say you hated my mother—you threw it down the stairs because she gave it to me!"
    She shook her head and raised her hands, beseeching him. "No, it was on the floor. I accidentally kicked it—"
    "You did it on purpose!" he