Xenon, along with many parents, waited outside the elementary school gates for their children. He waited patiently while thinking about what Calian had mentioned earlier. It had been a while since Xenon went out. Work and taking care of his son were always his priorities, so he never thought about himself.
"It's not like I am going out to date. Sometimes I need some time for myself," the cowboy thought to himself. "Still, I can't just leave David, I don't want him to think that I want to be away from him." The school bell rang, which snapped him out of his thoughts. The older kids were on the farthest side of the school, while the kindergartners were on the opposite side so that they wouldn't get lost or mixed with other students.
David was seen walking out with a group of friends while holding his Bob the Builder backpack and lunch bag. Xenon couldn't help but notice that many of David's female classmates were walking behind him, trying to engage him in conversation. The cowboy couldn't help but feel proud and comical that his son had many crushes. His son looked annoyed; it was adorable.
The teacher was in front of her students, where she unlocked and opened the gate. The teacher let the student whose parents were present go. Xenon eventually stood in front, and David was let go. Father and son hugged; Xenon lifted his son. "Hey buddy, I missed you!" Xenon hissed at his son on the cheek; David wiped his cheek. He could only chuckle.
"D-Dad! Not in front of everyone!" David looked around to see if any of his classmates had seen what had occurred.
Xenon chuckled again as he walked away from the school and toward his black 2024 Ford F-150, where he opened his truck and put his son inside. While walking toward the other side of his truck, Xenon saw a familiar vehicle. It was a sheriff's vehicle from Helena. Outside the vehicle was the top sheriff of the city.
"Sheriff Nerick! Well, I'll be! I haven't seen you for a month! Did you take the vacation!?"
(How Sheriff Nerick would look)
The sheriff smiled as he went to Xenon; the men hugged and patted each other on the back. "Well, it sure has been a long time since we last saw one another. To answer your question. Yes, I finally decided to take the vacation since my other sheriffs were pressuring me. My Pops and I decided to go to Alaska to go hunting. It did me some good after all."
The men separated.
"I'm glad that you went. You needed that time off. You were always a workaholic and it's not good that you were using that to deal with...you know..."
Nerick's eyes softened as he momentarily looked down. "Yeah, I know. Ever since Martha died. I was a wreck after she died and I thought work would put my mind off from her death, but I still hurting on the inside. I finally realized the way I was thinking and feeling was not the healthy way."
Xenon and Nerick had been good friends ever since they were in university. Their fathers knew one another and motivated their sons to become friends. Although Xenon carried on his father's ranching business and Nerick carried on his family's legacy of becoming a sheriff, they always made an effort to remain in contact. Their friendship became stronger since they both lost their wives; Nerick's wife, Martha, died of breast cancer.
Nerick was very distraught that he only had a private funeral among family. Xenon was surprised that he wasn't even invited, but he understood that his friend didn't want too many people. It was something personal and private.
They understood each other's pain.
"I'm glad you took the initiative. How's your Pops, by the way? I haven't seen him in a while."
"He's doing well so far. There are times when he forgets things. I fear that he is slowly developing Alzheimers." Nerick sighed while massaging his forehead. "Anyway, that's enough about me. How about you? I see that David is looking like you."
"I'm doing well, so far. It's a lot while taking care of my son and the ranch. Luckily, I have other friends who help me out."
The sheriff smiled. "We all need a helping hand and emotional support. You should still go out and try to meet someone. It would be good for you and David. I mean, he's growing up and he is going to start asking questions. Children do need mother figures."
Xenon was quiet. He knew that Nerick was thinking what he believed was best for him and David, but it was different. No one, except his friends from the reservation, knew about his identity. "I will take your advice. Well, I gotta go. Got to go home."
Sheriff Nerick tucked his cowboy hat. "You got it. I can tell the little rascal is getting impatient." He motioned for Xenon to look behind him; David was seen kneeling up from his seat, looking impatient; the men chuckled. They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Xenon got inside his truck, and David sat back down in his seat, putting on his seatbelt.
Father and son drove off on the road. While driving, Xenon asked his son about his day at school. The young boy told him about the arts and crafts, alphabet, and math he had done. However, Xenon noticed that his son was thoughtful. "Something bugging you, buddy? You have been quiet for a couple of days." David looked away, and Xenon became concerned. "Is someone bugging you in school?"
David was silent, playing with his lunch bag holder. "We were learning about celebrations and the teacher said Mother's Day was coming up." Xenon bit his lower lip, knowing what was going to be said. "I don't have a mommy. Some of my friends want to know why I don't have one." The young boy looked at his father, looking afraid that if he said something he shouldn't have. "Daddy, I want a mommy. Why did God take Mommy to heaven? Can't we just ask God to bring her back to us?"
The questions broke Xenon's heart; his son was very innocent and couldn't fully understand the concept of death. He couldn't lie to his son when he first asked why his mother wasn't with him. Xenon did his best to explain that his mother didn't want to leave, but that God needed an angel in heaven. However, David was going to grow older soon and would tell him the real reason. It was still too soon. "Buddy, it's complicated. We can't undo what God decides for us. You're still too young to understand, but when you get a little older, I will explain everything, and it will make sense. Do you trust me buddy?"
David slowly nodded.
"Son, I'll tell you what. Let's get some McDonald's, and afterward, I'll take you with Granny. Daddy's going out tonight. How does that sound?"
David became excited about going to McDonald's. It was one of his favorite places to go. He also liked going to the reservation, especially going to Calian's mother-in-law, who doted on David.
"Maybe Calian and Nerick were right, I should get out more."
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