Little Things Matter
A short story
It was half-past five in the evening. Caylee sighed in relief as she wrapped up her chores for the day and sat down to proceed with her usual evening rituals — a cup of latte accompanied by her favorite fantasy novel. Just when she flipped through the pages and slurped her coffee, a sudden, sharp, high-pitched scream took her aback.
“Mommy! Look what I found” an elated Oliver came rustling in, yelling at the top of his voice, with an exquisitely hollow, enormous, and pale-looking seashell in one of his hands.
“Good God! How many times do I need to tell you to stop hollering around? ” said Caylee, still shaken up.
“You gotta see this mommy! It’s white..it’s fragile..it’s spiral..it’s..it’s so awesome! Have you seen something like this before? I bet it’s precious. Mom, I’m gonna be so famous I tell you…”
“ Yes yes yes, honey. You’re gonna be even more popular than that Mark in your school. But I’m afraid this seashell might not get the credits” Caylee interrupted before he could complete his story.
“ A she-sell ?” uttered the eight-year-old puzzled kid.
“No..not a she-sell, it’s a SEASHELL!” Caylee told him paying little attention to his questions while putting on her reading glasses in an attempt to immerse in the novel world. “These are found near the seashore and hence the name. Is your Q&A session for today over now? ” she added.
“ So, are these ordinary?” Oliver’s facial expressions went from exuberant to dreary.
“ Baby, you don’t have to be so upset. A nice piece of chocolate cheesecake is waiting for you at the kitchen table. Go, grab it! ” Caylee cheered him up.
Oliver walked into the kitchen with a grimace, as his mom continued with her leisure time. However, the sight of his favorite snack healed him instantly. The dripping chocolate was enough to lure him. In the next few minutes, he gobbled up the sweet dish and ended up with a layer of chocolate around his mouth in addition to the mess on the table. He cleared it all on the spur of the moment before his mom could catch him.
The next morning was rather a drowsy one. It was a cloudy, overcast day. Caylee didn’t even realize the night was over until there was a knock at the door. She woke up, rubbed her eyes, and began to trudge towards the living room. “ Oliver, who is it ?” she asked in a sluggish tone.
“ It’s my friends, mom. They’ve come to take me to the field. Can I go outside and play with them?” the little boy cried from the main door.
“What! I get that it’s your summer break, Oliver. But you can’t simply stay out the entire day. You haven’t even had your breakfast yet. Are you listening?”
“ I’ve had the cake already. We’ll be going to Robin’s place for video gaming afterward. I’ll eat there. Bye mama, I’ll be back soon” he slammed the door and ran.
“ Wait! No..” she rushed towards the door but to no avail.
“ Ughh.. this boy is testing my patience. Let John return from his conference. It’s all because of him. He over-pampers him a lot ” she talked to herself annoyingly.
The day was passing by, and Oliver didn’t come yet. The weather outside began to turn wilder. It was windy and boisterous. Caylee’s anger slowly turned into panic.
“ He is never out for this long…I need to check on him” she murmured to herself. Shortly after, she locked the main door and was ready to look around with an umbrella in one hand, in case it rains.
Swirls of dust began to spin around her, with sudden blows of wind as she made her way towards the field. Walking down the lane, she reached there within some time. The ground was empty, except for some scattered pieces of aluminum sheds and a fallen tree trunk. Immediately, she turned back and headed towards a house that was quite close by. She rang the doorbell and waited. A bright-eyed little boy unlocked the entrance door and welcomed her in his innocent but shrill voice.
“Hello Mrs. Miller, please come in”
“ Thank you, Robin. Is Oliver there with you? ”
“ He hasn’t been home yet? We decided to lay off as soon as it got blustery outside. It’s been almost an hour since he left ”
“What? Where did he go then?”
“Oh yes…I think I know. When I went back inside after seeing him off, I remember watching him talk to that old man through the window ”
“Old man? Which old man?”
“ He lives in the colony behind ours. Supposedly a rich man, mom said. Strange in appearance though”
“God! Why on earth was Oliver talking to a stranger like that. Can you take me to that man’s home?”
“Sure, Mrs. Miller”
After informing Robin’s mom, they both left in search of Oliver.
Caylee walked behind the little fellow anxiously against the gusty winds. After a while, Robin stopped as they reached a one-story building with a low-pitched roof.
“That’s his home!” he told Caylee pointing at the house. As they knocked on the door, a mysterious looking tall old man came out.
“ Yes? How can I help you” said the man in a deep voice.
“Where’s my kid?” shouted Caylee.
“ Wait, are you Oliver’s mother?” he asked.
“ Yes! I am. Now tell me. Is he inside? What is he doing with you?” she replied.
“Mama! How did you know I was here?” Oliver peered out from behind the man. Caylee pushed the man fiercely, hopped over her son, and hugged him tight “ You little devil! You’ve no idea how scared I was. What are you doing here?” she yelped.
“Mommy, this is Uncle George. Do you remember that she-sell I showed you? It was his. Today, after leaving Robin’s place, I bumped into him. And I got to know that it belonged to him” said, Oliver.
“Yes, Mrs. Miller. Your child is adorable. This seashell is really precious for me. I have a grandson of Oliver’s age. He has a hobby of collecting those shells. I used to join him at times. This one’s one of them. It’s been two years since I haven’t seen him. My son is now living abroad with his family. He’s a busy man. I wish I meet them soon. Till then, can I spend time with Oliver once in a while…if you don’t mind?” said George.
After contemplating the entire context in those few minutes, Caylee smiled and said “Sure Mr. George. Honestly, I was having some really bad thoughts about you…a few minutes ago. I almost assumed you to be a kidnapper. I hope you didn’t mind all the yelling. It was a mom thing perhaps..."
George laughed and said “Not a problem at all, Mrs. Miller”
All of them got back to their homes after a session of laughs and amusing chatters.
Two days later
Caylee and Oliver were chilling together at the colony park in the evening. A lady passing by stopped and the conversation followed —
“ Hello, Caylee. How are you doing?”
“Hey, Lily. I’m good. What about you? Where have you been these days?”
“I’ll tell you later. It was a hectic month for me. Anyway, I’ve been hearing a lot about your kid these days”
“About Oliver? What?”
“ Well, he helped that rich old guy in the neighborhood colony. Everyone’s singing his praises, lately”
Caylee turned towards her son and smiled.
“Mommy, look I’m famous now. And it’s all because of the she-sell. I told you it’s precious! ” Oliver grinned.
Both laughed.
