Chapter 6 Just For A Moment

Chapter Six

Eileen walked in on Josh in the kitchen. He stood in front of the open fridge, looking for food.

"Good morning, Josh," she said softly.

Josh didn't respond.

"I can see you're hungry. I made some spaghetti with prawns. I wanted to bring some for you, but you were still asleep. Just give me a minute, I'll warm it up for you."

"I'd rather eat horse shit than your poison," Josh replied coldly as he grabbed a bottle of soda and slammed the fridge shut.

Later, Eileen knocked gently on Josh's door, holding a plate of spaghetti and prawns.

"Josh, you have to eat," she said, her voice calm but pleading. "Mrs. Maya won't be back until after lunch-she went grocery shopping. You can't starve until then. Please, just come and eat. Or at least tell me what you want, and I'll prepare it for you."

Josh didn't respond. He slipped on his headset and turned up the volume.

"Josh... Josh..." Eileen kept calling. "You can keep hating me, but I'm begging you... just come out and eat. Please."

The door clicked open, and Josh stepped out, his face tense.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" he snapped. "Why do you care if I eat or not? You haven't cared for the last eight years. Why now?"

"I care about you," Eileen said, her voice breaking, her eyes misty. "You don't know how much it hurt, all those years... knowing I left you behind. I care, because I'm your mother."

"I don't care anymore," he shouted, turning back toward his room. But then he paused and looked over his shoulder. "If you were really my mother, you'd know I'm allergic to prawns. You literally just tried to poison me."

He slammed the door shut in her face.

Eileen walked back to the kitchen and dumped the food in the trash. Her tears wouldn't stop. She washed her face in the kitchen sink, trying to compose herself. She knew she deserved Josh's punishment-but she was trying to fix things, and he wouldn't let her. Anytime she saw him laughing with José, she turns red in jealousy. He was a sweetheart to everyone except her.

She couldn't take it anymore.

All she wanted was the chance to explain-that she never meant to abandon him.

She stormed upstairs, grabbed her phone, and dialed José.

"Hello?" José answered, his voice smug. "What a wonderful day this is-my wife is calling me. That's new."

"Josh won't eat," she said, her voice breaking with sobs. "I tried, but he won't even look at me."

"Why do you care?" José asked. "You left him for eight years, and now you care whether he eats or not?"

"José, please," she begged. "Just get him to come out of his room and eat."

"If I do that, what will you do for me in return?" José said.

"You want me to owe you for asking your own son to eat?" Eileen asked, trying to hold back her anger.

"No, no. Don't get it twisted. I want my boy to eat. I could send Mike over with food, but I'm doing you a favor by letting him trust you enough to eat your cooking. That's a big deal. You owe me for that. All of this"-his voice lowered-"is because you abandoned a one-year-old. You deserve to suffer for it. So... deal or no deal?"

Eileen was livid, but the thought of Josh giving her even a sliver of attention made her say it.

"Deal."

"I'll call him," José replied.

A moment later, she heard Josh's voice through the door.

"Hello, Dad... I'm not that hungry. I can wait for Mrs. Maya," he said.

"Dad, please... I don't want to..."

There was a pause.

"Okay. I'm doing this because I love you."

Eileen heard him chuckle. Her heart fluttered. She hurried downstairs to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Josh came down, holding his blue Apple iPad and wearing his headset. He paused, clearly unsure of himself. Then he pulled the headset down around his neck and let out a long breath.

Eileen stood silently beside him.

"I'd like some fried eggs," Josh said.

It was the first time he'd spoken to her without yelling.

"I can do that," she said, smiling. "Have a seat."

She pulled out a chair for him. He sat down and immediately put his headset back on.

"Josh..." she called gently, signaling for him to take it off.

"What?" he asked, removing the headset.

"I'm sorry... but can I know what you like? So I don't make the mistake of cooking something you can't eat?"

He sighed.

"I don't like curry or bay leaves. And I'm allergic to prawns. That's it."

"Do you like spicy food?" she asked softly.

"Yes, but not too spicy," he replied.

She nodded, smiling faintly.

He put his headset back on and started playing his zombie apocalypse game. She watched him as she cooked the eggs, savoring the quiet moment. She wanted to stretch the time just to keep looking at him. But at the same time, she wanted him to eat quickly and be okay.

She watched him eat. For the first time in years, she saw her Joshboy again-the baby she once held in her arms. The baby she once cuddled to sleep.

"What is it?" she asked as he stood up.

"Just grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge," he said.

"Sit, I'll get it for you," she offered quickly.

She knew he had already had soda earlier, and drinking more wasn't healthy-but this wasn't the time to scold. All she wanted was for him to feel cared for.

When he finished eating, he headed back upstairs.

"You emptied the plate. Were the eggs that good?" she asked, smiling as she watched him climb the stairs.

"Nope," he replied. "I was just really hungry."

Eileen smiled as she washed the dishes.

It had been almost a month since she returned to this house-and this was the first time she and Josh had been in the same room for fifteen minutes. The first time he'd spoken to her calmly. José-the devil himself-had done her a favor. And if it meant begging him again, she would. Even if he'd demand something in return. José Santiago wouldn't mind asking for her soul.

___________

"You went to bed early last night," Mrs. Maya said as Eileen came down the stairs.

"Yeah, I did," Eileen replied. I was so happy yesterday, after josh agreed to eat my meal.

"I told you," Mrs. Maya said with a knowing smile. "Your Joshboy is still in there. You just have to find him."

"I will," Eileen said. "I'll find my boy."

"I heard them talking last night," Mrs. Maya said, gesturing for her to move toward the Blindspot.

"They were talking about a detective. I think it's the same one you mentioned before. They tried to buy him off, but he refused."

"Really?" Eileen's eyes widened.

She had to meet this person-the only one unafraid of the Santiago name, the only one who couldn't be bought. If she could find him, they could work together. Because for the first time, she might have an ally in her mission:

To bring José Santiago down.