“Adam, I dont want to hurt you, love.”
Adam was perched on the windowsill, gazing out onto the street below. He was waiting for his father and deep in thought. It had been two years since his mother had left. Shed started a new life, a new familyhis father had once said so with sorrow. Why had she left her son? Who could say. Adam never truly understood. Gradually, he began to forget her.
His father had done his best for him. Adam was ten now. He understood more than people thought, and there was no sense in hiding things from him. Still, it didnt help him make sense of it all. Hed learned to wash the dishes and keep things tidy. Toys no longer held any interest for him.
He was, in many ways, almost grown up. But despite that, he felt terribly lonely. More than anything, he wanted a dog. Yet every time he asked, his father would shake his head.
“And who would look after it? Im always at work and youre still too young, Adam,” his father would say.
One day, instead of coming home with a dog, his father brought a woman into their lives. Her name was Emily, and soon she was living with them. Adam avoided talking to her. For him, she didnt belong. But his father called her his wife and hoped his son would warm to having a mother again.
“I dont need her,” Adam would say flatly. So, that was how they lived. Adam watched as his father grew happy with Emily. They were kind to each other, laughed, shared quiet moments together. Meanwhile, Adam nursed his resentment, still hurting inside.
“I wish shed just leave,” he told his father one evening.
“Adam, I want her to stay. Its hard living without a woman in the housea wife, a mother,” his father replied gently.
Soon the warm days arrived. Adam spent them running round the garden with the local boys. His new friends whispered that, now he had a stepmother, his father might send him off to an orphanage.
He was terrified. After all, why wouldnt they leave him as well? Perhaps they wanted their own baby, and he would only be in the way. So, he decided to be prepared, just in case.
Once, he caught the tail end of a conversation “Hell be fine there, we should send him.”
That was it. He didnt sleep a wink that night. By morning, he was set on getting rid of Emily. She was the problem. He set about making her life difficultputting salt in her tea, leaving the cooker on with an empty pan, being openly rude. Emily soon realised who was behind it. She called Adam in for a talk.
“We need to have a chat. Youre upset, arent you?”
“Theres nothing wrong,” he replied, trying to squirm away.
“Adam, I dont want to hurt you, love…”
Emily took a deep breath. “Weve rented a cottage in Devon for the summer. It was meant to be a surprise, but I think its time to be honest. Your fathers found a dog, and were going to get it today. You can come with us.”
“Youre not joking?” Adam asked, hope lighting in his eyes. When she nodded, he flung his arms around her.
Tears brimmed in Emilys eyes. “Come on now, you should be happy. Everything will be all rightno reason to cry,” she said softly, smoothing his hair.
When his father came home from work, they all set off to collect the puppy. Adam found his anger had vanished, replaced with trust and even affection for Emily. They made their peace. The puppy fell asleep in Adams arms. At last, they were all happy.
