by Ashley Nemer
~*~
Kain hung the phone up after the call to his father and saw Leon standing at the doorway, looking at him. His arms were crossed and he had the look of an older boy, not a child, on his face. "How much did you hear?"
Leon looked at his father and it was if his voice changed overnight. He spoke with a tense tone. "Is she dead?"
"Leon." Kain started to walk towards his son when he put up his hand stopping him from coming closer to him.
"Is she dead, Dad?"
"I don't know, son." He looked down at his boy. His heart broke knowing that he had overheard that phone call.
"What do you know? Does Aunt Ana know she's missing? What about Detective Glasco? Does he know anything?" Leon started to tap his fingers on his arms. It was a nervous habit he picked up in the hospital the first time they had to have his mother admitted.
"Leon, I promise I’ll tell you as soon as I know something. Why don't you go play?"
The boy looked up at his dad. Sometimes children surpassed their age long before their parents were ready for it to happen. With Leon, this had happened a few years back. "I don’t want to play, I want to help search for my aunt."
"Leon, we have to let the police handle this. It's important that we let them do their jobs."
"You were supposed to take care of her. It was your job."
"I know, son."
"You let her down."
Kain watched Leon walk out of the room and down the hall to his bedroom. His heart was breaking, knowing that his eldest child blamed him for the problems of yet another woman they loved. He tried to help her, just like he tried to help their mother. Some days Kain felt utterly useless as a man. Today was one of those days.