Mother's Downfall

Theodore woke up early to meet James outside Dr. Wright's office. He rubbed his eyes as he walked out of his room and noticed that his mother was not around. The house was empty while there was a pot of soup that looks like it's been boiling for the past few hours. He thought of going to their backyard to check if she was there. However, no one was there. There were no clothes hung up on a clothesline. He remembered that his father never came home last night. Theodore decided to go back upstairs to see if his parents are still asleep in the room.

As he reached his parents' room, the door was half-open. Theodore peeked by the door and saw his mother sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the window. He let out a sigh of relief and went inside. Theodore slowly walked towards his mother, faced her, and placed his hand on her. His mother didn't show any emotion or movement.

"Where's father?" Theodore asked. His mother didn't reply, her face did not react. He asked again, but there was no response. Theodore became depressed as he slowly walked out of the door. "I'll be meeting James today, mother. I will be home before sunset." He bid goodbye and left his mother there in her room.

James and Theodore met in front of Dr. Wright's clinic. They began to prepare their tools at the start of a new day and sat down on the ground while they waited for their first customer. Dr. Wright is inside his office looking through documents and medical textbooks while Theodore is watching him from outside. He never stops imagining himself to be like him one day if luck will be on his side.

Customers started to drop by their spot to have their shoes cleaned and repaired. James supervised Theodore while he was doing his tasks and was able to accomplish them perfectly. Men from different classes seemed to like their services which made other kids jealous. A group of boys suddenly approached them and forcibly asked for their money. Theodore and James refused until one huge, chubby boy grabbed James by his collar and asked for their money one more time. Immediately, Dr. Wright came out of the clinic and glared at the boys. The children became terrified right away and ran off.

"Are you two all right?" Dr. Wright asked.

"We're fine, sir," Theodore said.

"It has been a long day," Dr. Wright said. "Why don't you come inside and have lunch with me?" The boys nodded and followed the doctor inside his office. James immediately went straight to the dining table while Theodore stayed by the bookshelves as he attempted to read books on chemistry. Dr. Wright found Theodore sitting on a chair reading through the works of well-known chemists.

"You seem to enjoy reading," Dr. Wright said. Theodore shot his head up and immediately closed the book. "You do want to become a doctor, eh?" Theodore nodded. "Tell you what, I will make sure that the seat for becoming my apprentice will be open just for you. When you become a physician like me, I would like you to become my successor." Theodore's eyes suddenly twinkled and nodded in their agreement. Dr. Wright smiled at the young lad and asked him to come to the dining table.

Different dishes were served on the table. James's favorite was Dr. Wright's steak while Theodore enjoys his soup. Dr. Wright can't help but watch them eating together as his heart melted.

"Dr. Wright," James asked. "How come you don't have children?" Dr. Wright immediately giggled.

"I'll explain everything when you are old enough," Dr. Wright replied. James pouted at his response and continued eating. He noticed that Theodore is not in the mood to eat. "What happened to you? Did those kids hurt you?"

"No, doctor," Theodore said. "It is because of my mom."

"What happened to your mother?" Dr. Wright asked.

"My mother hasn't talked to me since last night. Then earlier this morning, the soup in the pot was boiling for the past few hours. I looked around the house until I found her in their bedroom staring out of the window with no feelings."

"Where is your father?"

"He never went home."

Dr. Wright closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He immediately grabbed Theodore's hand and held it tightly. The young boy became confused by the doctor's sudden reaction.

"If you need anything, I want you to come here," Dr. Wright said as he let go of Theodore's hand. "The same thing goes with you, James."

The boys continued their duties until the sun started to set. Dr. Wright went out of the clinic and locked his office for the night. He bid goodbye to the young boys and told them to get home safely. They nodded and left their spot.

"Dr. Wright is quite nice, isn't he?" James said.

"He is," Theodore said as his head was still hanging on his shoulders.

"Cheer up, will you?" James said as he wrapped his arm around Theodore's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that your mom is going to be okay. She must be tired, that's all. Don't worry too much, all right?"

"Thank you," Theodore said. "Why don't you come to our house and have dinner with my family there?"

"No, thank you," James said. "Probably, I'll join you next time." Theodore smiled as they continued to walk.

Suddenly, a huge crowd gathered outside Lord Thompson's manor. Theodore's eyes widened and ran right away through the crowd while James followed him until they were able to get a clearer view of the incident. A woman was screaming and cursing at Lord Thompson as police were taking her away.

"You are a bastard!" the woman said. "Where is my husband? I know you killed him! You know he would never do such an act. He would never steal anything from your family."

"Rubbish!" Lord Thompson said. "Take her to an asylum if you will. People like her don't belong here."

The authorities nodded and took the woman away. It was then Theodore realized that it was his mother being taken away. People slowly left the gates of the manor as Theodore stood there watching the carriage move away. He immediately fell to his knees as he cried out to his mother. James knelt to comfort Theodore. His cries were deafening while James asked Theodore to stand up, but he immediately chased the carriage as he called his mother.

Theodore ran from one block to another until he grew tired and fell once again. His mother was taken away and his father was nowhere to be found. James managed to follow Theodore and comfort him.

"I'll accompany you tonight, Theodore. Let's go home," James said as Theodore looked at him. They walked together back to Theodore's house until the morning.