Chapter Three

Phillips point of view 

I hear my alarm clock go off, and I drag myself out of bed. I've been working at McDonald's to get some extra money for my family. Night shift because I teach during the day. I know what you're thinking. How could a teacher have money problems? My wife Karen and I have six children together, and no matter how much money we have, somehow an expense always comes up. Sports, dance, and money for my son's art supplies, somehow something always comes up. 

"Ready to go flip burgers?" my son says with his ten year old grin. 

I laugh. "You know it."

 I nearly drag myself into work. Exhausted wasn't even as strong enough word to 

describe how tired I was. I see my manager walking around the floor, and I know that Kim only does this when she's nervous.

"How many people called off?" 

I notice the color drain from her face. And looks at me like a deer in the headlights. 

"Kim, what's wrong!" 

"A child went missing from the ball pit.

"What? Maybe he wandered off and got outside?" 

She shakes her head. 

I can't tell by the way she was acting that this was serious. She was completely shaken up. Her face is a few shades paler.

"Are the police looking for him?"

"We found him dead at the bottom of the ball pit."

As a dad, I feel my whole world spinning. I can't imagine something like that happening to my children, and to think about something like that happening to another child makes my skin crawl. I will look at that ball pit every single day, and to know that a child died there is going to be agonizing for my conscience. 

"How do you drown in a ball pit?" 

She swallowed hard. "Unless something was forcing him from coming back up."

"Maybe it's nothing sinister, maybe it was another child and him playing unaware of what could happen."

She nods, "You're probably right."

Hours later, I sat in the lobby at a table on my break. I only ordered french fries to eat. I have made so many burgers during the shift, that my mouth could never eat one. I know people think it would be cool working at McDonald's, always eating their food, but I think you see it and handle it so much that you honestly just get sick of it. 

My eyes watch a little child run to the ball pit room and see the disappointment on his face when the door is locked. 

Kim hung up a sign on the door that said it was out of order due to maintenance, but of course that isn't going to keep their parents from complaining.

"It's such a shame the ball pit is down." The mom of this little boy gives me a disappointing frown. 

"I understand your frustrations ma'am, but at the time we cannot let anyone into the ball pit." 

She gives me one last look before she stumbles out the door.