Page 1 of Irons

The Beginning

Wrenly

“Stay right here, and do not unlock the doors until I come back. I’ll leave the car on so there’s no need to open the windows, especially if a stranger approaches you. I won’t be in there long. Do you understand me, Wren?”

“But I have to pee, mommy.” I had my hands clasped in my lap as I sat in the big people's seat up front in her car.

“You can go in as soon as I get back. Just remember what I told you. Stay here no matter what happens and keep the doors locked. Do not talk to strangers.” She gave me a warning look as she opened her squeaky car door and left me in the car by myself. She didn’t look like my mommy anymore. Her body moved weird sometimes and she was getting really little like me.

I watched as she disappeared behind tinted glass doors then I couldn’t see her anymore. I could see in thewindows where people sat at tables and ate. My tummy growled, but mommy promised we would eat soon.

I waited and waited, saw families come and go, but the car started making weird sounds. The cool air stopped coming out, and it got really hot in the car. I didn’t think the car was on anymore.

I knew mommy was going to be mad. My shorts got wet, and they started to smell really bad. I tried to hold it, but I couldn’t do it any longer. I was scared, and it got really hot in the car. I cried, my tears mixed with sweat and made my face wet. The air was heavy and hot, making it harder to breathe.

I waited like a good girl, I always tried to make mommy happy, but sometimes I did bad things and mommy got angry with me. Sometimes I think mommy doesn’t want me anymore. I knew after wetting my pants I would get a spanking.

Sometimes mommy needed my help. I always made sure she got to eat because I knew how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and I was a big girl. I went to school and everything until mommy made me leave Uncle Clint. I learned lots of things and I had a friend, but mommy made Uncle Clint mad because of her medicine. He didn’t know her medicine was special and she needed it. I missed Uncle Clint, but mommy needed me with her when she took me away from him and my friend, Travis. If Travis were with us he would know what to do and I was sad because mommy said I wouldn’t get tosee him anymore. I missed him really bad, and it makes me cry at night when mommy sleeps and I’m scared.

The more I cried, the hotter it felt, and my tummy started to feel weird. What if mommy needed me? Maybe her medicine made her sleepy again, or she got lost and couldn’t find her way back. I didn’t want to get into more trouble, but I needed to find mommy.

I knew which button unlocked the car, so I pressed it and then opened the squeaky door. I had to find mommy, she was probably scared and needed me. Nobody tried to talk to me as I walked inside the restaurant, and my stomach growled when my nose caught the smell of food, but I had to find mommy. I didn’t see her at the tables, so I found the potty and slipped inside.

“Mommy?” I spoke quietly, but nobody answered back. I didn’t see any feet from under the doors, so I got on my hands and knees then crawled to look for her. I finally saw her sleeping with her feet on the toilet seat and her body resting against the wall. She was sitting on the tank and had something tied around her arm and there was a shot for her medicine on the floor.

“Mommy?” I crawled under the door, and it was one of the big bathroom stalls.

“Mommy, wake up.” I crawled over and touched her hand, but she was cold. “Wake up, mommy. You’re cold and you promised we could eat.” I pulled her hand, but mommy slid against the wall until she fell on the floor. I put my hand on her arm and tried to shake it. “Mommy!I’m sorry, please wake up. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I was scared I hurt her when she fell.

I knew something was wrong, and I needed to make her warm, so I cuddled next to her like I always did when it was a cold night, and we slept in the car.

“It’ll be okay, mommy.” I cried as I tried to make her warm. She was hard and her arms wouldn’t move, like she was stuck the way she was when I found her. I sniffled and cried as I tried to make her arms wrap around me, but then the bathroom door opened, and I tried to be really quiet. I could hear someone peeing then the toilet flush, but then the footsteps stopped, and I heard water running. I tried to cry quietly, but when the water turned off I heard footsteps again, but I hiccupped, and the footsteps stopped. I froze and tried to be quiet, but I saw the shoes, and someone was walking toward us. I didn’t want mommy to be mad because I’m not supposed to talk to strangers, so I held my breath as I laid on the cool tile floor.

“Is everything okay in there?” It was a woman’s voice. I didn’t answer, just tried to stay quiet, but the lady got down to the floor and peeked under the door. I shut my eyes tight as the woman screamed.

Before long, there were lots of people in the bathroom. I cried and screamed as they tore me away from mommy. I over heard someone say mommy must have been dead for hours because she was stiff, and then the ambulance and cops came to talk to me. I heard them say I should have been dead too, because I was in a car for a long time in the Texas heat. They made me ride inan ambulance and wouldn’t let me see mommy anymore. Then they took me to see the doctors and put a needle in my hand. They said I was sick too because I didn’t drink anything all day.

Travis Irons

“Sit up straight and keep your hands on your lap.” My mom gave strict orders. We were having our pictures taken for my brother. Mom forgot him at the grocery store one day or something. Dad said the booby monster took him when I was really little.

I sat nice like mom said but the light in my eyes hurt. I was getting hot from it too. I waited for the camera to flash the picture, but the mean lady and mom wouldn’t stop talking. Then mom started crying so I tried to hold her, but the mean lady said, “cut” and mom made me sit nice again.

My tie hurt my neck, and I hated my black shiny shoes. They hurt my toes, but mom said if I wasn’t good I couldn’t go see my Uncle Tony. He had a lot of friends, and they had really cool motorcycles, but it wasn’t as fun after my friend Wrenly moved away. He played games with me and let me sit on his bike.

“Mrs. Irons, how has life been since your son’s disappearance? You must be busy raising another son while doing everything you can to find the other.” The mean lady asked stupid questions.

“I survive day by day. I wake up every single day hoping it’s the day he comes home. Unfortunately, my husband can’t do all that much to help during the week because he must work, but he’s hitting the pavement every evening and weekend to help as well. Sometimes it feels lonely and scary, while others I justfeel so desperate I start at the beginning. Retracing every step, I made that morning and try so hard to remember something new.” My mom was crying again.

“What exactly did happen that morning six years ago?” The mean lady asked.

Mom wiped the tears from her eyes. “I had an infant and a three year old. There were errands that needed ran and I wish every single day I would have ran those errands on a different day. I always wonder if that would have made a difference. We went to the grocery, and I had both my children in the cart. Travis was in his car seat facing me, and Bobby was in the basket sitting as he played with his action hero. When my infant began crying, I had to get the baby sling from the diaper bag to hold him. Bobby was still playing with his toy when I pulled Travis from his car seat. I only turned around for a few minutes as I slipped Travis into the sling and looked over the cereal options. When I turned around Bobby was gone. I ran to find him but it was like he just up and disappeared. The grocery store was packed that day, a lot of people walked by us, but I didn’t hear Bobby cry or anything.”

I began swinging my feet and pulling at my tie.

“Cut!” The mean lady looked down at me. “I’m sorry sweetheart, but you must sit still until we are done shooting. You’re taking the focus off your mother.”

I looked up at my mom. “She’s making you cry.”

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