01-27-19 Tony’s Bullies

01-27-19    PUSH ARROW TO BEGIN AUDIO

     ‘Stay still. This won’t hurt much. Just a little sting and we’re done’, said the nurse. Billy sat in the chair so tense he shook with fear. “There we go, all done. Now that wasn’t so bad.” Billy looked at her with eyes that showed relief. Every year he got a flu shot and his hatred for needles seemed to get stronger. The nurse was just as relieved because she did not like to see children in pain. She did her best to make it easy for them.

But the adult complainers are the ones the nurse resents the most. They can be the biggest babies. And today she is scheduled to prick the biggest notorious complainer of them all. Mr. Davidson. A 74-year-old adult child. Last year he showed up so drunk he could barely walk, but as soon as he sat in the chair, Mr. Davidson began screaming about too much pain. The nurse hadn’t even touched him yet. Mr. Davidson eventually passed out, so she gave him the shot and a cot to sleep it off. ‘What will it be this year’ she wondered?

So, after a 15 minutes break, the nurse returned to her chair and surprisingly, there sat Mr. Davidson sitting calmly. Next to him was a middle-aged woman standing by. Mr. Davidson didn’t say a word, but the middle age woman introduced herself. “Hi I’m Davidson’s daughter. I need to explain a few changes before we begin. Davidson had a medical event about six months ago. Physically he is fine, but he cannot stand to be touched by anyone. So, I brought these special gloves for you to use. And remember don’t touch his skin.” The nurse thought this was peculiar, but as long as he didn’t scream, she was good with it.

Mr. Davidson sat calmly as the nurse proceeded. The daughter watched intensely. As the procedure was finishing the nurse accidentally dropped the Band-Aid in Mr. Davidson lap, as she reached for it, her hair touched the side of Davidson’s face. The daughter anxiously told the nurse to immediately leave the room. But before she could, Davidson looked deeply into the nurse’s eyes and said “Tony is in trouble. He’s got a gun. He’s going to school to kill bullies. hurry”. The daughter moaned “oh no, not again”. The nurse quickly stood up. “How do you know Tony?” Tony was her son who was a Junior in high school. “What gun?” She turned and ran for her phone. She called Tony’s phone but it just rang over and over. She froze inside not knowing what to do next.

Then Davidson spoke, “ring one time, hang up, then ring again. He will answer.”

The nurse followed his lead and it worked; Tony answered. The nurse asked “hi baby, how is your day going?” Tony hesitated then said “this is not a good time, mom, just remember I love you and dad. I need to go”. The nurse heard the seriousness of his replies. “Baby do not hang up, please. Do you have a gun?” Tony stayed silent for a long period, “I can’t take it anymore. My life is over, and they’re going with me.” The nurse said in a panicked voice, “no, no, no. Not you. We will fix this I promise, please baby just come home.” Tony barked “they make my life hell and I am going to send them to hell.”

Then Davidson said “let me speak to him. I know what he needs to hear.” The nurse felt helpless and Davidson seemed so confident. And Davidson daughter nodded “He knows”. So, Davidson took the phone and started, “I know Bobby, Owen and Taylor’s deepest secrets. If I tell you, then you will know how to control them forever and completely. You don’t need that gun to send them to hell”. The nurse thought ‘who are those boys and looked at the daughter. The daughter again nodded and said “he knows, he just knows”. Davidson was now in a deep conversation with Tony. She heard something about Bobby dressing in women’s clothes, Owen and his sister, Taylor peaking in windows. She could hear Tony laughing. Davidson warned “you have to do it right or you will lose control. Tell each of them alone and separately that you know his secrets, and if he speaks to you or about you ever again, then the world will know everything. The power is that you keep the secrets. If the secrets get out, then your power is gone. That’s all”.

Then Davidson handed the phone back to the nurse, took his daughters arm and left the room. The nurse took the phone and Tony immediately asked “who was that, he’s great, everything’s good. I’ll see you at home.” The nurse heard the difference is Tony’s voice and cried with relief. “No, I’m coming to pick up right now. Don’t let anyone see that gun.” Tony said “okay mom, I love you, please don’t be mad.” The nurse gathered her purse and coat while her mind tried to understand what just happened. She decided she didn’t care if she understood, as long as Tony was safe, that was all she needed to know. Peace***