That Boy, In That Box

“Momma… where’d the boy in the box go?”
“I don’t know, Jenna.”
“Did the boy in the box move, momma?”
“Maybe.”
“Momma… you think we’ll see the boy in the box again?”
“Jenna… I don’t know…”

Jenna-Belle walked around the town. “Boy in the box… where’d you go?” she said to herself. The girl was little, walking around with her mother beside her. “Momma, can we go seekin’ for boy in the box?”
Her mother looked down at her and smiled. “We’ll go after we go to the store, okay?”
“Kay, momma.” Jenna grinned, skipping off ahead of her mother.

Once the shopping was done, Jenna walked along the side of the stores, peeking into the alleys. “Boy in the booooxxxx?” she called, and it echoed. “Boy in the box, where areee yyyooouuu?”

Jenna’s mother smiled a little. “Why don’t we go home and make him some cookies. Maybe he’ll turn up sooner.”
Jenna grinned. “Yeah! Let’s make boy in the box cookies!” Jenna skipped again, heading back home.

Her father was sitting on the couch, sprawled out. “Dear, we’re back.” He mom called. He sat up, looking to them. “Took you long enough…” he sighed, and then stood up. He looked to his wife, how he was able to marry her was a total mystery to her. He moved over to her and kissed her.

Jenna wrinkled her nose, then moved to the kitchen and pulled a stool up to get a bowl. As she pulled on a stack of dishes, they fell down and banged on the floor. She jumped a little and then looked to her mom, who was already moving away from her dad to help her little girl out. She picked Jenna off the stool and set her on the ground. “Oh, Jenna…” she moved to grab the extra bowls.
Jenna flinched. “Sorry momma…”
“It’s okay… why don’t you get the cookie mix.” She smiled to her, putting the bowls on the counter.

Jenna did as she was told, getting the ingredients for making her momma’s cookies. She smiled and sat on a chair after setting the things on the table. Her mom started mixing, looking to her daughter. “Why don’t you go write the boy in the box a letter? Or draw him a picture.” Her mother smiled to her.

“Okay!” Jenna got out of the chair and ran to her room, shutting the door behind her. She heard something from her father, but tuned it out. For some reason, her dad was meaner then usual to both of them. She grabbed a piece of paper and a red crayon. She started drawing, changing colors with her crayons. She continued while she heard her father yelling. She sighed, used to it by now.
“Just let her have her innocence, she’s only eight.” Her mom pleaded.
“She should know what boys think.”
“Oh! Just leave her alone… please.”
“No. This… boy that you both keep going to see has to be kept away from my little girl.”
“He’s her only friend. Leave them alone.” Her mother pleaded again.
“She should have friends with other little girls! Not a boy! I don’t even know how old this boy is!”
Jenna’s mother teared. “He’s just a little boy! He’s not going to do anything to her!” She bit her lip. “I can’t believe you’d think that…”
“He needs to stay away from her.”
“She needs to have friends, and I’m not separating them.” She said. “Plus, even if he wanted to do something, which I know he wouldn’t, I’d be right there!”
Her father glared at her mother, then walked off to his office. He knew he lost that battle.
Her mother cried some, putting her hands in her face. “…Momma…” Jenna had come out of her room to check on her mom. “…Did daddy hurt you…?” she asked.
Her mother shook her head, kneeling down and picked Jenna up. “No. Daddy didn’t hurt me. Let me see that card you made. Okay?” She smiled shakily.
Jenna pulled her hand up and wiped her mother’s tears. “Don’t cry, momma.”

Jenna’s mom smiled and put her down. “C’mon, I want to see your drawing.” She said.
Jenna nodded, and then moved to her room to get her letter and her drawing. Her mother followed her and sat on her bed as her daughter climbed into her lap. She took the papers, looking over them. “Oh… Jenna.” She set the papers down and hugged her little girl. “That’s really nice of you. Do you really want him to read that?”

”Yeah, momma. I want him to remember. Friends forever.” She smiled, hugging her mother back. Her mother stroked her hair. “I know, honey. I know. Let’s go find him, okay?” she smiled, standing up and walked to the kitchen.

Jenna grabbed the plate of cookies from the counter, and her mother took them. “How about I can carry the cookies, and you carry the letter you wrote.” She smiled. Jenna nodded. “Kay, momma!”

They walked around the streets again, Jenna a few steps ahead of her mother as she looked for the boy.

“Boy in the boooxxxx?” Jenna called; her hands behind her back as she walked around. “Where are you today?” She moved towards another hallway, finding the familiar box. “Boy in the box!” She grinned and hopped towards the box, peeking inside. “…Boy in the box…? Are you home?”

Jenna’s mother looked at her, following her. “You might want to just leave the letters there, honey. He’ll come back to his box.” She smiled, giving Jenna the plate of cookies to slide into the box. “We’ll come back in awhile and see if he’s home.”

Jenna nodded. “Let’s go back home, momma.”
Her mother nodded. “Alright.”

They walked back into the house. Her father was on the couch once more. “…Back already?” he hissed at her mother. Her mother looked away. “…I’ll just start dinner…” she sighed, and then walked to the kitchen and closed the door so her father couldn’t hear what her and Jenna said. She knew Jenna would bring up the boy in the box.

“Hey, momma…?” Jenna asked, crawling into a chair as she watched her mother cut up vegetables.
“Yes, Jenna?” her mother said, not looking at her.
“…Can I marry the boy in the box?”
Jenna’s mom smiled. She stopped cutting the vegetables and picked her girl up, setting her in her lap again as she held her close. “You can marry whoever you want to, Jenna.” She smiled, rocking her a little.
“I wanna marry the boy in the box.”
“Why do you want to marry him, huh?” Her mother questioned, curious.
“Because he’s my best friend, momma. And he’d be able to move in with us, and he wouldn’t have to live in his box in the cold anymore.”
“But then he wouldn’t be boy in the box, would he?”
“No momma, he’d be boy in the house!” Jenna grinned.