JR V1

Chapter 27
The Family's Movie Night

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Jacob admitted, running a hand through his slightly wet hair.

"Progress!" Simon shouted, lifting Jacob off the ground.

Once Simon had seated the little boy onto the countertop, he rummaged through a small drawer on the side of the vanity. While he was focused on that, Jacob took the chance to peak at his reflection once more. He noticed how some of the curls in his small Afro were bending towards his forehead, a mess of tangles going in different directions. There was also a few stray hairs that were a little higher than the others. As messy as his new haircut was, he honestly liked it. To Jacob, it felt nice to be groomed again. He smiled at his reflection, reflecting on his new haircut.

Simon pulled out a pair of scissors and a comb. "Mr. Grumpy is smiling!" he commented, feigning shock and causing Jacob to blush.

The middle-aged man didn't bother to have Jacob turn back around. Instead, he just began combing through his hair and used the mirror to make eye contact with the toddler.

"Jacob, how do you feel?" he asked, using the tone of voice that he typically used when conducting therapy sessions.

"I feel secure," Jacob answered automatically, almost like he forget for a second about the past betrayal and animosity he still held towards his former therapist.

"What do you mean by secure?" he asked, encouraging Jacob to continue.

"Well, before...I wasn't living in the best circumstances," he admitted in a hushed tone. "Even though I didn't agree to this, it is a better quality of life," he said, focusing on his hands in his lap.

"I know that must have been hard for you to admit. It was brave, considering how angry I can imagine you still are with me," Simon acknowledged.

"Thanks," Jacob replied, grateful for the compassion.

After he combed through all of Jacob's hair, he used the comb as his measuring tool and began to clip away the stray hairs.

"Tomorrow, we can see about putting some gel in this to make it look even better," Simon suggested when he was done.

"Cool," Jacob agreed.

Finished in the bathroom, Simon made his way to the nursery with Jacob in tow. Before placing Jacob on the changing table, he went to the chest of drawers and pulled a onesie out of it. It was adorable, light gray and blue with a pattern of construction trucks.

"Up you go," he said, lifting Jacob onto the changing table.

The toddler obediently laid back and allowed Simon to diaper him.

"Am I supposed to be going to bed this early?" Jacob asked, rubbing his eyes. He knew it was just his toddler body trying to get him to sleep again, whether he wanted to or not.

"No, we're going to watch a movie," Simon revealed, standing Jacob next to him.

"Oh, so tonight is movie night," Jacob said, nodding his head. "Do I get to pick?" he asked.

"Sorry, buddy. We've already decided on the movie. Maybe next time," Simon explained, clearing the changing table. "But first, I've got to take a shower. I'll leave you in here until Angelique comes to get you. Okay?" he asked with one foot out the door.

"Yeah, I won't run down the stairs," Jacob responded, knowing what Simon was worrying about.

"Great! I'll see you soon," he said, closing the door behind him.

When the door closed, Jacob turned around to take in the nursery once more. The grand ocean-themed room already held quite a number of memories from the short time that he'd been there. He cringed when the corner that he was forced to stand in front of caught his eye, and next to it was the rocking chair where Simon spanked him twice. On the other hand, he was fond of the play table where he watched the couple complete a puzzle in what could have been record time, and he was extremely acquainted with the crib and changing table.

Jacob took his time exploring the nursery. He'd only ever gotten the chance to visually explore the room on his own, but for the first time he was truly free to roam around. The closet at the opposite edge of the room was the first thing that he focused on. He immediately strolled over and opened the doors, curious to know what his caretakers kept in there.

As he would have guessed, the closet was extremely organized. Plastic storage bins filled with linens lined the shelves. Additional changing supplies were neatly kept in over-the-door organizers. Hanging in the closet were few more formal outfits that looked like they would be for him. For a short moment, he contemplated on what events they could have planned to dress him up in those clothes.

He quietly closed the closet doors, straining just a little and padded over to the toy shelf, intrigued by the bead maze situated on the lowest shelf. He sat down in front of it and couldn't stop himself from moving the beads along the path. In his teenage years, he envied the kids in the dentist office who were playing with the maze. It never mattered how simple the toy was, it just brought him delight to play with it.

Jacob lost track of time playing with the maze, but eventually his amusement came to an end when the doorknob began to turn. He quickly got to his feet, afraid to be caught playing like a little kid.

"I'm sorry I took so long Jacob," Angelique apologized as she walked through the doorway.

"It's cool," Jacob replied, walking away from the toy shelf.

"Aw, you look so precious," she said, fawning over him in his cute, little onesie. "Are you ready to go downstairs with me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jacob replied. "I heard we're watching a movie," he said.

"We are. I've had many people recommend the movie to me," she said, holding the door open for him.

"What movie is it?" he questioned, wondering if he'd already seen it.

"It's called Inside Out. Have you seen it?" she asked, ushering him down the stairs.

"I haven't, but I think I heard about it," he remarked.

"That's good. Well, let's make a quick stop in the kitchen first. I thought we could have some popcorn and hot cocoa since it's movie night," she explained.

Jacob watched as she poured water into a teapot and grabbed the boxes of cocoa mix and popcorn from the overhead cabinets. She moved fluidly, unwrapping the bag of popcorn and tearing open the small bags of chocolate and marshmallow mix. It was a synchronized symphony in the kitchen when the microwave beeped in time with the whistling of the teapot.

She quickly poured some of the boiling water into the sippy cup containing the hot cocoa mix. After it cooled down a few minutes later, she handed him the cup and warned, "Careful it's hot."

Angelique was pouring the bag of popcorn into a large white bowl when Simon came downstairs and entered the kitchen.

"It smells amazing in here," he commented, ruffling Jacob's hair.

"We're just about finished here. Would you grab these cups?" she requested, discarding the paper bag.

"Definitely," Simon answered, taking the cups to the living room and placing them on the coffee table.

Jacob followed them to the living room. He tried to climb his way onto the couch, but he was just a little too short to make his way up there on his own. When Simon noticed his situation, he quickly boosted him onto the cushion in the middle of the couch.

"Alright, let's see if this movie lives up to the hype," Simon said, dropping onto the couch and grabbing the remote.

Jacob contentedly munched on some popcorn and sipped his hot cocoa. He already knew before they told him which movie it was that they were going to pick a children's movie. Still, it was better than being put to bed two hours earlier. So, he decided not to complain.

He made it halfway through the movie before he began dozing off. He wasn't bored watching the movie. Rather, he was genuinely engrossed by the plot of the movie. It was especially novel in its approach to coming of age and the mental health challenges associated with major life changes. It was just past his bedtime, and though he fought to stay awake, he was certainly fighting a losing battle.

At some point, Angelique noticed him falling in and out of sleep. She quietly motioned to Simon, gesturing towards Jacob. He softly chuckled, watching the boy's head droop.

Simon patted him on the back and said, "Jacob, I think it's time for you to head to bed."

"No, I'm watching the movie," Jacob grumbled, opening his eyes and sitting up straighter.

Simon looked at his wife and saw her shrug her shoulders. He didn't feel like bothering to fight with Jacob over another hour.

"Alright. But you're going straight to bed when the movie is done," he declared.

Jacob nodded his head, gratefully. He wasn't trying to fall asleep on himself. It was just hard to keep his eyes open, but he did manage to keep himself awake for another fifteen minutes before he was dozing off again. This time, Angelique simply guided him towards lying in her lap.

Jacob barely even realized that she had done that, and he was certainly too tired to care. He twisted himself around, getting as comfortable as he could before he went back to sleep.

When the little boy resumed snoring, Simon softly commented, "I'm impressed."

"It's all about taking the initiative," Angelique whispered. "It's a trick I picked up when I was babysitting. Even the toughest kids want to be held. You just have to lead them into it," she explained, shifting Jacob so that his head was better positioned on her lap.

For the next thirty minutes, the therapist couple finished the movie.

"I think it's safe to say that it lived up to the hype," Angelique said, looking at Simon.

"Yeah, it was really good. I'm definitely going to recommend it to others," he agreed, turning off the TV.

Angelique didn't even bother to try to wake the toddler up. Instead, she just picked him up and carried him to the nursery. She placed him in the crib, and tucked him into the sheets, bending down to kiss him on the forehead before quietly heading to bed with her husband.

That night Jacob had numerous vivid dreams. In the first dream, he was in elementary school, waiting to be picked up. It felt almost like a memory, but Simon and Angelique were the ones who picked him up, not his real mom, and almost from a distance, he watched himself excitedly tell them about his day at school.

In another dream, he had joined a sports team in middle school, and he looked into the crowd and saw the two therapists cheering him on. It was almost like he was watching himself grow up with them as his parents, and for the first time, he wasn't opposed to the opportunity. He had always wondered what it would feel like to have two caring and encouraging parents, and so far, it wasn't bad at all.