The Place Where Only Bad People Go

  “Toby? Toby . . . wake up.” 

A hand was gently shaking him awake.  Toby muttered something indecipherable and then turned over to the other side of the bed, but still the hand kept on shaking him. 

“Toby . . . honey, please wake up . . .” 

The voice penetrated the walls of his sleep and Toby came gradually awake and blinked his eyes when the light in his bedroom came on.  He turned over on his bed and saw that it was his mom standing there.  She came and sat on the bed beside him; there was a distraught look on her face and lines of tears running down her eyes. Toby became instantly worried and tried to sit up. 

“Mom . . . what’s wrong?” 

Miss Daltrey looked at her eleven-year old son with love and ache, and wondered how she was ever going to live with herself once she broke the news to him.  But she knew she had to. 

“I’m sorry to be the one who has to tell you this – your father passed away last night.” 

Toby looked at her confused.  “Mom, I don’t get it. You told me Dad died before I was born.” 

His mother nodded with heaviness in her heart.  “Yes, I did tell you that. You see, your father wasn’t really a good man. He drank a lot . . . and he . . . he used to come home and beat me up most of the time. One night he was playing cards with several of his friends . . . there was an argument . . . and then your father stabbed one of them with a broken bottle.  The cops, they came and took him away – they took him to the place where only bad people go.  They told him he would never come back home anymore . . . and I never went to visit him.  I was carrying you inside me at the time.  I never took you to go and see him because . . . because I didn’t want for you to know who he was – I didn’t want him to infect you in anyway – but he’s dead now . . . last night in his cell . . .” his mother gulped in air before continuing.  “They told me he cut his wrist with a broken glass . . .” 

It was then that she broke down and started crying.  Toby hugged his mother. Miss Daltrey sobbed into her son’s pyjama shirt, unable to hold back the pain that the tears wrought to her. 

“Oh son . . . I’m so sorry I never told you about him. Please, forgive me.” 

“There’s nothing to forgive, mom,” Toby said.  “But what happens to me?” 

His mom looked at him.  “You’re alive, and I love you so much . . . that’s all that matters for now.” 

She said goodnight to him, went and turned off his light and watched him fall back to sleep before closing the door.    

It was then that she broke down and started crying.  Toby hugged his mother. Miss Daltrey sobbed into her son’s pajama shirt, unable to hold back the pain that the tears wrought to her.