Trust

I arrived unscathed out of the bath with merely the sweat on my brow to indicate that I may have been in peril. Which I wasn't. I was reading a love story. It was just a decent dramatic beginning to the entry...

Anyhow after I got out, I looked in the mirror through the steam and saw a clean and open face, untroubled and said, "Hi" to me. I heard a scattering up the stairs and a little sobbed muttering "i need to find my mommy..." on the other side of the door. Then came the breaking in... One day I will once again show him to knock, but for now....

Steven sat on the toilet seat and lifted his foot up to me and went, "Mommy I've got a splinter.."

I pulled a towel around my body and proceeded to examine the slivered invasion. "Hmm..." I said. I could barely make out the smallest line in between the natural furrows in his skin, but there it was, stuck fast between layers. I nodded and said, "Yep I see it.. Where did you get a splinter?"

'From the stupid wood floor."He was like, "Can you get it out?"
Quietly I said, "Yes Steven, I can, but it might hurt a little..."
He went, "Ok" and he scrunched up his face and closed his eyes...
I stopped, and I couldn't not stare at the beautiful child who just agreed to my possibly hurting him. His face, reddened cheeks, little nose with the dimple in it when he squinches like that which he will probably never know he has, and the little tears on his cheeks, his hair, sweet ears, the way his jaw almost illuminates with his still soft babyish skin... and I just watched, I was transported to this place of 'right now' and saw him so clearly. He was sitting there. Brave Steven. I will never forget him like that. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and looked at me, saw me watching, he sniffed his runny nose and said, "What?" Too young to be annoyed by my loving invasion.

I smiled and said, "I think I'll have to get a needle, but a very little one.."
He said again, "Ok."

I poked the splinter with the needle backward from where it found it's way in, and squeezed a little. He pulled his breath in through his teeth, but didn't say a word. I said, "Ok, I think we might need to get your foot soft by maybe taking a bath? Then I will try again. It's pretty deep."

He sighed and gaved me a resigned, "All right." A fella's gotta do some things, make some sacrifices... So as I washed out the tub and started filling it with water, moved over to unwrap my hair, I looked over and he was bent over the tub was his little naked bottom pointing straight at me, he was checking the temperature of the water and he was throwing some toys in and said, kind of to himself, "These are just to distract me while I'm waiting..."

Good idea.