The Boy Who Slept
Here he was a king. But in reality he was a nuisance. A waste of space; beat to smithereens daily. Why Mikey? What could his sky blue eyes and golden hair have possibly done to deserve this kind of treatment? None of the other ones were beaten. Just him. It was that man; the one who had stolen his mother’s once-nurturing persona and locked it away forever. In his dreams Mikey was on top of the world. He could escape the torturous world and experience life in a utopian existence. He could be a super hero; someone that protected innocent children from the ‘bad guys.’ Or he could leave planet earth altogether, escape the evil, and become an astronaut. The possibilities were endless; Mikey could be anything he wanted to be. But these were just dreams. They ended when he awoke.
It was a typical, hectic Monday morning in the Brown household. Mikey’s two younger step-sisters crowded around the natural oak dining table that seated four. They were still dressed in their Barbie night gowns and matching slippers. His stepfather was leaning over them, carefully pouring freshly squeezed grapefruit juice into their personalized mugs while cracking jokes to them in an attempt to illicit their adorable little laughs. Mikey watched from the kitchen counter where he was positioned eating his stale bread and butter sandwich. He despised his sisters. He wanted his own personalized mug with his initials and his favorite cartoon character on it and he wanted a father of his own. It wasn’t until that man came around and swept his mother off his feet. It wasn’t until his glowing pregnant mother got rushed to the hospital that one beautiful summer morning. It wasn’t until they brought home their two little pink bundles of joy. It wasn’t until then that everyone forgot about Mikey. It was okay though- he had an imaginary family in his dreams. This family had a dining table that seated five and parents the treated everyone fairly.
School was not something Mikey ever looked forward to. Like at home, he seemed to fly pretty far under the radar. Friends? He had none. Favorite teacher? Nonexistent. Most interesting subject? Sleeping. Mikey chose to be completely detached from the world. He found little to no reward in social interaction with others. Then again, why would he? He had his own, perfect world in his dreams. Maybe this was why Mikey began sleeping so much. He was sleeping away the pain, the rejection, and the hatred. The only problem, his failing grades only brewed up more issues with his parents. Mikey needed an escape. He needed sleep.
On his arrival home from an exhausting school day, Mikey began to feel faint and extremely ill. He walked up the front steps that were lined with perfectly cut hedges and though the grand entrance to the family’s home. The home was a very generous size and was nestled in a prestigious gated community in old town Charleston, South Carolina. Dropping his worn-out, LL-Bean backpack by the door, Mikey rushed up the grand stairwell and to his puny bedroom in the rear of the home and secluded himself away from everyone else. He snuggled into his faded plaid comforter and laid his small little head to rest. Mikey slept; not awaking for several days. Medically speaking, he had slipped into a coma. Not even his mother checked on him. At this point, he had been asleep for three full days. His dreams were the most vivid ones he had ever experienced.
It wasn’t until the sweet little voice of the neighbor girl, Jill, whispered to Mikey that he awoke from his rest. The two had never spoken before and now, here she sat, at the foot of Mikey’s rickety old bed staring at him. Wrapped in her sun kissed arms was a folder that read ‘Mikey Brown Makeup Work.’ Even though Mikey was not pumped about all the school work he would be forced to make up, Jill’s concern for him was comforting. Anyone showing even the tiniest bit of concern meant the world to him. She was dressed in a cute pink floral dress with a big matching bow that kept her blond locks out of her face. With a shaky nervous voice, she said, “Hi, Mikey. I heard you were sick so I brought you all the stuff you missed.”
“Thank you, Jill.” Mikey managed to force out of his scratchy voice. “Do you think that you could help me with it?”
“Of course, Mikey!” she cheerfully responded.
And this was just the beginning. They sat together for hours on the circular rung in the middle of his sad room, which for once in its existence was happy. Mikey and Jill became best friends. They spent every waking moment together. Unlike the Brown’s household, Jill’s home was fair. Her parents treated all the children equally; with respect and care. Their dinner table had extra seats, even when Mikey was there. There was always room for more. Mikey felt loved in this home. He did not have to sleep so much because the family in his dreams became the family of his reality.