The Perfect Son by Kyion S. Roebuck Page B

he expect perfection in his academic and social life, he placed the burden of running his business, the town’s bank, on the boy’s shoulders as well. Since his son was by far the smartest person he knew, he felt like he could handle it, so he cut him no slack, the same as he would a fully grown man.”
    ‘That sounds familiar…’
    “Come along, I want to show you the office.”
    Snapped out of his thoughts, Cody caught the man’s image just as he bent the corner. Not wanting to be left alone in the estate, he quickly ran to catch up, and then followed him up a flight of stairs. For some reason, the fear he felt outside immediately returned twofold. If it wasn’t for his pride, he would have asked to hold the man’s hand.
    “This room is actually the study, but once you go through that sliding door, you’ll find the office in the adjoining room. Now where was I…?” the doctor asked. “Oh yes, Kettering handled his workload flawlessly, and was even able to bring in more business because people were so enamored by his age and skill. Unfortunately, even the greatest will wear down over time, and in his exhaustion, Kettering mistakenly calculated a slew of new accounts’ earned interest at zero point five instead of the standard half percent. By the time it was noticed, thousands of dollars had been doled out, and the once wealthy family was now in debt.
    For the first time since his son’s conception, Frederick felt disappointment in him, and it was such a foreign emotion that he lashed out at the boy. He not only verbally berated him, but physically struck him as well. Always the gentle soul, Kettering didn’t attempt to defend himself, and simply endured the abuse. However, after weeks of the same treatment, he hung himself in his father’s office. On the note he left behind were two simple words: I’m sorry.”
    Upon those words being said, the sliding door to the office flew open by itself. Instantly, Cody made a break for the hallway, but the door to the study slammed shut just as he reached it.
    “I haven’t finished my story,” the doctor said, and then gave a wry smile. “Frederick found his son the next morning. For several long minutes, he tried to revive the boy, but it was in vain. His son was gone, and he had no one to blame, but himself. So, after he laid the boy to rest, he drank himself unconscious every chance he got. Seeing the state of her husband, and reeling from the death of her son, Margaret grew ill even though nothing physically ailed her. Many people speculate that her premature death a few months later was due to a broken heart and a lack of will to live. This left Frederick utterly alone. Not only did he have to deal with the pain of losing his son, but the apparition of his deceased wife now hung over his head as well, so he decided that it was time he joined them. On what would have been his son’s sixteenth birthday, he shot himself in the head with a gun very similar to this one.”
    Cody watched as the man reached into his pocket, pulled out a revolver, and then laid it on top of the cardboard box in front of him. For the past few minutes, he had been trying to pry the door open, but it felt like it had been welded shut, so he settled on making himself as flat to the door as possible.
    “Who are you?” he whispered to who he thought was Dr. Jacobs.
    “I believe you already know the answer to that,” the man said with sad eyes, and Cody’s face instantly crumbled with tears rapidly flowing.
    “Sir, I’m not sure who you think I am, but–”
    “You’re Cody Winters,” Frederick said plainly.
    “Right, I’m Cody Winters, not–”
    “I’m not here for you, Cody. I’m here for the one inside of you,” Frederick said, and Cody’s eyes grew impossibly wide. “Kettering, come forth.”
    At those words, Cody lost control of his body, and was only allowed to look out of eyes he could no longer control. Outwardly, his head turned as he seemingly assessed each