My Reading Interrupted by a Kiss

They walked in the door
hand in hand, the mother
first, followed by her
abnormally slender son.
Her offspring obviously
suffering from a disfiguring
physical condition, she
led the way through the
busy repair shop's customer
lounge. As we waited for
our names to be called,
some read, some talked
with inside voices, and
others watched the Channel
2 Morning News. The
young man leaned over
to his mother's ear and
uttered a few indistinguishable
syllables and she responded
in hushed tones. With a
mother's understanding, she
got up and poured her special
boy a cup of coffee and
served it with a stirring stick.
As he sucked the steaming
beverage through the
makeshift straw, he held
his Styrofoam cup carefully
while she poured a cup of
joe for herself. Once she sat
down again, he leaned over
and toasted a cheer to his
mom, tapping his white cup
against hers with a crooked
smile. Trying not to eavesdrop
or interrupt their tender
moment, my tears increased
as she leaned over and
kissed his sweet, distorted,
beautiful, little face.

© Amy E. Hall 2007