Free Eye of the Abductor by Elaine Meece

noticing.
    ***
    Wednesday night after work,
Allison entered the nursery. Jo Anne the director greeted her and introduced
her to Mona, the other preschool worker. The children played in an enormous
room with one doorway where parents dropped off and picked up their children
from a main hall.
    A door toward the back of the room
led into a wide passageway that connected the preschool room with the infant
and toddler nurseries. The area also housed a kitchenette. Across from the
kitchen area, a large closet with a sliding door contained art supplies and
held their coats. Next to the closet was a bathroom.
    After giving her a brief tour,
they returned to the main room where eleven hyped-up four and five year olds
darted around tables and played in different areas. One section had a toy
kitchen set, another an indoor playground, and a third had beanbag chairs with
a television playing religious cartoons.
    “The kids are pretty good,” Jo
Anne remarked.
    Allison's gaze drifted from child
to child. She eyed a little blonde boy sitting in the corner. When she realized
it was Nathan, her heart jumped. She bit back an emotional outburst. Since when
had her in-laws attended Wednesday night services?
    Once the initial shock had passed,
her chest swelled with the joy of seeing him. She wanted to dash across the
room and gather him up in her arms, but instead, she compelled herself to give
the other children her attention.
    Allison knelt beside a little
girl. “What are you playing?”
    “Tea party. Want to play?”
    “Sure.”
    The girl pretended to pour a cup
of tea. “Here, be careful. It’s hot.”
    “I will.” Allison blew as though
cooling it and pretended to drink. “That was so good. Thank you. And what’s
your name?”
    “Katie.”
    “Nice meeting you, Katie. Thanks
for the tea.”
    Allison moved from child to child,
initiating conversations. Two boys knocked over the blocks that another boy and
girl had skillfully stacked, resulting in a squabble. With a little scolding
and a few hugs, she had all four working together.
    “You’re a natural,” Jo Anne said.
    Allison offered the director a
quick smile before moving over to Nathan. She knelt down. For just a moment,
she stared at him, wishing she could hold him next to her. “What’s your name?”
    “Nathan.”
    “Hi, Nathan. I’m Miss Allison.”
She paused. “What are you playing?”
    “Cops.” He held up a Matchbox
police car then pointed to another car on the rug. “Those are the bad
guys."
    She didn't want him being a cop.
Ever. And he wouldn't if she had anything to do with it.
    “You like playing cops, huh?”
    “My daddy was a cop. Memaw said
so.”
    “What about your mother?”
    “Don’t got one.”
    “Why not?”
    “She left me.”
    Those lying bastards.
    When Jo Anne crossed over to the
infant nursery, and Mona escorted a girl to the potty, Allison took the opportunity
to lower her nose to the crown of her son’s head and breathe in his scent. He
smelled like green apples. An inner glow warmed her all over, leaving her
tingling with love. She rubbed his back lightly and fought back the tears.
    Once the nursery director and Mona
returned, she left Nathan and moved to another child. She visited all the
children before joining Mona, who stood guard over the room like a gargoyle on
top of a castle.
    “They’re all so cute,” Allison
said.
    “Until they don’t get their way,”
Mona said. “Trust me, after you see a few temper tantrums you might change your
mind.”
    “They seem to play well together.
Some are in their own little world like the kid in the corner.”
    “Nathan. He joins the others
occasionally. Poor little tot. I shouldn’t discuss this, but it’s not like you
know his family. His daddy went to prison. A cop turned corrupt. From what I
understand, he was murdered there.”
    “What about Nathan’s mother?”
    “Sent to jail too. Apparently, she
was involved in her husband’s drug business.”
    “So who does Nathan