Levi

"How was school, Levi?" Levi's dad, Howard, asks as he turns on the stove while young Levi sat at the counter focused on his homework.

"Good the teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up" Levi replied marking his paper.
Howard did not look up, knowing that Mr. Swill constantly asked questions that 4th graders didn't quite know yet.

"What did you say?" Howard asks, but Levi didn't answer exactly what his father wanted to hear.

"A lot of kids said they wanted to be doctors or teachers." Levi began to doodle on the side of his homework.

"What did you say, Levi?" Levi's dad repeated.

"I said I wanted to be an astronaut," Levi realized he was drawing a small moon with a little astronaut on it.

"Mr. Swill laughed and said that I need to be realistic. What does realistic mean?" Levi questioned always believing his father had the answers to everything.

"Realistic means something that is real and not imaginary or fantasy. In this case, you need to start being real and think of an actual career." As soon as Howard was done speaking Levi looked up from his work.

"That's rude of him! An astronaut is a real job. I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up and rub it in Mr. Swills face" Howard turns toward Levi looking apologetic. Howard had always told Levi that no one could stop him from being himself. However, in this case, it was different.

"I agree with Mr. Swill" Howard lowered his head showing sympathy. Levi's face scrunched up with anger, his own father was siding with Mr. Swill instead of him.

"I'm going to be an astronaut and rub it in your face!" Levi points toward his father, throwing a fit.

"Levi you can't go to the moon" Howard uses a soft voice trying to calm his son.

"Yes I can and I will!" Levi responds stubbornly.

"Levi you can't" Levi's father raises his voice silencing Levis small tantrum. Levi lowers his head tears already in his eyes. Feeling sorry Howard walks to Levi playing his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but you can't leave here, you can't go to the moon" Howard reasons and gives Levi a small hug.

"I'm sorry buddy" Howard finishes as Levi sniffs loudly.

"Can I at least pretend to be an astronaut?" Levi asks in a soft pleading tone.

"Sure let's grab some cardboard and we can even make you a rocket ship" Howard agreed walking back to turn off the stove.

"Let me go grab my space helmet!" Levi shouts excitingly, Levi made a space helmet in class and was waiting to show his father. He jumps out of his chair and runs to his room. As he searches his room to find his helmet he hears the door being opened and people shouting.

Finding his helmet Levi puts it over his head and opens the flap to see out. Suddenly there's a loud noise echoing. He runs toward the kitchen to find a man holding a gun. The counter was blocking Levi's view of what the man was pointing at. All he could see was his dad's shoes as if he was laying down on the ground.
"Dad?" Levi squeaks out unfamiliar with this situation.

Whenever Levi did not know what was going on one he always turned to his dad, who always had an answer ready. Yet, his dad didn't respond like he usually did. Instead, the stranger turned toward him pointing the gun straight at Levi. The man's eyes were murderous but full of regret.
Levi stared at him blankly, Levi had no clue what was happening or what had happened.
"Dad?" Levi calls out again.

The man moves his light gray hair out of his eyes before turning the gun away and dashing out the door. Confused Levi walks to his dad who's laying on the ground still. Red paint surrounds him, only, Levi knows the difference between red paint and blood.
"Dad" Levi's throat tightens as if being suffocated.

Howard never taught Levi what death was, even as an English professor he could never describe death to his son. But as Levi tried to wake up his still moving dad, the definition of death couldn't be any clearer.

"I found my space helmet" Levi hiccups out. He closes the helmet counting to 10 hoping that when he opens it his father would suddenly move.
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Levi opens his helmet only to be met with the same scenery.
"Dad" Levi calls out once more shaking him slightly. Levi laid there with him waiting for him to move.
Two days he spent with his father hoping he would move or even wiggle his toes. The second day a woman charged in yelling out to him.
Her dark skin and brown eyes matched Howard, more than Levi.

When she saw Howard laying there she cried and cried until she pulled Levi out of his home.
"Who are you?" Levi asked as he packed his stuff.

"I'm your mother now" Levi didn't know much about his mother, in fact, he didn't know anything about her. But considering the fact that all he knew was school and his father he left with her.