*~*

 

Liam O’Malley wasn’t an average six year old boy. Well, that’s what his parents thought when he was born. How right they were. Liam was a special child; he was different to the other boys and girls. He was even different to his elder sister.

            ‘Liam,’ his mother called from the kitchen. Liam dropped a comic book that he was reading and ran into the kitchen. Harriet was standing in front of the hot stove, cooking for that night family dinner. It was a continuous thing they did every month and Liam’s grandparents came round.

            ‘Yes Mum?’ Liam said standing up straight.

            ‘Can you ask Brianna to set the table?’ his mother said looking over her shoulder. The little boy nodded before running out of the kitchen. He ran up the staircase to the next floor. He could hear music coming from his sister’s room, at the end of the hall. Liam walked towards the loud music.

            ‘Brianna,’ he called as reached to the door that had posters all over its wooden surface. He doubted if she heard his voice of the beat of Poison by Marilyn Manson. Liam knocked loudly on the wooden door. ‘Brianna,’ he called louder. The door opened and revealed his older sister, dressed in black clothing. Her hair was coal black with red stripes through it. Her skin was white like a ghost, with thick black make up around her eyes. Around her neck were two necklaces. One was a small locket with the letter ‘B’ on it. The other one was a cross.

            ‘What do you want, pip squeak?’ Brianna asked crossing her arms. Liam backed away from his sister. Sometimes Brianna gave him the creeps. She had a dark soul. That’s what Liam’s grandpa James had always said to him. ‘Well?’ she asked tapping her foot on the floor boards.

            ‘Mum asked if you can set the table,’ Liam said,

Brianna groaned as she rolled her eyes. ‘These stupid dinners, I hate them,’ she moaned.

            ‘They’re not stupid,’ Liam snapped at his sister.

            ‘They are. We all just sit around the table talking about nothing. They’re stupid,’ Brianna said. Liam’s green eyes narrowed at his sister and his cheeks began to feel warm.

           

 

‘Brianna, Liam,’ their mother yelled from down stairs. Liam quickly ran ahead of his sister.

Liam ran into the kitchen. ‘Mum, Brianna saying mean things,’ he cried.

Harriet looked up as her daughter walked through the door and noticed she was looking crossly at her brother.

            ‘Baby,’ Brianna mumbled her eyes narrowing. Liam poked his tongue at her.

            ‘Brianna, you know not to pick on your brother,’ Harriet said. ‘Now can you set the table. Your grandparents are going to be arriving soon,’ she added turning back to the stove. Brianna made a face at her brother, then went into the dinning room to set the table. Liam stayed with his mother in the kitchen.

            ‘What can I do, Mum?’ he asked as he watched her stir,

            ‘Nothing, dear, go play for a little while,’ she replied with a smile on her face that made her glow. Liam knew his mother was pretty. She had rich blonde hair that was always done up in a neat bun. She always wore pretty clothes that made her look smart and wore light make up. “Unlike Brianna,” he thought. Liam loved his mother and his father but not his sister.

            ‘Dad’s home,’ Brianna called out.

Liam quickly took off towards the front door to greet his father. As Liam got to the front door his father, was hanging up his jacket.

            ‘Hey, Dad,’ Liam greeted. Michel smiled and knelt down to his son’s eye level and gave him a hug.

            ‘Hey, son, how’s your day been?’ he asked pulling away from the warm embrace.

            ‘It’s been okay,’ Liam replied looking into his father’s warm brown eyes.

            ‘Where’s your Mum and sister?’

            ‘Mum’s in the kitchen and Brianna setting the table,’ Liam replied.

            ‘Thanks, bud, oh I almost forgot; I got you something,’ Michel said walking back to his jacket.

            ‘You did?’ Liam asked excitedly. Michel nodded as he reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out a tin box. He handed it to his son,

            ‘There you go, son,’ he said.

Liam opened the tin box. Inside was a toy red sport car. ‘Wow,’ Liam gasped as he pulled the car out and looked at it more closely. ‘Thanks, Dad,’ he said wrapping his small arms around his father’s waist. Michel ruffled Liam blonde hair,

            ‘No worries,’ he said. Liam let go of his father and ran to show his mother his new toy.

*~*

Liam heard his father yell, ‘Liam, can you get the door?’ Liam put down his collection of racing cars and ran to the front door. He checked through the tinted side windows to see who it was. “See who it is before you open the door to anyone” Liam heard his mother’s voice in his head. He looked and saw his grandparent, Grandpa James and Grandma Larissa. Liam opened the door

            ‘Grandpa James,’ he yelled throwing himself at the old man. The old man wrapped his arms around his grandson; Liam loved the smell of his grandfather. The spice aftershave, which he always wore to the dinners and cigarettes. He had given up the cigarettes fifth teen years before but the smell lingered.

            ‘32 times 21?’ Grandpa James asked. Liam pulled away and looked up,

            ‘672’ he replied with a smile.

            ‘Well done,’ his grandfather said as he ruffled his hair. That was Liam’s gift. He could multiply numbers in a blink of an eye. His math skills started at an early age, his grandfather always challenged him and he always got it right. He was the O’Malley’s Einstein. Grandpa James always told his grandson that he was going to make them all rich one day.

            ‘James, stop bothering the boy,’ Grandma Larissa scolded,

            ‘Larissa, this boy is smart,’ Grandpa James said.

            ‘It’s okay, Grandma Larissa, I like it,’ Liam replied smiling at both his grandparents. Grandma Larissa bent down and kissed his forehead, then wiped away the lip stick smudge that lingered there. Liam stood aside and let them through. They took off their coats and hung them as they normally did.

            ‘5 times 84?’

Liam laughed, ‘420.’

            ‘Right o,’ Grandpa James said putting his thumbs up. Liam led them to the kitchen where his parents were putting the finishing touches on the meals.

            ‘Hey, Mum, Dad,’ Harriet greeted her parents with a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug.

            ‘Hey sweet pea,’ her mother replied. ‘Do you need any help?’ she asked.

            ‘No we’re all done, shall we eat?’ Michel asked grabbing two plates and heading into the dining room. Harriet grabbed another two plates and looked at her parents,

‘Go sit down, we’ll bring the food to you,’ she said. Grandma Larissa opened her mouth to say something but Harriet cut her off, ‘Mum you do this every time. You are our guest so we bring the food to you. Now both of you go sit down and relax. Liam take your grandparents to the dining room, please.’

            ‘Come on,’ Liam said grabbing their hands and dragging them to the dinning room. Liam sat next to his grandfather.

            ‘Brianna, come on!’ Harriet yelled as she carried the last plate out.

            ‘She can still hear?’ Grandpa James asked,

            ‘Dad,’ Harriet warned.

            ‘Yes, Grandpa James, I can still hear,’ Brianna said walking into the dining room and sitting down next to her grandma. ‘Unlike you,’ she mumbled under her breath. Harriet kicked her daughter under the table ‘Ow! What was that for?’ she asked.

            ‘You know why, behave,’ her mother said abruptly.

Grandma Larissa looked at the dish in front of her; she bent over slightly and smelt the aroma. ‘Mmm this smell delicious,’ she said.

            ‘Thanks, Mom, well, everyone dig in,’ Harriet said and everyone did. Grampa James took out his false teeth and placed them in front of him.

            ‘Eww, gross,’ Brianna groaned making Liam laughed. He didn’t mind; he wasn’t grossed out.

            ‘Dad, do you mind?’

            ‘What? I can’t eat with them in,’ Grandpa James said shrugging his shoulders. 

            ‘James, put them in your pocket,’ Grandma Larissa said.

            ‘Fine,’ Grandpa James replied grabbing his teeth again and placing them in his shirt front pocket, then returned to eating.

            ‘I think I lost my appetite,’ Brianna mumbled. Harriet gave Brianna another kick under the table, ‘Ow! Mom!’

            ‘Behave,’ her mother said.

Brianna rolled her eyes, ‘God!’
            ‘Eat the food Brianna,’ Michel said from the end of the table. He sat back and watched. Each of his parents passed away when he was still a teenager so he looked at his wife’s parents, as his own parents.

            ‘985 – 578?’ Grandpa James asked,

            ‘Dad, not while were eating,’ Harriet said. Liam laughed again,

            ‘407,’ Liam answered. ‘You’ll have to come up with harder ones, Grandpa James; these are easy,’ he said looking up at him.

            ‘Is that so? Well, I’ll come up with new ones and I’ll get back to you.’

            ‘Boys, not at the table. Dad, you should know better,’ Harriet said looking at both her father and her son. They had an unbreakable bond. She knew that if her father would die, Liam would be devastated.

            ‘I’m trying to teach this boy so he can make us rich,’ Grandpa James said making Michel laugh. Brianna just rolled her eyes.

            ‘May I be excused? I think I need to throw up,’ she said and left the table before anyone could answer her.

            ‘What’s her problem?’ Grandpa James asked watching his granddaughter’s back disappear around the corner. Harriet just looked at her father, ‘What?’ he asked shrugging his shoulder.

            ‘Sweetie, cover your ears,’ Grandma Larissa instructed her grandson. Liam covered his small ears, ‘you can be an ass sometime, James, just shut up and eat the damn delicious food,’ she said to her husband who sat opposite her. He just glared at her before digging in to his meal. Harriet reached for Liam arm and pulled it gently,

            ‘It’s okay now,’ she said. Liam nodded and looked at his grandfather, who was still glaring at his grandmother.

            ‘Did you get in trouble, Grandpa James?’ he asked.

            ‘Sure did,’ Grandpa James answered as he finished the last of his meal.

*~*

Once Liam’s grandparents had left, the boy noticed a piece of paper on the fridge. It was stuck under the magnet he had made at school. He looked closely and noticed math sums on it and up the top of the page read,

Try these ones, tough guy. Love Grandpa James.

Liam smiled and took the piece of paper into his room. He went over to his desk and sat down in the big chair that his grandfather had given him. It smelt of spice and cigarettes. Liam’s favorite smell. He grabbed a pencil and began the challenge sheet. Liam found these sums a little bit harder than usual,

            ‘Liam,’ his mother called from the door way of his bedroom. Liam looked up,

            ‘Yes, Mum?’   

            ‘It’s time for bed, get changed and go brush your teeth,’ she replied. Liam nodded and put the pencil down. “The sums would have to wait for tomorrow,” Liam thought as he slid off the chair and walked over to his chest of drawers and pulled out his pj’s. Once he was dressed, he walked into the bathroom across the hall. Harriet folded back his blankets then walked over to his desk to switch off the lamp. She noticed the piece of paper her father had left for Liam. She smiled when she saw Liam had already answered half the problems already. She knew her son was different. She looked at the last few problems that were unanswered.

            ‘345, 5.6, 1225, 720, 1934, 29.9’ she said out loud with a smile. She had placed the piece of paper back on his desk, turned off his lamp and waited for his return. Liam walked back into his bedroom and crawled into his bed. Harriet tucked her son in and kissed his head.

            ‘Goodnight, Mum,’ he yawned closing his eyes. She smiled; she knew what he was going to dreaming about that night, numbers.

            ‘Goodnight, my little Einstein’ she said as she quietly walked out of the room. Liam did dream of numbers that night. Lots and lots of numbers.