Rejected Fella.

"Come on tough guy, time to bathe," Sydney carried Roman off the bed, straight into the bathroom, and gently placed him down inside the bathtub filled with water. He still had sleep in his eyes and had no idea who was moving him, but knew he was moving.

He doesn't feel like going to school today because of the fight that happened yesterday, but his mom wouldn't understand since she always thinks he's the one that looks for trouble first even if he isn't, when involved in a fight.

"Hey baby, it's time to wake up" Sydney washed Roman's face with water to get rid of sleep away from his eyes. He could care less for someone who has to go to school today due to how relaxed he's sleeping in the tub, so comfortable as someone with zero worries in the world.

"Mom…" Roman groaned, feeling his mom's presence disturb his sleep. Is it time for school already? Can't she let him sleep a little bit longer? Yesterday was hectic for him.

"Hey, tough guy. I didn't sign up for this today so please cooperate. I have to go to work" Sydney took Roman's hand off hers which he held to prevent her from bathing him. 

"I don't want to…go ... today" Roman fluttered his sleepy eyes open with a weary voice telling his mom he didn't feel like going to school today. 

"You know that's not going to happen, Roman" Sydney refused to agree with Roman, knowing why he didn't want to go to school today. He can't avoid school, not when he badly hurt someone yesterday.

Maybe, he's starting to feel bad for it and doesn't know how to face the other kids. Everyone might even start to avoid him so they don't end up as one of his victims.

"You can't avoid school today, especially when you fought someone yesterday. It's good for you to go so you can feel ashamed for what you did to that boy. You also shouldn't even feel bad when no one agrees to play with you today. I think you know why already"  

Sydney made Roman realize that what he did yesterday was wrong, he definitely knows it too. And with the way she's talking to him, he can tell that his mom isn't going to agree to let him stay unless he has a reasonable reason why she should let him stay home today. 

"But Mommy…he started it first," Roman said in a whisper, a little bit scared his mom wouldn't believe him. She still wouldn't believe him even if he said it in a loud and clear voice.

"Yeah, right. Just like the other kid you fought with the other day also started it too, right?" Sydney scoffed, Roman suddenly made up a silly random excuse so she listened to him and wouldn't let him go to school today.

"They make fun of me all the time" Roman put in more effort, not willing to stop, not until he makes sure that his mom believes him this time. He has had enough of her doubting him whenever he tries to make things clear to her.

"Roman, nothing is going to stop me from taking you to school today. So, better stop making up silly excuses" Sydney shook her head in disbelief, she had never seen any kid try so hard the way Roman did for him not to go to school. 

"Mommy, I'm telling the truth. I didn't mean to hurt Ray. We were friends before I hit him first" Roman decided telling his mom the truth regarding the fight that happened yesterday at school. He's telling the truth, he hit Ray first before Ray retaliated and then a fight broke out.

"Wait, you were the one that even hit him first?" Sydney paused while washing Roman's back after he said that to her. He was the one that hit the Ray kid first? Jesus, why would he do that?

"If you were friends with him, then why did you hit him, Roman? Don't you know that friends don't hit each other?" Sydney got concerned as to why Roman had to hit the Ray kid first.

"I didn't want to hit him, Mommy, but then he wouldn't leave me alone" Roman pouted sadly, now he's talking about the fight. It's making him realize how badly he hurt Ray. He's starting to wonder if he's doing okay or not. And this conversation isn't a bad one since it's kind of making his mom talk and listen to him.

She usually doesn't do this, sitting with him and listening to him because she's always too mad to do so. It seems like whatever she and that man talked about yesterday helped to make her change her attitude towards him. 

That man was nice, however, he's not his playmate, Roman would have already set up a playdate with him.

"Close your eyes" Roman shut his eyes as his mom washed his face. 

"Mommy please, I want to stay with you today" Roman preferred to talk despite his Mom washing his face. He wants her to take him seriously for real this time. He's happy she's talking to him and not scolding him.

"If you keep on talking, soap is going to get into your mouth, Roman!" Sydney warned as if Roman was going to listen. He never listens to her.

"Ray wouldn't let me play with the others because he thinks Dad would never come to pick me up after school" Roman dropped the particular words that made Sydney pause abruptly while bathing him.

"What?" She questioned out of shock. When the hell did kids learn how to start behaving that way?

"He is the oldest among us and he made the other kids stop playing with me because they have never seen Dad come pick me up after school. You are the only one who does that. Ray said his Dad comes to pick him up because he's a Daddy's boy, I want to be Daddy's boy too." Roman's words kept Sydney speechless for the moment.

"He did it again yesterday. he stopped the other kids from playing with me. I couldn't take it anymore so when he didn't let me play with the others. I hit him and pushed him down to the ground and he did the same to me" Roman continued since his mom was silent and seemed like she was listening to him and very attentively. 

"Mommy Gibbs would have stopped us from fighting but she wasn't around. And I didn't want to hurt Ray but he just hit me so hard that I had to break his arm. I'm so sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to hurt him that bad" The one word Roman knows how to say very well is sorry. 

His mom just paused while bathing him and could only stare at him. The same kind of stare she gives him whenever she's mad at him for doing something like this, but this time the stare wasn't that vicious. It looked vicious and also kind of sorry like she's also sorry towards him the way he is to her too.

"Mom, when is Dad going to come back home for real? He's been away from us for too long now" Roman asking this one question made Sydney more speechless because at the moment she has no lie to say to him again.

Sydney swallowed a lump down her throat, that Ray's friend of Roman was a bad one. A big bad friend that's about to make her travel down a lane of bad memories she doesn't want to.

She can't do this with Roman. He's still too young to know he's a rejected fella to his Dad. So she distracted him with this instead. "What if I let you stay with me today? Would you be a good boy for Mama?"

"Yes!, yes, I will" Roman squealed with excitement, totally forgetting he just asked about his dad a few seconds ago. After all, whenever he asks about his dad, his mom tells him he traveled. Right now, Roman got too excited he'll be staying with his Mom today to even think about his dad again.

So, just like that. The topic about Barry ended and Sydney didn't have to travel down to a lane of bad memories.