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“What’s going on? Is Jaxon hurt?”
“No, I don’t think so. He just had a tantrum, and he was throwing things. And he hit me hard, and I’m done taking this abuse.”
“Jaxon wouldn’t hit you,” I tell her.
“He threw a book at me, and it hit me in the face.”
I don’t say anything, because Jaxon has been known to throw things when he gets upset. I don’t think he’s trying to hurt anyone. I think he just doesn’t know how to deal with his anger.
I sigh. “Lisa, if you need to go to an urgent care to get a look at it, I’ll compensate you for your time and any medical bills. But I really need to go right now.”
“No, I don’t care about medical bills. I dread coming here because Jaxon is such a bad kid, and-”
I shake my head. Jaxon has his issues. Every three-year-old does, but I wouldn’t categorize him as bad, just… untrained? “Is Jaxon there? Is he listening to you?”
“No, he’s in his room. He’s supposedly in time out, but it sounds more like he’s destroying his room. And I can’t-”
“Lisa, leave him in his room until you’ve calmed down, and-”
“Until I’ve calmed down? He’s the one with issues. Your kid has like… anger management issues, and I’m not going-”
“He’s three!” I practically yell into the phone. I glance at my closed office door and lower my voice. “That’s not an excuse for bad behavior, but he’s not trying to be bad. He’s just figuring out-”
“I’m done listening to your excuses for him. I quit!” Lisa announces vehemently.
I let her words sink into me. I do not need to deal with balancing her emotions and keeping her happy. I have enough things pulling at my attention.
“Lisa, please-”
“No, Harrison. I’m done. I’ve taken enough of this. I’ll wait for you to get home, but then, I’m done.”
“You have to give me two weeks’ notice. I need time to find someone to replace you.”
“You know what? I don’t even care. You don’t need me again until Monday. That gives you time. You can keep my last check too. It’s not about money. I need peace of mind, and I’m not going to find it with this kid terrorizing me. I’m-”
I hear Jaxon in the background. “Are you talking to Daddy?”
“You’re in timeout!” Lisa practically shouts at him. “Go back to your room!”
“Noooo! I want to talk to Daddy!”
“Hand the phone over,” I tell Lisa.
“Fine. But if he breaks my phone this is an Iphone 14, and if he breaks it, I will expect to be compensated.”
There are some muffled sounds as the phone is handed over. Then, I hear my son’s voice loud and clear on the other end. “Daddy, I don’t like Miss Lisa anymore. She’s being a meanie to me, and…”
I hear Lisa say something in the background in response to his comment. I rub at my forehead. This is more important than my waiting clients. I shouldn’t have to deal with this right now, but that’s my life, full of annoying, unexpected difficulties.
“Jaxon, I want you to go to another room, so you and I can talk by ourselves.”
I hear a rustling as Jaxon follows instructions. Lisa protests, but Jaxon yells back at her. “Daddy said!”
“I’m in my room,” Jaxon tells me. His sweet breathing directly on the speaker makes me remember just how young he is. How anyone can behave like Lisa did with him…
“Tell me what happened. I heard you got angry.”
“I got so angry, because… because… because…” Jaxon gets stuck for a second, and I give him a moment to let his mouth catch up to his brain. “Lisa said we can’t play outside, and I want to!”
