Almost genius

I know a little boy of six, who is borderline genius. His parents are both alcoholics. Booze brought them together, and booze tore them apart. The pregnancy was a drunken "oops."

When he was born, mom stayed home, while dad hit the bars alone. Dad would stumble in at 9 or 10 or 11pm, to a cold dinner and an angry wife; A wife who wanted a drink and a break from the baby. As time passed, he came home to a drunken wife, who would thrust the baby in his wobbly arms as she staggered off to bed.

She worked weekends. He resented working a fifty hour week, and then having to babysit on his days off. Of course, babysitting consisted mostly of telling the kid to "shad-up" while he watched football and nursed his hangover on the couch.

Dad got very good at thrusting the baby into moms arms the moment she walked in the door.

It was a game of "Get Even."

They divorced not too long ago. Dad has remarried, and mom is dating a guy she met in the bar. The little boy has no friends in the neighborhood, because Dad does not want other kids in his house. He has few friends at school, because the teacher says he fights.

Mom has moved three times since the split, so the boy does not try too hard to make friends when he is staying with her. It hurts too much.

Now Dad is telling the boy they are moving to another state, and he wont be able to see his mom quite so often.

Mom got him a puppy for Christmas last year, and told him she is giving the dog to Grandma, because she works long hours, and its not right to leave the dog in a crate all day.

Mom says "I love my son. I never yell at him unless I'm trying to sleep, and yeah, I know I sleep too much."

The little boy spends lots of time alone in his room, taking things apart. He loves to discover how things work. Toasters, phones, vacum cleaners, you name it. He reminds me of a little Thomas Edison.

What will happen to this bright little boy who is almost a genius, I don't know. I have done all I can, which is a far cry from enough.

I wonder if my tears will help?