A HAIRCUT FOR CLEO
Disclaimer: The Mummy and The Mummy Returns belong to Stephen Sommers, and to Universal Studios.
Summer had arrived and with it the heat. England hadn’t seen a summer so hot in several years, and the only relief from the heat was in the comfort of the old drafty house. O’Connell Manor was huge, and like most old houses drafty which helped with the heat.
The house was quiet, due to Alex and Rick being gone to get their hair cut, by demand of Evelyn, who said they both needed a good trim. Rick never got too much taken off liking his hair a little long, but Alex being a little boy got the standard trim.
While her men were gone, Evie sat in the parlor curled up with a good book on the sofa by the big picture frame windows. Not far from her lay Cleo who had just given herself a bath, and who was content to sleep undisturbed.
Lately Alex had taken great pleasure in tormenting her, and Evie had not been pleased with her little boy. She was dressed in a light weight floral gown, creme colored with pink roses printed on the fabric. On days such as this one, dresses felt good to wear, and since she was on a vacation to spend time with her guys, her usual work clothing stayed hung in her closet.
The silence didn’t remain, as both Cleo and Evelyn heard running feet followed by Alex’s shouting. “Mum look at me,” he said as he ran in. He had on tan shorts and a white shirt, and his cut made him look nearly as handsome as his father.
“I think you look wonderful, turn around there, and let me see,” Evelyn said as she placed the book she had been reading down beside her.
Alex did as his mother told, and Evie was pleased.
“Well that wasn’t so bad was it?” Evelyn said to her little boy as he turned around to face her. Alex had not wanted to go get his hair cut, and it was the threat of getting his bottom smacked that got him out to Rick’s car.
“No not too bad, may I go play in my room?” he asked spying Cleo going up the stairs, though keeping his eyes focused on the floor so that his mum wouldn’t think he was up to anything wrong.
Evie smiled as her husband walked in, looking the same, but somehow different. “Yes, leave Cleo alone please,” she said. As Alex ran off, Rick walked over to her and sat down next to her.
“I had Morris give me a shave,” Rick said as Evelyn leaned in to kiss him. Rick pulled her to sit on his lap, and deepened the kiss, and for now the only thing that existed in their world was them.
~*~
Upstairs, Alex found Cleo in the guest room, and a grin spread over his face. He tiptoed to his parents’ room and went in to their bathroom. There he found his mothers sewing scissors, where she had been cutting some string from one of his new shirts the other night. He quickly grabbed them, then went back to the guest room. “OH Cleo, it is time for you to have a haircut.”
~*~
At the piano, a little after Rick and Evelyn had shared some time together, Evelyn said playing Moon Light Sonata, and on the couch, Rick sat reading a copy of the paper, which he had gotten when he had taken Alex out to get their hair cut.
All was at piece, until Alex came running down the stairs crying. Evelyn quickly stopped playing as he came to her holding his finger in his hand, and crying hard. She also noticed he had a scratch going up his arm, deep marks, and held her little boy, guessing Cleo had the last word with Alex on his teasing.
“She was mean to me mum,” Alex sobbed as Evelyn carried him to the couch.
Evie sat down with him holding him close. “Rick will you go get the first aid box?” she asked calmly.
“Noo, that will hurt worse,” he sobbed. Alex like any kid his age hated having Iodine put on his cuts, and clung to his mother as she rocked him.
“Daddy will blow on it to make the sting go away. What happened that made Cleo want to hurt you baby?” Evelyn asked, guessing Alex would likely not be forth coming with an answer.
He kept crying, knowing that his arm and finger were likely not being the only things that hurt if his mum found out about Cleo’s new look. Alex howled as Evie put medicine on his finger and his arm, then it was all over. They put some gauze around his arm to keep the scratch covered, and Evie continued to hold her son, while Rick left to go see what had happened to the cat.
Upstairs he didn’t see her in his and Evelyn’s room, so he went to Alex’s. She wasn’t there, and as he walked out of Alex’s room he saw that the guest room door was closed and when he opened it he found Cleo. She was back against a wall licking at sever bald spots on her otherwise furry body, and Rick noticed blood. “Hey Cleo shh,” he said as he knelt down.
After a moment she came to him and allowed him to look her over. Rick found a place where it looked like Alex had knicked her with the scissors, but it wasn’t bad. “Well, if it would have been me I think I would have bitten him too,” Rick said, none to happy that Alex had once again gotten in to something he should not. This didn’t warrant a spanking, but Rick decided fair warning was good enough.
~*~
When he arrived downstairs Alex was no where to be found, and Evie was back to her book. “Um where is Alex?” he asked, not quite sure how to tell his wife that the cat now had a new look.
“He went to play with Megan. Did you find...Oh dear lord,” she said as she spotted her cat walking down the steps. Quickly Evelyn went over to her. “No wonder you scratched him. Well I think I’ll go have a word with our son,” Evelyn fumed.
“Why don’t you sit here and let me take care of that,” Rick said, then it was too late, Megan and Alex ran in.
“You young man are grounded. You know better than to get in to my things, and you certainly know better than to hurt this cat,” Evelyn said as she walked over to him. She pulled him to his time out chair and made him sit, and sent Megan home, then went outside to cool off.
Alex sat in his time out chair pounting, hoping his dad would take pity on him, but it was clear he hadn’t a friend in the world. A few minutes later his mum told him to come with her to his room, and there they had a talk.
“Now I want to know why you cut off her hair like that?” Evelyn said as she knelt in front of her son, not allowing him to escape her cold gaze.
“It’s hot, and I just wanted her to feel cool,” he tried. Part of that was true. He couldn’t imagine how an animal kept cool with so much hair all over it’s body.
Evelyn realized Alex hadn’t meant to be all naughty, but she still wasn’t going to let him get away with that. “You are going to stay in this room the rest of the day. You may read a book or sleep, but you will not do any playing. The next time you torment Cleo or get in to things you should not, then I will go outside and find a switch, and I will use it against the back of your legs,” she said, meaning every word.
Alex knew what that was, and knew it likely hurt worse than the back of a brush. “I’m sorry mum,” he said.
Evelyn hugged him. “I know baby, but try and remember that Cleo likes it when we let her decide to be taken care of. Will you do that for me?” she asked as she moved away to look at him. When he nodded his head she gave him a kiss then left to go finish the rest of her book.
THE END