Chapter 4

Malik woke up the next morning relieved to find himself in a completely dry bed. He put a hoodie on and went to go brush his teeth. As he turned the handle to the bathroom door he found it locked. "Bruce must be in there" he thought.

"Bruce?" He said, knocking at the door.

"Hold on Malik, I'm just in the shower." Bruce replied

"How long will you be?" The boy asked

"Not long..can it wait?" He said

"Yeah I can wait" Malik replied, although he hoped bruce would be quick.

The man heard the unsureness in his voice, "You can come in and go if you really need to"

"I said I can wait" Malik was a little annoyed, he felt like bruce was treating him like a baby, so he decided to wait patiently.

Bruce got out the shower about 15 minutes later and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Malik was sitting at the counter on his phone.

"Bathroom is free now" Bruce told him

Malik put his phone down and went upstairs to use the toilet and get ready, he had football today. After his shower he put his football kit on and got his bag ready before going downstairs.

"You've got football practice today?" The man asked

"Yep" He replied, grabbing a bottle of water out the fridge.

Bruce placed a bowl of yogurt and fruit on the counter. "You'll eat before you go anywhere." He told the boy

"I'm not hungry, I'll probably eat something later" Malik told him

"Sit. You're not going unless you eat"

"But whyyy, I'm not hungry I swear! And I never usually have breakfast. Even ask my dad." Malik fought back

"Boy, if you don't get your little behind on that chair and start eating, I'll feed you myself." Bruce was serious about him eating, Malik was underweight and it wasn't healthy for him to exercise so much without eating, he needed the energy.

"You're so annoying sometimes. You can't force me to eat!"

"Want a bet?" Bruce took the spoon and the fruit yogurt over to the boy, then took a spoonful of it and put it up to his mouth "open".

Malik kept his mouth closed and shook his head.

"Okay...have it your way" Bruce placed the bowl back on the counter, Malik smiled and turned towards the door, as he opened it he felt two hands beginning to tickle him, and he hated being tickled. He tried helplessly to push Bruce's hands off and wriggle away, but the more he laughed the weaker he became.

"Now will you eat?" Bruce asked, he knew how much Malik hated being tickled due to how ticklish he was.

"Fine fine just please no more tickling" The boy begged

Bruce let go and Malik sat down to eat, shoving the fruits he didn't like to the side.

"What's wrong with the oranges?" The man asked looking at the oranges pushed to the side of the bowl.

"I don't like them"

"Just eat a few, they're good for you, boy" Bruce told him

"Will you stop calling me boy, I'm nearly a man" Malik argued

"I'll stop calling you boy IF you eat the oranges, boy" Bruce laughed at the 'nearly man'

Malik groaned and ate the oranges quickly to get it over with.

"Now you can go, boy." Bruce smiled

"YOU SAID YOU'D STOP CALLING ME THAT" Malik said annoyed

"I lied" the man replied chuckling "I just wanted you to eat your food"

"I'm never eating oranges again" Malik rolled his eyes as he left for football.

Bruce worked on his laptop whilst Malik was at football, it was peaceful which was great as it meant he could focus and get more done. A few hours later his peace was interrupted by loud knocking on the door that wouldn't stop. "Who on earths knocking like that?" He thought. He finished the sentence he was writing and saved his work when he a heard a voice through the letter box.

"Bruce! Hurry and open the door" It was Malik

He went and opened the door and the boy tried to run past him, but Bruce put his arm out in front of him and stopped him.

"What's the matter?" Bruce asked laughing at the boy, who wouldn't keep still.

"Bathroom" was all he said as he tried to move the man's arm

Bruce shook his head, "shoes off first, you're covered in mud!"

"I need a wee let me go" Malik whined, trying to move Bruce who was a lot taller than him and stronger.

"Take your football kit off and then you can go, I don't want mud all over my carpet."

Malik groaned as he sat on the floor in front of Bruce and took his football boots off "can I go now?" He said standing up and crossing his legs.

"Take the football kit off so I can wash that too" Bruce said.

The boy quickly took his football shirt and shorts off, then handed them to Bruce whilst bouncing on the spot, "now?" He asked.

"Go on" The man let him past and watched him bolt up the stairs and straight into the bathroom, he heard the boys sigh of relief and laughed, taking it as a sign that he'd made it.

Malik finished up in the bathroom and went to his room to put shorts and a hoodie on. Then he went downstairs.

"Malik, I think we should talk about yesterday.." Bruce said

"I don't wanna talk about it, it won't happen again I promise"

"Not the car, that was my fault, I should've asked you if you needed to go before we left the cafe" Bruce told him

"I don't need you to ask me I'm not a kid, it wouldn't have happened if you stopped though" Malik said, looking at the tv and not Bruce

"I know I know, I won't count that as an accident, but I'm talking about you wetting the bed the other night. I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it. Do you usually wet the bed? I know you used to.."

"NO. I don't anymore, that was a one off. I didn't wet the bed last night did I?" The boy defended himself

"Malik Malik, I'm not accusing you of anything, you don't need to get so defensive I'm just asking. I want to help" the man comforted him

"I don't need help." Malik snarled

"Why do you think you wet the bed?" Bruce asked calmly

"There was no reason! It just happened, maybe I had a dream about a toilet or something I don't know"

"I don't think so, Malik. Did you have a lot to drink before bed? Maybe you forgot to use the toilet before you went to sleep"

Malik shook his head, "it was just a one off, it won't happen again"

"It's hard for me to believe that when you also had an accident in the car yesterday and looked like you were about to have one at the front door just before when you came home."

"You said you wouldn't count yesterday because it was your fault!" the boy argued

"I'm just saying, boy, maybe we should take you to the doctors. It's probably due to stress with your dad going to Australia and you having to move in so quickly." Bruce explained

"No way! I'm not going to the doctors! I don't need to and you can't make me!" Malik was now yelling

"Don't use that tone with me boy, I'm trying to be reasonable here! I only want to help you and that's all the doctors want to do too. You're making this harder for yourself Malik."

Malik didn't want to listen to anymore, "I'm not a baby!"

"You're certainly acting like one" Bruce mumbled

"What?" The boy was getting very frustrated, very fast. He began squaring up to Bruce

"Nothing, Malik, sit down" the man told him

"I'm sick of you telling me what to do and treating me like a kid. You're not my dad and you never will be!"

"I'm not trying to be your dad." Bruce said calmly

"Good! You'd be a shit dad anyway. I'm GLAD you aren't my dad." Malik yelled, pushing past him and storming off to his room.

Malik was beyond annoyed at Bruce at this point. He pushed his desk in front of his door to stop him trying to come in.

"Malik? Open this door now" the man instructed

"Fuck off bruce" Malik replied

"I won't be spoken to like that in my own home! You can stay in there now, you're grounded." Bruce told him

"You can't ground me you're not my dad!" Malik yelled

"Maybe whilst you're grounded we can work on toilet training you" Bruce teased

Malik kicked the door hard in anger and bruce went back downstairs, not phased by the boys actions and left him to calm down. Malik lay on his bed thinking about how mad he was at Bruce and how he could be so cruel to him, and soon enough fell asleep.