text: The little boy is sitting on the floor playing with his board books. He is about two years old. Young enough to flick through the pages of his books upside down and not be concerned. He has curly auburn hair, big brown eyes and a bright happy smile. As he turns each page he points at things and gibbers to himself, talking about what he sees in his own little language. He looks up from his books and towards his mother. Giving her a big smile and saying “book. Book” happy with himself for knowing the word. His eyes are bright as he makes himself laugh, hoping his mother will share the laugh with him. His mother is watching him and feeling nothing. Her face reads as if she could be looking at him, or at the decorative cushion on the lounge behind him. When he looks up towards her and smiles she starts to feel something towards him. His laughter extracts a trickle of the jealousy and resentment from the well in her chest and puts it to the front of her mind. Her dead face slowly moves into a frown. She walks over and picks up his books and takes them away. Putting them on a high shelf. “Boooks! Books!” he cries out, reaching his hands up and grabbing at nothing. His face scrunches up and he starts to wail. She looks down at his crying face and does nothing. He crawls over and tries to climb up the leg of her pants while crying. She shakes her leg so he cant get purchase and leaves him alone crying on the floor. Her frown fades away and she feels better again. He takes a minute to crawl across the room back to her feet, letting out his little whine of upset as he goes. He sits and looks up at her, rubbing his balled fists on his cheek to get the tears off his face. She picks him up and holds him against her. She says in soft motherly tone “You’re so needy, mummy will make it better though.” The jealousy and resentment trickling back into the well for now as she absorbs the unconditional love from the child. The keys jingle in the door and the lock is undone as the boy’s father comes in through the front door. He sees the mother holding the baby and smiles “That’s nice to see you two together like that” he says. “Ughh, he’s been so needy. Just at me all day. I’m exhausted I need to take a break, I’m going for a walk” she says as she passes the boy off to his father. “Back in an hour” she says as she slams the door behind her. The boys father looks at his son and smiles at him “Hey mate, lets try to be nicer to her okay.” He says in a soft voice. “She puts a lot of love into you while I’m away mate. One day you’ll grow up and realise how lucky you are”.