What is a Pretend Family?

Do you have a pretend family? asked the little boy with a wrinkled nose.
"No...what in the world is that?"
asked the man...who did not want to pay attention to what seemed to be, 
a snotty boy.

The boy stared from the park bench...and pointed to a woman holding her baby.
"thats my pretend mother, isnt she beautiful and nice..."
The man nodded, without a single word...
"and that! , thats my pretend uncle...and those children...they,
they are my pretend brothers and sisters...we are going on a trip..see all the bags?"

The man took a bite out of his sandwich...
Pretend Uncle Rob, Mommy , Daddy, sister and brother... we all live in a big  pretend house.
If we are bad, we just get pancakes! said the boy picking up a small crumb from the bench and eating it.

"uh huh, Listen kid,  I dont care...nobody cares ok?"
The boy stared at the man...and tears started to show in his eyes...
The boy looked up and saw another man across him...sitting on a bench and pointed..
"what?" asked the man...

the boy looked down at his bruised wrists and arms..
and he said without looking up
"thats the pretend man, who does care. He might save me."



~Torn


(This originates from a game I used to play at school...when I was a kid, it was too painful for me to think I could go home to my real family...so I would pretend my teachers, friends, or whoever really...was my family.)