King of the Wilderness

"No! No! No! Darling! Let me explain!" John immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, babbling, "It’s the TV! It’s that guy from China! He rescued a little polar bear, and then..."

Carosi wasn’t listening to his explanation at all; the bloodline of the fierce Ohio farming family fully awoke at that moment.

She pulled her still-crying son Tommy into her arms and sat down next to John, tugging at his ear.

"John!" Her voice was low, but it was filled with the terrifying energy of a volcano about to erupt.

"Is your underdeveloped brain, damaged by football, making you start to doubt whether Tommy is your biological son? You better explain everything clearly today, or I promise, the next one to be sent away will definitely be you!"

"Oh! Ouch! Ouch! Darling! No! Absolutely not!" John grimaced in pain, feeling like his ear was about to be twisted off, "It’s a metaphor! A stupid metaphor! I swear to God!"

He looked at his son in his arms as if grabbing a lifeline, "Tommy! Quick! Say something to Mom! Tell her we’re talking about the bear on TV!"

Little Tommy was so stunned by this sudden family violence that he forgot to cry.

He looked at his angry mom, then at his dad in pain, and finally, with a voice full of righteous innocence, he said to his mom, "Mom, don’t bully Dad!"

This heroic plea for his father finally eased Carosi’s anger a bit. She let go but still glared at John with suspicion.

John rubbed his now-red ear and finally had a chance to quickly explain the story of that "bear dad" on TV and his own stupid metaphor.

After listening, Carosi’s face finally went from cloudy to clear. She glanced at the rolling end credits on the TV, looked at her husband who still appeared aggrieved, and finally burst out laughing.

She gave John a kiss as an apology and then turned her attention back to her son in her arms.

"Oh, my little silly," she gently kissed Tommy’s forehead, "don’t worry, no one will send you away. You’ll always be mom and dad’s most beloved little sweetheart."

With the reassurance from his mom that he’d "never be sent away," Little Tommy felt secure, but another grand idea began to take root in his little mind.

He wriggled free from Carosi’s embrace, looking up at his father with tear-stained anticipation.

"Dad," his voice was filled with the purest desire of a child, "so can we... can we also have a little polar bear?"

"I promise! I’ll use all my allowance to buy it fish! I can even help bathe it! I definitely won’t send it away!"

This question was even more challenging than the previous, "Will you send me away?"

John and his wife Carosi exchanged a glance and saw a mix of indulgence and overwhelming helplessness in each other’s eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart..." John smiled wryly, lifting his son onto his lap, trying to explain with adult logic.

"I’m afraid that’s not possible. Polar bears are Arctic animals; they need to live in very cold places. Ohio’s summer would be too hot for them."

"Then we can turn on the air conditioning!" Little Tommy immediately retorted, his logic clear, "Just like we do when it’s hot in the summer!"

"Uh..." John was momentarily at a loss. He tried a different angle, "Besides, they’ll grow very big, even bigger than dad’s pickup truck! Our house might not be big enough to hold it."

"Then we can get a bigger house!" Little Tommy’s solutions were always so simple and direct.

John was completely stumped.

He looked at his son’s determined eyes, realizing that a flat refusal would only make him sadder. He had to think of a way to redirect his attention.

His mind raced, his eyes scanning the living room for inspiration.

Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind like lightning.

"Hey, Tommy." John’s tone suddenly turned mysterious, "Having a polar bear is indeed a bit tricky. But... Dad knows another super cool, fish-loving little creature that can keep you company for a long, long time. Would you like that?"

"A little creature?" Little Tommy’s curiosity was instantly piqued, "Cooler than a polar bear?"

"Of course!" John displayed an expression of "you’ve hit the jackpot," "When polar bears grow up, they have to be returned to the Arctic. But this little creature can stay with you always, until you grow up, even until you have your own children!"

He pulled out his phone, quickly found a picture, and showed it to his son. It was a picture of a small map turtle.

"Look," John pointed at the picture, "It’s called a map turtle because the shell on its back looks like an ancient treasure map! Isn’t that cool?"

"Wow!" Little Tommy’s eyes gleamed.

"And, listen closely," John lowered his voice and said the most crucial point, "it likes to eat fish too! We can buy it small fish snacks, and you can feed it yourself! It’s just like a polar bear, loving to eat fish!"

"Also... eats fish?" This connection seemed to instantly resolve the logical circle in Little Tommy’s mind.

"Exactly the same!" John declared decisively, "And it can swim! We can build a little island in the fish tank for it, watching it swim and sunbathe. It will be your exclusive underwater superhero at home!"