Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

September 15th, 2002 – 6:55pm (Sunday)

         Just like every Sunday, I woke to the delicious smell of blueberry pancakes.  My mouth began to water as I walked into the kitchen.  Mom turned and handed me a plate with three golden, fluffy pancakes and a glass of milk.  As my mom reached for another plate to put her own pancakes on, I sat at the table and took a large gulp of her cold, refreshing milk.  My mom walked over carrying a cup of coffee, her plate of pancakes, and the syrup.  The instant she had set the syrup on the table, I reached over to soak my pancakes with it.

         “I’ve always loved Sunday mornings,” I said brightly to her, a forkful of my scrumptious breakfast already on its way to my mouth.  I closed my eyes, relishing the candied flavor of blueberries mixed with the thick syrup.

         Mom replied, “I didn’t think you liked pancakes.”  She took a long swig of her steaming coffee, poured a bit of syrup on her own pancakes, and took a bite.  “Mmmm… no wonder you like them.  I must admit, they are pretty darn good.”

          I looked at my mom and asked, “What’s the plan for today?  Anything fun?”

         With a look of caution, Mom said, “I thought we’d go look for an apartment.  We both know I can’t afford this house on my salary alone.  I think we should go over to Centerville to see what kind of apartments they have for rent.”

         I nodded and continued my wonderful feast.  If we lived in Centerville at least I wouldn’t have to change schools, and it has a nice park with a tennis court.  “Maybe we can play tennis more often if we move there.  We haven’t played since last fall,” I said, sounding more upbeat than I felt.

          “Sure.  If we have time, we could even play a game today.”

          I took the last bite of the sugary meal and washed it down by finishing my milk.  “I’ll go get dressed then,” I said.  I headed for my room to get my tennis racquet and outfit, stowed them in my black gym bag, and put on a pair of faded jeans and a not-too-wrinkled pink t-shirt.

          When I walked into the living room to put on my white K-Swiss sneakers, I heard the clinking of dishes as her mom cleaned up from our breakfast.  I smiled to myself, thinking, "This is going to be some adventure.  Finally, it’s just me and Mom… we’ll be happier now that Dad’s out of the picture.”

***

          “This one’s nice, isn’t it?” I heard Mom calling from another room.

          We were in the third, and last, available apartment in Centerville.  It had a decent living room, small eat-in kitchen, undersized bathroom with a shower stall and no tub, and two typical bedrooms.  With walls the color of eggshells and threadbare beige carpet, it was still the nicest we had investigated.

          “Yeah, it’s not too bad,” was my aloof response.  I was tired of looking at these apartments.  They all seemed the same, and none felt like they could ever be home.  I walked back into the living room, where my mom was looking desolate.

          “Well, let’s go to the office and tell them we’ll take it.  We can move in here next weekend,” Mom said.  “It’s going to be a tight fit, getting the furniture in.  I think we can do it, though.  I’ll get Ted to help us and you can ask Rachel to help, too.”

          Ted is Mom’s best male friend and co-worker.  I’ve always liked having him around.  He was the one who taught me to play tennis and throw a football.  He’s like the dad I wish my own father could be, with his goofy grin and warm blue eyes. 

         “Okay.  You wanna do it next Saturday?” I asked.

          “Saturday sounds good.  Let’s go.”  With Mom’s reply, we walked out the door and to the office of the apartment complex, Thoroughgood Villas.

          As Mom discussed the lease with the landlord, I wandered over to the large and undoubtedly expensive aquarium and gazed at the fish inside.

          When the lease had been signed, we drove to the nearby park and played a game of tennis.  Afterward we had lunch at the local burger café, and then headed home.

          I’m a bit apprehensive about the upcoming move, but still have a feeling of adventure.  We are finally going to have a place where we don’t have to live in Dad’s shadow.  He won’t be able to hurt Mom anymore.

         I can feel a freedom I didn’t know existed.  I’ll be able to have friends stay all night with me, since I won’t have to worry about them hearing my parents fighting.

***

September 21st, 2002 (Saturday)

         My mom has been busy this past week; working during the days and packing boxes in the evenings.  She hasn’t had much time to talk, but I don’t mind.  I don’t feel like talking anyway and I’ve had to pack my things and finish my homework each night.

         Last night, Rachel came to stay all night with us.  Ted was coming to the house at 8am to help us move, so her mom said it would be easier for Rachel to spend the night at my house.

         I was finished with packing at that point, so Rachel and I went into my bedroom.  Rachel set her overnight bag on the floor and glanced around.  All the posters of various rock bands had been taken down, and the flower-shaped rug was already rolled up and put into a box.

         “Wow.  It’s so empty in here now, and it looks a lot bigger,” she said.

         “Yeah, it seems weird, doesn’t it?  I mean, I’ve lived here forever,” I replied as I sat on the bed.

         Rachel walked over, sat down beside me and took my hand.  She said, “I know you’ll miss it.  At least you’re getting away from your dad, though.”

         She’s the only one who knows what my dad is really like.  I looked into her eyes, which appeared amethyst in contrast to her navy blue shirt.  I flicked my tongue across my lips, moistening them, and pressed my lips to hers.  I could taste that sweet strawberry lip gloss once again.  I felt her lips part, so I plunged my tongue inside.

         I heard the rushing water from the shower stop, and forced myself to pull away from the kiss.  Rachel’s eyes opened slowly, as though she wanted to stay in that moment just a while longer.

         “Mom’s getting outta the shower.  We should go to bed anyway,” I explained and reached over to set the alarm.

         After we had gotten ready for bed and Mom had come in to say goodnight, we shared one more kiss and said goodnight.

***

         Buzzzzz… buzzzzz… buzzzzz…

         I smacked blindly at the annoying sound that had awaken me.  Realizing it was the alarm clock; I felt for the snooze button and pushed it down with more force than was necessary.

         “Hmph,” Rachel had been woken up, too.

         “Time to get up, Ted’ll be here in thirty minutes.” I told her, stretching.

         “Mmhm.”

         I knew that Rachel would be out of bed soon, so I went into the bathroom to get ready.  When I was finished, Rachel was also awake and ready to go.

         I sat down on the bed to pull my shoes on as Rachel rummaged in her overnight bag for her toothbrush.

         “I’ll be right back,” she said, and headed to the bathroom.

         I looked around at my barren bedroom.  Even with grimy off-white walls, rough hardwood floors that were always too cold, and a door painted the color of peas, it was my home.  I loved that house, as I had lived in it for as long as I could remember.  That was my sanctuary; my place to hide from the world.

         “But if it’s what I have to sacrifice for me and Mom to get away from Dad, fine,” I thought to myself.  I glanced up as I heard my mom walk into the room.

         “Hey sweetie, are you two almost ready?” Mom asked.

         “Ready when you are, Mrs. Ewers,” Rachel said, grinning, as she stepped out of the bathroom.          

         “Ted should be -” Mom was interrupted by the chirping of the doorbell.  She shrugged, grinned, and went to answer the door.

         Rachel beamed her perfect smile at me, and when it went unreturned she sat down on the bed next to me.

         “What’s wrong?” she asked with concern in her voice.

         “Nothing, I guess.  I’m just gonna miss this place.”  I answered, glimpsing at her.

         “Ah.”  She wrapped me in a tight hug.

         As I hugged her back, I could feel my worry slipping away.  “Everything will be fine,” I told myself.  I pulled away from the hug and kissed Rachel swiftly.  “Love ya.  Thanks for being there for me,” I said, licking the sweet taste of her lips from my own.

         My gratitude was answered with a nod and a blushing smile.  It seemed as if Rachel were about to say something, but we were interrupted by Ted’s jolly, booming voice.

         “Come on, chicklets!  Time to get the party started and get all this crap moved!”

         We both laughed as we walked out the bedroom and into the living room to ‘get the party started’.

***

         My arms, back, and legs are aching from all the heavy lifting and walking up and down the flight of stairs outside.  The apartment Mom and I have moved into is on the second level of the apartment complex.

         Ted had a pizza delivered once we were finished carrying everything in, and all four of us laughed and joked as we ate the greasy concoction. 

         “That’s probably my mom,” Rachel said when we heard a knock on the door.  She picked up her overnight bag and started to walk toward the door.

         “I really should be going, too,” Ted announced as he stood up from the table.

         “Thank you for helping us today,” Mom said as she stood up to walk him out.

         “Yeah, thanks.  See you later,” I added.

         “No problem.”

         We all headed to the front door and traded hugs.  Once our guests were gone, Mom and I cleaned up from our dinner, said goodnight to each other, and headed for our bedrooms.