Gone By Tomorrow (Complete)

This story is dedicated to my father for making the most memorable night of my life.

However, this is also dedicated to my mother, for giving me the stregnth to make it through the days I just want to give up.

I watched as my mother hauled my mattress off of my bed frame. She had promised that tonight would be sleepover night for my brother and me. I got to put my mattress into my brother’s room and sleep in there for the night.

“Could you help me a little, please?” she asked, huffing in relief as the mattress finally hit the floor.

I nodded my five year old head and began to grab the edge of the mattress to drag it to my brother’s room down the hall.

Once that was successfully done, my mother kissed both me and my six year old brother goodnight as she went into her room to meet my father.

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“Wake up!”

I heard the voice faintly as I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder.

Blinking, my vision focused and I was met with the face of my mother. The room was dark, but I could tell it was her. As my eyes began to adjust, I could see my brother on the bed watching.

“Why? What time is it?” I asked groggily.

“Doesn’t matter. We have to go now.”

My mother got up urgently, yanking me up with her. I made sure to grab my teddy bear first though.

We were in the car soon enough and I could see that we were following someone, and it was not even six o’clock in the morning.

I was just beginning to fall back into a deep sleep when I felt our car jerk to the side of the road.

My mother was out of the car quickly, and I looked out of the window to see where she was going.

The car we had been following had also pulled to the side of the road, as far as I could tell. And that’s when I heard it.

My father.

The arguing was progressive in volume, until all you could hear were both of them screaming at each other into the night. I didn’t know what was happening, at the time.

I looked to my brother sitting across from me, only to find that he was fast asleep, clutching his green and yellow teddy bear close to his chest.

I decided to do the same, falling asleep to the lullaby of both of my parents’ screaming voices.