Endearment // Book 2

• Chapter 4 •

January 24th, 2031
Jamie Perez-August

Grabbing the box of Fruity Pebbles from our pantry, I poured them into a large butter container before adding milk. It was going on 2 o'clock in the morning, my Pops has been living at the hospital with Grandpa for the past two weeks and we've been going there everyday after school hoping we'd walk in and he'd be sitting up, reading the comics in the newspaper.

          Too bad that's only wishful thinking...

  "I can't believe my mother!" I heard from my parents room as I was going back to my room.

                Jacob Perez-August
  "I can't believe my mother!" Chresanto shouted. "That woman... Sometimes I wonder what my father sees in her–she emptied out his bank accounts! Who does that does that to their husband–he's not even dead yet and she's treating herself to a fucking shopping spree..."

I watched silently as my husband paced back and forth around our bedroom, with his hands on his head. He's been on edge for the past few weeks and it's getting worse. All he does is go to work and go to the hospital. Some nights he won't even come to bed, he'd just sit in the living room in the dark. He's hurting and it hurts me to see him this way.

  "Babe," I got up from my spot on the bed and placed my hand on his shoulder "I want you to calm down–"

  "Calm down?" He shook his head, "You want me to calm down–my father is fighting for his life while my mother is racking up on Chanel bags like none of this even matters!" The amount of bass in his voice made me back away from him. He let out a sigh before falling back onto our bed.

            "I'm sorry... I just–what am I gonna do?"

  "You're gonna be fine, hon. Everything will turn out just fine... You'll see." I said trying to convince him and myself.

Jamie Perez
     "...You'll see."

  I shook my head before tip toeing back to my room. I shut my door and sat on my bed, not even in the mood for cereal anymore. Grandpa Charles always knew what to do, he had a solution for just about everything and what he didn't know, he made up. Even when he would wing it, things seemed to fall into place. His absence is really taking a toll on our family... I don't want it to fall apart but it seems like it's already happening.

I placed the bowl on my nightstand and laid back. Seconds later my door opened.

"Do you ever knock?" I said to my sister who barged into my room.

"Please, you know me better than that."

She threw herself onto my bed, next to me. "Do you think Grandpa is gonna die?" She blurted out. I turned to face her, thinking of what I was gonna say next.

                                "I–I don't know..."

  "But don't worry about him, he's gonna be fine–" I tried to reassure her, along with myself. We had to be positive and keep calm for the sake of our parents. They were more worried about Grandpa Charles than anyone else and if they even think we're stressing, it'll make things worse.

  "Remember when we went to that horse ranch in River Ranch?"

  She rolled her eyes playfully, reminiscing. "How could I forget, broke my arm in three different places– thanks to you."

                       "That was not my fault"

  When we were younger Grandpa Charles took the whole family on a trip to this dude ranch about three hours away from here after he had recovered from his surgery. I had to about nine years old at the time, Nari was six.

"Look at daddy, baby girl– hey, look right here!" Pops said while trying to get everybody to pay attention to him. It was 90 degrees but this is Florida and 90 actually equals 900. We were all dressed like cowboys.

"It smells like straight ass." Aunt Janice said "Y'all know I never agree with her but– this is unbearable." Ray covered his nose.

"Stop complaining, this is beautiful." Grandma Jaide grinned while taking in the scenery.

  "Can y'all stop talking and take the damn picture." Roxi said with an attitude while Grandpa Charles placed Nari on top of the white horse and everyone posed. I took my toy snake, that I took everywhere, out of my pocket and held it with a wide smile on my face while Pops took our picture.

"Jamie, put tha–"

The horse began to freak out, scaring all of us. It stood on its hind legs and my sister fell onto the ground.

"If you wouldn't have pulled at that raggedy snake it wouldn't have happened."

I shook my head "you're still alive, aren't you?" She squinted at me before hitting me in my stomach and hopping off of the bed. I caught her by the shirt and swiftly put her in a headlock.

She scratched at my arm, trying to make me loosen my grip.

"Boogie, let me go or I'm gonna scream– Daddy!" I began to tickle her ribs. Our parents ran into the room like they were ready to attack me.

                 "Girl–" my dad let out sigh of relief while holding his heart.

  "Y'all play too much." Pops shook his head and walked away. "Nari go back in your room, leave your brother alone." I released her and they walked out of my room.

I sat back on my bed, grabbing my controller and headpiece preparing to log onto Xbox Live and play Call of Duty with a few of my friends online.

"What– where are you going? Are you trying to get us killed?!" As I was playing the game, my phone vibrated on the nightstand.

Mia (2:03AM) - Hey... You up?

My eyebrows rose up in shock and curiosity. She's been missing school a lot lately and she'd only hit me up about class work.

Me (2:03AM) - yeah wassup?

How's Everybody Doing? Y'all Out Of School Yet?
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