Escaping Death [Watty Awards]

Chapter 11-Gwen

Hey Everyone!!! Well...I couldn't stop myself...so I decided to post another chapter :) I hope you enjoy!!! :]

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Chapter 11-Gwen

I hadn’t noticed when Gabriel had left but the second that I had looked up from being my mother’s arms, he was gone.  I felt ashamed that he had to see all that; that he had to see me like this.  I never wanted him to see my family falling apart.  I never wanted anyone to see.  Tammy knew about what was going on at home with my father but I never thought that it would have been true.  A part of me had always denied it but I figured that my denial was a way to hide the fact that it had been true.

It had been heart shattering, watching my father give so much affection to his new “friend”.  I hated her for coming into his life and taking him away from us.  She didn’t know how much I hated her for taking him away and ruining our lives.  I also hated dad for being weak and falling prey to her.  How could he just walk away from the love mom gave him?  How could he walk away from the life that we have?  Was he tired of mom?  Of me?  Is that the reason that he left us because he was just fed up with us?  Did he want something new, a life that didn’t include us?

I couldn’t imagine how mom was feeling.  I wondered if she was thinking the same things that I was.  I saw how much mom was heartbroken over this but I didn’t know what to say.  I just curled up beside her on the sofa, as she ran her hand threw my hair.  She had stopped crying, as I had, and we just sat silently, engulfed by our own thoughts.  One of the things that I didn’t understand was how could a person throw everything away for someone else?  All my life, I saw how much mom and dad loved each other.  They were like two-peas-in-a-pod, always finishing each other’s sentences and giving me their love.  I saw the love that they had for one another and I wanted to have something like that when I was older.  Now, I didn’t even know anymore.

I didn’t know if that was true love; like in fairy tales.  I wondered if Cinderella ever got sick of Prince Charming and ran away.  I didn’t know where the truth was and where the lie began.  I didn’t know what love was anymore.  If love turned out to be like this, then I didn’t want anything to do with it.  Maybe, what mom and dad had wasn’t true love...

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When father had finally walked into the house, mom and I were still curled up on the sofa with a huge blanket tugged around us.  I felt like a little kid again with my mother’s arms around me.  I felt like maybe things would be okay for an instant.  But as soon as the feeling had come, it had disappeared.  I knew things weren’t going to be okay or the same.

I left mom, knowing that they needed to talk about the even that occurred earlier tonight.  I didn’t want to leave because I wasn’t done yelling at dad but at the same time I wanted to run into his arms and beg him to stay.  I desperately wanted to put everything back to its rightful place.  I wanted to erase what happened and start over.

I sighed and headed for my room without looking at him.  I trudged up the stairs and shut the door but unfortunately that didn’t stop me from hearing their conversation downstairs.  They weren’t making it a secret. 

“Divorce?”  Mom said sullenly.

“Yes Viv, you know it had to happen eventually.”

“Yes, I know.  But what about Gwen?’  Her voice rose as she said my name and I felt like was downstairs with them.  “You’re just going to abandon her like you have the last couple of months?  She’s your daughter, Greg.”

There was a moment of silence and I thought that he had walked away and left but all he said was, “We’ll figure that out when the time comes.  Right now, I want to start on the paperwork and get everything settled.”

I goffed.  I couldn’t believe that he was taking all this so lightly.  Like his affair wasn’t such a big deal.  He’s been thinking about this for a while, I thought.  Right-then-and-there, I wanted to run downstairs and yell at him.  I wanted to tell him that I didn’t care if I never saw him again.  I wasn’t going to live with him and Anne, if that is what he thought.

I was angry and began to feel light headed.  I couldn’t believe that this was happening.  It was just so hard to grasp the concept of it all.  Everything was falling apart and I couldn’t do anything besides just sit beside the sidelines and watch as it all unfolded in front of me. 

“Where are you going?”  Mom asked.  I’d apparently missed part of the conversation and the words startled me from my thoughts.

“I’m going to go and stay with Anne.  I don’t think it would be best if I stay here.”

“Aren’t you going to go and talk to Gwen?”

I didn’t hear what he said.  All I heard was silence and then a couple of minutes later the front door opened and closed.  Dad had left without wanting to talk to me; without even an explanation.  Hot tears threatened to spill but I bit the inside of my cheek to stop them from spilling.

I heard mom walking up the stairs, every step heavy.  I slowly opened my bedroom door and went to her.  We walked together to her bedroom and I made her sit down on the bed.  She was tired and worn out.  Her skin was unbearably hot and I hurried to grab a pair of pajamas and handed them to her.  After she changed, I made her lay down as I soaked a cold cloth in the sink and then pressed it to her forehead.  The fever had subsided a bit but she was still hot to my touch.  Tonight really affected her even she doesn’t say it did.

We didn’t speak but eventually mom fell asleep.  I left the cold cloth on her forehead and poured the little bowl of water in the bathroom sink.  Silently, I walked to my room and changed into my own pj’s.  I didn’t want to sleep in my room tonight so I went back and slipped under the covers with mom.  Again, I felt like a little kid who just had a nightmare and wanted to sleep with the sense of security for their parents.  But this wasn’t the case now.  Everything was different from when I was a kid.  I needed to be strong for mom because she couldn’t do this on her own.  I only wished that I would be able to be strong enough for the both of us.

I’d thought that she was sleeping but suddenly she turned over on her side, snapping me out of my thoughts.  She whispered, “We’ll be okay, Gwen.  I promise.”  I could hear the crack of her voice in the dark.

I whispered back and grasped her hand, “I know,” and suddenly silent tears started rolling down my cheeks.  All the pain, anger, sadness, sliding down my face as a final revere of tonight’s events.

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So what did you guys thing? x_x It took a while trying to write this chapter...and I'll even admit that I got a bit emotional... :P Well, I'll love to hear what you guys think :) Until next chapter!!! :]

xxx addy :)