Falling Together

Osha Violation

MAISIE

"Hey dad?" I yell down the hallway in the shop. I've been here for a few hours now and I don't see Dax. and he hasn't answered my my texts with more than a few words since yesterday morning when he dropped me off.

"I'm in here baby!"

I turn around and head to the back where the supply closet is. My dads been doing a final counts for his inventory. I walk in and he's balancing himself on a rolling chair trying to count car batteries on a top shelf.

"I'm pretty sure that's an OSHA violation." I say leaning in the door frame and frowning at him.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the boss and wont get a writeup." he snorts as he bends down and gets off the chair. He grabs a clipboard from the floor and starts writing. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Dax? He's not here and he's acting a bit off. I'm worried about him."

He looks up to my eyes and frowns before taking a deep breath and then pats my head as he walks past me. "What did I miss?" I ask running to catch up to him.

"Dax just had a rough day yesterday and it might take him a couple days to completely come out of it. He's ok though, your brothers staying with him." Dad walks over to the light switches and flips on the back lights. "Do me a favor and count the supplies in the bathroom will you sweetheart?" he moves to hand me the clipboard but I push it away and stare at him annoyed. He sighs heavily and wipes his forehead.

"Maisie, it's a conversation that you and Dax are going to have to have for yourselves. I've said all I can say. Just give him some space and I'm sure he'll come to you when he's ready. Now I really do need the bathroom supplies counted. I need to know what we need from the store. Now get, I have some phone calls to make." he shoves the clipboard into my hands with a wink and turns from me.

My phone buzzes.

DAX: I'm not feeling the greatest so I'm

gonna stay home. Have a good day beautiful, I'll talk to you later.

That's it? I've been waiting for a text back from Dax since last night and his response is to start and end the conversation for the day all in the first two sentences. I shove the phone back into my pocket and try to shove down the anxiety it gives me. He's shutting down and doesn't want me to be a part of it.

I didn't talk to Dax at all for the next three days. He sent me the same generic have a good day texts each morning. And Noah finally came home last night. I didn't bother trying to ask him how Dax was. He was his best friend and I knew his answer would be around the same version of my fathers 'Its between you two" spiel.

Today we had our first Snap wave competition and I was determined to make a good impression with my students. I had two boys Macoa and Will. And one little girl named Bella. They were in the pre teen division 10-12 and they had all been doing competitions for years and needed very little instructions. For the most part the only thing I seemed to be able to teach them is that no matter what happens tomorrow the most important thing is to have fun. All three of them seemed to take themselves way too seriously and sometimes made me laugh. The competitive spirit reminded me of me and Noah sometimes.

I was running my fingers through my hair and pulling my hair into a pigtail. I was in board shorts and a baby blue coaches shirt that the community center had given me for the event. My nerves were shot and I was so excited. This is the first thing I've done for myself that made me feel a little like my old self. I stare at myself in the mirror and my smile burns a hole in the glass.

"Maisie, are you ready?!" my dad yells from the kitchen by the garage door."

Deep breaths....

Deep breaths Maisie....

"Yeah!" I yelled for him. Then I look in the mirror. "I'm ready." I whisper to myself.