Looking Through the Cracks

Chapter 20: Words and Weapons

B's eyes dashed between his authoritative mother and the quickly cooling food, its mouth-watering scent wafting throughout the room. With the eagerness of a bomb defuser, B spoke, his index finger pointing in the air. "One, you know I am always hungry so you never have to worry about me ruining my appetite. He flicked up a second finger. "Two, by your logic, the sooner I eat all that, the longer my body will have to digest it." Promptly holding up a third finger B continued "And three, it's already heated up, so at this point it is just a waste of food for me not to eat it." Punctuating his claim with the smallest of pouts, he gave his mother an imploring look.

Sighing with submission, Alice stepped back from the microwave as she motioned for B to take it. With the speed of a house pet at dinner time, he launched for the plate and rapidly inhaled the meal.

Her appetite weaning after seeing B's ravenous display, Ivy glanced toward Mrs. Witherby. Despite losing the battle with her son, Ivy could see the grin tugging at the side of Alice's lips. A sense of pride quietly radiated from her as she shook her head. When Alice caught Ivy looking at her, her hidden smirk broke into a stunning smile. It was a smile that exuded the love she felt for those around her. For a brief moment, Ivy allowed herself to bask in that love and pretend she was the recipient of its affection.

Unfortunately, the moment was short-lived for Ivy, for the smile was quickly wiped from Alice's face when her gaze dropped to the now semi-frozen bag of vegetables resting on Ivy's fist. "Oh, Ivy!" What happened?" Like a knee-jerk reaction, B's mother instantly began to faun over Ivy's injury. Removing the makeshift icepack, Alice noticed the telltale redness along Ivy's knuckles. With furrowed brows, Alice looked into Ivy's eyes. "Who did you punch?"

Ivy snatched her hand back with fright. As nice as Mrs. Witherby seemed, Ivy doubted she'd approve of Ivy punching someone, even if it was in defense of her son. Ivy's brain went into overdrive as she began to catastrophize the situation before her. First, she'd get kicked out of their house. Then, she'd get kicked out of her own house because she was technically still a minor. Then, she'd become homeless, or worse stuck in some facility just like her dad. Even when you are given the easiest way to exist, you still find a way to fuck it up. This is why you can't have a happy life. You ruin everything you touch. You're just a waste of space. A waste of–

Ivy was ripped free from her mental assault when she felt a set of delicate fingers grasp her shoulder. When she looked up she discovered Alice's caring gaze. Tentatively, B's mother began to soothingly rub Ivy's arm. "I'm not upset, honey. I just want to know you're okay." To prove her point, Alice cautiously reached for Ivy's bruised hand and brought it up to her inquisitive stare. Lightly grazing her fingers over each knuckle, Mrs. Witherby studied Ivy's face for a reaction. Frozen in place by this foreign experience, Ivy remained stoic. "Good news is it doesn't seem like you broke it. You probably just bruised it."

Alice carefully placed Ivy's hand onto the granite counter, before making her way to the refrigerator. Pulling out an actual ice pack, she wrapped it in one of the various hand towels hanging from the oven handle. With the grace of a mother who's played the role of nurse in her household frequently, Alice gently placed her creation on Ivy's flattened hand. Unlike the frozen vegetables, which numbed the pain at the cost of a stinging cold, the cold from the ice pack slowly leaked through the towel to Ivy's skin.

"How's that?"

Ivy was surprised to discover that her hand was already feeling fifty percent better than it did when she first arrived. It could have been simply due to the passing of time, but under Alice's attentive mothering Ivy couldn't deny the effect of a mother's healing touch.

Struggling to find her voice, Ivy quietly said, "Yes. Thank you."

Taking a seat next to Ivy, Alice straightened herself in her chair like she was shedding the role of nurse, and preparing herself for the next. "Now, who did you punch?"