Swing Life Away [Kellic]

Chapter One

Something woke me up in the middle of the night. Someone was moving around the room. My eyes shot open but my moment of panic subsided when I realised it was just her, which explained the cool draft on the bed next to me. I let my eyelids close again.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

Her quiet reply came a few seconds later. "The baby was crying. I was just about to feed her."

There was a moment of silence before she spoke up again. "I'm going out for a few minutes," she said. "Go back to sleep, sweetie. I'll be right back."

I just grunted and turned over. I fell asleep. I believed her. Why wouldn't I believe her? What could she do? Why would she lie? "A few minutes" outside for a midnight cigarette was nothing out of the ordinary. What could happen?

Apparently, she could crush my heart.

For that's what she did.

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I woke up the next morning with the sun shining through the single dusty window in our one room, one bathroom apartment. The spot next to me in bed was still cold and unoccupied. Confused, I sat up and looked around. Something seems off but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I noticed a note stuck on the mirror in the far corner of the room. I shuffled over to it. I noticed, in my drowsy state, that the shower wasn't running in the bathroom either. I plucked the note from the mirror and read it.

"I feel bad for doing this to you, but I just can't stay here any longer. I have to go. I'm sorry."

I blinked a few times, hoping the words would change somehow and make more sense. They didn't. They stayed the way they were. Clear and precise. She's gone.

I heard the sound of glass shattering through the clear morning tranquillity. It could've been someone breaking into a house somewhere or it could've been my heart. In this town, it's anybody's guess. Whatever the source of the sound, it was loud enough to wake up the neighbourhood. People were starting to shout threats down the street. Something else stirred in the room and a baby started crying. Dropping the note, I darted to the little cot in the corner of the room and gingerly picked up my wailing baby.

"Shh, baby, shh," I cooed softly as I bounced her in my arms. "It's okay, it's okay."

I paced around our little apartment, singing her little songs until she calmed down. I needed to feed her so I gently placed her back in her cot to make her a bottle of milk. She had just gotten off breast feeding completely not too long ago and was now drinking powdered milk every six hours or so. I measured out the milk powder and tested the temperature of the water from our flask. Once I was satisfied with it, I scooped Copeland out of her cot again and gave her her breakfast.

She eagerly grabbed the top of the bottle and put the teat to her mouth. Sucking on her bottle, she looked up at me with her big blue eyes. When she first opened them, they were pale blue like the summer sky. Since then, they have darkened to a deep sea blue. She smiled at me, showing off the tiny tooth poking out from her pink gums.

"Good morning, baby," I smiled back. "How are you this morning?"

Copeland only gurgled in reply, unaware of the fact that her mother had just walked out of her life. I sighed. At least she was still too young for me to have to explain any of it to her. What would a nine month old know about anything? She hardly even has object permanence.

My main problem now is that I had work and nowhere to put Copeland for the day. I doubt that my manger would let me keep her in the backroom throughout my shift. But I had no other choice. Not in such short notice. And I couldn't just leave her here until I come home. I just had to put on a thick skin and bring her along. I'll convince the manager somehow.