Recovery | Hood

six

I shook my pants off and slid on some basketball shorts, staring at my closet.

I sat there, quiet, numb, and almost empty. I replayed the moments that just happened before in my head, realizing how much my mom and my sister were there for me.

They had gotten me out of any trouble I've ever been in, they fought me even when I didn't deserve it and my mother had just cleaned my own puke off of me. They had been there and they had all felt the pain.

My mother had to take on another job, of course, on top of raising two teenagers. My father sent money, but it wasn't near enough that we needed. My mother had done it alone.

I pushed myself from my bed, and walked out of my room to the laundry room, barely picking my feet up.

"Mom?" I croaked, my bare feet pressing against the tile floor in my home.

Her kind, tired eyes, the same eyes that Mali and I shared with her, looked up to me, as her lips spoke,"Calum, it's okay. I'm cleaning it up."

She had poured the detergent all over the load, closing it completely and pressing her finger to a button.

I walked closer to her,"Mom, I'm sorry. I love you so, so much. Thank you, for everything."

Her closed lips curved upward as her wispy stray hairs fell to her crinkled eyes, and she opened her arms. I crouched down and wrapped my arms under hers, appreciation for my mother ran through me.

"I love you too, Calum." She spoke.

-

"My dad's coming to town." I had told Lennon the following afternoon as we were doing her laundry at her house.

She looked up at the ceiling and started groaning, shaking the t-shirt that was in her hands,"Ugh that suuuucks."

I smiled at her reaction,"I know."

"Make him give you money." Lennon she shrugged as she folded the shirt,"For all the problems he's caused you."

"I would, if the deadbeat had any money," I told her, I looked towards her,"Why don't you ask your mom for money...you know...for all the problems she's caused you?"

She looked up towards me, her eyes narrowed and a smile laced on her face,"Well, if I could find her, I would. Looking for her is like an endless game of Where's Waldo on steroids."

"She went away without a phone number, an address...I even looked for her on Facebook. Couldn't find her." She went on, grabbing what I assumed what was Gavin's boxers and folding them.

"Sounds like a bitch." I told her, and then we went into a moment of silence for a bit.

"When did you say your dad was coming?" She asked.

"Friday?" I tried to think what my sister said before I threw up,"I think he's coming for dinner."

"Want to ditch and go to a party instead?" She smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischievousness.

"Jumping into blistering hot lava sounds more fun than dinner with my dad." I answered, confirming the invitation.

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