Innocent Alternative

Chapter Eleven

"So California, you really like Catya?" Cameron asked his son as they drove back home.
"I love her."
"Your only sixteen Cal. You can't find true love when your sixteen."
"Mom was fifteen when you guys met."
"That's different."
"Why, cause you're not actually in love?" Cal's voice was bitter.
"Of course we are." Cameron defended himself.
"Yeah right. People who are in love don't fight constantly."
"We don't fight constantly." Ala listened to her son and husband bicker trying not to pick a side.
"Don't lie to yourself Cameron."
"Did you just call me Cameron?"
"Sure did."
"I'm your dad California. I'm not Cameron to you."
"Yeah whatever."
"California Wilson Dallas would you please stop fighting with your father."
"Yeah whatever."
"Don't use that tone with your mother young man."
"Cameron would you just let it go?" Ala held her head getting a headache from all the fighting. Luckily they pulled into the driveway shortly after. Cal rushed to his room. Ala walked in after him and Cameron sat in the car trying to cool off.  Trying to understand what he was doing wrong.  Trying to understand why he was so unhappy when he'd gotten everything he ever wanted in Ala.
Ala walked into her house feeling drained.  She stumbled back when her son who was too innocent to understand the problems hugged her. 
"I love you mom."  He spoke.  She treasured the moment feeling like it was the first time in years she'd heard those words and have it mean something. 
"I love you too Eli.  You should go to bed buddy it's getting late."
"Okay, I'm sorry California isn't being a very nice son to you right now.  Once he realizes what you do for him he'll come around."  Elijah fled to his room leaving Ala to try and believe what her son said.  Cameron walked into the house.
"Ala?" 
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk."  She nodded not knowing what could come from this.  "I'm just trying to understand what happened to us." Cameron knew this conversation was well overdue, as did his wife.
"Me too, everyday." She replied sorrowfully.
"You're not happy anymore, are you?" Cameron heart was broken at the fact that he couldn't keep her happy even after all he'd sacrificed.
"It's not that I'm not happy. I'm just not happy with our marriage. We don't get along like we used to." Ala's words were some of truth and Cameron knew the reality.
"Seeing California with Catya reminded me of us. The old us. They seemed so unapologetically in love. They didn't care about anything else in the world."
"We can't be like that Cameron. We have to care about other things. Before having no job and touring around for free seemed fun but now it's not realistic. We have two children and bills we have to pay. We have to care about other things in the world."
"Ala maybe if you just let loose a little instead of being so uptight we could have the luxury of not caring sometimes."
"Maybe if you'd get off your ass and get a stupid job and start helping around the house we could not care sometimes. But right now we don't have the income and financial stability in order to do that."
"This is what I'm talking about. It's always about the bills and jobs and all the materialistic shit we don't even need. It's never about us anymore."
"Cameron that's what happens when you grow up and get older."
"It doesn't have to be like that if you would just take it easy sometimes."
"God, sometimes I wonder if you really are four years older than me because you act like a child."
"Maybe we should've listened to everybody when they told us we'd never work because of our age difference. They were probably right, you're too immature for me."
"They meant were at completely different parts of our lives Cameron. Maturity is not the problem, because if it was, you'd be about ninety five percent of the problem."
"Than what's the problem huh? Why can't we just be a happy fucking family?"
"Because we're not in a happy relationship. A family grows from its roots and our roots sucked."
"We both came from broken homes and we're both broken people."
"I'm tired of fighting, I'm going to bed." Ala stood up and walked toward the hallway. She stopped once she noticed Elijah's door was opened. She peeked inside and saw he wasn't in there. Her curiosity spiked and she went to investigate. California's door squeaked open and Ala walked in. California looked at his mother annoyed while his little brother laid sleeping, his head resting on Cal's lap.
"Are you people done fighting, cause you traumatized your kid." Ala felt her heart break at the thought of Elijah hearing his parents yell.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah well he's too innocent to understand why you guys hate each other so much."
"Me and your father don't hate each other Cal. We just haven't been getting along lately." Ala leaned against the doorframe.
"If by lately you mean for four or something years than I'd say yeah."
"What did you say to him?"
"I lied and told him it would be okay."
"That's not a lie California.  It will be."
"Yeah right." 
"Goodnight Cal.  I love you."  Ala closed his door as a tear streamed down her face.  Her two children having to handle their parents fighting was never what she'd hoped for.  It was always her dream to make sure her kids had both a mother and a father there for them to make up for what her childhood lacked, but this was almost worse.  Ala walked into her room and noticed Cameron taking off his shirt.  "We scared our child."  She spoke going into their closet to find her pajamas.
"Which one."
"Well California didn't seem the least bit surprised we were fighting but Elijah was terrified."
"It has to stop."
"I agree."
"How do we do that?"
"I think, we should see a counselor."
"And have yet another person explain to us why we'll never work out.  Oh but this time it'll be a certified opinion.  Yeah right."
"This is exactly why we need to go to counseling."
"Why Ala?  Why do we need a shrink to save our marriage?"
"Because we obviously can't do it ourselves!"  The couple was interrupted by the sound of splash coming from the backyard they looked at each other frightened and went to investigate.  As they exited their bedroom California left his.
"What happened."
"You woke up Eli and he stormed out of my room."  Cameron, Ala and California all went to the backyard.  They saw nothing until they approached closer to the pool.  An image of a small body was painted at the bottom of the pool.
"Elijah!"  Ala yelled knowing her son couldn't swim after he'd refuse to take swim lessons out of his fear for water.  Cameron dove into the deep pool.
"Great you scared your own son into suicide."  Cal's voice sounded bitter yet saddened as he worried for his brother.  Before Ala could reply at his harsh words.  Cameron surfaced holding his son out of the water and swam to the edge.
"Cal call the ambulance!"  Cameron directed as he laid Elijah on the side of the pool.  Ala quickly rushed to her child's side and held him into her chest tightly.  She cried and cried until Cameron put his hand on her back.  She shook him off quickly.
"Ala I-."
"No!  Cameron I want a divorce!" 
"What?"  His heart shattered.
"I want a divorce!"  The sound of sirens was heard in the distance as Cal stood surprised at the words that came from his mothers mouth. The sound of Ala's tears were the only thing heard as the paramedics took Elijah away. Ala followed her son into the ambulance truck and they quickly left. Cameron was dumbfounded by everything that happened. He stood up and walked toward the backdoor as he approached his eldest son he stopped.
"Dad. What's going on?" Cal's voice sounded heartbroken. Cameron placed his hand on his sons shoulder in support.
"We're all going to be okay. Let's get going."
"Where?"
"We're gonna meet your mother and brother at the hospital." Cal nodded and followed his father to the car all too worried about how much his life was going to change after tonight.