Raising Teens

Chapter 2

The next morning, I'm the last one up.

It's noon when I finally emerge from the bedroom. I hear fighting downstairs.

I wander down there, into the kitchen. Caden and Rose are in each other's faces.

"You're not fuckin waking up Mom!" Rose yells at him.

"I need to go the store! I'm waking her up!"

"No! You fucking ass!"

"I'm waking her up. MOM!"

"I'm calling Dad! He'll back me up! He'll back me up because he loves Mom!" Rose yells at him.

"I love Mom!" He snaps. "Dad isn't gonna do shit!"

I decide to stay back.

Rose pulls her phone out, calling Noah.

He picks up, and they continue yelling at each other. "Enough!" Noah yells into the phone. "What's going on?"

"Mom is finally getting some sleep and Caden wants to go wake her up to make her take him to the store!"

Noah sighs loudly.

"Why do you need to go to the store, Caden?" Noah asks.

"I need to get an binder for a project."

"You can't wait until she wakes up?"

"I want to go now." He says.

"Caden, do you know the last time she slept through the night?" Noah asks.

"No." he says.

"It was before I left." He says. "If she's sleeping, you let her sleep unless the house is burning, somebody is dying, or somebody is at the house with a gun."

Caden sighs.

I walk into the kitchen.

"Too late." I say.

"Alright, now that this is solved, Rose, give the phone to your mother."

Silently, she hands the phone to me.

I take it off speaker.

"Hey." I say.

"Look, I know you were asleep, but the team is doing horribly and I don't want you guys calling me if it's before a game or if you're not dying or something. I can't be dealing with this right now. You need to handle things on your end, I'll fucking handle it on mine, kay?"

I'm quiet.

"You're an ass. Don't worry, we won't call you again."

I hang up on him.

The kids all look at me.

"Don't call your father." I say.

I hand Rose her phone.

"I'm going to shower. Caden, get dressed."

<><>

I took all of them shopping to get school clothes since they couldn't last time.

Noah tried calling me on and off all day.

I got the kids school supplies too.

I haven't answered Noah.

It's nine something and I'm in my room, scrolling through Facebook.

Noah starts calling me.

Immediately, I decline the call.