My Angel

Chapter Four- Still Coping

   Philip made a bowl of Ramen Noodles for himself to eat for dinner. When it was done, he set it on the table to let it cool off and went to check on his father again. Laurens was, of course, still in there with him. He gently ran his hand through Hamilton's hair, mumbling sweet nothings to him. Philip's face burned and he turned around and hurried away to go and eat his sad meal. He didn't mind, though. Noodles were great. 

   When he was done he got dressed for bed and lied down before pulling out his phone. He noticed immediately that he'd gotten a text from his mom. He fidgeted before opening it up, a bit worried. 

Ma: Hello Philip! How was your day? Are you holding up good with your father?

   Philip stared at the text, a small smile creeping onto his face. She cared about him. She still loved him. With all of the family drama going on it was easy to forget that.

Philip: heya ma!! i had an awesome day and i made a new friend! and everythings great here with pa thanks for asking.

   He never bothered with putting proper punctuation in his texts. While he was waiting for her to respond, he texted Theodosia. 

Philip: yo theo what you up to.

   He got a response from his Mom that simply said 'Call me,' so he did. She picked up the phone immediately. 

   "Hey Philip!" Eliza's soft voice came through the phone and Philip smiled.

   "Hey Ma... Why'd you want me to call? Is something goin' on?" He felt worry coil up in his stomach. 

   "Nah... I just wanted to make sure your father is taking good care of you. Have you two been eating?" Philip hesitated. Should he tell her about his reluctance to eat..? She'd know what to do about it. 

   "Pa hasn't been eating much lately, but I've had plenty of food. I don't know how to convince him to eat..." The line went quiet for a few moments before he heard her sigh. 

   "Of course he isn't..." He heard her mutter. Philip automatically felt bad. He'd given away his father's personal business to his ex-wife, who pretty much despised him. 

   "Listen, sweetie. Your father can't take care of himself, so you're probably going to have to make him eat. If he stops taking care of you properly, contact me immediately, okay? I don't want you to get into any danger. He can be a very reckless man." Philip didn't like it when she said bad things about him. he hated it, in fact. But she had a point.

   "He's doing fine, I promise. He's just not used to having someone forcing him to look after himself. He's really selfless, and I think he's actually too busy looking after me to look after himself."

   "Alright... And another thing? If your father brings anyone home you're uncomfortable with, you should tell me that in an instant." Philip cringed at the wording. He knew Eliza meant well, but the bitterness in her voice wasn't being completely masked. 

   "I understand... He's not seeing anyone now that I know of..." Other than a ghost, but that didn't really count. Eliza scoffed. 

   "Just you wait. He'll be bringing girls home soon enough." Philip felt the urge to defend him, but he knew it wouldn't be the best idea. Plus, Eliza was right about all of these things...
But it still wasn't right to talk bad about him.

   "I don't think so, Ma... He hasn't really been leaving the house or talking much, and from what I've heard even the people at his job are saying that he's been unusually quiet. He's still sad. But I think he's starting to get better." Philip said softly in defense of him.