North of Nowhere

Chapter 2: Things Get Personal

The next day wasn’t much better. It was a Monday, which meant school, and the homework I hadn’t done over the weekend would be due. Well, then again, I was already so far into the depths of pitiful grades that one more addition to the growing pile wouldn’t hurt me too much.

Let’s just say that since the visions started, I hadn’t been too focused on solving math problems while trying to solve my own.

Breakfast was awkward since my mom wouldn’t look me in the eyes, and my 18-year-old brother Ben would add nothing to the conversation. He was far to enthralled with using his phone to text his girlfriend.

I looked on in disgust, as my mom did nothing about Ben’s phone. I mean seriously? When dad was alive he didn’t allow phones at the table. Meals were family time, and phones took away from the conversation.

In the beginning, I had found that rule a bit unfair. But now, I was glad that Dad had made it, as I remembered fondly all the good times we had at this table. I could understand where Dad had been coming from now, a phone at the table took away from the family atmosphere that I missed so dearly.

Looking at Dad’s empty chair, sitting forlorn in the corner with an already thin layer of dust, I realized I missed more than one thing dearly. Letting out a deep sigh, I scooped myself another spoonful of cereal, and wondered how in such a short time so many things could change. At the same time, my mom cleared her throat.

“Ben,” She said aloud, and he and I looked up expectantly. I was waiting for her to berate him for his use of the cell phone at the table, but she just stated simply, “I want you to drive your sister to school today.”

My elder brother let out a groan, as though it were really that complicated for him. Since we went to the same high school, it would be identical to the routine he used everyday, except I would just be sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

Although, I suppose it may cramp his ‘Senior-style’ to show up at school with his younger Junior sister in tow.

“She has her license, why can’t she drive herself to school.” Ben protested, and while he made a valid point, I waited for my mom to point out the obvious.

“Your sister doesn’t have a car.”

Bingo.

My brother seemed to have forgotten that to pay of the bills (conjured up by the fact that we no longer had a dad who worked to bring home the bacon) we had sold the old beat up car that I called my own.

Ben’s face fell pretty quickly after mom said that, but then I could see the gears clicking in his head as his face suddenly lit up. “Why doesn’t she drive dad’s car?”

My spoon clattered against the table nosily as I stared up at my brother in horror. He didn’t just say what I think he said, did he? Take dad’s car? Dad’s 45 Mustang? That thing was his baby; I wasn’t going to touch it. What if I scratched it or something?

Ben noticed my shocked expression, before shrugging and saying, “What? It’s not like he’s going to need to use it anytime soon…”

My mom blinked at my brother, expressionless, and I sat there stunned. I waited for the explosion, for Mom to yell at Ben for talking about dad that way, but as I should’ve known from earlier my mom never did what I expected.

“Your sister,” my mom hesitated, glancing over at me nervously, “Is in a very frail mental state due to the stress from your father’s death, and I don’t want her behind a wheel when she’s so… distracted.”

Boom! A blast of hot fury coursed through my veins as her words repeated over and over again in my head. Had she just said that? Had mom really just said that? Was she trying to make me mad? Probably not, but that didn’t mean I was mad because… I wasn’t.