When the Sun Refused to Shine [COMPLETED]

Along the Road

"Almost there, Son," Jack said, chuckling at his young son's pale face from the movement. Blaze nodded, afraid to speak, his breakfast threatening to enter the world again in a nasty, sticky mush.

As a seven-year-old, Blaze was excited about moving to San Diego. If he were to be a teenager, he would have been mad to leave his friends behind, and possibly even a girlfriend. Blaze closed his eyes, drowning out the movement, calming his stomach. Once he felt he could open his eyes again, he stared out the window with bright, curious eyes.

Jack peeked over at his son who was too happy to be in the car with him. Blaze had no idea why he was moving to San Diego, but the reason was because his mother, Sarah, had won custody, and Jack was just there to drop him off, nothing more. Jack and Sarah had divorced two years before this, but Sarah was too busy with other things to try and get Blaze until now.

Jack still loved Sarah. She had found someone new and moved in with them. He was envious of this new man, the man whom he never met. Jack remembered when Sarah came home, crying, telling him that she was so sorry that she had lost feelings for him. He had sat down on their king-sized bed, his minding racing. He had asked her who he was, but she refused.

He stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door. He went to the sink and splashed his face with water, trying to wake himself from the bad dream. Though it was clear that Sarah had cheated on him, he still could never get mad at her. She had her own life. If she felt things, she could feel what she wanted to.

"Daddy?" Blaze said, looking worried at his father's gloomy face.

"Yeah, Kiddo?" He said, sneaking a quick peek at his son, but turning back to the road.

"Are we almost there yet?" Blaze said impatiently. Jack chuckled, imagining his son's first girlfriend, and how impatient he would be waiting for her to get ready on their first date.

"Just around twenty more minutes," He said, looking at a sign that told him so.

Blaze nodded and laid his head back, closing his eyes.

--

"Kiddo, we're here," Jack said, softly nudging his sleeping son. Blaze sleepily opened his groggy eyes.

"Yay," He said, closing his eyes again. Jack chuckled and got out of his old Ford pickup, and circled around to his son's car door. He opened it, and reached over to unbuckle the child.

Blaze groaned and tried to roll over in a sitting position, which didn't work. Jack picked Blaze up and walked toward a big house with a bright red door, knocking with Blaze still in his arms.

"Oh, Jack!" Penny, his ex-wife, exclaimed when she opened the door.

She looked at her peacefully sleeping son and her heart melted at the angel look he had on his face.

"Bring him inside, you can put him on the couch for now," She said with a bright smile on her face.

Jack entered the beautiful home and she led him into a large room with a couch, an armchair, and a fancy wooden coffee table. In the front of the room, the fireplace had a fire lit, burning merrily.

"Set him down here," She said, "Carefully, don't wake him up," Jack did as he was told and started to leave, his task done.

"Jack," Penny said softly, touching his arm.

"You won, Penny. You took all I had left to remind me of us," Jack said sadly. He looked at her and she took a step back from all the hurt in his expression.

"Oh, Jack, Honey, I'm so sorry," She said as the front door began to open.

"I'm home!" A deep voice called, walking into the room.

"Oh, Blaze has arrived?" He said very formally, before even noticing Jack.

"I'm leaving now," Jack said, intimidated by the man's presence, which Penny took notice of.

"Splendid!" The mad said, clearly not liking Jack.

"Honey, be nice!" Penny scolded. The man shrugged and walked over the fireplace to warm his hands.

"Mommy?" Blaze said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, baby, it's me," She said scooping him up in her arms.

"Are you and Daddy getting back together?" He asked, the hope in his voice was as clear as Fiji bottled water.

"No, honey, you're living with Mommy now," She explained. His smile faltered.

"No! I wanna live with Daddy!" He cried out, taking notice of the man who was not his father.

Jack's heart melted at his son's words. He wanted to live with me, Jack thought.

"Kid, it's for the best," Blaze heard the man by the fire say.

"No! I'm not going to live with a woman who cheats on a husband with a man who thinks he's all that," Blaze said, very unlike his age. Penny gasped and stepped back, completely shocked at what her seven-year-old son had just spoken.

"See? He wouldn't know any of this if he had been living with me the whole time!" Penny screamed at Jack.

"No, Mommy! I knew about you and Fred- "He said this as if it was a dirty word – "Ever since you slept with him in your and Danny's bed! I pretended to go to Georges! I ran out because that's a dirty, dirty thing to do, Mommy!"

Jack took a step back, startled.

"You slept with him in our bed? The one we had shared special moments in?" He yelled. Penny sat down on the ground and covered her face up with her hands.

"When was this, Blaze?" Jack asked his son, scooping him up in a hug.

"On my birthday," Blaze whispered, tears streaming down his face.

"That was around a year ago. Your next birthday is next month," Jack held his son tighter.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Penny cried. Jack looked at the woman he had thought he would share their last kiss together with disgust.

"I don't want you near my son, you dirty whore!" He yelled. Picking up Blaze and running out the door.

"I'm calling the cops," Fred yelled.

"No, don't. Let him have him. He deserves it after what I did," He heard penny say.