To The Last Parade

One

Nearly 9 years later...

~Mikey~

I sat on the floor in front of my bed and held my knees up to my chest.

School sucked, I wanted it to end but sadly, it was only September. I hated the bus almost as much as the schools itself. We couldn't even walk down the street anymore so why would walking to school be any different?

I had been paranoid of beds for as long as I could remember. I wish mama could've just taken it out of my room. It's not like taking a bed away would increase the dullness of the bedroom.

I glanced over to my gray, leather strapped backpack and sighed. I had gotten all my textbook work done. I had nothing to do.

I decided I was too bored to sit there any longer and got on to my stupid legs to go downstairs.

"Mama!" I shouted across the house.

"Yah?" She hollered back from the kitchen. I rushed in to confront her. She was in the middle of scrubbing a dish in the sink, her blonde hair almost glistening in what remained of the day's light shining through the window above the sink.

"Hey, let me help with that?" I offered when I saw what she was doing. She gave me a small smile.

"No honey. Thank you." She kindly declined as she stood on her tip toes to put her arms around my shoulders.

"I love you very much Michael." She told me with one hand clenched to my collar.

"Love you too mama." I stated. She frowned slightly at me. Then she placed her fingers on my cheeks.

"I really wish you would smile more." She said. I shrugged and tried as hard as I could to allow a fake smile to escape my lips.

She stepped back and gave a puzzled look as she glanced around the dim lit kitchen.

Suddenly there was a buzzing noise that progressively got louder. It went on and off and was starting to annoy me.

"What on Earth is that brother of yours up too?" She complained as she stuck her head out the window to reveal my elder brother, Gerard trying to work a lawn mower outside.

"Gerard Arthur Way!" She shouted angrily. "Get your ass inside right now! You're going to get shot dead!"

Gerard continued tugging on the starter cabled, not hearing mama's calls. He strained with frustration.

"Would you be a dear and get him inside where it's safe?" Mama asked me. Ever since we joined the war after the bombings off the other coast, riots formed in the streets of New Jersey and police made us be indoors by 5:30 each night.

"Yes mam." I assured her. I walked through the living room and out the front door. I looped around to the back of the white house to find my brother still tugging away.

The engine would start, and then die over and over again. I guess that didn't seem to click in his brain. He seemed determined to help with the lawn, so determined that he fell on his ass.

"Fuck this thing!" He screeched, bringing his hands to the top of his head to pull his wavy, black hair is frustration.

I couldn't help but to mentally laugh at his stupidity. He was like a monkey trying to put a light bulb on a garden hose.

The sun was nearly down already but no colors where shown in the sky, only smoke and streaks from planes that had recently flown over us.

"Gerard! Curfew!" I hollered to him.

I saw him slightly panic as he muttered curse words to himself, hopped up, and rushed to the shed with the small push mower.

He'd made it just in time too. I spotted two police crown-vics coming slowly down our street as the two of us ran inside swiftly.

"You're lucky you're not dead." Mama scolded Gerard as we walked into the doorway. She grabbed his ear and tugged on it, pulling him into the living room.

"Ouch." He whined, following her lead. Mama threw him down onto the couch. She stepped back and folded her arms, tapping her left foot rapidly.

I cautiously walked over to a chair and sat down, silently observing the conversation.

"What is it you think you were doing?" She fussed.

"I was trying to help out mama. Maybe even surprise you with a fresh cut lawn... I'm sorry my timing wasn't the best." He explained.

"Surprise?" She scoffed in shock. "I'm sure the Japs overseas heard that awful noise." She teased.

Gerard let out a small chuckle and mama signaled him to get onto his feet.

I walked away into the kitchen to set the table. I grabbed three bowls, spoons, and napkins.

"Sorry boys bout supper... again." She apologized.

"No, I'm sure it's just fine." I told her.

Gerard and I took our seats at the dining room table.

"Boy, what I'd give to have a snapshot of you wrestling that mower." I sighed, teasing my brother.

His face went blank.

"How much of that did you see?" He questioned.

"Enough." I shrugged. We stared at each other in a serious manner and he gave in laughing.
I always beat him whenever it came to stare downs. I was a stone faced God.

Mama entered the dining room with a cast iron pot. She tipped it over my bowl and lentil soup came plopping from over the side. I hated lentils but I knew it was all we could afford right now, with the country broke and entering war.

When she'd given us all our supper, she sat down with us.

"Thank you mama." Gerard said.

"Yes, thank you very much." I added while dipping into my soup.

Our meal was pretty much silent other than the sound of the static filled news playing in the front room. Mama listened intensely to the reports of bombings all around Europe.

I was honestly a bit scared of this war. It was unpredictable.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Mama rolled her eyes and rose from the table. She went over to the wall and held the phone to her ear.

Gerard glanced up at her from his daze.

"Hello, who is this?" Mama asked. Her face faded from irritation to scared and confused.

"What? Are you sure?" Her voice cracked. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Alright, good day." She hung the phone back up and placed a hand over her mouth, shaking her head back and forth as tears rolled down her face.

Gerard and I stared puzzled at her, wanting an answer. She shuddered and took a deep breath,

"You two j-just got draft-ted."