Drawing Hope In Progress (5H/you)

Chapter 92

My eyes close.

She was 19 with a baby on the way
On the East-side of the city, she was working every day
Cleaning dishes in the evening, she could barely stay awake
She was clinging to the feeling that her luck was gonna change
And, 'cross town she would take the bus at night
To a one-bedroom apartment, and when she'd turn on the light
She would sit down at the table, tell herself that it's alright
She was waiting on the day she hoped her baby would arrive
She'd never be alone
Have someone to hold
And when nights were cold
She'd say

The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad
If we got each other, and that's all we have
I will be your mother, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you
When the world's not perfect
When the world's not kind
If we have each other then we'll both be fine
I will be your mother, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you

My hands move to in front of my face once more. They strain with the song. My head moving with the beat of the words. My feet tapping along.

They were 90 and were living out their days
On the West-side of the city next to where they got engaged
They had pictures on the walls of all the memories that they'd made
And though life was never easy, they were thankful that they stayed
With each other, and though some times were hard
Even when she made him angry he would never break her heart
No, they didn't have the money to afford a fancy car
But they never had to travel 'cause they'd never be apart
Even at the end
Their love was stronger than
The day that they first met
They'd say

The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad
If we got each other, and that's all we have
I will be your lover, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you
When the world's not perfect
When the world's not kind
If we have each other then we'll both be fine
I will be your lover, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you

You should know I'll be there for you

I dig my heels in, knowing how much this verse means.

I'm 23, and my folks are getting old
I know they don't have forever and I'm scared to be alone
So I'm thankful for my sister, even though sometimes we fight
When high school wasn't easy, she's the reason I survived
I know she'd never leave me and I hate to see her cry
So I wrote this verse to tell her that I'm always by her side
I wrote this verse to tell her that I'm always by her side
I wrote this verse to tell her that

The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad
If we got each other, and that's all we have
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you
When the world's not perfect
When the world's not kind
If we have each other then we'll both be fine
I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand
You should know I'll be there for you

I let the hums play out, feeling them move along my vocal cords, moving the sides of my dry throat.

You should know I'll be there for you

There is silence. I open my eyes to see Lauren and Normani in the other room. Lauren's eyes are huge. Normani and Simon both have their mouth open.

I clear my throat.

Simon shakes his head and laughs to himself. "That was brilliant Y/n!" He turns from me to the girls on the couch and then back to me. "Are you up for one more?" He moves his gaze back to the girls who nod before his smile shines in my direction. He places the little yellow pad of paper on the table in front of him. It teeters on the edge for a second before he readjusts and has it leaning on an unused button.