On My Own

Chapter 1 / Introduction.

   My fifteenth birthday was just two weeks away and my dad hadn't been home in four days. I was not shocked at all, in fact I would have been surprised if he came home before then. Most kids would be devastated I suppose, but my dad has been known to disappear for weeks at a time and quite frankly I just don't care enough anymore to mind it. 

 I often passed time just thinking about how life used to be. It seemed like a dream, and every time I brought myself back to reality it felt like a nightmare.

It wasn't always so bad. We used to live in a really nice house in a really nice neighborhood. I can still remember what it looked like, a light beige color with red shutters. My dad was a car salesman, a really good one, and my mom was a bank teller. My parents never argued, and both of them were always smiling. 

Then before I knew it, my mom walked out on us when I was ten years old.

I woke up early that morning because of the noise my mom was making in the other room. It was a Saturday, and I peeked my head out of my door to see what was going on. I saw my mom with her bags, walking right out the front door without taking a second look behind her.

I didn't understand what was going on at the time, I thought she just had some errands to run or she had to go to work early, but I think I finally realized it when it had been about six months and we had no possible way of contacting her. From then on, I told myself on the day of my eighteenth birthday I was leaving to find her and figure out why she left us. At least then I'd be an adult and I'd have an idea of where I was going and what I was doing. 

My dad was heartbroken, and he lost his job. Before I knew it we were kicked out of our house and know "we" live in this piece of crap motel that my paychecks from working at the bookstore down the road barely pay rent for.

My dad had never even touched alcohol before then, but now our motel room wreaks of it, which is surprising considering he's never here. 

 When he wasn't at a bar, he'd stand outside of the Chick-Fil-A asking people for money or chicken sandwiches. Of course school sucked, to make matters worse. All of the kids made fun of me, mostly because they had all seen my dad at Chick-Fil-A one time or another. I honestly just kinda got used to it.

Two days later, I slipped into my work uniform and headed out towards the bookstore, still no sign of dad. I brushed it off my shoulder and tried to think about good things to lighten the mood of the day, and thoughts of my mom came to mind. I started thinking of her shiny, long blonde hair, her smooth, tan skin, and her gorgeous smile that lit up the room. My dad used to tell me I had her smile, but I wasn't so sure then. Mostly because I rarely smiled.

I arrived at work and clocked in, smiling at customers entering as I passed. I walked around the store, organizing shelves and making sure the books were in the right sections. 

"How you doin' sweetie?" asked Anne.

Anne was an older lady who worked at the bookstore with me. She was basically my mother and my father, and she knew everything about my living situation. Anne would often send me home with homemade casseroles or soups so I wouldn't starve, considering my dad never did anything to feed me. 

"Really good, thanks. You?" I asked. 

"I'm good. Been a busy day," she said. "Glad I got a good worker like you to help me handle it."

"Well you know I am always pleased to help you, Anne." 

I walked over to the magazine section, picking books up off of the ground on my way. Anne was right, there were quite a few people there, which was somewhat unusual for a Sunday afternoon. I scanned the shelf looking for People Magazine, until I felt a slight tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a man  with dark brown hair said standing right behind me. He looked to be in his early twenties, possibly even late teens. "Do you mind?"

"Oh, no sir, not at all, sorry about that." I said stepping out of his way as he browsed. I proceeded to tend to work, which mostly consisted of organizing.

Not much else went on that day at work, mostly just usual business. I said my goodbyes to Anne as I clocked out.

"Bye Anne, see you next weekend."

"Oh bye darlin', but here, take this with you." She said, handing me a plastic bag. I untied the knot at the top and looked inside, it was full of cans of different things such as soups, pineapples, peaches, beans, and vegetables like corn and green beans.

"Oh no, I can't take this." I told her, offering the bag back to her.

"Dillon, take it. I'll be out of town the next couple of days and I don't want you goin' hungry, all right? And remember if you ever-"

"Need a new place to stay, you're here. Got it." I said with a smile, hugging her. "Thank you so much, Anne."