ONE LIFE, Ricky Bowen

[6]

Miss Jenn cut the rehearsal early, asking the curly haired boy to meet her in her office. She was preparing to kick him out of the play, but decided against it once she heard what was going on at home. His mother had came back to officially split from his dad, permanently moving to Chicago. She felt awful for the kid, letting him off easy so he could go home to his family. Miss Jenn was also the product of parents who decided to split up when she was young, so she knew exactly what he was going through and didn't want to punish him for it.

Similarly, Luna's home life took a turn for the worst that day too. When she arrived home from school, an extra member of the Crawford family was there.

"Hey mom, I'm home!" She called out, throwing her back pack on the floor by the steps. Her mother sounded like she was speaking to someone, but she wasn't sure who it could be.

Once she reached the kitchen, her jaw dropped at the man that stood next to her mother. "What the hell," she muttered.

"Hey! Watch your language, young lady," her mother scolded.

"What is he doing here?" She turned to the man, crossing her arms. "What are you doing here?" She spoke with venom lacing her voice.

There he stood. Her father who walked out on them a few years ago. He had returned, but neither of the Crawford ladies wanted him to be there. How could her mother just let him back into their house like this? Without any warning beforehand to Luna, she let him in, fully aware of the destruction he was going to leave behind with his words.

"Lu," she cringed as he spoke using her nickname, "It's really great to see you again. You're so grown up, wow."

"Cut the crap, Dad. You can't just show up here and expect to be taken back into our lives. You left us. So again I'm asking, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Luna," he began with a sigh, understanding her hatred towards him, "I came back because, well, because my days are almost up... I had to see you both before it was over." Tears welled up in his eyes, as well as hers when the words soaked into her brain. It was one thing to come back and see them, but to come back only because his days were almost up? That was cruel. Luna's father came back just to leave again, but this time forever- although it wasn't his choice.

"W-What?" She whimpered. The hatred she felt for him instantly left her body and was replaced with bone crushing devastation and sadness. Her mother broke down across the kitchen, unable to keep in her sobs. She knew why her husband was back, but hearing the words again just made her break down once more. "Y-You came back only to leave for forever in a few days? What the hell, Dad. You can't just drop a bomb on us like that."

"I'm so sorry, Luna. I don't have a choice, you know that. We are all given a set of days to live, and mine just happens to be over soon. I couldn't just leave without seeing you and your mother again." The young girl nodded as she began to cry harder. He sighed, pulling the two girls into hugs as they cried.

She tried to fight back her sobs, only successfully making herself cry even more. She pulled away from her parents, feeling too overwhelmed. "I can't do this. Not right now," she cried out in between sobs. Standing in front of him was just too much. Walking backwards, ignoring their yells for her to come back, Luna escaped the house and started running down the street.

She pulled out her phone, calling the only person she knew who would even remotely understand what she was going through. Ricky Bowen. Although his parents were both healthy and had plenty of days left, she knew that he understood losing a parent- even if in his case it would only be to a different state.

He answered after the second ring. Once he heard her cries through the phone, he immediately grabbed his keys, asking for her location so he could come get her. He was at Big Red's house, but he was okay leaving his best friend to come get the upset girl.