A Light in the Dark

A Surprise in the Kitchen

30: Mason

            We didn’t actually make it back to home until dark because we decided to go out for lunch. I never did eat my breakfast that Kate brought me from Dunkin Donuts. I felt bad for that, so I paid for the lunch we had. Then we just whiled the day away walking around the mall, holding hands, and talking. Finally, we decided it was best to get back home. Kaitlyn had me drive her to Dunkin Donuts, where she had left her car earlier that morning. Of course, I didn’t make it easy for her to leave. She finally pulled away from me, though, and said she had to get home. When I got back to the apartment, I tried to be as quiet as possible. My mom would have gotten home after a long day at work and would have crashed by 8.

            When I walked in to see my mom and Connor kissing at the kitchen table, boy was I surprised. I was surprised that she was even still up, nevertheless having dinner with Connor. I tried to back out of the kitchen as quietly as possible, but of course, stupid me, I rammed into the wall. The wall. They jumped apart, startled, and I mentally cursed myself.

“Oh my God guys I am so sorry! No, no go back to…” I vaguely gestured with my hands as I walked out of the kitchen, “what you were doing.” And I got to my room as quickly as possible. I noticed Sarah wasn’t home, meaning she was probably still staying at her friend’s house a few towns over.

Of course, they couldn’t just leave it alone and about a minute later, there was a knock at my door. Surprisingly, it was not my mother who opened the door after I said come in, it was Connor. 

“Connor?” He smiled sheepishly and walked into my room with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi, um… look I’m sorry about that-”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m not mad.” He looked surprised.

“You’re not?” I laughed.

“No, maybe a little scarred, but-” We both started laughing. “I’m just kidding though, honestly.”

“Wow, thanks. I really wasn’t expecting that.”

“No? What were you expecting?” He shrugged, but I knew what he had thought. “That I’d be mad at my mom for replacing my dad?” Guiltily, Connor nodded. I felt like I was talking to a five year old, so I laughed.

“What?”

“I hated my dad. And so did my mom, so don’t worry.”

“You hated your dad?”

            “Mom didn’t tell you?” He shook his head and I had a feeling mom would have never told him about my dad. It’s not something either of us liked to recall.

“Well, I mean we didn’t always hate my dad. For the first five or six years of my life he was a pretty cool dad. Then he started drinking and it all went downhill from there.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking uncomfortable.

“I told you that you didn’t have to apologize. And there’s nothing you can do about it anyways. But I’m glad my mom found you. You know you make her happy, right? Happier than she’s been for a long time.” I hoped he didn’t notice my abrupt change of subject.