Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
The tears I’d fought for most of the day began to silently fall as I reached for my cell phone.
With deliberately cautious movements, I pulled the phone free. I only had a small amount of battery remaining as I quietly worked the keyboard to open my text messages. All the while I kept track of my father’s snores.
He sent three messages. Shamefully, I opened his first.
“Be safe. I love you. Do what he says until I can get my dad to help.”
“Ur mom caught me up on your dad’s emergency court decision. We’ll figure this out. Just wait for me. Don’t lose hope. I’ll wait for you forever.”
How long was forever? Years might go by before I could even talk to him again. This phone just became more of a lifeline than ever before.
“I’m sorry to say, your grandfather isn’t doing well. He’s in a medically induced coma with a ventilator. Your grandmother’s by his side. I’m worried about you. Text me when you can.”
I understood it might be silly, but I touched the small screen, seeking a connection with Dash. I wish I had a photo.
It took me a moment to craft my message back to him.
“I’m okay. My phone’s hidden. I’m sorry. It’s gonna be difficult here. Don’t wait for me. Thanks for looking out for my paw. I’m turning my phone off until it’s safe. IDK when that’s gonna be.” I ran out of texting space and pushed send as tears again streamed down my face.
We’d only had a month together, but man, what a difference thirty days made to my soul. Dash was too shiny to be stuck with a guy like me. “It’s best for you to go on. I’ll always remember you.”
I pushed send and wiped a hand over my cheeks then under my nose.
I quickly opened my mom’s text as my father mumbled something about a red barn in his sleep. “Do what he says. I love you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I wondered if she knew the hoops she had to jump through to be with me again.
I typed number by number as quickly and quietly as I could. “Me too. I’m sorry about Paw. Tell him I love him. He’s a great paw. Keep my phone on.” I pressed send. My father woke in a stupor, stumbling from the bed to the bathroom. I clicked the button to turn the phone off and managed to get it tucked back into my pocket before his return.
My life was over. My mom couldn’t help me. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did.
Fear, sorrow, and sadness caused my empty heart to turn to stone.
Three months later
“Seriously, dude, how long you gonna be grounded?” Scott asked, quietly shutting my bedroom door behind him. After all these months of being back in Mobile, Scott was still the only person I was allowed to see outside of school and those visits were scheduled and timed.
I looked back over my shoulder at him from my regular seat beside the window. He wasn’t the most intuitive guy, but I saw the real worry on his face.
“You’re always so fucking sad. Are you suicidal? You look that way. Don’t do it. Call me first,” Scott plead.
Hmm. I didn’t speak—I barely did anymore—and contemplated my death. It didn’t elicit the fear it once had. My gaze shifted back out the window. I could see a pretty major Mobile road that allowed me to watch life happening for everyone except me. “Why’re you still handcuffed?” Scott asked.
“You know why. It’s to keep me from sneakin’ out. Which I’d probably do.” In my head, I added, “and run far, far away.”
Scott came to sit with his ass on my desk. “Someday you’re gonna have to tell me what happened. All this ain’t right. I feel like it’s child abuse.”
“It’s not if the court says he’s right.” The tears just beyond the surface threatened to fall.
Scott leaned closer to my ear. “My mom talks to your mom. She’s fightin’ in court to get you back and says she loves you.”
The only secret I had managed to keep from my father was the cell phone tucked in the floorboard of my closet, under a pile of shoes and gear. I plugged it in every once in a while, maybe twice since I arrived back in Mobile. Her messages were there, and those from Dash, promising to wait for me. I chose not to respond. I couldn’t find the strength to tell him to go on again, live a good life without me. A teardrop ran down my cheek.
Scott’s reassuring hand came to my shoulder.
The bedroom door burst open with force causing me to turn my head away to keep anyone from seeing me cry. It’d only make my life harder.