Love is what destroyed Ashton Irwin, a 26 year old man trying to adjust to his new found freedom.
Love is what built Sage Evans , a 10 year old girl living on her own after some unfortunate circumstances cause her to lose her father.
Love is blind...
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Taking care of a kid was some tough shit man, not to mention taking care of a kid and making music. From helping Sage with homework, to recording the music, cleaning the house, writing the songs, running errands, going to meetings and etc etc my day was booked.
Lately I hadn't had any time to myself and it was starting to take a toll on my mental health. I hadn't been able to spend much time with the boys either, I felt bad but there wasn't much I could do about it. That's what led us to today's events.
Today I was taking a me day, well more like a me and the boys day. Though Sage brought so much light and joy into my life it wasn't the same as being with the boys.
The day started as usual, Sage and I had fallen into a morning routine at this point and today was no different. Wake up, cook breakfast, get Sage up, eat, drive Sage to school, come home and repeat.
Once I got home from dropping Sage off at school, that's when the fun began. "Broooooo" Micheal began yelling the moment I walked in the door. "We finally get to have a boys' day again!" The rest of the guys nodded in agreement. It really has been awhile since we hung out. "I love Sage and all but she really does take up all of your time" Luke continued slinging an arm around my shoulder. "We have a lot to catch up on."
The boys began herding me towards the basement. It was definitely the most tricked out part of our house, with all of our equipment and the small amount of belongings each of us had from our previous lives.
Band posters lined the walls, guitars hung sporadically around the room, the floors covered in rugs and bean bags, and of course those LED strip lights rimmed the ceilings. It was cozy and before Sage came to live with us, I had a lot of good crazy memories down here.
"Guess what I got us?" Calum asked as he threw himself down into one of the many beanbags. He had a smirk on his face, which could only mean one thing, trouble.
Calum unbuttoned his trench coat and stuck his hand deep inside one of the many indiscreet pockets before pulling out a small plastic baggie filled to the brim with my favorite pastime, marijuana.
"Yes broooooooo" Michale said running up to snatch the baggie from Calum. "Hold up bro. Luke, did you bring down the bong?" Calum said. "You know I wouldn't go anywhere without it" Luke replied, pulling the glass bong out of a silk bag lined with velvet.
"Oh yeah bro, there we go" I said, getting excited, it was first time in months I could take a few puffs to relieve the stress that has been building up. "Can I go first?" Michale said impatiently. "No, no, no, I think it's only fair that the dad of the house should get to have the first puff" Calum said, handing the baggie to me.
"Thanks man, that means a lot" I said, giving Calum a side hug. Luke set the bong on the carpet as we all take a set on our respective beanbags. Calum brings a cup of water and fills the bong as I put the pot inside. I light the bong and wrapped my lips around the mouthpiece.
I inhale very slowly, attempting to let every drop into my system. I wanted to get as high as possible, let my worries dull. I let it sit in my lungs for a few moments, making sure that I would get all of the drug in my system. As I exhaled I instantly felt a small wave of relaxation wash over me. " This is going to be a good day boys" I say, smiling.
Two hours passed by quickly, and we were feeling the full effects.
Currently we were engaged in a very manly pissing contest. "No way bro that's 50 points!" Calum said, examining the target. "How did you manage to piss that far?" Luke asked, a look of pure awe covering his face. " Bladder of steel man, bladder of steel." was my response, and it was true. I didn't have many talents but pissing was apparently one of them.
Micheal clapped me on the back, pure admiration in his eyes. "You've still got it bro, still got it." I knew that the boys appreciated the time that we got to spend today. " We should do this more often." I said, zipping up my zipper and plopping down onto one of the bean bags.
"Well boys, all good things must come to an end. I think it's about we start cleaning up" I announced, scanning over the room that we had trashed. "Yeah don't want Sage to see any of this." Luke agreed, beginning to put his precious bong away. " I'll clean up the piss since I was the one lost." Micheal said, a grim look on his face.
We all began cleaning, each of us doing our respective duties. I even attempted to get the smell out of the basement. But it was pretty much a lost cause, the smell sticking to the rugs and carpets.
We made quick work, passing the time by talking and joking around. Sure we were cleaning, but we were cleaning as a family. It was over just as it began, our boys day winding to an end.
Calum walked up to me, a serious look adorned his face for the first time today. "Hey man, I know Sage is becoming an important part of your life, but please don't leave us like that again ok. She may be part of your family but so are we. " He said, looking me dead in my eyes.
I knew what he meant. I did feel like I had been abandoning the boys more than I would have liked. Splitting my time was hard but I would have to learn how to deal with it better. It wasn't fair to the boys, they had been with me through thick and thin and I couldn't just leave them in the dust.
"I'm sorry." I announced to the group. "From this point forward I'm going to be better, no more prioritizing one family over the other." The boys all smiled, and I could see the relief in their eyes.
"Now I've got to go get Sage from school. When I get back I want this place spick and span. Okay crew?" I asked, turning towards the basement door. "Aye aye captain." Came a chorus of replies.
Making my way up the stairs I grabbed my keys and headed towards the car. It was time for Sage to come home and for us to commence our evening routine.
