𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐈𝐒𝐇// 𝐄𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐗𝐎𝐂

─── act iミ★ 𝐢. ✭ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍

JUNE, 1978; CHANCE

"Hey, I just spoke to your daddy." My grandma's weathered thumb rolled softly over my cheek. "You're gonna come live with grandma now."

Built-up tears began to burn my eyes. My back sunk dismally into the white leather seats of Grandma's Cadillac. I let out a choked sniffle, my heart being squeezed to the pulp. I'd seen this coming. I wasn't a dumb kid.

All the late-night phone calls Daddy had been making for the past week. His secretive nature. He had become wary of me, spending most of his free time in his room or out at Lovers Lake to fish. There were no more board game nights or watching Cheers together before bed. He had been isolating himself.

Sometimes, late at night, I would press my ear up against Daddy's room and I'd hear him crying to himself. Short little manly cries. The kind boys did when they got hurt badly on the playground and didn't want anyone to see their pain.

Eddie said that's what his daddy did after his mama died in that car crash. But that was before Mr. Munson was carted away to the clink. The man did it to himself, trifling in naughty things. Eddie always said that the one thing he hoped was that God wouldn't turn him into his daddy. He was always a mama's boy.

Daddy peered out the window of our trailer one last time. His eyes were cloudy, all welled up like rain was coming. The sky was overcast, matching his mood. He let go of the shutters, hiding away again. Like he always did.

Why was Daddy doing this? My mama didn't die like Eddie's. I did good in school, all A's. I wasn't a bad kid or mean and I never talked back to him. Why was he making me leave?

"Chancie, Honey, are you alright there? You hear me?" Grandma rasped, leaning over to check on my catatonic state. I could smell the cheap cigarettes on her breath. Emotions washed over me like the California Coast.
There was confusion and anger and helplessness and sadness. Lots of sadness. Sadness that made me knuckle away the tears that continued to slip down my baby face and open the car door.
"Chancie!" Grandma reached for me, her hand stretched out for me. The only thing she caught was air. I was Jack straight gone. "Sweetie, where the fuck are you goin'?!"

My feet hit that dusty road, darting to Eddie's trailer. It wasn't that far of a run. He lived right next door. I hit his door furiously, banging against the metal. Grandma had gotten out of the car and was on the move toward me. Her heels stabbed into the dirt, bright blue suit coming closer and closer and closer.

"Hey, hey, what's the big deal?" The metal door had finally opened up, revealing a groggy-looking, dark-haired boy. "What's going on?" I slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind us. Grandma's protests were muffled from the inside. We didn't have much time. Grandma would find a way in. She always did. Eddie wore a perplexed look, cocking his head. "Are you crying?"

"I- I don't know how to-"

"Chance, you're scaring me." His hand met my shoulder, eyes looking earnestly at mine. "What's wrong?"

My body was through with shaking in silence. I was done with biting back my tears and let out a shuddering sob. I threw my arms around Eddie, hugging him as tightly as I could. I'm surprised I didn't crush his bones from how tight I gripped him.

"I have to go away. My grandma's taking me away because my Daddy don't want me no more." Heaving cries ensued, my throat feeling as if it had been stripped from the skin within. "And your my best friend and this might be the last time I'm ever gonna see you!"