AD - All We Are Series

Chapter Three

July 2017

 

"Ring! Ring!" My cell phone startled me out of my sleep.

"Who is it?" I answered, seeing as the time was about three in the morning.

"Hey V, it's me. Can you take Kory for now?"

"Yeah, sure. We've been dating for a year and a half. I think I can handle a twelve year old boy for a day," I chuckled, but Dave didn't return it.

"Listen, it's pretty serious. My brother..." Dave trailed off, his voice cracking at the end.

"Dave, is everything alright?" I questioned softly.

"It's looking bad," he said into the phone. The ever-calm Dave that I knew was absent.

"I'll be right over," I promised.

"Can you bring Kaleb? Yesterday... Yesterday was Kory's birthday."

"Oh, I forgot, he's thirteen now! Yes of course! We'll bring his present, too," I promised.

I quickly got out of bed, throwing my hair into a pony tail and shrugging on a light jacket and sweatpants. I quietly tiptoed into Will and Kaleb's room, walking over to Kaleb's bed and shaking him gently.

"Mom?" Kaleb asked, his voice dry as he rolled over in his bed to face me. "What's wrong?"

"Hey hon. We're going over to Kory's house," I responded softly.

"What's going on?" He questioned as he sat up in bed, reaching over for his phone. At first I had objected to Kaleb having a phone at fourteen, but Will pointed out a good argument about needing to reach Kaleb. There was no landline in Margaret's apartment, and now that Kaleb was running track in high school, it was hard to reach him if plans changed. So I had resigned myself to giving Kaleb a cell phone.

When I didn't respond to Kaleb, he sighed and got up, slipping on his shoes and walking towards the door. "Coming, mom?" He questioned me. I shook my head to clear it and followed him out.

I grabbed the keys from the hook near the door of Margaret's apartment. We slipped out, though Kaleb slammed the door. I gave him a motherly scolding look of raised eyebrows, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry mom."

We walked down the stairs and climbed into the car, driving the short distance to Dave's place.

"Mom, what's going on?" Kaleb asked me impatiently. "I've asked you three times now!"

"Young man, don't take that tone with me," I warned him gently. "Dave asked me to come over and watch Kory."

"He's thirteen, though. Why does he need a babysitter?"

"Oh damn," I sighed.

"No cursing, mom," Kaleb grinned cheekily at me. "What did you forget?"

"Kory's present," I answered.

"Oh mom, what are we going to do with you," Kaleb mimicked my voice in the mornings when he wouldn't get up and subsequently missed the school bus.

"None of that from you," I said affectionately, reaching a hand over and ruffling Kaleb's hair.

"Oi! Not the hair, mom!" Kaleb yelled, pushing my hand away and pulling down the visor to open the mirror. He ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back down.

Both of us sobered up once we arrived at Dave's house. I turned off the car engine smoothly, sliding out of my large minivan. Kaleb followed me, hopping out and running to the door. He opened it quickly.