Two Worlds Distanced

Chapter 128

EZRA

I'm not really surprised that this party is fancy like it was a few weeks ago; from the crystal chandler to the bubbly drinks everyone is carrying around, the words fancy and overpriced are spreading all over. It makes me sick that my mother would want me to live this expensive life as if we were related to the Kardashians. I need a drink, so I let go of Rachel's hand and found the kitchen. I hate walking away from here for no reason, but I need something to hand myself accountable and not cause any problems. I made sure Rachel didn't follow me to the kitchen. I watch the servers grabbing their trays filled with crackers with a nasty-looking spread on them. I shake my head as I search for a bottle of something.

I grab the bottle of whiskey, along with a glass, then gulp a good amount of it, "Is that apple juice?". I turn around, jump out of fright, and it's Lauren's annoying nephew, Leo, "Ummm," I look at the bottle, and he waves his sippy cup to see if he can have some, "This is adult juice," I closed the bottle, "Not for little kids," I tell him and dump the rest my drink down the sink drain.

...

I open the fridge, searching for any juice or something for the little punk. I know he's staring me down, and there's grape Kool-Aid in the back with a label, "Do you like Kool-aid?".

"Yes," he nods quickly and shakes his empty cup. I poured it and returned back to him, and I poured myself a glass even though I would have a purple tongue after drinking this, but it's better than an alcoholic breath when talking to my mother, "Where's your aunt?".

"In the bathroom, she told me to say here so I don't get lost," he says as taking a bite of his cupcake. The frosting covered his mouth, and I started laughing, grabbed a handful of paper napkins, came over to him, and handed him the napkins, but I noticed frosting everywhere on his hands and a white snowman tie that matched his socks. I try to wipe the frosting off with a paper towel, but it makes a bigger mess than it was, "Shit."

He silently gasps.

"What?" I continued wiping the frosting off of his tie, and it was coming off. I throw the towel in the trash, "You said a bad word," he whispers, and I laugh; for some reason, he reminds me a little bit of Skylar when she was his age. I'm guessing he's five or six, "How old are you?",

Leo holds a whole hand, "You are five. Wow, you little punk," I joked and took off his small tie, "That's my favorite." I don't respond by taking off my tie and putting it around his collar, "Here wear mine," I tell him and pull it up.

"I think it's too big on me," he pulled out the tie, but he was not wrong, "It's better than the chocolate strained tie," I told him, then returned back to the living room with my drink. I see Alex cutting her ear off with his talking, and he doesn't know how to shut the fuck up, and hearing something about an offer for Rachel, "What offer is that?".

Rachel turns around with nervousness written all over her face, and she tells me some bullshit excuse about helping my mother, but I know she's lying. She sucks at lying. Rachel turns around with nervousness written all over her face, and she says a bullshit excuse about my mother asking her to help.

After walking around for a while, I see my mother talking to my aunt Dina; I take a small breath before approaching them, "Hey."

"Ezra! Oh my god, you have grown so much," Dina rushes towards me and hugs and I hold my breath from the amount of perfume she sprayed on, "Hey," I greet her and look at my mother, who hasn't spoken to me since I came, "Mom, can we talk for a minute?". I ask.

She nods yes, "Let's go upstairs," she hands her drink to Dina. I'm so glad she didn't pinch my cheeks. She used to time a lot.

...

We walk to the other side of the hallway. She opens a door and flicks the light switch. It's her and Jasper's bedroom; it's so organized, not an inch messiest on anything. I look at her dresser, with all kinds of picture frames. I smiled at one of her and Skylar when we were born, and the other one is the last family picture we had together in Florida, where both of my parents were fighting from the lack of sleep.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she plops on the bed and then rubs her stomach.

I roll my head as I sit next to her, "Um, I wanted to apologize for my actions that other day. You know, at Christmas,". She waves her hand, "It's fine," she quietly says. I shake my head, "No. It's not. It wasn't right for me to say that stuff. After Skylar passed away," it feels like a knife in my throat as those words come out. She wipes a tear rolling down her cheek, "And seeing dad going away, and I promised you and myself that I would be the man of the house and make sure nothing will hurt you or myself."

"You need to stop punishing yourself for that control. You did your best to save her," she wimps a little.

"I know, but I never made anything easier for you. You must think I'm a shit load of a son,". I say as bending my head between my legs, and she puts her hand on me, "Don't say that. You were only a little kid back then, and I'm proud of the man you have become. Skylar and Leah," she rubs her stomach, "Are proud of their brother," she smiles.

"Leah? Is that her name?".

"Yes."

"It's beautiful, like her mother. I'm so sorry again," I tell her again, and she wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tightly.

...

My mother and I continue talking about my new little sister and how she's decorating the nursery with an ocean theme with sea creatures and mermaids like the little mermaid. I can see that talking about everything involving Leah and her soon-to-be husband, makes her smile brighter and bigger by the second before hearing someone knocking on the door.

"Come in," we both say and laugh. Eric pops his head and grins a little, "Hey, sorry to interrupt. I wanted to tell you that Jasper is looking for you," he directly told Andrea.

"Okay, thank you, Eric."

Eric walks away; My mother tries to push herself up but fails. Her belly is the size of a watermelon. I stand before her, "Let me help before you hurt yourself and my little sister," I joke. My mother grabs my hands and carefully sits up as she does. She hugs me, "I love you, my sweet boy,".

"I love you more."