Crybaby had hoped her mom would stop drinking from her flask while Angelita was over, but she didn't. Angelita told her not to be embarrassed, because her dad used to act weird after drinking too.
The two of them had the time of their lives playing with dolls and her brother's abandoned action figures until her dad came into her room and told them it was time for Angelita to go home. He ignored their conjoined pleas for "five more minutes" as he ushered Angelita downstairs and out the door to her mom. It was already past her bedtime, so her dad came right back upstairs to tuck her in.
As he finished up and prepared to plant a kiss on her forehead, she spoke up.
"Do you think Mommy will ever stop drinking? Like Angelita's dad?"
The question didn't completely shock him, but it broke his heart nonetheless.
"I don't know, honey." He answered honestly before backing away and turning her light off.He closed her bedroom door and marched downstairs into the kitchen where her mom was waiting, swirling a bottle of red wine as she eyed him with the same dead stare she always had when she was drunk. "Are you serious?" He spat out "What, did you run out of liquor?" He grabbed a small glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water, then slammed it down in front of her so she could drink it instead to sober up. She ignored the glass and kept drinking the wine. "I mean, Jesus, Stella; our daughter finally made a friend and you'd rather drink yourself into a coma than be a mother!"
Crybaby's mother swished the wine around a little bit before swallowing. Her lips smacked as she opened them. "At least I was here."
Crybaby's Dad scoffed. "Well, one of us has to have a job! One of us has to pay the bills!"
"That's the thing. I check the mail every day; we're barely making it by as is."
"So?"
"So how did you afford to buy this?" She tossed a diamond encrusted ring out onto the counter.
Crybaby's Dad tried to hide the surprise that rapidly took over his face. He had no idea how she found that. He was absolutely certain he hid it in--
"It was in your dresser underneath the fabric bottom, but you already know that."
He swallowed the lump in his throat and gathered himself again. "I picked up another shift at work. That was supposed to be an anniversary gift, but you spoiled the surprise."
She laughed at the idea. "You don't think I'm that fucking dumb, do you?" She stood up and made her way to the wooden block that held the knives. "That woman said something about Crybaby's stepmom. Stepmom! Why the hell would she think our daughter has a stepmother!?"
"Well, I--"
"I know, maybe it's because she said she's seen another woman in the car with you multiple times when you finally showed up to pick her up!" She pulled a steak knife from the block.
"Why do you trust what this random woman has to say?" He spat out "You don't even know her!"
"I don't know you!" She screamed "None of us do! And you don't know us! Our son is a pothead and our daughter is an idiot because you're never here!" She stabbed the knife into the counter and sat down, defeated, crying. "I had a feeling this whole time... Every time you'd drop her off and rush back out to your car before coming back hours later with your suit barely even on." She stood back up and plucked the knife out of the dent it made in the linoleum.
"Stella, there's nothing going on between me and anyone else. I love you, I promise."
She looked him up and down while bouncing the knife in her hand. "I used to believe that."The arguing that Crybaby could usually sleep through had woken her up. She was thirsty, so she waited for the yelling to stop before heading downstairs to get a drink. She expected to see her mom asleep on the couch, but she didn't. That wasn't too surprising either, though. She turned the corner into the kitchen and saw a big garbage bag on the floor next to a bucket and mop. That was surprising, as her mom didn't often clean this late at night. Nevertheless, she walked past the bag and grabbed a juice box from the fridge. She was preparing to go back upstairs when she stepped on something wet. She looked down and saw a red puddle forming around her foot, coming from the bag.
"Is... Is that--?"
She was interrupted by her mother coming up from behind her and covering her mouth, shushing her gently. She grabbed the sippy cup from off the counter and shoved it into Crybaby's mouth, knocking the empty bottle of cough syrup over in the process. As her mom held her there, the contents of the cup flowed into her mouth and down her throat until there was none left. Only then did her mother let go.
Crybaby took a few steps forward, choking a bit as she spat some of it up. She immediately became very tired as her mom came up behind her once more and cradled her in her arms as she drifted off to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
Crybaby Redux
FanficCrybaby, a little girl born into a broken and dysfunctional family, navigates through her mother's drunken mistakes, failed attempts at young love, and a terrifying kidnapping. She struggles to remain normal and unfazed by her traumatic past until s...