𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 - Matt Sturniolo

𝟹𝟾

✽+†+✽―― what a time ――✽+†+✽
₀₅.₂₃.₂₀₂₃
Cʜᴀɪsᴇ

"JOSH, I'M GOING TO WORK." I shouted up the stairs and grabbed the car keys. "OK. CAN YOU BRING DIAPERS?" my brother shouted back. "YES," I shouted and sighed.

"Don't shout like that, I'm asleep here." complained my father, who was lying on the sofa with two empty beer bottles next to him. I just rolled my eyes and ran to the door.

He had lost his job 2.5 years ago and since I'm the only one who brings home money, he no longer has anything to tell me what to do. After my mom died, he completely crashed. He drank more and more alcohol and was eventually laid off.

And nobody hires an alcoholic and he buys his beer with the money he gets from the state, he would never give any of it to Josh, me or Simon. Josh and I had thought about sending him to rehab but we didn't have the money for that.

Maybe if we'd had the money Josh would have learned to use contraception. A year ago, his ex-girlfriend Gabi gave birth to Simon. But she wanted to go to college and her parents didn't want a bastard in their family. But Josh definitely didn't want an adoption.

And now here we are: My useless father, my brother who has to look after his son all day and me. I'm the only one who goes to work.

I started working straight after school. I have a total of 3 jobs. Most mornings I work in a café, at lunchtime in a bookshop and from Friday to Sunday I work as a bartender in a club at night.

I know I'm not allowed to serve alcohol yet, but the club belongs to one of my favorite customers from the café and he turned a blind eye.

It sounds hard but I've gotten used to it. I wanted to study literature but I couldn't leave my brother alone.

"Why don't you go to your bed if it bothers you and don't sleep on the sofa?" I said coldly to my father and slammed the front door behind me.

I ran to my car, which looked like it was about to fall apart, but it was still running and we didn't have the money to buy a new one.

When I got in, I saw the look on my neighbor's face and she scowled at me. The whole neighborhood hated us. Mainly because our father kept coming up with stupid ideas like setting Miss Maier's garbage can on fire when he was drunk.

I ignored the look and drove off. The café where I work was in one of the wealthier parts of town, just like the club where I work, so I had to drive a few minutes.

...

"On time as always." Said Josi, my colleague, as I joined her next to the coffee machines. "Of course." I said and got to work.

What she didn't know was that it made me almost happier to leave the house in the morning than to come home in the evening.

I loved Josh and Simon was the sweetest boy in the world but when I got home at night there was so much work waiting for me.

Not only did I have 3 jobs, I also had to do the housework. Josh did the washing but I cooked, vacuumed and did the dishes. From time to time I also looked after Simon so that my brother could sleep. That was all I got to do. And I longed for someone to free me from this world. I never wanted to live like this.