"Mom, I'm home," I let out as we come through the door.
The house is quiet. I listen for a moment, then head into the kitchen. She and Todd aren't there. I look outside. There are two cups of coffee on the patio table. And an ashtray full of cigarette butts. My mom stopped smoking when I was born, but maybe she started again. Or maybe Todd smokes. But I don't think so.
"Mom!"
I head upstairs. Ben isn't sure he should follow, so he stops at the bottom of the stairs.
My mother's bedroom door is closed, and I listen for a moment, then knock.
"Mom?"
I don't get an answer, so I push the door open. She and Todd are lying on the bed. Maybe I suspected this since the moment I walked in the door, and my mom wasn't there to greet me. He is holding her from behind. They are both perfectly still. Not a breath between them.
I can feel the tears on my face.
They look like they're just sleeping, so that's how I'm going to think of them. My mother is Sleeping Beauty. Todd will open his eyes, wake her with a kiss, and they will live happily ever after.
Ben is suddenly by my side. I'm glad he's there. I slip my hand into his, and he lets me.
YOU ARE READING
WAKE ME UP
Short StoryIt's 2040, and 18-year-old Tiana admits to sleeping through most of her life. But Ben woke her up. How could he not? All those scars intrigued her. They may be an odd couple, but being cast as some sort of Romeo and Juliet never made much sense...
