The Heart of Elysium

Chapter Three

                                                                         Saturday August 27th

Peggy heard music in the distance, beckoning her from her slumber. As the music became louder, she realized it was her alarm clock. She rolled over to hit the off button. As she lay still, trying to wake her mind, she felt a slight rustle next to her, followed by the sound of light footsteps heading down the hall. David had again snuck to her room during the night, she felt a stab of guilt.

David started having terrible nightmares after his tenth birthday August fourth. When she caught him sneaking into her bed, she let him talk about his nightmare, then dissected the imaginary monsters, and sent him back to his room. She did not want him getting into the habit of sleeping in her bed. She hoped she handled it the right way. The sound of his laughter traveled down the hall in waves as he watched his Saturday morning cartoons, easing her guilt. Every time she second-guesses herself, the pang of guilt settled in her stomach. The sound of his laughter softened her heavy heart.

David had such a hard time adjusting since the move, moping around, and refusing to make eye contact. Angered and sad, and she did not blame him. He did not understand why she left his father, and she could never explain it without tainting his memories.

Peggy could not explain how she poured herself into her marriage, while David's dad, Kenny, put more effort into playing sports and hanging out with his friends. She concluded her inability to get pregnant caused the distance between her, and Kenny. How could she explain to David she thought adopting him would fix her broken marriage? She could not admit that she had been a silly girl, imagining a baby would magically make Kenny a loving husband and father. It was too late when she realized Kenny was incapable of being loving and nurturing like her daddy. David missed his Saturdays with his dad. He did not know those mornings resulted from many fights and ultimatums.

Peggy sat up and stretched. She had to finish her homework for tonight's class and drop David off at her parents' house. Letting out a disgusting laugh at the irony of her situation. She married young to escape her disapproving mother, trading a barrage of insults for a calm, quiet man. It was too late that she realized that quiet translated to disinterested. The intensity of the silence proved to be deafening, so she picked fights with Kenny just to feel a connection with him. Kenny was unwilling to invest his time in his family, so she decided it would be easier to be a single mom, deal with her criticizing mother and caring daddy.

She witnessed everything she needed and took it straight to her disapproving mother. Fully aware her mother despised Kenny and knew she would find an ally in her, sharing all her dirty laundry, knowing her mother would insist she return home. Peggy did not care that she would also be the target of her mother's insults. She just wanted out and needed her parents' support to leave Kenny. The stay hadn't lasted more than a month at her parents' house, and, like a rebellious teenager, she took David and moved to her own place. She wished she had given that more thought. She got out of bed and headed to the living room.

                                                                                                  ***

"Good morning, David." Peggy said.

David concentrated so hard on his cartoons; he did not hear her speak. She spoke louder, "Good morning, David."

Never looking at her. "Good morning, mom." David said.

"David, did you sleep with me last night?"

David sat at the table, quiet at first. "Yes."

"Why?"