The Parenthood Drabbles

Driving

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

In the style of Sally and Percy Jackson

"Why were you late?" Percy asked his mom. She looked at him in the mirror and tried for another apologetic smile. Thankfully he didn't seem upset, nor had he looked scared of having been forgotten when she picked him up at school late.

"Gabe had the car, sweetie." She said parking in the shabby parking of their apartment. It was a wonder that the Cameo hadn't been stolen yet. Then again, it stinked. It reeked of Gabe- which took away the whole point of stealing it.

They got out of the car and Percy jumped onto the sidewalk like a frog. Sally put a hand on his back to lead him through the crowd.

"Why couldn't Gabe just pick me up?" Percy asked. Sally froze and knelt, turning Percy towards her. She her hands on his elbows as he looked at her sideways, a habit of his.

"Percy you've got to make me a promise, okay?" Sally said.

Percy looked at her with bright eyes.

"You can never get in the car with Gabe unless Mommy's there, or Mommy says it's alright. Okay?" She said.

Percy nodded. "Why?"

She froze in fear. She didn't want to explain alcohol to him. That was too much- it'd go too deeply, take too much of his much-needed innocence and expose some parts of family life that she didn't want him to know.

"Because sometimes Gabe can't drive right," Sally said. "And when he can't that... that doesn't mean that he won't try, and you could get hurt if you're in the car with him when he's... when he can't drive right. And that's the last thing we want, right?"

Percy shook his head 'No'. "The last thing I want is you to get hurt in the car with Gabe."

Sally smiled, pinching her lips at the same time, and pulled him in a hug, wrapping her arms around his backpack.