Mine

Chapter One

"You'll always be mine, Damian. You're still my baby boy." His mother's words echoed around in his head as he stared up into her big brown eyes.
It was his sixteenth birthday and it had to be said that he wasn't exactly thrilled with his mother and step-father's choice of present. This year they had decided to gift him with their news. His mother was pregnant.
Part of Damian wanted to be happy about this, happy for them and their now perfect little family, but he just couldn't. He couldn't make himself feel glad about this or have any joy for them. As it was, he only saw her once a year. How dare she think that she could just replace him?
He rose to his feet, his head shaking as he tried to form words or even a single word would do. He didn't want to be hers, he decided in that moment. He was quite content not being anyone's. But instead of saying that he swallowed his thoughts down.
"Congratulations." He managed to say instead and somehow he managed this without sounding like he was being strangled. He wracked his brain for something more to say, but he came up empty and just ended up stood there with his hands deep inside his pockets.
His mother gave him a small smile and stepped forward as if to try and hug him but the brown haired boy kept his hands deep in his pockets. Sure, he was being bitter, but he was trying to understand why the woman who had pretty much abandoned him six years ago even wanted another child? Had she merely just run out of way to mess up his life?
The two stood there for a little while; Damian completely still as if he were turned to stone and his mother shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other.
Eventually it was his mother who broke the silence. "How's your father?" She asked as she sat down again on the sofa in the Contact Centre. It was in this room that Damian had spent the last five of his birthdays with her.
"Dad's fine." He shrugged as he too sat down, folding his hands in his lap in an attempt to keep himself closed off from her. "He's keeping himself busy."
The older woman swept her long hair over her shoulder as she nodded, "Good. Good..." She glanced down and Damian watched her as she drew in a slow breath. "Good. Tell him I say hi..."
Damian nodded in agreement although he had no intention of doing so. It was almost a death sentence to even think about mentioning his mother to his dad. He hated her. He blamed her solely for the mess his life was now. A single parent working day in, day out to be able to afford to put food on the table.
Damian closed his fingers around his brand new phone which he guessed Alex, his step-father, had bought but his mother had given to him. He'd have to be careful to hide the device from his dad. He didn't want to be yelled at for accepting lavish gifts, but at the same time, he reckoned that a phone would come in handy in this day and age. Not to mention that all his friends had one and he had been a bit envious of them, not that he would admit that. He still had his pride, after all.
He cleared his throat as he glanced at the clock which sat on the wall behind the Contact Supervisor. He hoped there wasn't much time left. He didn't know how much longer he could bear to be in the same room as the woman he had once called 'Mummy'.
The rest of the Contact Session was spent with Damian wishing he was anywhere but there and his mother telling him all about her trip to Switzerland last Christmas - or it could have been Sweden, he wasn't really listening.
At the end of Contact he did however allow his mother to hug him and he returned the gesture, thinking to himself that there was 364 days until he had to see her again. He bade her goodbye and headed out into the carpark where his dad was sat in his car, an old busted up Corsa. He waved to the driver of the nearby Audi who he guessed had to be Alex as he shoved his phone deeper into his pocket and climbed into the passenger seat of his dad's car.
"'lo." He said by way of a greeting as his dad started the car and pretty much high-tailed it out of the carpark before he could see his ex-wife.
There was the same awful silence in the vehicle as they drove home as they endured every year. Damian contemplated multiple times whether he should break their tradition multiple and turn on the radio or not. He also wondered whether he should ask to be thrown out somewhere but why break something that had become routine to the two of them?
It wasn't until they were parked outside of the house again that his dad spoke and It was just to tell Damian that he had to go back to work and that he wouldn't be home until late so Damian would have to make his own arrangements for dinner.
This wasn't news to Damian who simply grunted an acknowledgment before letting himself into their small house. Damian headed straight to his room to find himself a hoodie to throw on under his jacket before he headed out again. He'd go somewhere he was actually wanted to spend the rest of his birthday - and maybe Esther would be able to show him how to use this new phone while he was at it.