At the End of a Hurricane

Chapter 1

"Carter Lee Jace!" I look up from my fascinating book, The Hungry Caterpillar, to see my mom standing above me, hands on her hips, her blue eyes storming. My mom is really beautiful even when she's angry, with her ocean blue eyes, and tussled bleach blonde hair. Her freckles on her nose morphing together as she scrunches up her nose, and the little pink on her tan cheeks. Her blue tank top and shorts covered with paint spots from her new piece. My mom's young, at twenty- two years of age and following her lifelong dream to be an artist, and let me tell you she's a good one. Many of her pieces sold for a lot of money, some painting are even located in a nearby museum.

"Yes Mommy."

"Did you break my flower vase?"

"What one?"

"Carter? Tell me the truth." I sigh, my mom's good.

"Okay, but i'll buy you a new one." I promise her. Uno problemo. I have no money.

"No." My mom huffs. I cringe. "You're going to make me one." My mom picks me up off the chair and carries me on her hip to her paint room. She sets me down on a small wooden chair we painted together, around a small wooden table we also painted. She walks over to her storage room and brings out a small glass vase, paints, paintbrushes, a paint shirt, and water. "Here you go, sweetie." She ruffles my choppy blonde hair.

"Thanks Mommy!" I smile and get to work on the best vase my mommy will ever see.

I dip a thin paintbrush into a neon green and swirl a stripe on the vase, then I do the same with blue, then red, purple, orange, pink, and yellow. I look at the vase and see I missed the bottom half. Hmm, what to do? I chew on the end of the paintbrush. Ding! Now is the time in the cartoons when the people get a lightbulb above their head. Click.

I take a glob of paint and move it around on a plate. When I'm finished I place my small hand in the blue and make a hand print, I repeat this act with all the colors, green, pink, orange, purple, yellow, and red. At the bottom I swirl my name: CARTER L JACE JUNE 21 2013

"It's beautiful, Carter." My mom kneels down and hugs me. "Thank you! It's way better than my other one!" I smile triumphantly.

DING DONG

"Carter go wash up, i'll get the door." I walk into the colorful painted bathroom and squirt Spiderman hand soap on my painted hands.

"Katie, I want to see my son!" I hear a mana voice.

"Rich, you abandoned us." My mom says. Who's Rich?

"It doesn't matter, I'm still his father." The man, Rich says.

"Rich, he doesn't even know you, your just a stranger to him." I creep down the hallway and glance around the corner. Rich has dusty brown hair, and he is very tall. He has no freckles. My mom is very short, with bleach blonde wavy hair, and billions of freckles, just like me.

"Please, Katie I just want a chance to get to know my son." Rich pleads.

"Fine." Mommy huffs. "Let me go get Carter from his room." Uh oh. I dash to my room, but not before grabbing the "Hungry Caterpillar." I crawl through my little tunnel into my quiet corner and open to the page I left off at. Soon i hear my mom's light bouncy footsteps.

"Carter?" She sees me and crawls into the corner with me. "Carter, honey someone is here to see you, someone you've never met before."

'Rich.' I say in my head. "You see, he's your father, but he left us and he wants to make a relationship, a friendship with you. Is that okay?" I slowly nod as I watch the fear in Mommy's eyes. What? "Okay let's go meet your dad." I take her outstretched hand and we walk to our living room. Rich is sitting on the couch.

"Hi Carter, I'm Rich, but you will call me dad." He commanded.

"I don't want to call you dad, you abandoned me and mommy." I hid behind Mommy. "Your name is Rich, and you will always be Rich."

"I see Katie brainwashed you." He huffs.

"Mommy."

"Listen, kid I want to make amends, you know what amend means right?"

"I'm not dumb, at least not as dumb as you."

"Carter, I'm your father you will call me dad, and don't you use that smart- alloc mouth towards me ever again, or I will make sure you will never talk again, I will cut your tongue out." Rich grabs my chin and clamps it tight.

"Mommy, he's hurting me." I cry, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Rich, get out of my house." Mommy grabs his arm and drags him to the door.

"Wait, Katie I'm sorry, I just snapped. You need to teach Carter some manners." Rich pleads on the doorstep.

" Richard, this is the same reason why we didn't work, and the same reason you and Carter will never have a relationship. You hurt him, he fears you. I swear Richard, if you ever come near Carter and I again I will call the cops." My mom slams the door on his face, and slides down to the floor, placing her head in her hands.

"Mommy." I cry. She scoops me up and I cuddle in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Mommy rubs my head and shh's me. Soon I drift into sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

'I will cut your tongue out.' Rich's words float in my mind. How can he be my father? He's hurtful, and mean.

I shiver at the thought of him. Even my Spiderman blanket won't save me from the chills.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"It'll be fine honey." I hear a sweet, small voice.

"GRANDMA!!!!" I scream and run into the old woman's arms. Grandma has long white hair pulled into a french braid, and caring blueish green eyes, and her dimples show when she smiles her warm smile.

"Carter!" She kneels down and kisses me on the forehead. "Are you okay sweetie?"

"You mean when I found out I actually have a father, and he's cruel and scarred me for life."

She smiles.

"Your okay then?"

"Yeah."

"That's my boy." Grandma glances up at mom.

"Carter, please go get dressed." Mommy says.

"Yes ma'am." I go upstairs to my room. I look through my drawers. Perfect. A blue tee-shirt and jeans.

I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sunny- side up eggs await me on a plate. My mom's also and amazing cook.

When I'm finished I grab my backpack, and jacket. I kiss my mother and grandmother good-bye and board the yellow school bus.