Underneath

Underneath-Chapter 9

I was woken up early the next morning by a knock on my door.

It was six and the sun still had yet to rise.

After crawling out of bed, I pulled one of the bedroom curtains to the side and looked out.

My mom was at the door, waiting for me to answer.

That was unusual.

My mom liked visiting me as much as she could, but it was never during early morning hours.

I closed the curtain and the knocking continued.

Once I got downstairs, I opened the door.

"Yes, mom?" I answered, sleepily.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, Adam, but I have some news that I think you need to hear." She said, lowly.

Through heavy eyes, I could read my mother's face.

Her brown eyes were saddened.

Whatever she was about to say wasn't going to be good.

I put coffee on and sat in the living room.

My mom sat across from me.

"So what did you need to say?" I asked her.

I knew it didn't have to do with my dad or my younger brother, Neil, otherwise my mom would be acting very different.

I could tell by the look in her eye that it wasn't pleasant, though.

"Do you remember Brett Stevenson?" She asked me.

I took a moment to think through the name and realized why it sounded so familiar.

Brett was my childhood friend.

We grew up together in San Diego at Rancho Penasquitos and we did everything with one another.

We grew close and formed a tight relationship.

He was always a shoulder to cry on when I needed it and never once did he object to helping me through a difficult time.

However, his parents ended up moving to Michigan before we got to start middle school together.

We were able to stay in touch, but as high school came around and I got further into theatre and choir, our communication dissolved quickly.

I always said that I would see him again if I ever got the chance to, but it never came to me.

"Yes, I do." I said to my mom.

"Well, I ran into his mother yesterday. She's moved back to California from Michigan." She replied.

"Okay. And?" I asked her.

"Adam, she came back to tend to her son. Brett's been diagnosed with AIDS and his life is dwindling down." She said, sadly.

I felt a truck hit me.

"What?" I asked, shocked.

I was all too familiar with AIDS because some of my friends had it and I was aware of the destruction it brought.

My heart broke at the thought of my childhood friend dying slowly.

I lowered my head, my mind spinning with the news I just recieved.

"Adam, he doesn't have much time left so I would go visit him while you can. He's in the same house he lived in as a child." My mom said to me, taking my hands.

After a minute of piecing my mind back together, I said, "Okay, I'll get dressed and go to his house."

"Okay." My mom said.

She got up and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Adam. Call me if you need someone to take you home." She said.

I nodded.

After my mom left, I got dressed in a daze.

One of the greatest friend I had ever had was dying and I couldn't do anything about it.

My whole attitude had changed in a matter of five minutes because of the tragic news I had recieved.

I wasn't sure how to respond.

All I could do was get dressed.

I pulled up to the stacked, tan and white house that Brett grew up in and took a minute to breathe.

I was about to see someone I hadn't seen in years, but instead of it being a happy reunion, sadness was creeping into my heart.

I was still trying to take grasp of the reality that had knocked on my door this morning.

My heart was breaking, but I knew I had to be strong.

I couldn't imagine how his mother was feeling, watching her child's health deteriorate before her eyes.

After a few more minutes, I finally stepped out of my car and went to the door.

His mother answered and instantly, she collapsed in my arms once she saw my face.

"Oh, Adam! I'm so glad you're here." She said, edging on tears as we hugged.

"Mrs. Stevenson, I'm so sorry!" I said to her, fighting the developing knot in my throat.

"It's alright..." She said, wiping her tears away. "At least you're here."

She closed the door behind me.

"When I ran into Leila yesterday and recieved word that you were still in California, I had to ask if you could come. Brett's been talking about you so much since he first got the news and he's been waiting to see you. He'll be glad to know you're here!" She said to me.

For a brief moment, a small light of happiness came to her aged eyes, but then it faded away.

"Where is he?" I asked her.

"He's in the next room over, but please, put this on. He doesn't need to get anymore sick than what he is already." She replied.

She handed me a face mask and after doing the necessary cleansings, she led me to the room he was staying in.