From Broken Homes

Chapter 5

Beau-

My emotions were running rampant, all I wanted to do was scream. I felt a had on my shoulder, I reeled around and saw Codie, she had a slight smile on her face and her eyes looked as though they held a few tears.

"I know how hard this must be for you." She took a step closer to me.

"You have no idea." I looked at the ground, almost ashamed to look her in the eyes. Most of it was embarrassment from the fact that she had to see that, but some of it was that I hated sympathy.

"Would you like me to go? We can always get together some other time." Her voice was soft and soothing.

"No, I want you to stay, it thats alright with you. It's a Friday night, I don't want you going home alone." I raised my eyes to meet hers and placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Okay," a genuine smile spread across her lips, "do what do you want to do now?"

I shifted to embrace her fully, sliding my hands to her hips as she brought hers to my shoulders.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starved, would you rather we eat in the tent, or go to a booth?"

"I don't mind either way."

"Well, unless you want to eat chips and peanut butter, we should probably go get some food."

"Alright," she laughed as we walked towards the fair.

We decided to get the classic meal: corn dog, fries, lemonade shake up, and a giant funnel cake. We ate at a picnic table close to the rides and watched as the sun set. We talked about little things, Clover, animals, schooling.

"So, how did the name Codie Amaryllis come about?" I was finishing up my fries.

"My grandparents on my mom's side were very southern. Ama's name was Amaryllis and Pop's name was Cody. Dad was a firm believer in not naming a little girl with a name that ended in y so they changed it to ie. Ama and Pop were huge in my parents life. My father's parents didn't approve of my mom, because her family name is Bloom and the Gilberts were basically a modern day Hatfield and McCoy, yet without the killing. It was more a battle of words. Since they were both wealthy families, they sent their children off to a boarding school. They both had gone overseas to a preppy school. They stayed there for five years without coming home, got their college education alongside with their high school. They met each other during their second year, Mom got pregnant during their fourth year. She told her parents, and they sent money every month for the two. They moved in together, without Dad's parents even knowing, and continued their education. After I was born they had a little over a year left of schooling, so they sent me over to Ama and Pop's house. They never married, neither of them believe in marriage, and they drifted apart when they came back stateside. Mom left us when Dad wanted to go into farming, saying that she had enough of that stupid lifestyle growing up, and that she loves the city. She's currently in London at the moment, I think she will be moving soon, though. Dad has raised me by himself since I was three, while Mom was just traveling. Ama and Pop still send money and let me come down whenever I want, with whoever I want, as long as I tell them a week ahead of time. So yeah, that's the long version."

By the time time she had finished I had finished my fries and she had just started on hers.

"Wow, so you live with your dad?"

"Yeah, we moved out here a few months ago. We had to sell the farm up in Montana, but luckily we had the opportunity to buy one down here." She played with her food as she talked, not making much eye contact.

"That's great. And I understand how it is with selling a herd, my dad had
do to the same with ours in Nebraska. He moved out here shortly after my mom got out of prison. By the way, sorry you had to hear all of that earlier, it must have been all kinds of awkward." I could feel the blood slowly burning under the skin of my cheeks.

"A little, but I played with Clover for the majority of it." She reached down and rubbed Clover's stomach.

"I don't understand, normally she does't take such a liking to strangers." I decided not to tell her what had happened to Mike the first time Clover met him.

"Really? She's such a nice little puppy."

"If a puppy's overweight and four years old, yeah I guess so." We both laughed as Clover's head shot up as she stared me down. "What do you say we go do something? There's the rides, or we could go see the end of the demo derby?"

"Rides sound like fun."

"Then rides it is," I stood up and offered her my hand, she took it and we walked over to the ticket booth.

"Tickets are half off tonight, or you can buy a wristband for $5 and get unlimited rides," the monotone old lady said from behind the dirty glass. I handed over a 10 and she gave us two wristbands. "Enjoy your evening."