Enough {h.s.}

17

I stood on the front porch of Mrs. Ivory's sisters house with this weight on my chest. I lifted my heavy hand and pressed the rusted doorbell to hear a simple ding. I head the bark of a little dog and someone telling it to shut up before hearing the door unlock and have it open to reveal an elderly man.

"Yes?" He asked frowning. He was tall and his face was covered in wrinkles and his hair was white but it seemed to all be there. He had on plain glasses and a dark blue sweater with slacks.

"I'm looking for Mrs. Ivory." My voice cracks a few times from crying before and he nods.

"Nancy!" He calls and then motions for me to come in, shooing away the small dog as it continued to bark. "Sorry, he doesn't take well to strangers."

"Oh, it's fine." I say with any smile can muster up.

"What is it Walt?" Mrs. Ivory calls in the basic old lady voice, so high and so sweet. "Oh, Alex! What a nice surprise." She smiled until she realized that I'd been crying. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I'll go walk the dog." Walt says, obviously noticing I need alone time with Mrs. Ivory.

"Come to the den, honey." I walked over to Nancy and she put her frail arms around me and led me to the den.

Like she could see the future, there was a plate of big chocolate chip and sugar cookies on the counter. I smiled and sat down on her sofa as she went back and grabbed the cookies.

"What'd he do now?" She asked handing me the plate and sitting down beside me.

----

I told Mrs. Ivory the story, start to finish. And I felt like I was dying the whole time. She sat and held me as I cried for what I knew to be a long time. I didn't want to think anymore and she didn't ask any questions after I went completely silent after my crying session which I was thankful for.

I was half asleep by the time Walt got back from his walk with the dog.

"How is she?" He asked. I felt him take a seat by my feet and heard Mrs. Ivory sigh.

"The girl had her heart broken." I felt her hand rub over my hair slowly and I heard Walt let out a big breath.

"Poor girl.. What happened?"

"Her boyfriend cheated on her with his ex."

"Shouldn't she be his ex for a reason?" Walt yelled a little louder than he probably intended and Mrs. Ivory shh'd him. "Well," he said in a softer tone. "When you break up with someone, you breakup with them. You don't see them anymore. That's how it works. I don't much about her but I can tell you she doesn't deserve this."

I heard Mrs. Ivory chuckle and Walt just groans. "If I ever meet this young man-"

"You'll what? Beat him up?" Mrs. Ivory laughs.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind." He mumbles under his breath.

I smiled to myself at how Walt was reacting.

I hope you beat him up. I thought to myself.

I turned a little and opened my eyes to see two sweet, old, wrinkly faces smile at me. "How are you?" Walt asked.

"M'good." I smile and nods. "I should be getting home though."

"Do you want to just stay here?" Mrs. Ivory asks.

"No, thank you though. I need to get home, I have school in the morning."

"Well here," I get up and Mrs. Ivory puts all the cookies in a container. "Take these."