Hope Intercepts Misery

Chap 2

I got home and I felt like I had just got home from Heaven. Hope was awesome. She made me happy to be alive, but the only thing was that she also reminded me that I was in a home that wasn't very homely.

I collapsed on my bed exhausted and sighed. I hate it when my hope gets up. I started to think about the time before I came to my dad's. It was such a happy life back then. I was so miserable now. Why couldn't I just go back to my mom and be happier than I was here? God. Help me to know what to do. I am so lost and am in a tight situation.

I turned onto my side and shut my eyes against the doom trying to consume me. I silently cried as I thought about the time when my mom wasn't drunk on my tenth birthday. She had just gotten home with a few groceries. She shut the door with her foot and dropped the bags on the counter. They weren't that heavy but drinking was taking its tole on her. She dropped onto the couch and almost fainted. She was tuckered out. I came running in when she faintly called my name, "Tyson, I'm home. We can start making a cake for your b-day." The reason I know what she did before she called me was that I was watching wearily behind the door to the living room when she walked in. She didn't ever come home not drunk or with a guy at least. I have no idea why she didn't have one or the other with her. I was so happy when she called my name that I almost squeezed the guts out of her when I came into the room. Before she could say anything more I dove into the bags and started taking things and putting them on the counter by the stove. I thought when she didn't get up that she was too exhausted to get up and help when she just lay there. She didn't even hardly look at me when I entered the room. I started baking the cake by the instructions that I had cut out of a box I had found in someone's garbage while looking for something to eat. I was too little to think of my mom being very sick and hardly even thought of her period. I made the cake and put it into the oven, but when I turned around to thank mom for getting the stuff her chest wasn't hardly showing any sign of breathing. I ran to her side and meekly said, "Mom, are you okay?" She didn't even answer me. I got scared and ran out of the house. I ran to my neighbor's door and frantically rapped on it. "Mr. Tyler! Mr. Tyler my mom won't wake up! Mr. Tyler!" When he threw open the door I didn't even answer him when he asked what was wrong. I grabbed his shirtsleeve and pulled him across the street to our house. He took one look at my mom and said, "Oh God. Help her." He raced back to his house and hurriedly called the police. The police took her to a hospital. I stayed with Mr. Tyler until my mom got better.

I love my mom, don't get me wrong. But she infuriates the tar out if me sometimes. I rolled over again on my bed and stared crying at the wall. Before I knew it I woke up from another bad dream about my parents. I did the same as the last time, but instead of waiting for the sun to come up I screamed and yelled until my voice got hoarse. I cried until my chest felt like it was gonna blow. Then, through the trees, I saw Hope staring at me thoughtfully. I quickly wiped at my face, trying to get the tears from showing. She walked up to me and gently grabbed my hand from my face. She sat next to me and said, "Everything's going to be all right."

She put her arms around me and held me until I was done crying. Then she asked, "What was it about?"

I stared at her like I couldn't believe someone had just figured it out. I broke down and told her the whole story, from when I was young to how I got here. Instead of looking surprised as I thought she would though, she looked straight at me and said, "I know exactly what you are feeling."

I couldn't believe it. She was so nice, she couldn't have come from the same kind of home I had. Instead of asking her about her story, I asked, "What did you come out here for?"

She sadly looked at me and rolled up her sleeve. I gasped at the welts on her skin and cringed. I wasn't a stranger to welts or anything like that, I just didn't know how anyone would do that to this particular girl. Suddenly, I jerked my head up and asked, "Where do you live and how many siblings do you have?"

She shook her head and kind of grinned. She said, "I live in the house right next to you. I moved in about a week ago with my foster family. I have two little sisters, Rise and Pansy, and one older brother, Trigger. Trigger got his name from when he was little and he got dropped by our real mom onto a gun. The gun went off and scared my mom real bad so she nicknamed him Trigger. Pansy of course was named after my mom's first boyfriend's favorite flower. Rise was to help us all be able to have at least one reason to get or rise out of bed." She sighed, "I miss mom, but she can't ever come back. She died in a car crash about a year after my dad left her. My sisters, brother, and I immediately got sent to child care and they found a home for us with this family. Trigger should be thankful he only has a couple more weeks before he can get out of the house, but says that he doesn't want to leave us to get beat by our foster dad."

I sat looking at her and thinking about my family, when I frantically looked up and saw that the sun had risen. I yelped and grabbed her hand. We ran to our houses and got our siblings up to get ready for school. I was too late when I got there. My dad was steaming mad and came after me with a frying pan. He barely nicked my head. The twins were already up and ready, but were too frightened to go anywhere. I quickly yelled over my shoulder while running from dad, "Go to school. You can't be late. Tell the teacher I'm sick and I won't be there today."

They ran as fast as they could out the door and sprinted away toward school. I had thankfully put on my jeans before I went out, and I tried to get down the stairs to the front door which was looking a lot like freedom to me. I regretfully didn't make it and soon heard a huge twang sound from my head and everything went black.