Stuck In The Pages

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

       The day seemed as though it would never end, but before I knew it I was pulling into my driveway. Gathering my backpack and my books, I lock my car and make my way to the front door.

         Unlocking the door and stepping inside, I yell to make my presence known, "I'm home."

         I drop my stuff off in the front room, take my shoes off and make my way to the kitchen. As I walk in, I see my darling mother, Kelly, washing the dishes. I grab an orange, and take a seat at the kitchen table which is only a few feet from where mom is standing.

         "How was your day, pumpkin?" my mother asks while scrubbing the dishes on one side of the sink while rinsing them on the opposite side.

         Shitty is what I really want to say, but I decide against that.

         "My day was fine. Same old, same old," I begin peeling my orange, "how about your day?"

         "It was a very busy day for us; it's definitely wedding season." She smiles, drying her hands.

         My mom works at Maria's Bridal Boutique, where she helps fit people in their wedding dresses and assists them in the preparations for their wedding. She gets yelled at often, so usually whenever I ask how her day is she's less than thrilled. But an income is an income, so my mom deals with the fallout.

         My mom has been long time friends with Maria. They met when they were in their twenties. Mom, who was 24 at the time, had just broken up with her long time college boyfriend, Jack, when she found out she was pregnant with me. She needed a roommate and quick. Meanwhile, Maria, who was 26 at the time, had just moved to Colorado and needed to find a cheap apartment. Maria found my mom's add in the newspaper and they ended up living together for three years before Maria's business blew up and she could afford a place of her own.

         After a few years had passed, mom and I had been doing really good; that was until her boss at Copying and Ink CO. fired her for being too 'talkative' in the workspace. What seemed to be neglected was the fact that mom was a secretary which meant she had to be talkative. A month and a half went by and my mom was having trouble finding a job, so Maria was gracious enough to give her a job at her boutique.

         This job is so much better for her, despite the fact that she gets yelled at by crazy Bridezilla's all the time.

         "That's good though. More purchases, better commission." I say, throwing my orange peel away and making my way to the living room. I plop onto the couch and turn the television on.

         "Larry is coming over in a little bit to have dinner with us!" I hear mom yell from the kitchen. I roll my eyes.

         Larry is my mom's boyfriend. It's not that I don't like him, I just think that she could do so much better. However, he does make her really happy and has for the last four years so I can't complain that much. He's never mistreated me either, and has been more of a father figure to me than my own father has been; but like I said, it's been four years. If this relationship isn't going anywhere, I wish they'd just move on with their lives.

         "Awesome!" I yell back, trying to hide my obvious sarcasm.

         If you were wondering, my mom and I are pretty close. Despite the fact that we bicker sometimes, we get along great. It's been just us for the last thirteen years so we've learned to rely on each other.

         My deadbeat dad left us when I was four. He decided that being a father just wasn't in the cards for him, and even though he told my mom that he would pay child support, she said she wanted nothing to do with him. I've never blamed her though. I understand why she would turn down such an offer, because with child support came the fact that we would still have him in our lives, and neither of us want that.