Run

Part One | 2

Chapter 2

"For as long as I can remember, Gale was the only woman I could officially call my mom. When she left my dad, it was one of the hardest things that ever happened to me. Not only had she left him, but she left me too. When she was gone, that's when my dad and I started to have problems, worse than how they were before. I would sneak out and do pot or drink. I didn't try to hide it either. Then I'd get into trouble but he couldn't really discipline me. 

Maybe I would've been okay if Gale called or even mailed me, but she never did. When she left, she was gone. All I had was my dad and to him, he had nobody. She was the second woman to leave him and the second mother to leave me. Looking back now, my dad and I had a lot in common when it came to who we were on the inside."

...

It's been about a day since my dad's been gone. Everything, so far, still works around the house. I was thankful that Dad paid the bills, not that he ever didn't. It's just that there's no way I'm going to be paying them anytime soon so I'm glad I've got eletricity and water while I do.

Since school isn't exactly a priority of mine, I've done about nothing. The only thing I felt like doing was buying myself another pack of cigarettes, so I took some money from my dad's stash underneath his mattress and walked to the gas station up the street. It was another kind of relief to breathe in the first drag. It was almost like everything I had been feeling the past 24 hours left me entirely.

When I was almost done with my second cigarette and only ten feet away from my house, I heard a car drive by. I glanced at the street, noticing an unfamiliar black Jetta. It was nice, almost expensive looking. I wondered what it was doing in my neighborhood.

I stopped when I saw it come pull up to my driveway, not realizing that it was someone I knew. I didn't consider Gale actually making it to Jefferson in only a matter of hours. I thought at least a couple days. Did she possibly drop everything and anything to get here? No... There's no way.

She let the car run for a short minute before turning it off and exiting from her side. I crossed my arms and made my way to my house. My stomach grew nervous and my muscles began to tense. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk to her.

She and I hadn't spoken in years. We hadn't seen each other in years. It would have been nice if I received a call once in a while or something, but she never did. Not even so much as a letter.

Gale's short, thinning brown hair looked stiff and almost fake. Her skin was paler, but her eyes showed more color. She was wearing makeup on her eyes and a light shade of pink lipstick. I had never seen her look like this. When she and my dad were together, she never really had to try. Dad wasn't about all the makeup and fancy clothes. It didn't look like Gale was trying or was even hoping to impress anybody. If I was being honest with myself, it looked like Gale was just content, happy even.

I watched as Gale kept her eyes on the house and slowly shut the door to her car. When I walked across the lawn, my steps against the crackling grass is what got her to notice me.

"Bryson," she smiled half-heartedly.

The black purse she held by her left forearm looked heavy and expensive. She must've bought it recently. I wondered what job she had to afford that. 

Silently, I stared at her as I considered how she said my name so clear and nonchalantly. I missed the hell out of this woman and yet, she never called. She never visited. She was the only real mom I had and when she and my dad separated, it was like she wanted to be separated from me too.