Any other day (Daniel Sharman)

Chapter 6

We walk, and walk for what seems like hours until I find myself in an abandoned parking lot, only one car in sight. I give Daniel a questioning look.

“What?” he asks.

“What are we doing here? This is a little creepy, Sharman” I reply teasingly.

“Well, on New Years Eve, you told me about your love of cars, and about your mad driving skills, so I figured I’d let you put your money where your mouth is, and rented a car,” he said, and pointed to the car. “That car”.

He smirked, as did I.

“You’re in for a treat, D!” I practically yelled, as I ran toward the car. As I stood beside the car, Daniel was still standing where I left him, a sweet smile on his face.

“You coming, or are you too chicken?” I asked.

He replied by walking forward toward the car. He got into the passenger seat, and I got into the driver’s seat. They keys were already in the ignition, so I turned it on, and backed out of the parking space, tires screeching as I did. I turned to Daniel, who had a shocked expression on his face.

“You sure you want to do this, Sharman?” I asked with a smile.

“Yeah” he said, with a hint of uncertainty.

I started driving, one hand on the steering wheel, and the other on the gearstick. I drove around the parking lot for a while, before pulling back into the parking space. Daniel looked at me.

“I’m impressed,” he said smiling.

“I told you so.”

“And I definitely believe you after that,” he laughed.

I faked offense.

“You didn’t believe me before?” I gasped.

He laughed, and I soon joined him in our laughter. We got out of the car, and sat on a wall of bricks nearby.

“So tell me, any other skills I should know about?” he asked.

“Hmm. I’ve been told I’m a good writer” I replied.

“Really? Can I read anything you’ve written?” he asked.

I tensed up a bit, but relaxed shortly after, and Daniel thankfully didn’t notice.

“Yeah,” I said, as I dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone. In a matter of seconds, I found the document and handed him the phone. He didn’t need to know what it was about. He didn’t need to know who the inspiration of that little tale was.

When people hear the word 'parents', it comes with certain connotations, certain expectations to what the word means, what the word implies. The definition of a parent is simply the creators of something new, which no one can dispute. However, there's much more to it. Most people will argue that the job of a parent, above all, is to protect their children. And no matter how old you get, to your parents, you will still be a little kid, so this urge to protect you, the desire to spare you any pain, is for life. However, to some children, the word 'parents' is the worst lie of all.

The girl is six going on seven. She's attending a friendly gathering with her parents at the house of a friend of the family. The evening progresses without incident, and soon time has come to return home. Her dad is clearly intoxicated, but she doesn't think much of it, as this has happened before. Her mother, however, is sober and set to leave. Standing in front of the car, her father is continuing a conversation with the host, laughing, as her mother continuously asks him to get in the car. He ignores her pleads, and the girl watches as her mother shoves her father, after which he grabs her mother by the collar of her jacket, and holds her against the car. Time stands still for a moment as the girl realizes what occurred before her eyes. In response, tears start to stain her cheeks, as she runs inside to the comfort of other adults. For years forward, the violent sobs of the girl is the only incentive for her parents to stop an argument, but for those years, her comfort is slowly replaced by the fear that such an incident will happen again.