Freezing Cold

Chapter 4: Back in My Day

                                     At this time of age, Mark was a teenager fresh into the 11th grade, during his 9th grade and 10th grade year, they were kind of hard. He was still getting over the fact that his father was no longer in his life, sense he was in 4th grade, it did hit him hard, but as time went by, he was distracted by his two best-friends and his passion in football. 

                                    Mark came home that day and saw his mom cooking in the kitchen, "Hey mom," "Hey baby, how are you?" "I'm good mom, I was just about to get ready for work," "Awwh, you just got here," "I know mom, but you know how it is around here now," his mother looks around and back at Mark, "Yeah, I know, you're a man now and you have to do what you have to do to keep us a float," "Correct, I think I can do it better than him too," "You know you do," Mark smiles at her. "Well, you need to go and get ready for work baby, I don't want you to be late." Mark went straight to his room and put on his work clothes, once he was ready, he grabbed his bag and went out the door to the deli sandwich shop around the corner. 

                                 In the Deli Sandwich Shop, they got customers around the neighborhood and even people the come to visit their city would come right the deli shop to try their sandwiches. The shop would get a lot of customers daily, earning a lot of money for the shop, which means Mark gets paid quite a lot to help his mom with the bills and food for him and his mom. Mark's boss, Mr. Jason, loved mark while he was working for him, he was the best worker that he's even had, he got employee of the month five times sense he's been working there, and he's been working there sense the end of his Sophomore year. " Aye, Mark! We got another customer, can you ring this one up," Mr. Jason shouted, "Sure thing, Jason." The customer at the counter was a beautiful girl. "How can I help yo--." Mark stopped to acknowledge her beauty while she was looking at her nails, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even hear you come to the counter," she says laughing. Mark quickly took her order and gave it to Mr. Jason, he looked at Mark and then the girl and smiled, he shook his head and walked to the back with the ticket in his hand. 

                            "So, what brings you here?," "I'm just getting sandwiches for me and my dad, he just got off work and my mom doesn't come home until tonight, so he sent me here just for us to grab something to eat." She was so open about her situation to Mark, he blushed. "Well, that's cool, looking out for you and your dad," "Yeah." She continued looking at her nails to make sure they were looking good. "Here's your sandwiches, miss!" Mr. Jason said with a smile on his face. "Well, thanks for serving me--" she looked at his name tag, "Mark." He waves at her, and she walked out, looking at him with a stare that he thought was sexy. Mark was looking at her walking out, "Who was that, my boy," Mr. Jason asked, "I don't even know, but she was fine." For the rest of the day, Mark was thinking about that girl, but he never got her name, she was so mesmerized in her face that he didn't even ask. 

                                        When he got home, his mom wasn't there, she was out earning extra money, which Mark was not happy with her doing. He went to his room and   all his things down, getting ready for tomorrow. When he was in bed, he heard the door and he knew it was his mom, "Baby, you in her?" Mark rose up from his bed and peeked out of his room,  "Hey baby, I just wanted to know if you were here or not," "Why wouldn't I be, mom?" "I don't know baby, it was a question." Mark thought about what he just said and realized that he was very frustrated with her, "Mom," "Yes honey," "I don't like what you're doing, you know, at night," "Why not, baby," "You already have a job at the cafe', why are you doing this," "Baby, it's just for extra money." This is when Mark got heated in the moment, "You shouldn't sell your body for extra money, mom!" His mom stopped and looked at him with surprise in her face, "Mark..." "It's true mom, you shouldn't be doing this to yourself," But the money Mark," "NO! Not the money! You're getting a little too old for this game mom, and you know what happens to old ladies that are in the game?" "What Mar--," "They die, mom! They get sick off of the drugs that they were taking to make them look younger!" "Okay, Mark." "No! Don't "okay" me, I know damn well you don't understand, because you knew this was hurting me from the jump!" His mother looked at him with surprise, guilt and sadness, "You know what Mark White, Get out! Get out of my house right now!" Mark looked at his mother, "Mom, I'm sorr--," "No Mark! Get out!

                                    Mark went to his room and got his book bag, he packs his two neatly ironed  uniforms, a couple of clothes, socks, and boxers. He went back out to the living room and look ed at his mother sobbing on the couch, now he felt guilty for yelling at her so much. He didn't say anything to her, he just walked out of the house. Around the time he started walking, it was about two in the morning, he was walking to Jeff's house, but he stopped so many times because he had to eat and take bathroom breaks. He walked the highway and walked passed abandoned houses and neighborhoods to get to Jeff's house, when he finally got there, it was about 4 in the morning. Mark rung the doorbell, he didn't expect anyone to answer, but Jeff's mom answered, "Hey, Mark, come on in, whats wrong?" "Oh, nothing, me and my mom had a little argument about her night job and she got mad and kicked me out," "Awwh, well you can stay here for as long as you like, Jeff is upstairs in his room about to wake up for school," "Okay, thanks Ms. Dough." Mark made his way upstairs and went in Jeff's room, Jeff was still knocked out on the bed, sleep with his mouth open. 

                                Jeff's alarm sounded and both of them were waking up, when Jeff woke up he saw Mark laying on the air mattress that he always sleeps on when he comes over there. "Hey bro, why are you here?" "My mom kicked me out," "Damn. Why?" "We had an argument and i yelled at her and she got mad at me and told me to get out," "Damnn.." "But I did talk to your mom, she said I can stay here for as long as I like, so I guess we're living together now," "That is, awesome, but come on, lets get ready for school, we don't want to miss my--, our bus." Jeff said with a smile. They ran out the door with their book bags and hopped on the bus to school, on the bus they were talking about the argument that happened last night, Mark felt bad for yelling at his mom the way that he did, he wish he could go back and fix everything that happened last night.

                            During school, Mark couldn't focus, his mind was still racing, he wanted to give up at this point because he already lost his dad, and possibly lost his mom. It hurt him very bad, "Mr. White, I hope you're still with us this morning," his English teacher said. Mark didn't even respond to her, she was very annoying in the mornings, and this time he didn't tolerate it now. When it was lunch time, he didn't even bother to go and look for Jeff, he didn't feel like it, he felt like being alone, but Jeff came over to him. "Hey bro, whats going on now?" "I'm still thinking about my mom." Jeff didn't say much, he just gave him some encouraging words and gave him a hug, "Okay, I'll leave you alone now, you look like you want some alone time." Mark put his head down and slouched, he still felt sad and felt guilty for what happened. 

                               The situation bothered him all day, he wasn't focused in any of his classes and he still was bothered by it, he doesn't think it would go away unless its fixed, but he doubts it. He thought about the tone in his mother's voice when she told him to get out. She sounded like she never wanted to be bothered by him every again, like she didn't want him to come back, and he thought fixing things would just make it worse. So he accepted the fact that this is his new life now, with a new brother, a new mother, and a cat.