The Unloved One

04: hanger

Saturday

     A thing that we've all learned is that the weather can affect a person's mood.

In 4th grade, I learned that the rain made Max Hamilton very grumpy.

When we were kids, he would avoid me for long periods of time, and this was hard for me since he's the only person that's the same age as me in this house.

Now that we've grown older, he's more mature that he was before. During storms, all he does now is let out a tired sigh.

I, on the other hand, haven't quite matured when it came to the weather.

"Good morning, Barbara," I say happily, as I travel down the stairs.

Barbara gives me a smile as she carries a huge basket full of our laundry. "Morning, dear. Another bright sunny morning, isn't it?"

I nod my head with a smile. "It is," I reply. I then take note of how tired she looks. "Oh, Barbara, let me help you. If you don't mind."

She lets out a chuckle. "If you want to help me, then come help me, dear."

I make it to the bottom of the stairs and help carry the huge basket in her arms.

We head down to the basement and place it on a table.

In the basement, we have a section where we take care of the laundry, and the other half of it is a den for Max to have fun and entertain the guests. The guests are usually his football teammates and a few girls.

But today, on this glorious Saturday morning, I happen to find just Max. His snores are loud as he continues to sleep on the couch.

Beside me, Barbara places her hands on her hips and shakes her head in disappointment. "He's been staying up late watching Netflix and sleeping here for the past few days."

I turn to her. "Really?"

She nods her head before turning her attention back on the laundry. "Go wake him up, dear. Jeff told me breakfast is in a few minutes."

I make my way over to the sleeping blonde boy. "Max," I call out softly, tapping his shoulder. "It's morning."

He lets out a groan before slowly opening his eyes, which instantly land on me. "Bea?"

I give him a smile. "That's me," I reply, before furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you sleeping in the basement?"

He struggles to sit up and scratches his head. "Because I wanted to," he replies in a sleepy voice.

     I let out a sigh. "Well, when you're ready, head upstairs for breakfast, okay?"

     His brown eyes meet mine before he nods his head.

     I make my way back upstairs and into the dining room, where Alice is currently on her phone with a mug in her hand. She sits quietly at the head of the table, humming a little tune into the silence of the room.

     I've learned that it's what she does when she's alone.

     "Good morning," I say with a smile, taking a seat at the table.

     Her eyes flicker towards me as she takes a sip of her tea. "Morning, dear."

     I place two pancakes on my plate.

"By the way," she says, looking up from her phone, "how's that boy doing with his presentation?"

"After yesterday, he's good to go," I tell her, stuffing a piece of pancake in my mouth.