Broken Home Bar

:: 1 :: L E W I S :: 1 ::

Lewis knew that he couldn't stay at school, they'd kill him. Grant and his friends would beat him limp and bloody, it's happened before. He ran through the city blindly, weaving through alleyways. School had ended not a half hour ago, and Lewis had narrowly avoided Grant. Soon enough, even Lewis didn't know where he was.

"Okay Lewis" he says to himself, his southern twang filling the air around him. "Find a street sign." Turning around, he finds the street sign and makes note that he's on Madison Street. "Next find a public building." It's a downtown street, near the train tracks and warehouses, but there are a few scattered houses in the area. None of them are ideal. Then, he sees it. A brick four-story building with moss growing on one side and over a corner. He walks around, trying to find the front door.

At the front, there's a sign by the front door:

Broken Bar
(Minor-friendly non-alcoholic drinks)

The bottom was written in chalk under the easel-like sign. Lewis opened the door and stepped inside. It was unlike any bar he's seen on TV or through windows. The flooring was a dark wood. A lounge took up most of the side to Lewis's right. Off to the left a bit, an alcove held a kitchen with a bar in front of it. A sign on the bar said "Non-alcoholic products only". Numerous round tables both high-set and low-set are scattered throughout the left side. In the far left, another bar was stationed, this one displaying the logos for many alcoholic drinks.

Few people were in the building, and a few looked up at Lewis's arrival. No stares lingered as he walked up to the first bar.

"Excuse me?" He said to the person behind the bar. They turned around and Lewis saw a familiar face from his high school. "Charlie?"

"Lewis! Hey!" Charlie greeted their friend enthusiastically. "What brings you here to Ma's?"

"Ma's?" Lewis parroted, confused. "Your Ma works here?"

"Works here? Ma owns the place! C'mon back, I'll have Terrence cover for me and you can tell me why you're here." Not waiting for an answer, Charlie turns around and sticks their head into the kitchen, calling for the mysterious 'Terrence'. They walk around the bar, grabbing Lewis's hand and dragging him through a door that he hadn't noticed before.

"Why I'm here?" Lewis questions, his accent making "I'm" sound like "Ah'm".  "Charlie, you aren't making no sense."

Charlie doesn't answer Lewis, instead they lead him into a lounge and sits on a couch, pulling Lewis down with them. Someone else was in the room as well, a woman looking no older than 35.

"Charlie, who is this?" The woman asks.

"Ma, this is Lewis from school" Charlie introduces. Lewis is surprised that Charlie says this. Sure they're friends and all, but Lewis isn't an interesting person from his own perspective. He just doesn't believe that someone would talk about him.

"This is your Ma?" Lewis asks, incredulity obvious in his tone.

"What about it?" Charlie asks, suddenly on the defense.

"I jus' can't believe it is all, she just don' look-" Lewis trails off, floundering for a response.

"It's fine Lewis, Charlie" Charlie's mom says calmly. "Now Lewis, what are you doing out here? Surely you have a family back home waiting for you."

"Not entirely m'am" Lewis says, looking down. "I'm hiding from my cousin. I live with my stepfather and his sister and her son." The way he says "my" sounds a bit like "ma", his accent shining through again.

"nd I ain't, err, I'm not exactly welcome there. Err, well, they don't exactly like me much." Lewis hurriedly corrects himself twice. "Shit" he mutters under his breath.

"Lewis? Now this may not be my place to ask, but is there anything unhealthily going on in your home?" Charlie's Ma is blunt and to the point, not beating around the bush. Her tone is soft and caring. When he looks up, Lewis can see the same softness in her eyes.

"It's not anythin' like abuse m'am. They jus' don' like me there is all. My step father don' like me very much and my cousin's an outright ass, pardon my language. My cousin ain't more than a bully who loves to put other like me down, and my stepfather don' like the way I talk. I like it though, it reminds me of my Pa. Prolly why he don' like it."

Lewis is mostly talking to himself at the end, but Charlie and their Ma hear it. He doesn't say how his stepfather doesn't like the way he talks because it reminds him of Lewis's Pa because his Pa and stepfather was married. He doesn't talk about how his stepfather doesn't like Lewis asking questions about his Pa or his own Ma. He doesn't talk about how he's shut down with a shout or a slap whenever his biological parents come up in conversation.

It's not like that's important.

"Listen, I better get home" Lewis says, looking at his watch and noticing the time. "See ya Monday, Char."

"Bye, Lew." Lewis stands, shouldering his backpack.

"Listen, Lewis." Lewis stops, turning to face Charlie's Ma. "If you ever need a place to get away, you know where we are. I'd love to see you again, and I'm sure you'd love to meet Terrence. I think the two of you would get along.

"I'd love to see you again" those words repeat in Lewis's head. He hears Charlie offer him a ride, and he hears himself agreeing, but he hears those words.

"I'd love to see you again" that phrase had two meanings for Lewis. It's one of the few memories he has of his mother. She was going on a trip by herself for work and five-year-old Lewis was afraid that she was leaving him.

"Ma, are you gonna see me again?" Little Lewis asked, his blue eyes spelling with tears.

"I'd love to see you again baby" she smiles playfully, tucking a strand of hair behind Lewis's ear.

That was the last time he saw his Ma. She was killed in a terrorist attack in London on her trip.

Blinking back tears, Lewis shook himself out of his thoughts and followed Charlie out the door.