The Winter Story

Prologue

Every year since I was 12 my parents would always send me to my uncle's house up in Illinois for the summer. The hardest part about going was transferring school for a couple of months, but I made friends there, enjoying the cooler weather than at home back in Florida. I would get a call every once in a while from my mom or dad asking how I'm doing and such. The conversations never seemed to last long but they were always nice. 3 months without my parents was hard, but at least I wasn't alone. My uncle Andrew was always super nice and was like a second father to me. He always made me feel welcome. 

 I noticed something wrong with them when I came back from my first visit. My mom was the only one picking me up. Dad seemed to be gone most nights, and whenever he was home they would fight. The school was my only escape and even that didn't help much. Every year I would go back to see my uncle and every time I came back things would be worse. I ended up having to sleep with earplugs as I couldn't sleep with all the shouting.

I didn't want to see my family broken but I didn't want them to be angry at each other either. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in my room 9 months at a time. My parents got me a laptop, and Xbox One and a TV. I think both of them were just trying to get me on their side, I didn't want to choose sides though. I just wanted my old life back. I slowly lost all of my friends, some nights I would just lay in bed and cry.

The summer I turned 16 everything changed. I woke up one Saturday morning, pulling out one earplug to listen for my parents. They should be off at work, should being a relative term. Sometimes one would stay home 'sick' and drink most of the day.  As I took out the earplugs I heard nothing, nothing but the patter of rain hitting my window. I get up out of bed and look out my window to the driveway, seeing neither car there. 

I sigh a sigh of relief, I walked over to my dresser grabbing some underwear socks and shorts as I headed for my closet, grabbing a random shirt. I walked into my bathroom and started up the water, letting the hot water flow to a temperature that wouldn't boil me but wouldn't freeze me either. I stepped in letting the water flow down from my hair, down my back, and landing on the shower floor. I closed my eyes feeling the water flow down my body. I took a second to just enjoy the feeling of water sliding down my body before finishing up.  

I got out of the shower, turned off the water and started toweling myself off. I opened my bathroom door after toweling myself off and changing, throwing my dirty clothes in my hamper. I head downstairs to make myself some music and enjoy just having the house to myself, well until one of them gets home.

I start making myself breakfast, taking some eggs and cheese to make myself an omelet and bread to make toast. As the pan was heating up I started playing some music on my phone to the Bluetooth speaker. I sing to my music as I whisk my eggs in a bowl. The eggs made a satisfying hiss as the touched the buttered pan. I grabbed a plate and turned down my music as I finished my breakfast. As I was sitting down I heard a banging on the front door.

I slowly stand up, fear gripping me as the thought of one of my parents coming home late from the bar. The pounding came again as I walked to the front door. I take a quick peek outside and my eyes go wide. I run to the front door throwing it open and hugging the person on the other side.

"Uncle Drew!" I yell, on the verge of tears.

"Hey kid," Says a rather tired Uncle, "You miss me?"

"Of course, I wanted to go see you but...my parents..."

"You don't need to say anything else. I've been trying to get you away from your parents all year. Now that summer is here I'm taking you back home with me." He says cutting me off.

"But...what about our parents. Won't they be angry?" I ask.

"Leave your parents to Sarah and I. We've been telling them you guys need a better home until they sort themselves out. They never listened, this is the only other option I have unless I call the state and have you taken away from them." He says crouching and laying a hand on my shoulder. "Now, go pack. We're leaving in an hour." He says as he stands up walking into the house and closing the door, letting the rain stay outside.

I smile as I run up the stairs to pack. Of course, I was worried, but for once I was glad that someone else was looking out for me. I ran into my room grabbing my suitcase and filling it with clothes, my phone, charger, and books, anything I could think of that I would need. I grabbed my toothpaste, toothbrush, gel, and my shampoo.

 I filled up my first suitcase and grabbed my tablet sliding it into my laptop bag. I quickly zipped it up and grabbed my suitcase, hat, and laptop bag as I run downstairs setting my bags down by the front door before heading back upstairs to grab my Xbox and games.

I hear a car pull into the driveway, the familiar sound of the tires hitting the curb. I lift my head up and walk to my window cautiously, the familiar car of my mother sitting diagonally at the end of the driveway blocking my Uncles car. Sarah stepped out of the car in the rain looking like she is trying to reason with my mother.

"Hurry up kid...we gotta go...NOW!" yells Drew from downstairs.

"Coming," I say as I finishing throwing everything into the bag before rushing down the stairs to see my Uncle.

"I'm ready," I say as I reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Good, let me go first and see if we can't reason with your mother." Says Drew as he opens the door, the familiar sound of yelling breaking into the house over the sound of falling rain. The door shuts quickly, I look at the back of the door wondering what our future holds...what the next 5 minutes hold. I can't stay here much longer. I set down my bag as a flash of lightning pierce inside the front windows, and the loud thunderclap not long after. The world seemed angry and sad...like our family.

"STOP!" I yell at my family.

All three of them stop talking and turn to look at me. My mother starts walking towards me gripping me in a hug. I quickly push her away as I look up at her, my hand's fists at my side.

"No, we aren't doing this. We aren't a happy family. You and dad fight and fight. I haven't seen you happy since I left when I was 12. I deserve better than this. I need a home that is loving with people that aren't going to argue constantly and yell at me. I need a home that isn't broken. This isn't living, this is surviving with people that are slowly destroying their own lives and taking their child with them." I say pointing to our house and then back to myself. The rain wetting my hair down my face, my clothes becoming soaked quickly. "It shouldn't take a sixteen-year-old to tell you this. I am leaving to stay with my uncle for however long it takes for you and dad to get your lives sorted out. I will not let you take me down with you," I say my anger slowly subsiding as I speak more and more.

My mother looked at me, her black skirt and red top soaked in rain. The thing about rain...you can never tell if someone is crying. She nods her head slightly as she walks back to her car, stopping briefly to hug Drew and Sarah, her sobbing form present now. She walks to her car opening the door and moving it out of the way of the driveway. I turn and walk into the house grabbing my laptop bag and bags.

I walk to my Uncle's car setting my suitcases and bags in the trunk. I turn to see my mom still sitting in her car...I stare for a while debating on what I should do. I should just get in the car and let my Uncle and his girlfriend take me away, but think better of it.

I walk up to my mom's car and knock on the door quietly, a silent hope that she didn't hear it. She opens the door looking at me with red eyes and tears running down her face. I step forward giving her a hug.

"I love you mom, nothing will change that. I just want what's best for us, please fix this so I can come back okay?" I say as I pull my mom into a tight embrace.

She pulls me close whispering a quiet, 'okay' into my ear. We pull apart as I walk back to my uncle's car, hopping into the back seat and closing the door behind me. 

I hear the sound of shifting gears as Drew changes from Park to Reverse, pulling out of the driveway and turning towards the highway. I haven't had a decent nights sleep in a really long time. The hum of the engine and the sound of tires on pavement slowly putting myself to sleep.

I woke up to the car suddenly stopping. I open my eyes to see my Uncles neighborhood around us. I smile to myself as we pass house after house.

"Good morning kiddo," Says Sarah, "Welcome home."