Baby Fat

fifty-one

A little while turned into two weeks. Bradley got used to the emptiness after a day. It's not like he hasn't spent time alone. He was used to his parents totally ghosting him.

The first day was Sunday. He expected someone to call him. Nobody did. He counted the money his father left him. It was too much for a couple of days. Bradley also looked into the fridge and noticed all they had was spoiled milk and expired eggs. He went to the store and wandered around for months, unsure if he would even eat the food he bought.

The following Monday he went to school. He saw Hannah in the hallway and smiled at her. She didn't look too good, which isn't new. Bradley's day went as it usually did.

Then Tuesday he tried to call his mother. He was sent straight to her voicemail. He gave up. Truly, he didn't know what to do at that point except sulk. His parents are adult babies.

On Wednesday, Bradley called Julianne who only told him she didn't know what was going on. After their mother had left the house, Julianne went back to ballet. She hadn't no idea that their father had left too. She said she was sorry.

By Thursday rolled around, Bradley had lost all hope. He figured there was no point in calling his father because it would probably end up the same way it did with his mother. Bradley visited Corrie, but it was kind of useless. They didn't have much to talk about. Their friendship was very different. It felt like nothing made sense.

The Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and the week after that went the same way. The house was filled with complete silence. Bradley couldn't sleep. He watched the sunset and then he watched the sunrise. He went to school and he gave a fake smile to Hannah who was growing worse looking as time went on.

If the police had come by, they'd see that his parents are basically reckless teenagers. They run away from their problems and pout for days. They don't care that what they do affects others. They act on impulse and they don't have a rational bone in their body. They kept on in a toxic relationship and whenever someone tried to talk to them about it, they shut those people out.

Two weeks from the Sunday that Graham left, he returned home. He looked scruffy and tan.

"Dad?" Bradley asked after he bounded down the stairs to the front door. His father was wearing khaki shorts, a lame Hawaiian print shirt, black Ray Bans, and flip-flops.

"Oh, Bradley! Hi!" Graham smiled at him and pulled off his sunglasses and kicked off his flip-flops. He had no luggage with him. Not even the bag he left with.

"You're home." Bradley commented in a monotone voice. He wasn't excited or unexcited.

"Of course! I said I'd be home soon." Graham smiled. He looks the happiest Bradley's seen in months.

"Didn't realize two weeks was soon," Bradley said dully.

Graham shrugged his shoulders. "You're not even going to ask where I was?"

"Where'd you go?" Bradley asked dryly. His father's barely been home for five minutes and he already wishes he'd leave.

"Walk and talk, son." Graham walks to the living room with Bradley following whose arms are crossed over his chest.

By the time they're in the living room, Graham already looks exhausted.

"You look tired." Bradley observes. His father certainly looks different from before. His stress lines weren't there anymore.

"Jet lag," Graham brushes it off. He sits down on the chair caddy-corner to the leather couch. Bradley sits down on said couch. He's hit with deja vu.

"So, where'd you go?" Bradley sighs.

"The Bahama's. My God is it beautiful. The last time I went I remember I choreographed one of my best dances." Graham's eyes light up when he talks about it. Bradley suddenly doesn't feel all that mad at his father about his disappearance. The sparkle in Graham's eyes make Bradley jealous that he's so miserable and his father get's that.