Escape

I-I think I Like Him

Louis' POV

I had a really weird week. No, I didn't discover a new animal species that came from a different universe like Dustin did in Stranger Things. Although, that would be really cool. No, it was weirder. My mum quit drinking and got a job out of the blue. Then I found out some pretty heavy news from my friend. The rest of the week was what caught me off guard. I almost believed I woke up in an alternate universe. This is how my week went:

Monday

I'll admit it, when I woke up on Monday morning I thought my mum was pulling some sick prank on us and was still the same. I woke up to my alarm blaring on my nightstand, I groaned and slammed my hand around, looking for my damn phone. Finally, the blaring stopped and I brought my arm back to cover my eyes. I didn't understand curtains. Their purpose was to prevent light to come in yet the clarity seeping in was bothering my eyes. I had laid there for probably 10 minutes when I finally caught the smell of...bacon? Was Lottie cooking? I furrowed my eyebrows and reached out for my phone. No, she wasn't cooking, Lottie doesn't get up until 7:40, just a little bit before I leave. I reluctantly sat up and stretched. After a minute of just sitting, I opened my eyes and looked around, squinting because the clarity was too bright for my tired eyes. I sighed and got up from my comfortable bed. I let out a yawn as I walked out of my room and headed downstairs to the kitchen to see who was cooking.

"Why are you up so early Lottie?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen. I looked up and halted in my steps.

"Morning, Louis!" My mum cheered.

My mouth was slightly parted open. I stared at my mum in confused awe. The woman standing there wasn't the mum I knew. The mum I knew was the one who drank until passing out and bailed on her kids. This person was completely different. She was dressed in a clean, blue shirt, no stains, no holes, just a blue shirt. She had black jeans on, no stains or holes either. Her hair was down in their natural curls. She looked like my old mum. The version of her I hold on to for so long and hoped that came back but never did.

I found my voice and said, "Uh, mum? What are you doing?"

"I'm cooking breakfast, silly. What else would I be doing?" She responded, not looking up but I could hear her smile.

Looking for your next bottle of alcohol, I thought but didn't say. Instead, I said,

"Uh, yeah. I'm, uh, going to go take a shower." I stuttered out.

"Okay, sweetie." She said. I stood there for a while before heading upstairs. I went back to my room and closed the door. I leaned against the door and wondered if what just happened was real or not.

Breakfast was even weirder. Mum kept asking us questions, trying to catch up on our lives. What hurt the most was that the twins were oblivious. They kept talking and talking with mum. It was a nice sight, though. It was nice seeing the twins establishing a somewhat normal relationship with mum. Lottie had to ruin the moment by asking.

"What kind of job did you get?"

Mum's smile disappeared. She noticeably tensed up and looked down at her plate. She looked back up and met Lottie's stare with a smile. "An old friend of mine offered me a position as a nurse."

"Why'd you have to leave last night for it?" Lottie continued. I really wanted to shut Lottie up but mum didn't look fazed by the question.

"They told me to go in for a test run to see if I still had it."

"And you got the job?"

"Yes," Mum answered. "I'll have the day shifts Monday through Friday and the night shifts on the weekends. I'll cook something before I leave on the weekends or I'll leave money for pizza or takeout."