Madelaine

Chapter three

   The remnants from the lead of my favorite sketching pencil covered the side of my palm as I drew the broad, narrow nose of the man sitting on the far end of the bus. I looked back up once again closely studying his handsome features. Many people had thought I'd given up my passion for art after what happened to dad and Kayden, but it was really one of the things that helped me cope the most.

   I rolled my sore neck as I outlined the mans thick, curly dark hair. Today had been a long, slow day at Diane's, and my entire body was exhausted from serving people all day. I started to fill in the delicate lines of his ocean blue eyes and the sharp line to his square jaw. Making sure to get the exact features of his beautifully crafted face.
  
   The bus finally came to a halt in front of the bus stop near my apartment. My pencil finished drawing the last details of his rosy red lips before I packed up my art supplies and walked off the bus. Now don't think I'm some type of creep who draws people for their own benefit, I draw the people I feel have a story. Something that makes them different from everyone else. The bus doors closed behind me as I walked the five minutes from the bus stop to my apartment, and I had this feeling in my gut that something was different.
  
   I got to my door and froze, hearing noises inside like pots and pans clinging together. I opened the door, curious and slightly on edge. I heard a deep laugh come from the kitchen, and the sound of music coming from our dusty old radio sitting on the table. I walked into the kitchen, very confused at the sight in front of me. "What the hell is going on in here?" I said, my voice slightly raised. I saw a tall man sitting on a chair speaking to Lily, as my mom cooked. I noticed that my mom was sober, which was something I hadn't seen a lot the past 5 years. Old emotions swelled inside me, tears fighting to come out, yet I was too angry and confused to cry.
  
   "Honey watch your mouth," my mother said sternly, waving a wooden spoon in the air at me. "I'm glad you're home! I'm making lasagna, your favorite!" She pointed to the pasta, meat, and sauce filled pan she had on the stove. "Come on don't be shy now, meet Derek," My mom said waving her hand, telling me to come over to them. I slowly made my way to the table, pulling up a chair next to Lily.
  
   "Hello, nice to meet you Madelaine," The man, Derek, said as his rough, calloused hand reached out to shake mine. I kept my hand at my side, refusing to shake his. He brought his hand down, and I think I saw him look a little disappointed, maybe even embarrassed.

   He had graying brown hair, light brown eyes, and stubble along his jaw. He wore a long sleeved plaid button up, starched jeans, and brown work boots. He looked completely normal, not like the other guys that mom has previously brought home. Speaking of mom, why is she even cooking? I don't think I've seen her cook since before the accident.
   
   "Mom what were you thinking, bringing a stranger into our apartment? We don't know this man, and I doubt you know him as much as you think you do."
  
   "Madelaine please, I won't push you to trust me, but if you could just give Derek a chance," Mom pleaded. My brain was swirling with all the bad memories of the guys mom has brought home that it became to much for me to handle. Being here was emotionally draining, I just had to get out of the apartment.
  
   "I can't do this right now, it's too much," I pushed my chair back into the table, and trudged my way out the door. When I made it out to the parking lot, I couldn't hold in the tears any longer. Tears fell down my face, staining my shirt.

   I fell to the patch of grass in front of the building and brought my knees to my chest, laying my head on my knees. So many emotions erupted in me, like a volcano ready to explode. Every time mom has brought a man home with her, the same cycle occurs. They eat all our food, make a filthy mess, and leave me to pick it all up after they leave a few weeks later. I noticed a small change in my mom, but it wasn't enough. The man looked like he actually had his life together, unlike all the other men. But it was still too risky to trust this relationship she had forming. I had to find time to think before deciding anything.
  
   Once I got my emotions under control, I stood up from the grass and started walking, not caring where I was going. I just needed to get away. The leaves crunched under my navy blue vans as chill bumps rose on my skin, making my hairs stand up causing me to shiver. Why hadn't I thought of grabbing my jacket, the weather was getting colder as the fall air surrounded me. Winter was fighting its way in, trying to beat out fall.
 
   I heard the sound of a car honking behind me, I jumped slightly, the sound surprising me. I whipped around to see who had honked. "Hey Madelaine fancy seeing you here!" Zack shouted as he pulled his truck up next to the curb I was walking on.
  
   "Zack it's a public street, you can find half the town here." I rolled my eyes at him as I stopped to look at him with my sarcastic face.
  
   "Now now Mads, your sarcasm is not needed." Zack stated as he waved a finger at me. He looked closer at me and frowned. "Have you been crying? What happened? Who do I need to beat up?"
  
   "Nothing, I'm fine," I said looking down at my hands, and started picking at my white nail polish.
  
   "Madelaine you can talk to me, I'm here for you." He said sincerely. "Now get in the truck, I'm taking you to get ice cream," he said leaning over to open the passenger door.
  
   "Wow so demanding," I giggled as I walked to the open door and hopped in his truck. Zack smiled in satisfaction at my small laugh.
  
   I looked out the window, curious to what was happening at the apartment. Deciding that I need to stop worrying about it right now, I turned up the radio and started singling along. It was nice being able to relax and forget about life for a few measly minutes. A few turns and stoplights later, the sign for Gigi's ice cream parlor came into view as Zack pulled into a parking space. Ice cream was exactly what I needed for this long exhausting day.
   
   Once we got inside I got our ice cream, me getting strawberry and Zack getting mint chocolate chip, while Zack found a booth in the corner. Once I gathered our orders, I made my way to the booth Zack picked and sat across from him. "So, are you ready to talk about why you were crying?" Zack said. I tensed at his abrupt question, staring down at my ice cream as I moved the strawberries around with my spoon. Sensing my discomfort, he added "You don't have to tell me everything." Deciding that Zack deserves to know, and it'd also be nice to vent to a friend for once, I told him.

   "Well my mom was on a uh...trip. Anyways, when I came back to the apartment from work, she was there, but she wasn't alone. She brought home some guy, which apparently she thinks is totally fine to do without even giving me a heads up." I rolled my eyes at my statement before continuing. "He seems okay I guess, I didn't really give him much time to talk though cause I ran outside and then you found me and here we are," Trying to not give away too many details, but enough for Zack to get the whole picture. I took a spoonful of ice cream, savoring the taste of strawberries melting in my mouth.

  "I see. Is this something your mom has done before? Is that why you're upset?" Zack replied with genuine interest and concern.

   "Yeah, It always only lasts no more than a month and does more harm than good. I came home today and she was cooking, which I know sounds normal but for my mom it's a rare occurrence. It's not fair to me and Lily that she keeps doing this. Plus, Lily is getting older, and it's getting more clear to her what's happening. I don't want my mom to be a bad influence to her," I continued. "She's going to need her mom in ways I can't, and my mom needs to fix herself before it's too late." This feels nice, talking to Zack. I still feel pretty anxious though, admitting my flaws and talking about the baggage I carry around with me. I focused on steadying my breathing, and picked at my finger nail polish, an old habit I started after the accident.

   "Well does your mom seem happy?" Zack replied. I thought about it, her smile was bigger and her laugh was louder. From what I've seen, he seemed to bring out the best in her, not like the other guys she used to go out with.

   "I guess," I decided.

   "Okay, so is it such a bad thing then? For your mom to be happy? You said it yourself that this guy seems pretty okay. Maybe he could be a good thing for once?" Zack said. My mom hasn't been a very deserving person these last five years, but she was my mother and she had acted like it once. I might not like her at times, but I'll always love her. Everyone deserves to be happy, everyone deserves a second chance.

   "I don't know Zack. You don't know the things my mom has done to corrupt our family. But I guess you have a point, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to except all of this," I know I can't forgive her that easily.

   "You don't have to necessarily except it, just give him a chance, he might surprise you."

   "I'll try. Thanks Zack for listening, it helped a lot," He was right, I hate to admit it, but I should stop assuming the worst and give my mom and Derek a chance.

   "Anytime Mads, now lets get going, I called my parents earlier while you were ordering and they want you to come to dinner. Your going, no excuses," Said Zack. My heart swelled, I know Zack and I haven't been friends for very long but I feel as if we've known each other forever.

   After taking the last bite of my ice cream, we stood from the booth. Throwing away our plastic cups in the pink trash can, we made our way out the door. "Thanks for the ice cream," I said as we got into his truck.

   "Thanks for the company."

Zack pulled into a driveway lined with a white picket fence. I looked up at the large white house in awe. We got out of the truck, and walked up the pathway which had flowers of many colors and shapes. We walked up the wooden stairs, as a beautiful red Golden Retriever greeted us. "Hey girl!" Zack said as he scratched her head. "This is Honey," I bent down to give her a scratch behind the ears as Zack opened the tall white wooden door. We stepped through, Honey following us. A lady with perfectly curled blonde hair, wearing a baby blue blouse and white dress pants rounded the corner. She smiled, her green eyes resembling Zack's. She came over, giving Zack a kiss on the check and turned to me saying "Hello! You must be Madelaine! It's lovely to meet you."

   "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Woods," I said smiling back.

   "Please, call me Camille, Mrs. Woods makes me feel old," she replied with a laugh.
"I'm almost finished with dinner. Zack, go introduce Madelaine to your sister, she's upstairs in her room," She said, then left us as she headed back to what I assume is the kitchen. The house was beautiful, something you see in a magazine. It wasn't to over the top, it was just perfect. Everything was put in the right places, and larger windows surrounded different areas of the house, giving it natural light during the day.

   We went up the tall staircase, my hand moving along on the smooth wood railing. "So that's my room over there, for when I visit home. " Zack pointed to a door on the right.

   "Visit? Where do you live?" I asked as I looked around me, noticing family pictures covered the halls. A smile creeped onto my face at how happy they all looked.

   "I live in a frat house on campus during the school year, but come home during the holidays."

   "Ohh gotcha," We came up to an identical door to Zack's room and he knocked.

   "Come in!" I heard a girls voice yell. Zack opened the door to a white room that had splashes of blue and yellow. The girl who I assumed was Aurora turned around in her yellow chair. "Hey Zack," she greeted before turning looking at me. She had beautiful long blonde hair and light blue eyes to match. Her skin tone was a perfect tan shade and there was hardly a blemish in sight.

   "This is Madelaine," Zack said as he moved over to where Aurora was now standing. In a split second my body was being crushed into a hug.

   "It's so nice to meet you!" She squealed as she released me from the bone crushing hug. Man did she have the strength of a gorilla, I thought. I straighten out my wrinkled shirt and laughed at her enthusiasm.

   "Well now that we've all met, let's go eat!" Zack rushed from the room as we followed closely behind.

   When we entered the dining room, the smell of potatoes and beef surrounded me as we sat down on the white wooden chairs. I looked around noticing a small boy around Lily's age with curly brown hair and glasses slightly to big for his face. "Hi I'm Trey," the small boy said shyly, not making eye contact.

   I laughed softly as I replied, "Hello Trey, nice to meet you. I'm Madelaine," I said as Mrs. Woods placed the last plate of rolls on the table. The food smelled delicious and inviting. I love how home-y the house was, and welcoming Zack's family is being. I didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. It was nice.

   My stomach grumbled at the sight of all the food set up on the table. "This looks amazing Camille, thank you," a man with brown hair and blue eyes, who sat at the head of the table said.

   "Thank you darling," Mrs. Woods said. We all placed food on our plates and started to eat. I was right, the food was delicious. I'm definitely gonna have to have Zack bring me here more often, I thought to myself and smiled in content. I continued to stuff my face, the potatoes melting in my mouth. I looked up from my food and took a moment to look around, appreciating this happy family. I felt a little nostalgic, realizing I hadn't experienced something like this since dad and Kayden were alive and with us. We were a happy family like the Woods, eating dinner together every night, sometimes putting in a movie to watch afterwards. I hadn't realized how much I missed this.

   Once everyone finished eating, I thanked Camille for the wonderful dinner. Her stating that I have to come again soon, which made me very happy. I said goodbye to Aurora, her giving me another hug, which I've come to appreciate. She quickly gave me her number, telling me to text her when I'm free so we can hang out. After saying my goodbyes, Zack led me out the door and we hopped back up into his truck.

   I yawned as I rested my head on the side of the window. The trip home was short, as I soon saw my apartment building approaching. I start getting butterflies in my stomach, realizing I now have to see my mother and talk about everything with her. Zack pulled up to the curb next to the apartment building and parked his truck. I quickly hugged him telling him thank you for everything before hopping out of the truck. I waved goodbye as he peeled on to the road.

   Taking my time, I slowly walked up the steps that lead to the door of my apartment. I dreaded the fact that I had to speak to my mom about the events that happened today. I turned the knob of the door, crossing my fingers she would be asleep. When I entered the apartment my mom was sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV. My mom snapped her head when she heard me close the door. "Where have you been? I was worried about you. You just stormed off earlier and I didn't known where you went," my mom said.

   "I was with my friend Zack. I'm fine. So where's Derek?" I asked after I looked around, noticing that it was just me and her in the room.

   "He's staying in a hotel down the road," she said. That's surprising. Every guy she's taken home has stayed here. Maybe he's different after all, or at least has some respect.

   "Oh okay. So listen, I'm not saying I understand or like this situation but, I'm willing to try and give Derek a chance. Maybe," I said, hoping that I made the right decision.

   "I understand and thank you honey for giving him a chance, that means so much to me. I promise he's not like those other men. I'll prove to you that I'm changing for the better." I hoped that what my mom was saying is true. I needed a mom right now, and Lily needs her even more, so I have to do this for Lily. I don't think I can forgive my mother for a long time, she's just brought on to much heartbreak. This is a step forward that I'm willing to take slowly. Baby steps.

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