Heat Waves

six

My little brother's seventh birthday party was overwhelming. There were so many kids. It was like everywhere I turned, a blonde or brown mop of hair was zooming past me. I took the day off of work so that I could help out, and as much as I was just looking for any excuse to not have to go back, I had underestimated how much help was needed.

It was hard to keep up with how fast everything was happening, but every once in a while between cleaning up a spilled juicebox or wiping some little kid's nose, I would take a peek at my little brother. The huge smile on his face that showed his missing front teeth and reached his sparkling blue eyes told me exactly I needed to know, and back I would go to whatever I was doing. My brother was so happy. The joy on his face as everyone sang "Happy Birthday, Kevin!" in unison was so strong, it was like he lit up the whole house with his happiness. I wished Dad and Mike had been there to see it. Their absence wasn't pointed out, but I know Kevin felt it.

My mom was tired at the end of it, and so was I. Kevin had gone with one of his friends to have a sleepover, so it was just my mom and I left to clean up what felt like a year's worth of messes. As soon as the last bag of trash had been tied up and taken out, she and I sank into the soft, worn couch. She pulled me in under her arm and kissed my forehead; we sat there in silence together for a few minutes, serenely enjoying what felt like the first peace and quiet we'd seen in ages.

My eyes had begun to drift shut, sleep threatening to pull me under, when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was still for a bit, then it buzzed again. And again. And again.

And then again.

"Are you gonna get that?" Mom whispered, delicately scratching the side of my head.

"Mm-m," I mumbled, shaking my head a little bit and snuggling deeper into her warm hold.

Her body quaked with a soft laugh as I felt her hand slip into my pocket to tug my phone out. "Hi, honey!" Her voice held a sing-song tone, enthusiasm apparent in her whisper. "Oh- no, I don't think so; she's taking a little nap right now," she giggled with the last bit. "Of course I'll tell her, but- Nonsense! You're no bother." There was a pause, then another quiet giggle from my mom. "You know what? Why don't you come over? I'm sure she won't mind some company tonight, and it's been so long since I've seen you-"

I frowned a little bit, groggily forcing my eyes open to look up at her. Who is it? I mouthed. Instead of answering, she just shook her head and waved me off. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I was so tired... I snuggled back into my mom and closed my eyes again. The sound of her whispering into the phone pulled me further into sleep, and just before I fell off the realm of consciousness, I heard my mom giggle again. I fell asleep with a small smile on my lips. It felt good to know my family was happy.

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When I opened my eyes again, I saw the stickers I'd stuck on my dresser when I was in sixth grade. I was laying on my side fully tucked under the comforter, my hair messily covering part of my face. Groaning quietly, I closed my eyes again and stretched my arms halfway, elbows out and fists close to my face.

I was so tired. I didn't want to get out of bed. The pillow was comfortable, my comforter was a warm layer between me and the cold world out there, and the way my body was sunk into the familiar shape of the mattress, I could almost imagine it was a part of me.

"...only for a second-"

"No, Mrs. Stewart, please-" A hushed voice too deep to be my brother's and too muted for me to recognize fought with my mother out in the hallway. Almost immediately, the skin on my forehead wrinkled. "You really don't need to-"