Marked

Chapter Two// Heartburn

CHAPTER TWO// Heartburn

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Bex hated mornings.

Waking up on the couch with a kink in her neck and the sunlight streaming into her eyes from the window was not her definition of a great way to start the day. She groaned as she sat up, a sour taste filling her mouth. A blanket that hadn’t been there before slipped off her shoulders, revealing that she was still wearing last night’s game uniform. The thin fabric was crumpled, and she hastily tugged down her skirt which had ridden up to the top of her thighs.

At least it was Saturday. She couldn’t imagine trying to go to school and actually learn something.

Standing up was a struggle, and she nearly tripped over her equipment which was strewn over the floor as she made her way into the kitchen. The welcome smell of cooking bacon rushed over her when she walked into the room. Her stomach growled hungrily in response.

Leaning over the frying pan, Paul was nudging the thin strips of meat with a spatula. A pastel purple and blue robe was tied around his body, and his grey hair was still glistening with water due to his morning shower. Looking up, his eyes brightened when he saw Bex stagger into a seat at the counter.

“Long night, kiddo?” He asked, raising a bushy brow.

Bex frowned, remembering the game. Glancing down at her jersey, she flicked off a dry flake of leftover mud. “I guess you could say that.”

Taking in her expression, Paul’s mouth turned down slightly and his eyes narrowed on hers. “Helen told me about the game last night,” he said, practically reading her mind. “I’m sorry to hear that you lost. I really thought your team would go all the way this year.”

“So did I,” Bex mumbled, trying to think of something to take her mind off of it. She so did not want to throw another pity party for herself. Glancing around, her eyes settled on the stove. The bacon was sizzling on the pan surface, and her mouth started to water  in anticipation. Think about bacon. Not the game. Bacon. “Can we talk about something else?”

Clearing his throat, he nodded. Paul was never one to beat around the bush or miss a hint, but he knew when it was the wrong or right time to talk about a sensitive topic. Changing the subject, he prodded at the pan with his spatula. “Helen started the new job we were talking about a couple weeks ago. Her first shift was this morning.”

New job? There was no way she would have forgotten about that. Bex frowned. “What? When did this happen?”

He glanced up with a mixed expression. Ever since he had been forced to retire, Helen had been taking double shifts at her secretary job in an office a few miles out into the next town.  Though his retirement benefits were good, they weren’t quite enough to maintain the expenses family of three. After all, most people their age’s kids had moved out long ago, and they didn’t have to worry about schooling or extra costs.

“I thought we told you,” he said slowly. Something flashed in his eyes, a spark of discomfort. “Now she will be working part-time cash registering at the general store about three days a week.”

“Is she okay with that?” Bex swallowed. “I mean, she’s already wearing herself out at the office.”

“She knows what she is getting into.” Turning around and reaching into the cabinet behind him, Paul pulled two ceramic plates out, still talking. “I just wish I could do something…more. You know, to take some of the pressure off her shoulders. She shouldn’t be  the one struggling to support the family. That’s my job.” He placed one plate in front of Bex and the other in the empty space next to her. Scooping up the cooked bacon with the spatula, he plopped them on her plate in a pile. “You want me to make you anything else? I think we have some eggs in the refrigerator that I can fry up…”