Jet Pack Blues

Chapter 4

Cherry was feeling better now thankfully. We were going out to dinner tonight and getting all the kids organized and ready was a hassle. The twins were fighting over clothes, Gee couldn't find Sebastian and Miles was trying to plead his way into staying home.

"You know what, why don't we all just stay home?" Jamia suggested when she saw how frustrated I was getting. "I can make some spaghetti, you can get some song writing done."

I sighed, smiling as I gave her a kiss. The kids sat around the table with me as I worked on my songs, the kids working on homework. We even make Gee his own homework, little works to help with his memory and spelling.

"This freaking sucks," Miles pouted.

"Miles, it's just math," Jamia said. "And try to keep it down to let your dad focus."

"You're not my real mom, you can't tell me what to do," he said.

"Miles," I scolded. "Apologize right now."

"No, I want to go live with my real mom," he said. "She would never make me do homework."

"You don't know what your real mom is like," I said. "Trust me, you are far better off here. Now apologize and finish your work."

Miles scowled. "Sorry."

"This freaking sucks," Gee said, pushing his work away.

"Great, now you've got him copying you," I said. "Miles, you know he looks up to you, you have to be a good role model for your big brother."

Miles huffed, rolling his eyes. Jamia gave Gerard his work back, kissing the top of his head.

"If you finish you can get a cookie after dinner," she said.

Gee gasped and quickly began working again.

"Me too!" Both the twins shouted at the same time.

"You can each have a cookie," Jamia said before going back to the stove.

I stared at the sheet music in front of me, getting more and more frustrated. Jamia rubbed my shoulders while the noodles boiled and I smiled.

"Done," cherry said.

Jamia checked over her work before she was excused from the table to play before dinner. Soon Lily and Gee were also excused, leaving only Miles, Jamia and I in the kitchen.

"That's not fair, they have easier work so it's faster for them," Miles complained.

"They're younger," I said. "And Gee is...well, Gee is just Gee."

"Can't I at least meet my mom?" Miles asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"She lives, like, an hour and a half away and she's busy," I said.

Of course he couldn't meet Alicia, but I didn't want to break his little heart by telling him the truth that Alicia didn't want to be part of his life.

"So, maybe I can go on the weekends," Miles said. "Suzy from school stays at her dad's on the weekends."

"You can't just leave home that often," I said.

"Oh? But you get to go on tour and leave home all the time?" Miles asked. "I don't get to see my own mother but you get to go all over the world leaving me here with a bunch of people I'm not even related to? You're never home!"

Miles left, storming upstairs. I knew he was just upset but his words cut me like a knife. I walked out the backdoor that was in the kitchen, sitting on the bench out there. I saw Jamia in the window take the pot off the stove before she grabbed a blanket and joined me outside. She wrapped the blanket around our shoulders, holding my hand.