When The Stars Align

Chapter 88

"Please come home." I answered his text when I calmed down, but he didn't return to me or came back. I couldn't sleep at all. My life flashed back in my head from the moment we met in high school until the moment we were now. We had so many happy moments, tough ones too and we survived, we had to survive that one too. Around 7 am my cell rang, and it took me just a second to answer it. Pep was on the other side of the line.

"Sorry to call you so soon." He said. I shook expecting some bad news as he was calling me so early.

"It's ok Pep. I wasn't sleeping." I said.

"I can imagine...look, he's here. He came here a while ago, but you need to come here and talk to him Andrea. He's devastated." He said.

"And I am not?" I asked trembling a bit, my voice betraying me unashamedly.

"I can imagine. He's driving me crazy Andrea. He locked himself in the guests room with a bottle of vodka, but he's just walking around, and I can hear his steps and he doesn't want to talk to me. He doesn't open the door...but man...he looks so broken."

"I have the kids and they're sleeping. I can't go right now."

"But please, come as soon as you can." Pep begged me. "Only you can make a difference now Andrea."

"I'll go, as soon as the kids are up, I'll go." I said. After talking to Pep I went for a cold shower. I couldn't sleep but I needed to be fresh. I looked at my figure in the mirror and my eyes were just two swollen balls, all irritated from the crying. I looked awful. Then I made some coffee and had it, my head was pounding so much. I was exhausted and then I went to the garden and sat on the grass, just waiting for the time to go by. Finally around nine my kids woke up.

"Did dad come home?" Sarah asked me first thing. I shook my head. "Mom?" She said questioning me.

"But I know where he is, and I am going there. I need you to stay with Tyler at aunt Belle, ok? And you behave Sarah and take care of your brother." I asked her. "I need your cooperation sweetie, be a grown-up woman today."

"Are you gonna bring dad home mom? Please, bring him home." She started to cry, and I brought her to me in a hug. I pampered her hair and my tears fell down together with hers.

"I'm gonna do what I have to do Sarah." I said, uncertain of what was that I had to do.

"You're not gonna let him come back." She stated.

"Sweetie, please try to understand. Your dad has a serious problem, like a disease, he needs treatment. That's what he needs." I explained the best I could.

"Why does he do it?"

"That's hard to explain baby. He just can't stop. Don't hate your dad...he's addicted, even if he wants to stop, he just can't. He needs a doctor to help him." Sarah nodded understanding.

"He's bad to us when he drinks, but please mom, don't leave him alone." She asked again.

"Oh Sarah." I squeezed her tight. Around 10 o'clock I managed to take them to Belle, after asking her on the phone. Again they were the best friends ever and I knew they were taking the kids up to the mountains and spend the day there with them. I trusted my kids to them, and I was even happy they would be doing something funny, that could divert their head from their parents. For Tyler that wouldn't be hard, for Sarah I knew it would be a different thing. I left them, gave Sarah some money, in case she wanted to buy anything and kissed them goodbye and ordered them to behave.

"Andrea..." Lars called my name when I was already in my car. I started the engine but waited for him and he ran.

"Where is he?" He asked.