A[U]CTOR

Emancipation.

Crime

[Jane lives with Damian, her only child since the father left years ago and never came back. From that day on, they support each other in a family of two.
But one morning, Jane received a citation from the judge regarding an application for emancipation signed for Damian, even though he is still underaged.
When Damian gets home, both have a conversation for him to explain why he needs to be an independant person.]

*

Jane walked up to him with the citation in hand. "Would you mind explaining this?" She interrogated him, putting the papers on the table.

"Where did you get it!?" Damian turned pale.

"Answer me Damian! Why are you filing for emancipation? You need these papers to be signed by a legal guardian." Jane told him.

"I already found someone." Damian said.

"Is that so?" Jane crossed her arms. "Who is it?"

"An attorney, she said that if I am self-sufficient, have a decent job and that I'm capable of living on my own, the court could file my citation and sign it. I only need to sign and I'll be out of your hair." Damian told her, almost with a smug expression. Jane was proud of him, still is, but she can't help but feel that he was abandoning her.

"Okay then, if you are so sure..." Jane slid the emancipation paper to him, "...then sign it."

Damian didn't expect her to give in so easily. Sure, she was a bit of a control freak sometimes, but there had to be a catch.

"Aren't you going to sign?" She asked him. Damian grabbed a pen to sign it.

"Done!" He put the pen down and kept the paper secure in a folder.

The next day Jane helped him pack his bags, though he told her not to, she insisted anyway. She folded his clothes into the luggage, his underwear, his toothbrush and hair care products.

"Goodbye sweetie." She gave her son a kiss on the cheek and hug and squeezes him a bit.

"Bye mom." He returned the hug, and he was glad that he was finally free. He grabbed his luggage and put in the car.

He started the engine and saw in the mirror that his mom, waving him goodbye.

It felt that it was almost yesterday that she worked part-time in two jobs as a housekeeper and a waitress to bring food to the table. With the little money she had, she paid for the food. Damian was a hyperactive child. So she showed him how to be productive around the house and encouraged his creativity, their personalities clashed sometimes because they both battled for dominance but they supported each other.

Jane couldn't help but feel selfish sometimes, to want to hold her son a little closer, spoil him. Now her son was driving away with her car, which was now his. Back when he was six years old, Jane saved the money to buy a car though it wasn't a wise decision since she couldn't pay the rent with the money she earned. "Mom, where are we going?"

"We're home son." Jane said whilst Damian kept looking out the window.

"Is it this one?" He pointed to a white and blue house.

"Nope."

"This one?" He pointed to a bigger house.

"No."

"That one?"

Jane giggled.

"Then which one is it?" Damian asked her.

"This is home." Jane said, driving the car.

"Oh!"

Back then, they barely had enough money to live on a house so they traveled across town with a used Honda. Which now belonged to Damian.

He drove to the lane on his way to the delegation. He was finally free to do as he wanted, he just needed to give the paper to the law firm and he would become a legal adult.

Jane closed the door and couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Damian turned on the radio to listen to his favorite radio station. The radio host hollered announcing the forgotten one hit wonders of yesterday then played a classic. Born To Wander by Jack Wood.

Damian hit the steering wheel with the beat of the track and sang along.

Well I hear that lonesome whistle blow.
I'll soon begone to before I know.
I'll leave my love and I don't know why?
I know I'll make her cry.

Jane opened a bottle of whiskey and drank as she drown in her own sadness, as she sobbed.

I been so long in this old town
I tried my best to settle down
But deep within the soul of me
I know I must be free.

Damien passed the speeding limit and raised the volume.

I was born to wander travel over yonder
Through the open roads & the sky above.
I could never stop like than old spinning top
Without a home, without love.

Damien saw an intersection and tried to push on the breaks, but it wasn't working. He found an intersection and turned, wheels screeching but he veered off track and he crashed the car rolled down.

Now I see the blinking sky above
I'm on that road going from my love
He knows now it could never be
My heart and soul are free

Jane sat on the couch and turned on the television as an anchorwoman gave the news.

"Breaking news, a car crash had occured this morning on the intersection of C-0520. The car that was found reported to be a Honda Civic that belonged to a young man by the age of sixteen."

Jane couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"No. No no no." Jane was crying, she recognize the license plate from a distance.

"His name was Damien-"

"No! MY BABY NOOOOO!!!!" Jane broke down in tears. "NOOOOOOOO!" She sobbed.