Open Sea

Chapter 5

I grab Violet and hide her under my covers in my bed. "Hey Violet, I'll let you play games on my phone if you stay still and quiet," I whisper to her as she nods in agreement. I cover her up and go back to the door. Mom brought home another man. Fucking great. I look at Carson and he shuts the door so I can no longer see. I hear a loud crash like glass breaking and I run over to Violet and hold her. I rock back and forth with her quietly humming, trying to drown out the noise of Carson and the man next door. I look over at my nightstand and see headphones. I plug them into my phone and play music for Violet. I leave her in my room with the music and games and I look out the window. I see the man my mom brought home, drag Carson outside. It's the same guy from Thursday. I recognized him. My mom brings him back a lot. I see him kick and beat Carson. "Violet, I'll be right back. I'm going to go grab something stay here okay?" I whisper to her as she once again nods in approval. I walk past the bedroom where my mom is stumbling around in and I make my way outside I push the man off of Carson and onto the ground. It's so cold. I can see my breath. I can feel the wet grass hit my feet. I look at the man in horror and help Carson up. I get him up and inside while the man is still trying to get up. He's too drunk. I get Carson back in the house, lock the door, close the windows and close the door to my mom's room where she fell asleep. "You took one hell of a beating out there Car," I say to break the silence, as I get a bag of ice outta the freezer. "Oh shit! Violet," I say as I drop the ice on the table next to Carson and run into our room to get Violet. "Are you Okay Vi?" Carson questions, as I sit her down next to him and prepare a snack and a couple drinks. "Your face is purple," Violet mumbles at Carson as he looks up at me. "Yeah it's because it's so cold outside. If you're not careful your face will turn purple," He said as he put the ice to his face and picks up Vi. I pour Water in a glass for Carson, soda in a cup for me and juice in a sippy cup for Violet. As I set the drinks down I hear a loud bang on the door. "Looks like he got up," Carson said as he distracts Vi. "I'll handle it Car, just distract Vi please," I say as I walk toward the door. I slide my lock shut and I open the door slightly. "You bitch let me in!" He yells at me as he pushes against the door. "No! You almost killed my brother," I say as I lean on the door. "It's so cold out here," he pleaded.
"Not my issue Damon," I say as I shut the door and lock it tight. I walk back over to Carson and Vi and we just sit. No talking. No eye contact. We just drink and sit. A few minutes go by and I can see Violet constantly yawning. "I'll put her to bed" I say as I pick her up. "You should too Car, you don't look to good,"  I say as I look down on him.
"Yeah I should, but what about the mess and you?" He questions,
"Don't worry about me, you're the one that took a beating. Go get some sleep Car," I said as I side hugged him. He walks to our room and goes to bed immediately. I follow and walk Violet over to my bed. I lay her down and walk back to the kitchen and living room. I spot broken glass by mom's door and our door. "Guess I gotta sweep this up," I say as I inhale sharply and head over to get the broom. I sweep up the floor and clean up the kitchen. I head over to my room to sleep and I spot my mom's room. I walk in and I just sit on the bed and look at her. I sit there for a little and wait. I don't know what I'm waiting for but I just was. I then stand up and help my mom get ready for bed. I take off her shoes and unzip the back of her right dress so she can breath for the night. I remove the bottle of liquor from her hands and cover her with a blanket. I clean up her room a little before heading out. I close her door behind me and instead of heading to bed I head over to our table. I look at Violet's sippy cup on the seat and I pick it up and look at it. I just look at it and just start to cry. Why does everything have to be unfair. Kyle Hollows probably doesn't have to worry about bills or his family or his future. He has it handed to him on a silver fucking platter. I wipe my tears, wash Vi's sippy cup and head to bed. I lay next to Vi and eventually go to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow doesn't suck.