Right There: A Story of Friendship

Chapter Thirteen

Dad finally left for his business trip last night. Mom handled his departure a lot better than I thought she would. I still hadn't told my mom I would not be home to help with things. I sat in my chair near the window twirling my little flower gumball machine ring, thinking. Seeing my dad's car gone from the driveway evoked a sense of anxious dread in me. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving mom and Delia here alone. I ended up re-thinking my decision.

I had to quit.

Hands shaking, I held up my phone in the light and called Crystal. My hands were sweating as I thought about what I would say to her. Hey Crystal, I quit? No, too insensitive. Do I give her a list of what has been going wrong in my life and explain why it wouldn't work out? No, this isn't breaking up with someone. What was I gonna do?

Her croaky voice came on the phone as she gave her short-sounding "hello".

"Hey, Crystal-it's me, Riley," I had to hurry up and get straight to the point before she could interrupt me. Suddenly it was as if a weight was tied around my tongue. No words were coming out!

C'mon, Riley. Rip the band-aid off!

"I have to quit," I blurted out.

There was a brief silence. Then I heard her take a puff of her cigarette.

"Okay, honey. If that is what you need to do," she said calmly. I was a little taken aback, and wondered why she wasn't upset with me.

"Um, that's okay?" I asked. "You're okay with me quitting?"

"Yeah," she said. "I hired a new busboy yesterday."

"Oh," I said. "Okay. That's great. Well, I hope all goes well."

"Thanks, babe, you too."

After I hung up, I sighed and sat back in my chair. On one hand, I was relieved that I was now able to stay home with my mom. But I was also sad because I wouldn't be part of the Catch Shack anymore. Now I wouldn't have a place to escape to when home got hard. I couldn't believe I quit. It was a surge of all sorts of overwhelming emotions.

I went downstairs and made breakfast for my mom and sister and then sat down at the table with my plate, trying not to cry. I didn't want to tell them I had quit my job, because then they might feel like it was their fault. But at the same time, I knew they were gonna find out sooner or later. Even still I managed to put on a smile and toughen up. Just like I always did.

"Hey honey," Mom said as she walked in. She was using her cane today so I knew that was a sign her pain was pretty bad. It always was worse in the mornings.

"Hey mommy," I said as pleasantly as I could. I didn't want her to think anything was wrong with me so I stopped slouching and stood straight in my chair while I ate my bacon. Delia came in with her hair looking all ratty and still in her pajamas.

"What'd you make, Riley?" she asked me, rubbing her eye.

"Eggs and bacon-the original," I replied. "Good morning to you too."

Mom chuckled and Delia shook her head.

"I bet it isn't as good as dad's," Delia added, walking over to the pan.

"Hey, your sister made you breakfast," Mom chided her as she poured coffee into her mug.

"Sorry, I just miss him," Delia said as she fixed her plate.

"It hasn't even been a day yet," I said, cutting up my eggs with a fork. "He will be back before you know it."

"Whatever," she said. She sat down at the end of the table and ignored me while she ate. Mom walked over and kissed my head.