The Difference Between You and Me

Chapter 2

Annie sat at her window staring outside and observed how the rain beat against the pavement in the driveway and bathed the leaves of the plants in her stepmother's garden. The sound of the rain, she'd often contemplate, could be very distracting in the sense that it was too peaceful that it became hard to find peace in its sound. And maybe that didn't make much sense, but if it were to be compared to something it'd be the saying 'the silence is deafening'. It's silent and that is good but then at some point it becomes not so good.

Though, sighing to herself, she hoped the rain would fall even harder and louder so it could drown out the voices of her father and stepmother downstairs fighting for the sixth time this week.

Lately, as a result of this, she has been the one to make them dinner every day, drive them to school, help with their homework and tuck them into bed. All were duties that either Trina, her stepmother or dad did.

Nowadays, they barely communicate with each other, so one just assumes the other is taking care of what is supposed to be. But Annie has been the one to pick up the pieces. And when they did communicate it was only to argue and fight.

Annie longed for the days when they were one small happy family, sharing laughter and love. She longed for the days where Trina hugged and comforted her and her dad only focused on protecting her from all the bad in the world. And for the days where all her brothers wore bright smiles and embraced their youth by being little jolly goofballs.

But that didn't seem like a possibility considering the recent developments and the heavy cloud of gloom that took up residency in the house.

The door suddenly creaked open and Annie looked up to see Ashton standing in the frame.

"May I come in, please?" He asked shyly fearing that Annie may refuse him entry and silently hoping she wouldn't.

Annie nodded in response and as he walked over to where she was, she noticed how sad he looked and frowned. Ashton missed his mom and dad. Not like they were gone, but on the contrary, one could say they were mentally and emotionally absent.

Annie hoped that she had been doing a good job in keeping their minds off the whole ordeal but her brothers were smart children and though they may have appreciated her efforts, they needed their parents. Children need their parents, that was the simple truth.

"Mom and Dad are fighting again," he sighed, and the sadness in his voice broke something inside of her.

Feeling her own eyes well up with tears, Annie hugged Ashton tightly. "I know Ash, I know. And it will soon be over. Don't worry," she assured him knowing very well that it would not be over anytime soon as they could go on arguing for hours and even days. But what else can she tell this little seven-year-old kid?

"No Annie, it will never be over. Mom and Dad both have been fighting for forever. And when they're finished, Mom would call her friends and tell them bad things about Dad and laugh at him. We no longer have family time or have normal conversations with each other every day. Mom and Dad don't do the things they always did anymore, like drive us to school or help us with homework and TJ and Karl don't want to play with me. Everyone seems to be in their own world doing their own thing. That makes me very sad because it's like I don't have a family anymore."

Annie's lips pursed as she desperately tried to find something to say to Ashton. No child is supposed to or should be allowed to feel this way. They are innocent little things and deserved for their innocence to be preserved.

But in the end she didn't respond, instead she squeezed her brother tightly and began to rock back and forth as tears trickled down her cheeks. Tears that she couldn't take back nor wanted to. Tears that told her whole story in only a few drops.