One Day at a Time

“Girl,” my answering machine played back, the voice being that of my best friend Jenn. “You’ve gotta give me a call back. Really need to chat, so text me and I’ll come to your place,” Beep.

I pulled another tissue from the box I had sitting next to me on the couch, and proceeded to wipe my blood shot eyes. My cheeks were streaked with tears, and it was nearly impossible to breathe through my nose. I picked up my cell phone and began to text her back slowly. Not even a minute later I received a message back from her saying that she would be there in about a half hour or so. Good, because I needed time to make myself seem normal.

When ever I talked to Jenn about what was bugging her, I never brought up my own problems. That was just the way we were. If she needed to talk, I put all my problems aside and listened to what she had to say. She would do the same for me. And I was hoping that I wouldn’t show any emotion about my dilemma.

Within the next half hour, I heard a knock at my door from the bathroom and quickly splashed water on my face to make myself seem awake. My eyes were still a little red from the crying I had been doing since yesterday when Erik had stopped by. I figured the best way to hide it would convince her I was watching a good tear-jerker movie. And, being Jenn, she walked right in and found her regular spot on the couch.

“Watching another sad movie, missy?” She asked and picked up the DVD case for the movie A Walk to Remember. I walked into the living room and nodded my head, and pretended to wipe a single tear from my eye.

“Gets me every time,” I did my best whimper as I said it.

“Me too, girl,” Jenn tossed the case back onto the table and leaned back on the couch. “Can I have a soda, please?”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head, and walked over to the kitchen to grab each of us a can of soda. When I was back into the living room, I handed the can over to her and sat in my spot on the couch.

“So, what’s the deal?” I asked as the hissing and popping sound of her can cause me to jump slightly.

“He found me,” she replied and sipped her soda. I knew the deal about her family, but the look in her eyes made it feel like the hairs on my arm were standing on edge. I have never seen her so out of it. And I knew exactly who she meant.

Her father was a drunk and used to beat her mom almost every night. Jenn is the oldest of her other two siblings, and she was always the one trying to protect her mom and younger twin brothers. When she graduated high school, she was getting ready to leave for college when her father came home, drunker than he had ever been before. It was the night before she was leaving and her father stumbled into her room.

“Where you think you’re going?” He slurred the question. Jenn looked up from her bed that was completely covered in her luggage and clothes.

“Hey, dad,” her voice cracking as she said it. “You’re home early.”

“Yeah. Where you going?” He demanded, slurring the words even more.

“I leave for school tomorrow, remember?” Jenn looked back down at her bed and started to pick up articles of clothing to fold into her bags. He grabbed her wrist and she quickly dropped the shirt she was holding onto the bed. “Ouch, dad, let go!”

“You shut up!” His opposite hand flew through the air connected with her face, her head snapping to the right and searing pain flowing through her cheek. He let go of her wrist like he were throwing it to the ground. “Get that damn stuff back into your closet and get into bed!” He screamed.

Jenn held her face as a tear fell from her eye. She wiped it as soon as she felt it, hoping her father hadn’t seen it.

“You’re crying?” He howled. Her mother heard him from the kitchen and followed the noise into Jenn’s bedroom.

“Phillip, please,” she pleaded softly. “Leave her alone; she’s packing for school.”

Her father turned his head to face the doorway where Jenn’s mother, Nancy, was standing with a plate and sponge in hand.

“Damn it, Nancy. Get the hell outta here!” He yelled, making her take a step back in fear. He took a few steps towards her and forced her out into the hallway.

Jenn sat on her bed, tears flowing faster now. She could hear her mother screaming for her father to stop, but he yelled louder, telling to shut up. As the screaming grew faint, Jenn fought her fear and packed a bag of clothing and necessities, and snuck out of her room into her younger twin brother’s room.

“Jenn?” The younger twin, Adam, blinked to get Jenn’s face into focus.

“Come on guys, get up and be quiet. Pack a bag of clothes,” she whispered quickly and through shallow breaths.

Craig, the older twin, sat up in his bed and looked at Jenn like she was crazy.

“Jenn, what’s wrong?” He asked. His head suddenly snapped towards the door when he heard his father yelling louder, but no sound from his mother. He began to tremble in his bed and couldn’t move.

“Craig, Adam, get up now and pack a small bag,” she repeated in a whisper again. “Now!” She demanded without being too loud. The 16year-old twin boys jumped out of bed and tip toed around the room to gather their things. They slipped on their sneakers and followed Jenn out of their bedroom window. There was suddenly a loud bang of their front door closing hard. Their father stood there with and angry look on his face. They took off down the street and didn’t look back for anyone.

I looked at her with a sad and surprised look on my face. I wasn’t sure what to say next, so we sat in silence for a few moments until I finally spoke.

“Your father?” I gulped like a cartoon character.

She looked over to me and then up toward the ceiling. I could see her eyes were filling with tears and I couldn’t help but want to cry with her.

“Yeah,” was all she could manage to say.

Jenn and I were never the type of friends that held each other when the other one cried. As a matter of fact, I’ve never really seen Jenn break down like this. I was always the emotional one, but I guess it was her turn. Knowing that there was a possibility of being pushed away, I sat closer to her and pulled her into a tight hug. And, for once in her life, she didn’t fight back.