Caitlin's Trip
End
I sit on the sofa with one month old Ethan in my arm and a baby bottle in my other hand. Jimmy walks into the apartment with a bag of diapers.
"You wouldn't believe what happened at the store." He says laughing.
"What?"
"The girl at the register was maybe sixteen, seventeen and she started smiling at me then when I walked up to the counter she started to flirt with me."
"Okay, horny sixteen year old, then what?"
"I put the bag of diapers on the counter. You wouldn't believe how fast her expression changed." He starts laughing again then I join in.
"Maybe we should think about dressing a little less like punks." I suggest, we stay silent for a moment then crack out laughing.
"Oh good you're awake!" Darcy says as she lets herself into the apartment with Tunny.
"We got ourselves a baby!" Tunny says evilly.
"Congratulations." I say happily.
"I can just see career day, my mommy is an ex-stripper and my daddy gets people drunk." Jimmy says in a childish voice, receiving glares from Darcy and Tunny.
"Darcy are you coming with me to get my tattoo today?" I ask as I hand Ethan over to Jimmy.
"Tattoo?" Jimmy asks tilting his head, "Where?"
"Yeah, in honor of Ethan, I'm getting it on my shoulder same side as my fallen angel tattoo."
The fallen angel tattoo represented Jimmy; it's a silhouette of a man (Jimmy) with angel wings, walking on the ground.
"What's it going to be?" Jimmy asks, now fixated on my arm.
"A sun burst with a baby's handprint in the center." I say taking my thought into consideration.
"Alright," Jimmy says rocking Ethan back and forth.
Darcy and I come back the apartment an hour and a half later to find Ethan sleeping peacefully and the guys smoking on the balcony. We join them outside on the balcony.
"Can I see the tattoo?" Jimmy asks. I move my sweater off my shoulder and lift the bandage.
"It's nice." He says as he reaches into his pocket for his box of cigarettes and offers me one. When he did this his tattoo in honor of Ethan was visible, his was a dark rose that said Ethan on its leaf.
"No thanks, I went nine months with out them, I don't need them anymore." Jimmy shrugs and offers one to Darcy.
"Are you crazy?! I'm with child!" she yelps.
"Sorry I forgot." Jimmy says putting the box back in his pocket. We hear a faint whine come from Ethan. "I'll take care of him." Jimmy says just as I was about to head inside.
***
That evening before going to sleep I take out a piece of paper and pen.
Dear Mom,
I thought it was time that I talk to you one last time. The day I ran away I thought I was pregnant, but I soon realized that it was a false alarm. I'm happy here, and I have a new born son, his name is Ethan. I'm not a single mom, if that's what you're thinking. I'm living with this great guy named Jimmy, we're married I guess, due to common law. We own a live music bar, and business is going well. I'm not writing this letter so I can restart our mother-daughter relationship, in fact I never want to see you again, and I just wanted to let you know that I was okay.
Caitlin
"What are you writing?" Jimmy asks from the doorway.
"Nothing." I say as I crumple the piece of paper and toss it aside.
"Okay." He says sliding into bed next to me. "Goodnight." He kisses me and wraps his arm around my waist.
I wake up in the middle of the night and slide my arm across the sheets and realize I'm alone. I get up and walk into the living room where Jimmy is sitting on the sofa in only a pair of boxers rocking Ethan to sleep.
"Hey." I say softly, "You okay?"
"Yeah." He says peacefully. I sit next to him. "I still can't believe we have a son."
"I know." I say laying my head on his shoulder, "Especially after all that we've been through."
"I find it hard to understand why I love him so much. I want to protect him from everything; I want him to be safe. Jeez, I feel like such a sap." Jimmy says rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, that was really sappy." I say giggling, "But I think it's alright to be a sap sometimes, I mean since the moment I held him I felt the same way."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Do you ever think of going back?" I ask.
"Back where? Chicago?" he asks looking at me quizzically. I shake my head.
"Back to California."
"No not really, too much shit happened for me to ever go back. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I wrote a letter to my mother today, I didn't send it though."
"What kind of letter?"
"Just saying that I was happy and telling her vaguely about you and Ethan."
"Do you want to see her again or were you just . . . ."
"No, I never want to see that woman again, I was just wondering what happened after I left." I say thinking to myself.
"It probably kept going as always." Jimmy says shrugging his shoulders, "I mean did you ever expect anyone you knew back home to change much in the course of their life."
"I love you." I say randomly.
"I love you too." He says kissing the top of my head, "You should really get more sleep."
"What about you?" I ask getting up.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be there in a while." I kiss Ethan on the top of the head and kiss Jimmy on the lips before heading to bed.
"You wouldn't believe what happened at the store." He says laughing.
"What?"
"The girl at the register was maybe sixteen, seventeen and she started smiling at me then when I walked up to the counter she started to flirt with me."
"Okay, horny sixteen year old, then what?"
"I put the bag of diapers on the counter. You wouldn't believe how fast her expression changed." He starts laughing again then I join in.
"Maybe we should think about dressing a little less like punks." I suggest, we stay silent for a moment then crack out laughing.
"Oh good you're awake!" Darcy says as she lets herself into the apartment with Tunny.
"We got ourselves a baby!" Tunny says evilly.
"Congratulations." I say happily.
"I can just see career day, my mommy is an ex-stripper and my daddy gets people drunk." Jimmy says in a childish voice, receiving glares from Darcy and Tunny.
"Darcy are you coming with me to get my tattoo today?" I ask as I hand Ethan over to Jimmy.
"Tattoo?" Jimmy asks tilting his head, "Where?"
"Yeah, in honor of Ethan, I'm getting it on my shoulder same side as my fallen angel tattoo."
The fallen angel tattoo represented Jimmy; it's a silhouette of a man (Jimmy) with angel wings, walking on the ground.
"What's it going to be?" Jimmy asks, now fixated on my arm.
"A sun burst with a baby's handprint in the center." I say taking my thought into consideration.
"Alright," Jimmy says rocking Ethan back and forth.
Darcy and I come back the apartment an hour and a half later to find Ethan sleeping peacefully and the guys smoking on the balcony. We join them outside on the balcony.
"Can I see the tattoo?" Jimmy asks. I move my sweater off my shoulder and lift the bandage.
"It's nice." He says as he reaches into his pocket for his box of cigarettes and offers me one. When he did this his tattoo in honor of Ethan was visible, his was a dark rose that said Ethan on its leaf.
"No thanks, I went nine months with out them, I don't need them anymore." Jimmy shrugs and offers one to Darcy.
"Are you crazy?! I'm with child!" she yelps.
"Sorry I forgot." Jimmy says putting the box back in his pocket. We hear a faint whine come from Ethan. "I'll take care of him." Jimmy says just as I was about to head inside.
***
That evening before going to sleep I take out a piece of paper and pen.
Dear Mom,
I thought it was time that I talk to you one last time. The day I ran away I thought I was pregnant, but I soon realized that it was a false alarm. I'm happy here, and I have a new born son, his name is Ethan. I'm not a single mom, if that's what you're thinking. I'm living with this great guy named Jimmy, we're married I guess, due to common law. We own a live music bar, and business is going well. I'm not writing this letter so I can restart our mother-daughter relationship, in fact I never want to see you again, and I just wanted to let you know that I was okay.
Caitlin
"What are you writing?" Jimmy asks from the doorway.
"Nothing." I say as I crumple the piece of paper and toss it aside.
"Okay." He says sliding into bed next to me. "Goodnight." He kisses me and wraps his arm around my waist.
I wake up in the middle of the night and slide my arm across the sheets and realize I'm alone. I get up and walk into the living room where Jimmy is sitting on the sofa in only a pair of boxers rocking Ethan to sleep.
"Hey." I say softly, "You okay?"
"Yeah." He says peacefully. I sit next to him. "I still can't believe we have a son."
"I know." I say laying my head on his shoulder, "Especially after all that we've been through."
"I find it hard to understand why I love him so much. I want to protect him from everything; I want him to be safe. Jeez, I feel like such a sap." Jimmy says rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, that was really sappy." I say giggling, "But I think it's alright to be a sap sometimes, I mean since the moment I held him I felt the same way."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Do you ever think of going back?" I ask.
"Back where? Chicago?" he asks looking at me quizzically. I shake my head.
"Back to California."
"No not really, too much shit happened for me to ever go back. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I wrote a letter to my mother today, I didn't send it though."
"What kind of letter?"
"Just saying that I was happy and telling her vaguely about you and Ethan."
"Do you want to see her again or were you just . . . ."
"No, I never want to see that woman again, I was just wondering what happened after I left." I say thinking to myself.
"It probably kept going as always." Jimmy says shrugging his shoulders, "I mean did you ever expect anyone you knew back home to change much in the course of their life."
"I love you." I say randomly.
"I love you too." He says kissing the top of my head, "You should really get more sleep."
"What about you?" I ask getting up.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be there in a while." I kiss Ethan on the top of the head and kiss Jimmy on the lips before heading to bed.