Living in a Broken Dream
Alex Finds Out
Alex POV
I was so tired it was unbelievable. I looked down and saw that Anna was up against my chest with Lottie propped up on my left arm, her head just resting on my chest, both of them asleep. I ran my fingers through her hair and smiled to myself. I liked Anna a lot more than I thought I would. And I even learned to read her, when she’s really happy she gets smile lines and her eyes look as though they light up, if she’s nervous she curls her hair around her finger, and when she gets angry, she clenches her hands into tight balls against her sides. When we were together at school, sometimes I would pretend that Misty was behind her, just so that she would kiss me. I would never tell her that though. Lottie started to wake; she rubbed her eyes with her stubby little arms then looked around.
“Lexi” she said loudly
I pushed my fingers to my lips and gave a quiet “Shhh” and pointed at Anna. She copied my action and went to stand up on the sofa. Her footing slightly unbalanced as the sofa was uneven; she gripped my shoulder and gained her balance. She started mumbling and chattering to herself and played with the ends of my hair, which were slightly curly. She giggled and jumped back down onto her bum, her little pink princess shirt rose slightly. I pulled it back down as she crawled onto my lap. Just then, Lottie sneezed, waking Anna up.
“Hey Alex, what are you still doing here?” she asked yawning.
“Fell asleep” I said as she stood up, walking to the TV to turn it off. I went to stand up when Lottie grabbed my hand, telling me she wanted to get off the sofa. I lifted her down and she grabbed my hand again, taking slow, loud steps. She trotted towards the stairs and said
“Bed time” looking up at me
She starts walking up the stairs, still holding onto my hand
“Anna, I think that Lottie wants to go to bed” I say looking at her
“Is she walking?” she asks
“Yeah” I say, looking back to Lottie
“Finally” says Anna “Wait there a minute and I’ll sit at the top, encouraging her. Just help her up the stairs, don't let her fall or anything” Anna walked up the stairs and sat at the top. I helped Lottie reach the top of the stairs, with the help of Anna giving encouragement. I guess I got a taste of what it would be like to have a family when I'm older. Falling asleep on the sofa, looking after the kids when they’re ill, helping them the talk and walk, each time encouraging each other, it was nice and I liked it. It was nice to experience what a kind hearted family was like, compared to my cold hearted mother, and nearly always absent father. I smiled when Lottie reached the top and picked her up, giving a slight cheer along with Anna.
“Well done Lottie” said Anna smiling widely. Lottie smiled as well, showing off her baby teeth. She then gave a big yawn and laid her head on my shoulder. Anna linked her hand with my own and pulled me towards Lottie’s room. Anna picked her up and placed her in her bed. She pressed a finger to her lips, grabbed my hand and slowly tip toed out the room. She closed the door and gave me a hug.
“Thank you for helping me Alex”
“No problem” I said, blushing slightly from the close contact. She then pulled away and gave me a kiss on the cheek, smiling. She walked downstairs, giving me chance to touch the place her lips had just connected too. I smiled to myself and walked downstairs following her. I found her in the kitchen, pouring her and I a drink of coke. I let my eyes wonder around the room and noticed a picture on the fridge,
“Who’s this?” I asked as I pointed to a picture a boy much older than us.
She looked up and said “That's Sid. My brother”
I looked closer to the picture and saw a woman looking exactly like Anna, but a bit older. Her Mom maybe?
“That's my Mom” whispered Anna as she stood next to me, as though reading my mind. The same Mom that I had yet to see since she moved her, the same mom that Tammy talked about when I met her the first time, the same mom that had made Anna freeze up when I asked about her.
“My dad left when I was eleven. Mom had just had Tammie and Luke.” She’s telling me the story. I looked over to her and her eyes were fixed on the photo still.
“She was upset but stayed strong for her family. She raised all five of us up on her own, working as a local waitress, with additional jobs like a cleaner and that. We had never had that much money, but we were happy with each other. When I was fifteen, she collapsed one day at work, Sid and I rushed to the hospital to find her in a terrible condition. The doctor said that she had a rare form of cancer” her voice wavered slightly and she looked back to meet my eyes.
“She started therapy and she got better, but then on Christmas Eve she was hospitalized again. On Christmas Day at 6:44p, she died with us all telling her we loved her.” I gave her a one armed hug as she cried into my shoulder. We sat there and talked, and talked and talked until I had to go home. I'd learned so much about her and she learned about her. She walked to the door with me gave me tight hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow” I whispered in her ear. She shivered and nodded her head. We pulled away and I wiped the last of her tears with my thumb. Slightly shocked at what I just did, I dropped my hand quickly and walked towards my car.
“Bye Alex” she said as she waved me off.
I was so tired it was unbelievable. I looked down and saw that Anna was up against my chest with Lottie propped up on my left arm, her head just resting on my chest, both of them asleep. I ran my fingers through her hair and smiled to myself. I liked Anna a lot more than I thought I would. And I even learned to read her, when she’s really happy she gets smile lines and her eyes look as though they light up, if she’s nervous she curls her hair around her finger, and when she gets angry, she clenches her hands into tight balls against her sides. When we were together at school, sometimes I would pretend that Misty was behind her, just so that she would kiss me. I would never tell her that though. Lottie started to wake; she rubbed her eyes with her stubby little arms then looked around.
“Lexi” she said loudly
I pushed my fingers to my lips and gave a quiet “Shhh” and pointed at Anna. She copied my action and went to stand up on the sofa. Her footing slightly unbalanced as the sofa was uneven; she gripped my shoulder and gained her balance. She started mumbling and chattering to herself and played with the ends of my hair, which were slightly curly. She giggled and jumped back down onto her bum, her little pink princess shirt rose slightly. I pulled it back down as she crawled onto my lap. Just then, Lottie sneezed, waking Anna up.
“Hey Alex, what are you still doing here?” she asked yawning.
“Fell asleep” I said as she stood up, walking to the TV to turn it off. I went to stand up when Lottie grabbed my hand, telling me she wanted to get off the sofa. I lifted her down and she grabbed my hand again, taking slow, loud steps. She trotted towards the stairs and said
“Bed time” looking up at me
She starts walking up the stairs, still holding onto my hand
“Anna, I think that Lottie wants to go to bed” I say looking at her
“Is she walking?” she asks
“Yeah” I say, looking back to Lottie
“Finally” says Anna “Wait there a minute and I’ll sit at the top, encouraging her. Just help her up the stairs, don't let her fall or anything” Anna walked up the stairs and sat at the top. I helped Lottie reach the top of the stairs, with the help of Anna giving encouragement. I guess I got a taste of what it would be like to have a family when I'm older. Falling asleep on the sofa, looking after the kids when they’re ill, helping them the talk and walk, each time encouraging each other, it was nice and I liked it. It was nice to experience what a kind hearted family was like, compared to my cold hearted mother, and nearly always absent father. I smiled when Lottie reached the top and picked her up, giving a slight cheer along with Anna.
“Well done Lottie” said Anna smiling widely. Lottie smiled as well, showing off her baby teeth. She then gave a big yawn and laid her head on my shoulder. Anna linked her hand with my own and pulled me towards Lottie’s room. Anna picked her up and placed her in her bed. She pressed a finger to her lips, grabbed my hand and slowly tip toed out the room. She closed the door and gave me a hug.
“Thank you for helping me Alex”
“No problem” I said, blushing slightly from the close contact. She then pulled away and gave me a kiss on the cheek, smiling. She walked downstairs, giving me chance to touch the place her lips had just connected too. I smiled to myself and walked downstairs following her. I found her in the kitchen, pouring her and I a drink of coke. I let my eyes wonder around the room and noticed a picture on the fridge,
“Who’s this?” I asked as I pointed to a picture a boy much older than us.
She looked up and said “That's Sid. My brother”
I looked closer to the picture and saw a woman looking exactly like Anna, but a bit older. Her Mom maybe?
“That's my Mom” whispered Anna as she stood next to me, as though reading my mind. The same Mom that I had yet to see since she moved her, the same mom that Tammy talked about when I met her the first time, the same mom that had made Anna freeze up when I asked about her.
“My dad left when I was eleven. Mom had just had Tammie and Luke.” She’s telling me the story. I looked over to her and her eyes were fixed on the photo still.
“She was upset but stayed strong for her family. She raised all five of us up on her own, working as a local waitress, with additional jobs like a cleaner and that. We had never had that much money, but we were happy with each other. When I was fifteen, she collapsed one day at work, Sid and I rushed to the hospital to find her in a terrible condition. The doctor said that she had a rare form of cancer” her voice wavered slightly and she looked back to meet my eyes.
“She started therapy and she got better, but then on Christmas Eve she was hospitalized again. On Christmas Day at 6:44p, she died with us all telling her we loved her.” I gave her a one armed hug as she cried into my shoulder. We sat there and talked, and talked and talked until I had to go home. I'd learned so much about her and she learned about her. She walked to the door with me gave me tight hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow” I whispered in her ear. She shivered and nodded her head. We pulled away and I wiped the last of her tears with my thumb. Slightly shocked at what I just did, I dropped my hand quickly and walked towards my car.
“Bye Alex” she said as she waved me off.