Escaping the Inevitable

I woke up in the morning with Dani shaking my arm. I rolled over, looking at her, "What?"

"I have to get ready for school."

I sighed, "Yeah, yeah."

It was Friday; Fridays usually meant Dad would come back and take us to a movie. Mom would go, but I doubt after their massive fight last night, she wouldn't go. 

I got up, and followed Dani out of my bedroom and to the hall bathroom. I could hear mom's alarm go off, and Wolfie emerging from his room with bed head. I smirked at him, rubbing his head; "Stop it." He grumbled tiredly.

We all crowded in the bathroom to brush our teeth. Our house has three bathrooms, but we all clamber in here to brush our teeth. It's a routine I guess. 

As we spit out our toothpaste and rinse our mouths, I notice how much we all look a like. We have dad's black hair, Wolfie and Dani have dad's eyes, while mine are brown like my mom's. We have his nose, his round eyes, and mom's pouty lips; Dani and Wolfie have mom's smile while I got dad's. We're a perfect mixture of my parents. A big reminder to the both of them who they'll be bound to for the rest of their lives.

"You kids getting ready?" I heard my mom's boyish, tired voice down the hall.

"Yeah," I replied for us.

Mom appeared in the door way, I helped Dani off the counter, and she promptly ran into her arms. Wolfie put his toothbrush away, "Is dad coming back? It's movie night."

Mom froze, "I don't know, Wolfie."

Wolfie seems to think this is all mom's fault. The fighting, the yelling, the crying, the cheating -he says it's mom's fault. It isn't her fault; it's dad's.

"I don't know why you always drive him away." Wolfie crossed to her angrily.

Mom narrowed her eyes as Dani hugged her waist, "Wolfgang, don't start with me."

Wolfie rolled his eyes and I nudged him. He shot a glance at me and I gave him a dirty look right back. If it was anything Wolfie got from my dad, it was his attitude and his way of thinking. 

And the way they disrespected my mom.

Wolfie left, heading off down the hall to the other bathroom to shower. I looked at my mom and smiled, "He's like dad, you know?" I excused for my little brother.

Mom smiled, petting Dani's hair, "I know... Thanks Joe."

"No problem mom."

We all got ready to head out to school; mom drives and picks us up. Dad rarely ever did that. First, we'd drop Dani and Wolfie off at elementary school, then it was a 7 minute drive to my junior high.

I waved to my siblings as they got out and headed off into school. Me and mom were alone now; she looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She used to be so vibrant and happy, almost colorful like her tattoos. I missed her. I missed the vibrant person my mom used to be.

"Mom?" I called to her just as the cross walk to my school approached.

"Yeah?"

"Are you and dad finally going to get a divorce?"

Again, my mom froze, her hands tightened against the steering wheel and she didn't look at me. I kind of kicked myself for a moment. Then, she looked at me, with tears pooling her eyes, "That obvious?"

I almost laughed, "Quite so."

She sighed, she pulled up in front of my school, "Don't worry about it, okay? You're a kid, worry about being a kid." She leaned over and kissed my cheek, "Have a good day at school, I'll be here like I always am."

"Okay. Bye mom."

"Bye Joey, I love you."

I got out, reluctantly returning the same, "I love you," before jetting off into school.

We've lived in New Jersey all of my life. The kids, more so, people know my father and can't wait to bring it up to me. Girls say that their moms had crushes on my dad when they were growing up. They think I'm cute, which makes me very uncomfortable.

I have friends, the boys on the baseball team. But the misfits all seem to generate toward me; do I really need to explain? So, I have a range of friends in this small junior high. 

I play on the baseball team every year, much to my dad's expectations. I get okay grades; I'm not the best and I'm certaintly not the worst. I don't get picked on, no one does, really, anymore. I've never gotten into a fight, not even an argument. I'm a very peaceful person, as my mom would say.

There pretty much nothing more interesting at school than the fact that I play baseball. It's something I like to do during summer; it takes a lot to bring my dad out to my games. I don't like being cooped up in the house with my family too long.

After a day of test and going over next week assignments, I'm free to go. I walked to the front of the school with my friends Troy and Greg. They're my two best friends; the two I'm with every single day, but I don't speak about my home life with. They're closet best friends, I guess...

"What're you guys doing tomorrow? You wanna go to the batting cages? My dad said he'd take us, you just need to bring money for lunch." Greg asked us.

We all stood in th front, watching the mini-van moms pick up their off spring.

"Yeah, I can go," Troy said, "What about you, man?"

I shrug, "Call me. I gotta see." 

It was true; I had to see. I didn't know if my dad was going to take us out again, to get away from my mom. It could depend.

Greg was the first to be picked up, then Troy; they both waved to me before disappearing in their mom's cars. It took 5 more minutes before I saw my dad pull up, instead of my mom; that meant that they fought about who would pick us kids up. Great.

I walked over to the passenger side, got in and immediately heard Dani singing along to whatever was on the radio. Dad looked at me and smiled, "Hey, kid." He ruffled my shaggy hair, making it messier than it usually is.

"Hey. Where's mom?" I asked as I put my seat belt on.

"We decided I'd pick you guys up today and go get some ice cream or something." Dad's eyes wondered onto the road as he drove away from my school.