Coming Home to You
Five
"You're one of the lucky ones."
The statement from Chastity echoed in my head and was constantly repeating itself over and over. I never really thought of myself as lucky when it came to my family, just normal. But after hearing her tell me a little bit about her life, how she was abandoned by her mother and not knowing who her father was, I guess I am lucky. Lucky to have both of my parents together still happily married, whom both had wanted me and loved me followed by my younger sister Amy a few years later.
To think how I acted as a teenager how badly I treated them and always getting into trouble, and not once did they turn their back on me. Not once did they stop loving me or kicked me out of the house. For some odd reason, after hearing Chastity I felt the urge to drive over to my parents' home and that's exactly what I was doing.
I was thankful they didn't live that far from me and I pulled into the driveway to park my vehicle behind my dad's truck. I cut the engine and climbed out of the car to make my way up to the front door. I knocked once before letting myself in the house. I could hear music coming from the kitchen as well as a few banging noises telling me that my mom was fixing lunch.
"Mom," I hollered out, seeing a familiar figure step through the doorway of the kitchen. The woman that I call my mom with short, brown hair smiled at the sight of me. Taking a deep breath, I took the few short strides to my mom just as she was saying my name and wrapped my arms around her. She was taken by surprise and was in shock for a second before wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you," I whispered loud enough for her to hear.
"For what, baby?" she asked.
"Being my mom," I answered.
"Matt, sweetie," mom gasped pulling away from me to grab my face in her hands. "What's the matter?" I couldn't find my voice for a moment to answer her and just shook my head. "Come here, come here," she said removing her hands from my face to lead me to the living room. I sat down on the sofa and she sat down beside me and immediately started rubbing my back to help comfort me.
"It's just that you and dad, you and dad never gave up on me. The both of you never turned your back on me. Even after I treated you both like shit and put you through hell, you . . . you didn't stop loving me." I took a deep breath trying to calm down as I felt mom's hand temporarily stop before continuing to rub my back. "There are so many people who chose drugs and/or alcohol over their own kids, and a lot of parents who will only take so much before giving up their kids and throwing them out. You and dad never did that."
"Matt, sweetie, you're father and I love you very much. We both wanted you and your sister very much. We could never do that to you, no matter how much you drove us mad. And for all of those other people, they aren't meant to be parents," she said. I feel that she wanted to ask me about where all of this came from, but at the moment she held back. I slowly nodded my head as I looked over at her to see that her were starting to water and I started to feel guilty about making her feel like this.
"She said I am one of the lucky ones."
"Who is she?"
"Chastity," I answered, taking another deep breath.
"Your new neighbor," mom said catching me surprise. Mom flashed me a smile, leaning in to kiss my forehead before standing up to head back into the kitchen. "Jimmy called yesterday looking for you. He made the comment that you probably over at your new neighbor Chastity." I got up from the sofa and started following her. "What is she like?" she asked while going back to fixing lunch.
"Different," I answered.
"Good different or bad different?" my dad asked as he walked into the kitchen leaning against the door frame. I hadn't even noticed that he had entered the room. "Hey, son," he said walking further into the room patting me on the shoulder before walking over toward mom giving her a quick kiss and I could finally see why Chastity said that I was lucky.
"Hi, dad," I replied. He looked back over at me leaning up against the counter by the stove.
"Well, is she good or bad?" he repeated.
"Good different. A lot better than . . ." I cut myself short not wanting to bring her up again. "She was a little off at first when Jimmy and I met her when she first moved in, but she eventually told me a little about her background to understand why she was the way she was."
"Why don't you invite her for dinner one night? I'd really like to meet her. Jimmy seemed to like her very well," mom said. turning around to also look at me. I couldn't help but smile and laugh at the thought of Jimmy liking her after only meeting her once.
"I, um, don't think she will be able to," I answered. Confusion flashed in my parents' eyes. "She's pregnant. The doctor strictly ordered her on bed rest."
"Poor thing. Does she had someone there with her to help her out and around the house?" mom asked sounding genuinely worried. Slowly, I shook my head wondering why she was asking me that. Hearing her gasp and seeing dad's eyes nearly bulge out of his head, I started to become worried. "Matthew, please tell me you are not entirely sure and that there is possible someone there to help her."
Shaking my head, I said, "I'm pretty sure. Her fiancé died a couple of months ago and she doesn't have any family."
"And you left her home alone to take care of herself and the baby? Matt, what were you thinking?" I was speechless at the moment unsure exactly what to say and because I wasn't sure what the whole problem was. "Matt, when I was pregnant with you, I was put on bed rest during my last trimester due to complications. It's not just the baby that's at risk. The mother is also at risk of complications."
Nearly doing the same thing that I have been doing almost every day since moving, I was stretched out on the sofa with a book in one hand and a fork in the other eating so fruits that's in a bowl resting between my chest and belly. I had the stereo on that was placed across the room beside the TV with some soft music playing. I picked up a strawberry with my fork and was about to place it in my mouth before I heard a knock at the door. Confused, I placed the fork in the bowl and marked my place in the book to get up when I heard the front door open.
I immediately reach for the phone expecting it to be a burglar or something since I wasn't expecting any body today and I had heard Matt leave earlier. I started to dial 911 when a familiar voice called out. "Whoa, Chastity." I looked up to see that it was Matt. Letting out a sigh of relief, I cleared the number from the phone.
"Geez, Matt. Don't do that," I said putting the phone back on the hook before looking back at him. I noticed a duffle bag in his hand that was noticeably full. "What's with the bag?"
"Well, um, I hope you don't mind, but I'm moving in."
"What?"
The statement from Chastity echoed in my head and was constantly repeating itself over and over. I never really thought of myself as lucky when it came to my family, just normal. But after hearing her tell me a little bit about her life, how she was abandoned by her mother and not knowing who her father was, I guess I am lucky. Lucky to have both of my parents together still happily married, whom both had wanted me and loved me followed by my younger sister Amy a few years later.
To think how I acted as a teenager how badly I treated them and always getting into trouble, and not once did they turn their back on me. Not once did they stop loving me or kicked me out of the house. For some odd reason, after hearing Chastity I felt the urge to drive over to my parents' home and that's exactly what I was doing.
I was thankful they didn't live that far from me and I pulled into the driveway to park my vehicle behind my dad's truck. I cut the engine and climbed out of the car to make my way up to the front door. I knocked once before letting myself in the house. I could hear music coming from the kitchen as well as a few banging noises telling me that my mom was fixing lunch.
"Mom," I hollered out, seeing a familiar figure step through the doorway of the kitchen. The woman that I call my mom with short, brown hair smiled at the sight of me. Taking a deep breath, I took the few short strides to my mom just as she was saying my name and wrapped my arms around her. She was taken by surprise and was in shock for a second before wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you," I whispered loud enough for her to hear.
"For what, baby?" she asked.
"Being my mom," I answered.
"Matt, sweetie," mom gasped pulling away from me to grab my face in her hands. "What's the matter?" I couldn't find my voice for a moment to answer her and just shook my head. "Come here, come here," she said removing her hands from my face to lead me to the living room. I sat down on the sofa and she sat down beside me and immediately started rubbing my back to help comfort me.
"It's just that you and dad, you and dad never gave up on me. The both of you never turned your back on me. Even after I treated you both like shit and put you through hell, you . . . you didn't stop loving me." I took a deep breath trying to calm down as I felt mom's hand temporarily stop before continuing to rub my back. "There are so many people who chose drugs and/or alcohol over their own kids, and a lot of parents who will only take so much before giving up their kids and throwing them out. You and dad never did that."
"Matt, sweetie, you're father and I love you very much. We both wanted you and your sister very much. We could never do that to you, no matter how much you drove us mad. And for all of those other people, they aren't meant to be parents," she said. I feel that she wanted to ask me about where all of this came from, but at the moment she held back. I slowly nodded my head as I looked over at her to see that her were starting to water and I started to feel guilty about making her feel like this.
"She said I am one of the lucky ones."
"Who is she?"
"Chastity," I answered, taking another deep breath.
"Your new neighbor," mom said catching me surprise. Mom flashed me a smile, leaning in to kiss my forehead before standing up to head back into the kitchen. "Jimmy called yesterday looking for you. He made the comment that you probably over at your new neighbor Chastity." I got up from the sofa and started following her. "What is she like?" she asked while going back to fixing lunch.
"Different," I answered.
"Good different or bad different?" my dad asked as he walked into the kitchen leaning against the door frame. I hadn't even noticed that he had entered the room. "Hey, son," he said walking further into the room patting me on the shoulder before walking over toward mom giving her a quick kiss and I could finally see why Chastity said that I was lucky.
"Hi, dad," I replied. He looked back over at me leaning up against the counter by the stove.
"Well, is she good or bad?" he repeated.
"Good different. A lot better than . . ." I cut myself short not wanting to bring her up again. "She was a little off at first when Jimmy and I met her when she first moved in, but she eventually told me a little about her background to understand why she was the way she was."
"Why don't you invite her for dinner one night? I'd really like to meet her. Jimmy seemed to like her very well," mom said. turning around to also look at me. I couldn't help but smile and laugh at the thought of Jimmy liking her after only meeting her once.
"I, um, don't think she will be able to," I answered. Confusion flashed in my parents' eyes. "She's pregnant. The doctor strictly ordered her on bed rest."
"Poor thing. Does she had someone there with her to help her out and around the house?" mom asked sounding genuinely worried. Slowly, I shook my head wondering why she was asking me that. Hearing her gasp and seeing dad's eyes nearly bulge out of his head, I started to become worried. "Matthew, please tell me you are not entirely sure and that there is possible someone there to help her."
Shaking my head, I said, "I'm pretty sure. Her fiancé died a couple of months ago and she doesn't have any family."
"And you left her home alone to take care of herself and the baby? Matt, what were you thinking?" I was speechless at the moment unsure exactly what to say and because I wasn't sure what the whole problem was. "Matt, when I was pregnant with you, I was put on bed rest during my last trimester due to complications. It's not just the baby that's at risk. The mother is also at risk of complications."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Nearly doing the same thing that I have been doing almost every day since moving, I was stretched out on the sofa with a book in one hand and a fork in the other eating so fruits that's in a bowl resting between my chest and belly. I had the stereo on that was placed across the room beside the TV with some soft music playing. I picked up a strawberry with my fork and was about to place it in my mouth before I heard a knock at the door. Confused, I placed the fork in the bowl and marked my place in the book to get up when I heard the front door open.
I immediately reach for the phone expecting it to be a burglar or something since I wasn't expecting any body today and I had heard Matt leave earlier. I started to dial 911 when a familiar voice called out. "Whoa, Chastity." I looked up to see that it was Matt. Letting out a sigh of relief, I cleared the number from the phone.
"Geez, Matt. Don't do that," I said putting the phone back on the hook before looking back at him. I noticed a duffle bag in his hand that was noticeably full. "What's with the bag?"
"Well, um, I hope you don't mind, but I'm moving in."
"What?"