Second Chance
Middle
By the time Alicia woke up, the sun was down and her apartment was eerily quiet. She dug out of the clothes pile wiped a layer of sweat from her forehead. How long was I out? she wondered.
Alicia wandered into the dark living room and saw her mother sleeping soundly on the couch. She knew she would have to apologize once she woke up- even if she wasn’t really sorry. Alicia walked as quietly as she could into the kitchen. Her mob of a family had left enough food to last year until next year. She grabbed a fork from the drainer and tucked into a tub of macaroni; her Auntie Louisa’s macaroni and cheese was her favorite dish on the planet. Alicia brought the entire platter over to the bar on the other side of the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room. She sat on one of the tacky bar stools that Chance had picked out and saw that her mother had fallen asleep to the home shopping network.
“Classic Mom,” Alicia said with a tiny smile. She blinked, not remembering the last time she’d smiled.
“Alicia,” he mother grumbled. “Alicia…”
Alicia put her fork down and went to kneel beside her mother. Her eyes were wide with alarm but it was almost as if she couldn’t move.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” she asked, slightly alarmed. “What’s going on?”
Her mother’s eyes darted around the room and she slowly lifted her arm but it shook as it moved. Alicia grabbed her mother’s hand. It felt clammy and damp. Alicia reached over her mother’s head to turn on the light on the end table. She gasped and pulled away when she looked back down at her mom. The strong and virile brown-skinned beauty that had been her mother now had blue lips and a grey coloring about her with severe wrinkles that had not been there a few hours ago.
Alicia swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s going to be alright, Mom. I’m going to call for an ambulance.” She rushed into her bedroom and cursed herself for having dumped all those clothes on the bed where her phone had been. Although she didn’t know what was happening, Alicia knew time was of the essence and she desperately needed her phone.
She finally located it and rushed back into the living room.
“Alicia.”
Alicia froze with her thumb hovering over the ‘one’ button. She hadn’t seen her mother’s dark blue lips move but she was sure she’d heard someone say her name. It sounded like a man’s voice but… not just any man’s voice. It sounded like…
“Alicia.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she turned around. Sitting on one of the bar stools was Chance. Alicia suddenly felt lightheaded and fell to the floor beside her mother, whose skin was developing the most grotesque sores. Alicia wasn’t sure what was happening but she prayed she would wake up from whatever nightmare she was in.
“I missed you,” Chance said, getting up from the stool.
Alicia wandered into the dark living room and saw her mother sleeping soundly on the couch. She knew she would have to apologize once she woke up- even if she wasn’t really sorry. Alicia walked as quietly as she could into the kitchen. Her mob of a family had left enough food to last year until next year. She grabbed a fork from the drainer and tucked into a tub of macaroni; her Auntie Louisa’s macaroni and cheese was her favorite dish on the planet. Alicia brought the entire platter over to the bar on the other side of the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room. She sat on one of the tacky bar stools that Chance had picked out and saw that her mother had fallen asleep to the home shopping network.
“Classic Mom,” Alicia said with a tiny smile. She blinked, not remembering the last time she’d smiled.
“Alicia,” he mother grumbled. “Alicia…”
Alicia put her fork down and went to kneel beside her mother. Her eyes were wide with alarm but it was almost as if she couldn’t move.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” she asked, slightly alarmed. “What’s going on?”
Her mother’s eyes darted around the room and she slowly lifted her arm but it shook as it moved. Alicia grabbed her mother’s hand. It felt clammy and damp. Alicia reached over her mother’s head to turn on the light on the end table. She gasped and pulled away when she looked back down at her mom. The strong and virile brown-skinned beauty that had been her mother now had blue lips and a grey coloring about her with severe wrinkles that had not been there a few hours ago.
Alicia swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s going to be alright, Mom. I’m going to call for an ambulance.” She rushed into her bedroom and cursed herself for having dumped all those clothes on the bed where her phone had been. Although she didn’t know what was happening, Alicia knew time was of the essence and she desperately needed her phone.
She finally located it and rushed back into the living room.
“Alicia.”
Alicia froze with her thumb hovering over the ‘one’ button. She hadn’t seen her mother’s dark blue lips move but she was sure she’d heard someone say her name. It sounded like a man’s voice but… not just any man’s voice. It sounded like…
“Alicia.”
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she turned around. Sitting on one of the bar stools was Chance. Alicia suddenly felt lightheaded and fell to the floor beside her mother, whose skin was developing the most grotesque sores. Alicia wasn’t sure what was happening but she prayed she would wake up from whatever nightmare she was in.
“I missed you,” Chance said, getting up from the stool.