Adventures in Babysitting
Chapter Twelve: Verse
Chapter Twelve: Verse
The woman with Jesse turned around to face me. Yep, I was right. It was Alison. Her eyes widened when she saw me walk towards her a bit. She started walking away. Fast.
“Alison!” I called after her. She stopped at the school entrance. I ran over to her. “What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“I should be asking you the same thing,” she added. She turned around to face me and gave me a weak smile. That’s not like her.
“I came to pick up Adele,” I told her, “It was parent teacher day. I was with her this whole time.”
“Oh,” she replied quietly. She said it loud enough so I could barely hear.
“Um, can I ask why you’re here?”
“I’m here,” she took a breath, “to pick up someone too.”
“Who?
“My...my son,” she told me. She stroked Jesse’s hair gently.
“Oh,” I replied. I thought that may have been it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “It’s just...I haven’t talked to you in so long. I never got the chance to tell you. After all, I haven’t seen you in six years. Haven’t you always wondered why I couldn’t be on the phone for more than half an hour or so?”
I did always notice that. And for a while, I did want to know why. But I guess after a while, I just brushed it away and forgot to ask every time we talked.
“I should be going,” Alison told me. She turned away and started walking away. I called after her. She didn’t turn around...
++++++++++++++
The next day came quickly. Luckily for me, Gerard woke up early enough to take Adele to school. ut the rest of the day ticked by slowly. I was bored as hell. I searched under my pillow and pulled out my notebook and grabbed my guitar. The song will have one full verse today. That’s my goal.
But hey, goals can’t always be reached right. I lay in my bunk, Bela on my stomach, and stared at the bunk above me. Nothing came to me. Nothing at all. I closed my eyes and thought. Nothing but a picture of my old room as a kid. An image of the mahogany closet door. The door in my mind creaked open and
“Boo!”
“Ahh!” I fell off of my bunk. Luckily, the guitar stayed put on the bed. I’d hate to have another funeral. Pansy’s was enough. I looked up. I came face to face with his wide grin.
“What the fuck?” I yelled at him, “Gerard!”
“Sorry,” he said, his smile disappearing. He sat on the edge of my bunk and looked at me on the floor, “You just seemed out of it. You okay? Need help up?”
“I’m fine,” I sighed. I got back up and grabbed my guitar and notebook. I quickly walked into the living room.
“What were you thinking about anyway?” Gee asked as I sat on the couch. He sat down on the chair across from me.
“Just about,” I pause.
“What?”
“A memory.”
“Of what?”
“What’s with all the questions? Are you suddenly three again Gee?”
“No,” he told me, “I just wanted to know. That’s all.”
“It’s stupid,” I replied.
“I like stupid things,” he laughed, “Let me hear it!”
“Okay,” I took a breath, “I was thinking about something from when I was a kid. Nothing to weird. Just an old...fear. That’s all.”
“What was it?” Gee asked. I raised an eyebrow, “The fear I mean.”
I sighed. Prepare for ridicule. “The fear was...” Gerard motioned for me to go on. He’s gonna laugh. Let me savor this one moment of silence. Free of laughter.
“I was afraid of a monster that lived in my closet,” I closed my eyes and waited for impact. I heard Gerard chuckle.
“It’s okay,” he replied, “I think I was afraid of that too. Until I was nine. I think I scared Mikey with my theory of the closet monster too.”
We both laughed. “Everyone’s afraid of that when they’re little aren’t they?”
“I think so,” Gee replied, “That’s when reality sinks in and we figure out it was nothing at all. Just problems that we try to pretend to cover up for things that overwhelm us as kids.”
“Yea,” I agreed. With that, Gerard smiled at e and walked out of the room. It came to me then.
A new verse...
The woman with Jesse turned around to face me. Yep, I was right. It was Alison. Her eyes widened when she saw me walk towards her a bit. She started walking away. Fast.
“Alison!” I called after her. She stopped at the school entrance. I ran over to her. “What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“I should be asking you the same thing,” she added. She turned around to face me and gave me a weak smile. That’s not like her.
“I came to pick up Adele,” I told her, “It was parent teacher day. I was with her this whole time.”
“Oh,” she replied quietly. She said it loud enough so I could barely hear.
“Um, can I ask why you’re here?”
“I’m here,” she took a breath, “to pick up someone too.”
“Who?
“My...my son,” she told me. She stroked Jesse’s hair gently.
“Oh,” I replied. I thought that may have been it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “It’s just...I haven’t talked to you in so long. I never got the chance to tell you. After all, I haven’t seen you in six years. Haven’t you always wondered why I couldn’t be on the phone for more than half an hour or so?”
I did always notice that. And for a while, I did want to know why. But I guess after a while, I just brushed it away and forgot to ask every time we talked.
“I should be going,” Alison told me. She turned away and started walking away. I called after her. She didn’t turn around...
++++++++++++++
The next day came quickly. Luckily for me, Gerard woke up early enough to take Adele to school. ut the rest of the day ticked by slowly. I was bored as hell. I searched under my pillow and pulled out my notebook and grabbed my guitar. The song will have one full verse today. That’s my goal.
But hey, goals can’t always be reached right. I lay in my bunk, Bela on my stomach, and stared at the bunk above me. Nothing came to me. Nothing at all. I closed my eyes and thought. Nothing but a picture of my old room as a kid. An image of the mahogany closet door. The door in my mind creaked open and
“Boo!”
“Ahh!” I fell off of my bunk. Luckily, the guitar stayed put on the bed. I’d hate to have another funeral. Pansy’s was enough. I looked up. I came face to face with his wide grin.
“What the fuck?” I yelled at him, “Gerard!”
“Sorry,” he said, his smile disappearing. He sat on the edge of my bunk and looked at me on the floor, “You just seemed out of it. You okay? Need help up?”
“I’m fine,” I sighed. I got back up and grabbed my guitar and notebook. I quickly walked into the living room.
“What were you thinking about anyway?” Gee asked as I sat on the couch. He sat down on the chair across from me.
“Just about,” I pause.
“What?”
“A memory.”
“Of what?”
“What’s with all the questions? Are you suddenly three again Gee?”
“No,” he told me, “I just wanted to know. That’s all.”
“It’s stupid,” I replied.
“I like stupid things,” he laughed, “Let me hear it!”
“Okay,” I took a breath, “I was thinking about something from when I was a kid. Nothing to weird. Just an old...fear. That’s all.”
“What was it?” Gee asked. I raised an eyebrow, “The fear I mean.”
I sighed. Prepare for ridicule. “The fear was...” Gerard motioned for me to go on. He’s gonna laugh. Let me savor this one moment of silence. Free of laughter.
“I was afraid of a monster that lived in my closet,” I closed my eyes and waited for impact. I heard Gerard chuckle.
“It’s okay,” he replied, “I think I was afraid of that too. Until I was nine. I think I scared Mikey with my theory of the closet monster too.”
We both laughed. “Everyone’s afraid of that when they’re little aren’t they?”
“I think so,” Gee replied, “That’s when reality sinks in and we figure out it was nothing at all. Just problems that we try to pretend to cover up for things that overwhelm us as kids.”
“Yea,” I agreed. With that, Gerard smiled at e and walked out of the room. It came to me then.
A new verse...