Little Things
A Bad Hit
I walked into my house after school with Harry and heard someone moving around. I usually get home before Ryder but maybe he had a half day and I forgot. I ran up the stairs and ran into the kitchen.
“I am so sorry if you had a half day I must’ve forgot and-” I stopped short to see my mother taking cookies out of the oven. “ummm”
“Hi honey how was school?” she said wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing. Since when did she own an apron?
“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“Oh come oe sweetie-”
“No mom I have barely seen you i-in months. So excuse me if I have no idea what you’re doing home on a random Friday afternoon.” I said exasperated
“Well I'm going to be taking some time off of work. Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to introduce me. Hi I’m Miss Mercer but you can call me Paula.”
“Well I’m Harry nice to meet you Miss Mercer.” He shook her hand and I just stood there awe struck.
“Like wise Harry. So how long have you and my daughter been together?”
“3 months last week.” He said with his arm around me.
“That’s great. Listen I would invite you for dinner but I just need to have a family night with my kids. But I would love to have you over someday soon.”
“What do you mean by that? You’re never home.” I scoffed.
“Well we will talk about that later.” She said putting the cookies on a plate.
“Well I just gave Jazz a ride home so I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll walk you out.” We headed back towards the front door.
“Bye Harry.”
“Bye Miss Mercer.” He called up from the bottom of the stairs “I don’t know why you’re being so hostile she seems like she just misses you.”
“No she’s up to something I know she is. I’ll talk to you later.” We kissed goodbye and I went back up to my mother. “Okay talk. What’s really going on?”
“Jasmine I would rather wait until you’re brother gets home.” She said offering me a cookie.
“Fine whatever. Call me when dinner is ready.” And I went up to my room.
LINEBREAK
“Maybe she got fired.” My brother said as we went through theories on our mothers new found interest in spending time at home.
“That’s probably it. Oh god what if she wants to bring a guy home.” Me and him both shuddered.
“What if-”
“KIDS dinner’s ready!” my mother shouted up the stairs.
“Whelp time to find out.” I said pushing off my bed.
We all sat awkwardly at the table and began serving ourselves. We all began eating only exchanging a simple ‘pass the salt.’ Every few minutes. I finally got sick of the silence. “Alright mom we’re both here what’s going on?”
“Well this doesn’t seem like the best time maybe we should wait till after dinner.”
“Mom enough stalling. There obviously isn’t going to be a good time so just tell us.” I said
“Alright. I’ll stop beating around the bush.” She put her fork down and wiped her mouth. “I’m pregnant.” Ryder spit his milk across the table and I dropped my fork along with my mouth. “You’re WHAT?”
“Pregnant.” She said refusing to meet my eyes.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I said standing up.
“Jasmine! Language!”
“No I don’t understand. How could you let this happen! You barley take care of us as it is you can’t have another kid are you crazy!”
“I plan on working from home and being here for you kids more.”
“That’s such bullshit mom! You said the same thing when Ryder was born. But you baby sitter after babysitter then eventually when I was old enough dumped him on me. If you have another kid that means I have another kid. I have basically single handedly raised Ryder. I’m going off to college next year I can’t have the responsibility of your kids! I’m still a kid mom I’m 17 for god sakes! I can’t deal with this anymore I cant. I'm done. We are done. Come on Ryder.” I turned around and went to leave but realized Ryder wasn’t following me. “Come on Ryder.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no.”
“I’m not going with you. I'm not going to be your burden anymore.” He got up and stormed into his room. I ran up to my room and started packing. I got everything I thought I needed and walked down my stairs. I thought about saying goodbye to Ryder but I knew I wouldn’t leave if I did. I walked out and I called the only person I could think of who would let me stay with them.
“Harry I need a ride.”
LINEBREAK
“I thought you cut back on smoking.” Harry said as we drove to his apartment.
“Harry please not now anytime but now.” I said inhaling
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“No. not now at least.”
LINEBREAK
“Jazz we have to talk about what happened.”
“No we don’t Harry can’t you just let it go.”
“Jazz you’re asking to move in with me I want to know what happened.”
“FINE. You wanna know why I'm so mad at my mother? Want to know why I just walked out on the only family I have! She’s pregnant! She’s fucking pregnant. I can’t take care of her kids! And in the process I lost Ryder. He is never ever going to forgive me because I basically said he was a burden to me. Now I have no family and nowhere to stay. I gave up everything-” I croaked as I started crying. Harry came over to me and held me as I sobbed hysterically.
“Shush. It’s okay I'm here.”
“But you won’t be. You leave for tour in two days. After that I'm alone.” I said bursting into a new form of hysteria.
“You have Alex. See if she can stay with you while I'm away. You can stay here. Because this is your home now. This is our home. We are a family now. You and me baby I promise.”
“I am so sorry if you had a half day I must’ve forgot and-” I stopped short to see my mother taking cookies out of the oven. “ummm”
“Hi honey how was school?” she said wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing. Since when did she own an apron?
“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“Oh come oe sweetie-”
“No mom I have barely seen you i-in months. So excuse me if I have no idea what you’re doing home on a random Friday afternoon.” I said exasperated
“Well I'm going to be taking some time off of work. Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to introduce me. Hi I’m Miss Mercer but you can call me Paula.”
“Well I’m Harry nice to meet you Miss Mercer.” He shook her hand and I just stood there awe struck.
“Like wise Harry. So how long have you and my daughter been together?”
“3 months last week.” He said with his arm around me.
“That’s great. Listen I would invite you for dinner but I just need to have a family night with my kids. But I would love to have you over someday soon.”
“What do you mean by that? You’re never home.” I scoffed.
“Well we will talk about that later.” She said putting the cookies on a plate.
“Well I just gave Jazz a ride home so I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll walk you out.” We headed back towards the front door.
“Bye Harry.”
“Bye Miss Mercer.” He called up from the bottom of the stairs “I don’t know why you’re being so hostile she seems like she just misses you.”
“No she’s up to something I know she is. I’ll talk to you later.” We kissed goodbye and I went back up to my mother. “Okay talk. What’s really going on?”
“Jasmine I would rather wait until you’re brother gets home.” She said offering me a cookie.
“Fine whatever. Call me when dinner is ready.” And I went up to my room.
LINEBREAK
“Maybe she got fired.” My brother said as we went through theories on our mothers new found interest in spending time at home.
“That’s probably it. Oh god what if she wants to bring a guy home.” Me and him both shuddered.
“What if-”
“KIDS dinner’s ready!” my mother shouted up the stairs.
“Whelp time to find out.” I said pushing off my bed.
We all sat awkwardly at the table and began serving ourselves. We all began eating only exchanging a simple ‘pass the salt.’ Every few minutes. I finally got sick of the silence. “Alright mom we’re both here what’s going on?”
“Well this doesn’t seem like the best time maybe we should wait till after dinner.”
“Mom enough stalling. There obviously isn’t going to be a good time so just tell us.” I said
“Alright. I’ll stop beating around the bush.” She put her fork down and wiped her mouth. “I’m pregnant.” Ryder spit his milk across the table and I dropped my fork along with my mouth. “You’re WHAT?”
“Pregnant.” She said refusing to meet my eyes.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I said standing up.
“Jasmine! Language!”
“No I don’t understand. How could you let this happen! You barley take care of us as it is you can’t have another kid are you crazy!”
“I plan on working from home and being here for you kids more.”
“That’s such bullshit mom! You said the same thing when Ryder was born. But you baby sitter after babysitter then eventually when I was old enough dumped him on me. If you have another kid that means I have another kid. I have basically single handedly raised Ryder. I’m going off to college next year I can’t have the responsibility of your kids! I’m still a kid mom I’m 17 for god sakes! I can’t deal with this anymore I cant. I'm done. We are done. Come on Ryder.” I turned around and went to leave but realized Ryder wasn’t following me. “Come on Ryder.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no.”
“I’m not going with you. I'm not going to be your burden anymore.” He got up and stormed into his room. I ran up to my room and started packing. I got everything I thought I needed and walked down my stairs. I thought about saying goodbye to Ryder but I knew I wouldn’t leave if I did. I walked out and I called the only person I could think of who would let me stay with them.
“Harry I need a ride.”
LINEBREAK
“I thought you cut back on smoking.” Harry said as we drove to his apartment.
“Harry please not now anytime but now.” I said inhaling
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“No. not now at least.”
LINEBREAK
“Jazz we have to talk about what happened.”
“No we don’t Harry can’t you just let it go.”
“Jazz you’re asking to move in with me I want to know what happened.”
“FINE. You wanna know why I'm so mad at my mother? Want to know why I just walked out on the only family I have! She’s pregnant! She’s fucking pregnant. I can’t take care of her kids! And in the process I lost Ryder. He is never ever going to forgive me because I basically said he was a burden to me. Now I have no family and nowhere to stay. I gave up everything-” I croaked as I started crying. Harry came over to me and held me as I sobbed hysterically.
“Shush. It’s okay I'm here.”
“But you won’t be. You leave for tour in two days. After that I'm alone.” I said bursting into a new form of hysteria.
“You have Alex. See if she can stay with you while I'm away. You can stay here. Because this is your home now. This is our home. We are a family now. You and me baby I promise.”
7/11/13