…wait…
It’s been raining…a lot…so…warm December it is.
Minnesota. Rain. December. What.
Anyway.
No.
Wait.
I just looked out the window and it’s snowing.
Joy.
We took my ring in for its regular six-month inspection and they found a loose stone, so they had to send it out for repair. I am without my wedding ring for over two weeks. I don’t realize how much I fidget with my ring until I’m not wearing it. My hand is naked and I feel all weird and off. I am constantly aware that it’s missing. It’s not fun. At all.
It’s two something in the morning, I’m not tired, and I have an appointment at 10:15 tomorrow…today…whatever. So I’ll be in fine shape when I have to leave the house. I love insomnia. And by “love” I mean: EFFFFF YOUUUUU.
But! After Friday, Bob is on vacation for the rest of the year and I. Can’t. Wait.
I started writing a post about writing and it quickly devolved into indecipherable gibberish. After about a thousand words, I decided I should probably just stop trying to make it make sense. I should probably take that as a sign to forego the blogging and get back to the writing, but…this is me.
—
Home was the last place she wanted to go, but if Tyler was involved, Alison knew she had to be there. Her nephew had enough to deal with, with his mother. She didn’t need to put him in the middle of the stalemate between her and her husband.
The blessing and curse of living and working in such a small town was the time it took to get anywhere. Less than fifteen minutes from the time she’d hung up the phone, she was parked in the driveway, staring at the house she hadn’t slept in, in five months. She had just been here earlier in the day, but it still felt painfully foreign. She sighed heavily, throwing the car door open, and climbed out of the vehicle. Looking around, she realized her in-law family was all here too. She couldn’t even fathom what Natalie’s appearance had incited this time.
She headed for the front door, hesitating before entering, and was instantly met with loud barking as Isabel bolted towards her. She scooped up the dog, kissing her snout in an attempt to quiet the noise, and crossed the hall, finding the family spread around the living room and kitchen.
Parker stopped in front of her, kissing her temple, “Thanks for coming,” he said quietly.
“What’s going on?” she set the dog down, looking around the room, seeing her teenage nephew curled up in an armchair, stoic, staring blankly at the fireplace. He was rubbing his ear—a sure sign of stress and anxiety. She walked over to where he sat, leaning over the back of the chair to kiss his temple, “Hey Sweetie,” she murmured, smoothing his hair, also noting that his mother was nowhere to be seen. She stood up straight as Parker handed her a thin stack of paper, hesitant. She frowned, taking the document, and looked at the top page.
Affidavit of Guardianship
She stared at the header a moment before continuing, confusion turning to nausea as she comprehended what she was reading. She looked up at Parker, finding him cautiously waiting for her reaction. She glanced down at Tyler, heart stuttering, wondering how much he actually knew about this. She turned to her husband again, stomach roiling.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” he shook his head, looking down at their nephew, “She showed up unannounced. She said she was in a jam and she needed me to keep Tyler for the weekend. Then Mom found this envelope in their mailbox.”
“Is this a legal document?”
“It appears so. I’m pretty sure that’s a real notary seal on there. But I don’t…” he trailed off, shaking his head, rubbing his chest absently to abate the ache.
“You can tell me she’s not coming back. I know she’s not coming back.”
They both spun around as Tyler spoke suddenly. He was still focused hard on the fireplace, still rubbing his ear, expression pained.
Parker walked around the chair, kneeling on the floor in front of him, “Did she tell you she’s not coming back?”
Tyler shook his head, but didn’t look at him, “I know she’s not coming back.”
“Did she tell you where she’s going?”
“No. She didn’t tell me anything. She just packed that suitcase. She said she was bringing me here this weekend, but that’s all she said. I know she’s not coming back,” he drew in a ragged breath, looking up as Alison stopped behind Parker. He winced, looking at the papers she held, “What is that?”
Parker turned, looking up at Alison, and let out a slow sigh before facing his nephew again, “Your mom signed over guardianship of you to us,” he said quietly, “Liss and I are now your legal guardians.”
Tyler stared at him, silent, save for the hitch in his breath, and slowly shook his head. He pulled his knees tighter against his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs, as if trying to shrink himself. It was clear he was fighting hard not to cry. The utter devastation in his wide, hazel eyes made it feel like they’d just delivered the news that his mother had died. Though in some sick way, somehow that seemed preferable to the reality that she had—by all appearances—abandoned him.
Alison dropped the papers on the coffee table and moved around the chair. Leaning over the back, she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his temple, “I love you so much, you know that?” she murmured, kissing him again, “So, so much.”
Parker reached out, rubbing his arm, “We’re not going anywhere, Ty,” he said quietly, “We got you. You’ve got this whole family here who loves you so much. We will take care of you. We will figure this out.”
—
I’ve been building a soundtrack for this project that’s been eating away at my brain. It’s incredibly easy to find songs to fit Parker and Alison. Songs about broken relationships are plentiful as it just so happens. The dilemma…if I’m going to make this an accurate representation of the story, I need songs I can relate to Tyler as well. Though finding tunes that adequately fit a damaged teenager from the perspective of his caretakers are harder to find. I’ll have to keep looking, I guess.
—
(The Truth by Kris Allen with Pat Monahan)
—
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I Am Train |