Chapter: N

The days seemed to grow longer and I seemed to become more restless. I hadn’t seen Darla or her son since, the day I had ruined my hair. Dad is kind of upset that I had bleached my hair, he said if I wanted to express myself a tattoo or a piercing would have been more appropriate. Trust dad to say scaring my body is more appropriate than killing already dead hair.

Charm keeps staring outside her bedroom window, the one that overlooks the front door. She seems to think mom will come back and everything will go back to normal. I don’t know how to go into her room and tell her, mom is never coming back, and if she were to, would things be normal?

I hate to think that I hate my mother, in a sense it’s like she hurt me, but then again she didn’t because she never did anything to me.

I decided to console Charm; maybe I would feel better if I came to terms with how I’m feeling.

I sat next to Charm, “Charmmy,” I said I rested my head on her shoulder, “You know I love you, right?”

“Trinket?” Charm’s quiet voice peeped.

“Yeah,”

“Would you wait for me?” she asked,

“Forever,” I said noticing the sunset behind us.

“That is why I am still here,” she said. Charm sighed, “Trinket, I won’t give up. I know she’s coming back.”

“Stop it,” I whispered.

“What?”

“Stop it,” I said louder.

“Stop what?”

“Stop this! How many nights will you wait for mother to come back, and when she comes back, what will you say to her? I waited three years for you every single night and you finally came back? Charm this is insane,” I said completely upset about the situation. I covered my mouth in shame, I never meant to say that to her, “I . . .I’m Sorry!” I said, “Charmmy I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean it, at all.” I tried to touch her head but she pushed me away.

“You may think me waiting here is pointless, but don’t you think breaking all the mirrors in the house and killing your hair just so you’re not reminded of mother is pointless? She is our MOTHER Trinket, just because she hurt you doesn’t mean you have to erase her existence.”

I felt like I had been slapped, quickly, smoothly and hard. Charm was right; I know she is right yet I can’t help but say to her, “It’s the only way I can deal with it.”

“You deal with it you’re way, and I’ll deal with it my way.” Charm continued staring out the bedroom window searching for Mothers movement in the shadows that I knew would never shift.

I left Charms room in defeat, the purpose of my visit was to make Charm feel better, or rather make me feel better. Instead I felt like a monster, I attacked my little sister, and for what? “Charmmy, I . . . I’m Sorry.” I tried to touch her head but then pulled back in disbelief.

I stood up and left her room. Maybe talking to dad would make me feel better. Although he is taking mothers abandonment rather well. I walk into the kitchen to see him making Quiche Lorraine. I paced around trying to think of what to say, it’s not like I could honestly ask ‘how did you get over mom so easily?’ or could I?

“What’s up Pumpkin?” Dad asked.

“Why are you acting like nothing is wrong?” I asked, “I mean mother left you, she left us, and you’re acting like she went to go on a trip to see grandma or something.”

Dad gave me a soft smile, “Trinket, what would you do if I locked myself in my bedroom, cried my eyes out every night, refusing to do anything never mind comforting you and your sister?”

I stared at dad, was this really how he felt about the whole situation? “Dad, I didn’t know . . .” I said not knowing what to say.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to benefit from my example.”

“And Charm?”

“Charm is dealing with this in her own way,”

“But I know mom isn’t coming back, why doesn’t she see that?”

Dad gave a hopeful smile; “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Trinket.”

I felt a blow to my stomach as I heard father say those words. I felt so disgusted I ran out of the kitchen then out of the front door into the dark street lit by orange lights. The tears blurred my vision and I noticed a bright light coming towards me.

Somebody grabbed me and we landed with a large thud on the grass away from the middle of the street.

I heard my name being screamed faintly in the background, “Charm?” I asked.

“What the hell are you doing?” I heard a male voice say.

I opened my eyes only to find tears blurred them. I wiped the tears away, “She left him with nothing and he still loves her! I don’t get it!”

“What are you talking about?” Darla’s son asked, “and you’re welcome.”

I sat up and stared at him, his eyes looked dark in the dark of the night, his hair was pushed back and he had a drip of sweat on the side of his face. As I stared at him I felt like kissing him. Maybe it was because I was stressed or maybe it was because I needed somebody, regardless I leant forward.

“Trinket, are you okay!?” Charm said running out to me, “I saw you run into the middle of the street and almost get hit by a car until Max grabbed you!” Come on in we need to make sure you’re okay.

Dad came running out and tried to carry me inside the house but I refused, “I can walk,” I said as I walked back inside the house dazed.

His name is Max.