24
REBECCA
Where am I supposed to go now?
I sit in my quickly cooling car with the engine shut off, staring at the house that I once called home.
My dad now wants nothing to do with me, and I have nowhere to go. My heart is breaking, not only because Dad can’t stand to look at me, but because Damian loves it here. He loves my parents so much, and Dad’s just throwing all that away.
I fully expected a big blowup, but kicking us out at Christmas? What was he thinking? I’m fearful of what I’m about to walk into. He could already be packing my things. I’m stunned I didn’t come home to my things thrown into the snow.
My only fear right now is that he’s taking this anger he has for me and directing it at Damian for no reason. He is innocent in all this. Hell, he doesn’t even know Steven is his father, let alone that we are together.
I like to take pride in the fact that we kept him in the dark about this whole mess. I’ve tried my hardest over the past four years to be the best mother I could be, and now we are homeless.
He doesn’t deserve this, and if I’m being honest, neither do I. I didn’t kill anyone or steal their money. I found love in someone who just so happens to be Dad’s best friend. It’s not the end of the world.
Although he may see it as the end of his world. I know he’s feeling betrayed, but this is ridiculous.
Sighing, I climb out of my car and rush toward the front door. I want to be the one to tell Damian, not him.
As I step inside, the house is eerily quiet, besides Damian’s little television he has in his room which is blasting music from a tape he’s put in to watch. I catch a glimpse of my tear-streaked makeup in the mirror hanging on the wall and huff as my sleeves aid me in wiping it clean.
I spot my mother in the kitchen, facing away from me as she stares out the little window above the sink. “Mom…” I say softly. “Where’s Dad?”
“He left. He says he’ll come home when you’re gone.” She turns to face me with red, puffy eyes, revealing to me that she’s also been crying.
My eyes drill into her. “Where am I supposed to go, Mom? It’s Christmastime…Everything is probably already fully booked. Are you going to make your daughter and grandson sleep in a car in the middle of winter?”
Mom huffs roughly and rests her back against the counter’s edge. “Becca, what do you want me to do?”
“Fight for me!” I nearly scream back at her. “Fight for us…He’s acting ridiculous.”
She shakes her head. “Try and think about how he feels. His own daughter and best friend fucked him over…” I’m in shock hearing her curse at me. In all my years, even when she severely burned her hand one time, she has never cursed. At least not around me.
“Becca, I love you,” she continues, lowering her eyes from mine. “I really do. But there’s no changing that man’s mind once it’s made. Damian is more than welcome to stay here until you get something else figured out, but?—”
“Absolutely not,” I say, cutting her off. “If I leave, so doesmyson.” I feel my heart splitting in two. I thought for sure that my own mother would have my back…
“We have to leave?” The little voice that rings out behind me causes my heart to nearly stop.Damian…
Turning quickly, I kneel in front of him as his face droops with sadness. “Baby…I’m so sorry. Here, let’s go back to your room and talk.” With my hand on his shoulder, I steer him away from the kitchen, away from the woman I never imagined could be so heartless.
“But I don’t want to leave.” His voice drips with heartbreak, and it takes everything in me to keep the tears from flowing.
“I don’t want to either, but we don’t have a choice.”
He runs over and sits on his little dinosaur bed as I begin opening his dresser drawers to pull out his clothing. “How will Santa know where to find me?”
My eyebrows furrow as my face softens. “That’s the beauty of Santa. He’s magic. He’ll know exactly where to find us for Christmas.” I put down the clothes and sit in front of him on the floor. He throws his little arms around my neck and hugs me tightly.
How can I even begin to tell my four-year-old son that his grandparents are kicking us out? It pains me to see him so upset, but we don’t have another choice except to leave. He’s too young to understand, even if he is smart for his age.
This is a grown-up issue, and he doesn’t need to be pulled into it.
For the next two hours, I spend the time packing up our rooms and other belongings from the bathroom. It isn’t much, and I was able to get it all into a few trash bags and some extra boxes Mom had stored in the garage.
Seeing my entire life in a pile by the front door, it pains me to my core. My family is all I’ve ever had, and now, I’ve never felt so alone…so shunned.
