Nightmares come true
ING! RING! RING! Walking over I picked up the phone on the third ring answering with a smile on my face that I was sure could be heard through the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey Mom. How are you doing?” The voice on the end said. I recognized it immediately causing my smile to widen even more.
“I’m doing good Zackery. How are things with you? You finally settle down in your new apartment?”
“That’s actually why I called, would you like to come over for lunch?”
“I would love Dearie.”
“See you at twelve?”
“I’ll be there.” Writing down the address I said goodbye and hung up the phone with a promise of not bringing anything. He insisted that he do all the cooking. Walking into my bedroom to change out of my garden clothes and looked at the clock. Ten AM.
“Good I have enough time to take a shower.” I said aloud to myself. My shower took me a few minutes; by the time I was ready the clock said 10:30 AM. “Well, he might need my help with some cooking.” Making my mind up I grabbed my keys and purse and headed out the door. His apartments teen miles from me, taking me maybe fifteen to twenty minutes getting there. Walking up the stairs to his apartment I couldn’t help but notice the whole place looked run down.
The outside walls looked as if they haven’t had a paint job done in years. There was a small playground for the kids, however the playground equipment looked broken and unsafe from advantage point. The stairs, I now slowly climbed looked rusted and I feared that it would come apart as I walked up it. Causing my feet to move faster. His apartment door didn’t look any better than the rest, the numbers 203 were all different. The two was made out of what looked like reflectors tape. The zero was a sticker you would buy from the dollar store. And the tree was just a piece of paper taped to the door.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! I waited a few minutes before knocking three more times. Knocking once more I heard a noise from the other side of a chain lock moving before the door opened revealing Zachery who smelt so bad I almost fell over from the smell. His dark brown hair looked ruffled as if he just got out of bed, his breath smelled like had been eating nothing but onions; his face was scruffy, it looked a few weeks old of growth on his chin. And he smelt as if he hadn’t had a shower in months.
“Mom?” He said his eyes wide in shock. “Your early. Come on in, lock the door behind you please.” Without farther word he turned and walked back into the apartment. I followed him and closed the door. Locking it with the only lock on the door, the chain I heard him move before he opened the door.
“Sorry for being early dearie, I wasn’t busy, and I figured I could help you with some of the cook-.“ I froze as I turned and looked at his living room. A small room that looked as if it could only hold three queen size mattresses, had a futon on the wall beside the door maybe feet from the door. Across from it was a small coffee table with what looked to be a 42-inch TV, maybe smaller; a small foldable laundry hamper lay, still in its packing on the coffee table to the right of the TV. A pile of dirty clothes sat on the floor next to it; to the right of that was a closed door. The floor was covered with other dirty laundry just lying around, empty pizza boxes, some even had a few moldy pieces in the box, and cans of all types of soda and beer.
Zachery went to the left of all this to a small kitchen counter with a small stove, refrigerator, microwave, and a counter maybe six feet long and wide between the refrigerator and stove. To the right of the stove lay a sink filled, and I mean completely filled with dirty dishes. There was no dining table. At all!
“Thank you, mother,” He replied not noticing that I was still standing in front of the door gawking at his place. He started stirring something that was over boiling on the stove as continued, “Could you get some carrots from the refrigerator please? It’s the only ingredient I forgot to pull out.” Shaking myself out of my shocked stance I walked over opened the refrigerator worse than the living room. Mold lay in some places while dried up food or liquid lay in others. The carrots, however, looked freshly bought and as I pulled them out I noticed they were not cold. Thank goodness he just bought them.
Walking over to the sink I unloaded and stacked the dishes onto the small counter neatly in order to clean the carrots. But as I reached over to take the carrots once more they were gone.
“Where did the carrots go?” I asked. With a smile Zachery answered as he threw carrot pieces into whatever he was burning.
“In the stew.”
“Ok then.” I replied as I felt a tad bit nauseous at the thought of what he put in the stew. I faced the sink and tried to turn the nob to get some water to clean the dishes, but nothing came out. “What is wrong with your sink?” I asked thinking perhaps there was a trick to it.
“Broken.” He replied simply. “I’ve got someone coming to look at it, but they won’t be here till tomorrow.”
“Oh. What will we eat off of then?” He looked at me generally confused at my question.
“The dishes of course.” He replied before he went back to his stirring.
“Oh, but my dear. The dishes are dirty.”
“Na.” He replied as he walked over and took two bowls with spoons in them and tipped them over in the sink. The spoons hit with a clank sound as I looked at him questionably. “The spoons didn’t stick so it’s clean. If they had stuck they would not have been.” He said as a matter of fact.
“Where is your bathroom?” I asked as the nausea roared up inside of me at the thought of it all.
“The door across from the front door.” He replied as he walked back over to the pot to continue stirring.
Turning quickly, I ran to the door and pushed it open. I stopped in my tracks as I looked in the bathroom. Beer cans littered the floor, the shower had grime on its walls, the shower curtain was moldy. The sink and toilet both look rusted and hadn’t been cleaned in ages; and in the middle of it all, was a pair of pants standing up by themselves. A pair of what looked to be boxers stuck to the floor.
“Zachery!” I yelled. He came running and looked into the both confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“Wha… Wha... What on earth is that?” I asked pointing at the pants. “And that?” pointing to the underwear.
“Oh. That.” He says with a laugh. “The pants are dirty. If they stay up like that then their dirty. Same with the underwear. I wear them both until they are like that.”
“What!?” I said in a whisper. “Why? Have I not taught you better than that?”
“I’m sorry Mom. I didn’t hear that, what did you say?”
I shook my head and ran out the door, hollowing as I did, “We’re having lunch at my place and I’m cooking. See you at twelve!”
“Um, Ok!” He yelled back as I practically ran down the stairs, and to my car. Peeling out as my car flew me home and away from the disaster of a place my soon calls home.
