Chapter 1: Move in
The warm breeze blows in my face while I drive on the highway. My son, Ryan is too busy worrying about his tablet, and my dog, Taylor, is asleep. “Mommy, My tablet is dying,” Ryan says. “Let me see the charger,” I take the charger and plug it into the USB cord. I hear the charger ding and that’s how I know it’s charging.
I look around my surroundings. The houses are a bit far from each other to get a real good view of the scenery, but I like looking at the trees and flowers in the distance. My hands start tapping against the steering wheel again as I keep driving and listening to the radio. A song playing over the speakers, I don’t know what it’s called, only that it is catchy enough for me to hum along.
My phone buzzes beside me, I reach over and pull it out of my pocket, checking who texted me. It’s my father, “Hey Bonnie, how’s moving going? my dad asks. “It’s fine I guess just a lot of stuff and a lot of ours from Maine,” I reply. “That’s nice, I heard you got a nice house, how’s baby Ryan doing?” My dad asks. I had Ryan at 14 it was a big mistake. Someone took advantage. “He’s good, look, dad, um I got to go the house is coming up,” I say trying to change the topic quickly before he starts asking more questions. “Ok I’ll see you later, love you,” he says smiling from ear to ear. “Love you too, bye.”
I hang up the call and sigh. The road goes on for miles with no signs or houses, just trees, and open fields. I take another look at my phone, hoping there’s some signal here. No dice, I put it back in my pocket and keep driving. Eventually, we pull up at the house, and I and Ryan grab the boxes and bring it in. We set down everything and then leave for the living room. Ryan sits down next to his tablet and watches whatever video game he was watching earlier. He seems so happy with this whole situation, I feel bad that his father made him move here.
I unpack the stuff we need like, the beds, the food, the couch, tv, toothbrushes, etc. I will unpack the decor tomorrow morning when it comes up in conversation. After unpacking, I go and sit down next to Ryan, “Do you want anything to drink?” He looks up at me, his eyes wide. He nods frantically, “Yeah, water please.” I nod and get up, getting myself a glass of water, and filling it up halfway with tap water. I hand him the water and head to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water for myself. After putting the water away, I walk to the living room and sit down next to Ryan. He takes a sip of the water.
After setting the water aside, I turn to Ryan who stares at the TV, a small smile plastered across his face. I chuckle. This is going to be a long day. “Time for bed, Ryan,” I say. He shakes his head no. “Come on, Ryan. You have to get sleep or you will be grumpy in the morning, and then you have daycare tomorrow because I still have school and work.” I say. “But Mommy” He whines, looking over at me. “I’ll read you any book you like,” I respond, patting his shoulder. He grabs my hand and holds it tight, his cheeks flush red.
It hurts me to see him upset, but if I tell him he can stay up late, he won’t get any rest. He’s a little boy after all, and that means lots of naps. So, I nod, telling him that I understand his reasoning. “Alright, let’s watch a movie.” We finished unpacking and put away the furniture, putting the blankets on the beds. We turn on one of the movies and lay on our backs in the middle of the couch, I hold his hand. After the movie ends, I pick him up. I carry him upstairs to my bedroom and place him down next to Taylor. “Night, mommy,” Ryan murmurs. “Good night, Ryan.”
I turn off the lights, kiss his forehead, and head downstairs to do the dishes, not wanting to disturb Taylor. About half an hour later, Taylor starts barking. Ryan gets up and walks over to us. “What’s wrong?” he asks Taylor. “Mommy,” Ryan tells Taylor and pets her gently. I walk over to them and give Taylor her belly rub, making sure she hasn’t gotten sick. As soon as the dog’s belly touches mine, she stops. Ryan climbs onto the bed and cuddles into me. I run my fingers through his soft curls as I lie down next to him, closing my eyes and drifting to sleep.
The next morning, Huddy is up early. I’m not surprised since he’s used to having breakfast in the morning before daycare starts. I get dressed and Huddy puts on the clothes I bought him for daycare. While he does that, I make coffee for myself, and we both enjoy our breakfast. Afterward, we leave home and walk to the daycare. This time Huddy plays in the sand while I talk to Mr. Williams. He makes sure that Huddy doesn’t forget about his lessons, I remind him twice about his allergies and his fav snacks.
He lets me sign his cast and he shows me where all the toys are. After talking to him for a while, I go to school and finish all of my paperwork. By the time I finish, it’s already time for lunchtime. I take a quick trip to the bathroom and check my makeup in the mirror. It’s normal, nothing special, just some foundation, concealer, mascara, and lipstick. I grab a sandwich and some fruit. I head over to the breakroom and eat my sandwich in a quiet corner. Then, I head to the front of the office and wait for people to come in.
About 10 minutes later the bell rings and the secretary calls me to my class. She hands me my schedule and I scan my name across the top of it. My class is in the fourth period, which means that my teacher is Mrs. Kogane. I grab my backpack and rush out the door. As I’m walking down the hall, someone runs straight into me! I stop abruptly and try to catch my breath. “Watch where you’re going!” An angry voice snaps behind me. I look up and see two boys and a shorter blonde girl. “Sorry!” I apologize.
They scoff and walk past me. I shake my head and continue walking. I spot my first class sitting by a window, it looks pretty similar to the one I usually take but a lot smaller than the one I have now. Walking inside, my class is already full. The first days are the worst. I make my way over to the seat near the door and put my backpack on my lap. As I sit down, someone else walks up to me, her gum-smacking, “Um, That’s my seat newbie.” I get up and walk to the empty desk in the back.
It’s the end of the day and I go to pick up Huddy. The kid is bouncing around, excitedly waiting for me. “Alright, let’s go,” I say opening the door and getting in the car. Huddy practically jumps in. “Can we stop at Mcdonald’s?” He asks, his eyes shining bright. I sigh, “Fine we can but don’t eat in the car,” I respond starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. “Thank you!” He yells and starts babbling about his day and his friends. I smile, listening intently to every word he says. By the time we get to Mcdonald’s Huddy has calmed down from being excited.
“What do you want from Mcdonald’s Huddy?” I ask. “A Mcflurry,” he says, pointing to the menu in the window. I smile at how cute his face is. I decided to go through the Drive-Thru. Huddy gets his McFlurry and I pay the cashier. I drive off and head home. As soon as we get out of the car Huddy starts eating the Mcflurry. As we get inside, Taylor literally jumps on Huddy. “Taylor Down!” I yell. Huddy laughs, “Taylor Down! Taylor Down!” Taylor keeps jumping all over him and Huddy tries to keep the food out of his face. Taylor stops and goes upstairs to lay down. Today was a lot.
