Respect

Chapter 1: The Curve in the Road

As I finished my morning chores, I readied myself for the long drive through traffic. Mom was unwell so, I spent the night. She had been suffering from cancer for years now, and she was not getting any better, and her age was not helping either.

After dad died, I had to look after mom and my brother. And as hard as it was juggling now college with a part time job, I went and got two.

"Good morning!" I heard a low voice from behind me
"Hey" I replied, "you hungry?" I asked
"Ahh, no, not really. I'll just grab something on the way, I'm running late anyway"
"Are you sure? Didn't you say you had an exam today, you can't write on an empty stomach"
"Athena! I'm fine, okay" he said giving me a kiss on my head
"Good luck on your exam!" I shouted as he bolted out the door

Seven had always been so bright and independent. Though he was the youngest, he sometimes acted like the eldest. I sometimes wondered if he'd have been any different-- less ready to help and grow up-- if dad were still here. I wondered if he'd have been given more time to be a child and spent less time trying to help me and mom out, would he have been more. . . Reckless, carefree, 'girls'-- huh--, adventurous, 'living in the moment', enjoying his teen years to the max. Would he have been your typical teenage boy trying to figure stuff out? Or did all this-- our situation-- force that little boy out of him somehow?
As much as it bothered me to know, he wasn't one to talk about it-- dad's death-- I guess, we had our own, "silent" ways of caring for one another, and. . . Grieving.

I walked up to mom's room to see if she was awake. She was.

"Good morning mommy" I whispered into her ear causing her to laugh
"Good morning sweety"
"How are you today?" I asked placing myself on her bed
"I'm fine dear" she said stroking my cheek
"Don't you have classes today?" she asked startling me
"Umm, yah, I do"
"Athena" she dragged
"Mom"
"We talked about this, you can't keep missing your lectures all in the name of me. This is your future we're talking about and you need to take it seriously"
"But, if I leave, who will you remain with?"
"I can handle myself dear. Now, go get ready" she said running her hand through my hair
"Okay! Fine!" I said getting up

I went to my room and ran the hot water. I loved it when the water ran down my face, almost as if, it were cleansing me of every problem, but it was short lived as my mom called out to me to get out of the shower. She knew I took for ever to come out.

I threw on my favourite pair of dark Blue Jeans, a long sleeved baby blue crop top sweater, my white canvas and finished it with my white and grey backpack. Makeup was a rare thing for me and as for hair, I just threw it into a ponytail. My hair was long, black and curly so, I rarely combed it, I liked it that way.

I got my books and got ready to leave, mom was already on her favourite chair in the living room, reading a book. I waved her goodbye, got my car keys and got ready for my two hour drive back to school.
_______
I arrived at school to madness. The senior year students were celebrating having written their final paper, and for us second years, that meant a lot of noise and chaos. Not that anyone could do anything about it, I mean, this happened all the time during exam week. We were used to it.

"Athena!" she called out
"Heather!"

Heather and I had known each other since childhood. Our fathers were close and being the only daughters of both families, they had a common understanding.