Sun's Up

Fucked Dreams and Fucked Family

Dwayne Hoover ✪

While we drove Cindy fell asleep on me and I was running my fingers through her hair, looking out the window and listening to Richard and Frank go back and forth about sarcasm and I'm glad Cindy was asleep for the arguing portion otherwise she would have freaked out. What did wake her up however was Richard's phone ringing. We ended up having to pull over at a gas station so that he could call back the guy who's supposed to be selling his bullshit 9 steps plan. 

Once we parked and waited for like 10 minutes I got out of the Volkswagen and Cindy followed, I began doing pushups on the patch of grass by the curb as she read out loud to me, Radiohead quietly playing from her iPod in the background. After she had finished reading the chapter, Cindy decided she was bored and changed the song to Everlong by Foo Fighters and laid down on her back, her face under mine with a sly smirk. I rolled my eyes and grinned back, giving her what she wanted, a peck on the lips everytime I finished a pushup. 

ᓚᘏᗢ ❁

Once we got back into the van Cindy fell right back to sleep on my shoulder, and then Richard and Mom were arguing — again — because Richard's program didn't sell. We started driving and got a few miles away before I looked up from my book and noticed something, Olive wasn't in the bus. I couldn't get my notebook without waking up Cindy so I just woke her up and pointed to where Olive normally sits, hoping she would get the message faster than me writing it would.

"Oh my god. Guys, we left Olive at the gas station!" Cindy exclaims, covering her mouth with her hand, and I could tell the scenarios going through her head, what with her growing up around her pedo grandfather for her childhood and all. I take my hand and rub comforting circles in her back, and she lays back against me, I wrap my arm around her waist and open the book so she could read it to calm down. 

Once we had gotten Olive back safe and sound and were on the road again, she had fallen asleep in no time. 

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We stopped at a motel for the night and I wake Cindy up, helping her out of the van and handing her the bag she brought, hand in hand the two of us followed my mom through the halls to our rooms that she had gotten before we grabbed our bags. Olive was with Grandpa and Frank was with us, we both flopped down on one of the beds, we heard Richard and my mom arguing so I handed Cindy her iPod and earbuds, while I laid down listening to it, it was no secret that I didn't want Richard in my family, but Grandpa was pretty cool I guess.

Frank came into the main room from the restroom, "Hey, don't listen to this, let's put on the tube." He clicked the television on and tossed me the remote, but once he went back into the restroom I clicked it off, tossing the remote onto his bed. I wrapped one of my arms around Cindy and tuck the other under my head, as I listened to the arguing of the adults next door, I felt a smile split across my face.

ᓚᘏᗢ ❁

The next morning Olive woke us up, coming into our room and simply telling us, "Grandpa won't wake up." The next thing we know we're all sitting in the van, following the ambulance with grandpa in it to the hospital. Cindy was gripping my hand so tightly it felt like my bones were going to snap in pieces. 

Once we got to the hospital, I was standing up by the window, infront of Cindy's chair, arms crossed over my chest and stared at the floor. Cindy had her legs pulled up to her chest and she was listening to music with her head on her knees. That was what she did, ignore, bottle up and shut down. I had the tendency to either do the same or lash out, so I try to do what she's doing, I remind myself that I need to be strong for Olive.

Cindy stays how she was when my mom calls us over for a 'family meeting'. After mom had told us all she wanted to tell us she began to cry, so I wrote on my notepad, telling Olive to hug mom. Then the doctor came in, "Are you the family of Edwin Hoover?"