Dramatic Child Stars

Eighteen

Percy,
July 26, 2021,
9:22 am.

When I told Riley that Leah was pregnant, Riley stared at me for a really long time and did not give me any indication as to what his thoughts might be on the matter. He simply stared at me. I thought maybe he knew what I was going to say next. He was waiting for it. The anticipation was quiet, yet oddly audible in the silence.

He was right, of course. When it became clear that he wasn't going to respond, I launched into my speech about how I loved him and needed him to get better. It was very similar to the one I'd recently given him. I told him to sober up. I told him the drugs needed to stop. I told him that I wanted him to stay, but that if I was to have a child then he needed to be the type of person I could have a child around.

I don't need to comment on how he reacted to that in the moment, and I'm not going to give him a grade on whether or not I thought he got sober enough in the end. It's easy to tell that he didn't, despite his obvious efforts.

He did disappear though. The conversation ended abruptly, and neither of us were happy with the resolution. Then a door slammed and I didn't see him for over a week.

Riley was gone again now. One second he'd been there, and the next he wasn't. It was like a magician had pulled a magic trick.

Poof.

No more Riley.

I'd heard the door open a few times from my bedroom in the night. I'd assumed it was Leah coming back. Maybe that was partially correct, because when I surfaced in the morning after retrieving Flynn from his room, I found her on the sofa fast asleep in her usual spot.

I'd also realized Riley's bedroom door was open at that point. His door was never open which made it easy to deduce that Riley was absent. The bathroom was also empty. I checked the balcony before panicking as well. He was nowhere to be found. There simply weren't a lot of places to hide in our home. The conclusion was simple to come to.

Riley had left.

Leah was also no help with this problem of mine. I'd wandered the house in a small fervor or panic and she'd slept soundly regardless. I had Flynn with me, so the level of panic I'd mustered had to be muted to accommodate the babies sensitive nature. He was too perceptive of things otherwise. It was my job to remain outwardly calm, but inside I was frazzled beyond measure. I couldn't handle another bout of absence.

I called him several times. His phone flew straight to voicemail. Instead of being able to leave a panicked message explaining my concerns or demanding answers, I was met with a recording that told me what I already knew. Riley hadn't ever deleted a message in his life. The mailbox was full. That didn't stop me from sending him multiple texts, but it wasn't to the same effect.

Leah woke up a little while after I'd stopped attempting to call him. At that point, I'd been reduced to moping around the kitchen while slicing fruit for the baby that was intently watching me from his high chair. I had a neutral look on my face. I couldn't muster smiles without looking uncomfortable, so neutral was best.

"Good morning," she said, sitting up fully to look at the both of us over the back of the sofa.

I'd regret it later, but I didn't respond to her. I just glanced up and went back to cutting fruit. Flynn started babbling excitedly in her direction. She was probably talking to him instead of me anyways.

"Has he been up a long time?" Leah asked me directly. I could assume she was likely trying to force conversion. I had to expect that.

"No," I answered. Then I looked back up, because ignoring her wasn't really going to accomplish anything for me after the chaos of the previous night. "Do you know where Riley went?"