A Quarter Mile Away

5 - Photograph

Please listen to Photograph - Ed Sheeran for this chapter

* * *

"I'm so sorry Avery, I had mixed the dates with the Manager; Tom. You're starting on Wednesday, not tonight"

Were the words I was greeted with on the phone with Bianca the moment I got home.

"No, it's OK. It works out for me because I haven't had the chance to look for a babysitter for Alena"

"I don't need a babysitter"

I gave Alena a 'get real' look and then placed my index finger over my lips indicating for her to be quiet.

"Pfft" Alena crosses her little arms over her chest and pouts at me.

"My daughter, Lisa babysits part time, I can give you her details if you want?"

She has a daughter? I wonder if she's in the same year level as me.

"You have a daughter?" curiosity got the best of me

"Oh yes, I didn't mention her, did I? She's in the year level below you and my son. I'll message you the details, give her a call"

"I will, thank you so much Bianca"

"I'm happy to help sweetie, you remind me of me when I was your age. I'll see you next week"

Once we ended the call I looked at Alena who was still pouting and I couldn't help but smile at her. "How about we go get some ice cream?"

It's like everything was in slow motion. Her eyes lit up like Christmas and she gave me the biggest smile before jumping up and down in excitement.

I couldn't help but laugh "Come on Aly-Cat, let's go"

* * *

"Mmm"

I just sat there admiring my sister's ability to eat ice cream like it was nothing, chewing at it like it's chocolate. How can you chew ice cream?

She might have been too young to remember but I remember when our dad used to take us to get ice cream before everything went to shit.

When we got the rare chance to be with him, my parents would end up arguing, screaming at the top of their lungs. At first their fights were muffled behind their bedroom door while we would watch TV, over time they became reckless about it, fighting in front of us, not even bothering to stop when we would cry for them to end the arguments.

Eventually my mum started to change, distancing herself from her kids, always in a mood. Started to do drugs and drink constantly, all day, every day.

My father abandoned us when Alena was only two and I was ten, when they finally got a divorce. Ok, so the word abandoned is a bit far stretched.

My dad originally wanted to take all of us with him but my mum refused, their divorce battle got extremely ugly, until they finally reached an agreement, a shitty agreement; but an agreement non-the less.

My mum got to keep Alena and I, and my dad got to take my older brother with him.

My brother Andrew, a year older than me at the time and was my best friend, we both cried uncontrollably when we found out what had happened.

It was explained to us that even though we would be in two different houses, we still got to see each other. It was just going to take some time getting used to.

In a sense, I feel like I let my dad down, is it bad that I literally don't remember what he looks like? I remember aspects of him but I feel like it's all blurred. I don't even remember what Andrew looks like.