From A Cabin in the Middle of the Mountains

Chapter 2 ~ Dad

Chapter 2 ~ Dad

Ben stood and held his hand out to me. I took it and stood as well. AS I wiped the tear trails from my face, he led me to one of the several couches in the living room. I sat at one end with my feet on the couch and my knees pulled up to my chest. It was colder in this room than the kitchen, so I wrapped my arms around my legs and rubbed them. Seeing me do so, the hansom boy walked over to the wood pile that was in the corner and grabbed two logs in each hand.

"I was ten when things started to go wrong." I started.

Ben walked back with the logs and set them in the mahogany fireplace. "Why do things always seem to go wrong around ten?"

I shrugged even though I knew he wasn't looking at me. So he would know my answer, I vocalized what I was barely thinking. "I'm not sure."

He grabbed a match off the top of the fireplace and after a few failed attempts, lit the logs on fire. My gaze fell to the dancing flames quickly, sticking on them for a few moments. When I was brought back to reality, I looked to my feet and continued. "Things weren't always bad, though as the days went on they would end up fighting more and more often about the stupidest things. Each time they would fight they would get louder and more violent. When it was only a week before my eleventh birthday, they got into a really bad fight in the dining room while I was watching TV in the nearby living room. I got so scared that I hid behind the couch and started to cry. My mom just started to yell for my dad to get out of the house, to just leave.

Ben came back with a thick fleece blanket and draped it over my shoulders. He then sat beside me on the couch and looked at me. He shook his head then set his arm on the back of the couch. After I took a deep breath, he softly placed his steady hand on my shaking hand.

"After much more yelling I heard silence then booming noises, which I later found out that it was my father grabbing his jacket, a change of clothes and his keys. Then I heard a loud, house rattling thud from the front door. I cried harder, but somehow silently. Even though he was out of the house, my mom just yelled 'I hate you!' then ran to her room and slammed the door shut." I closed my eyes and let the tears start to flow. My head quickly found my arms which were folded on top of my knees. Warm arms found there way around my shoulders and squeezed me lightly.

For the next few moments all that was heard was the crackling of the fire and the occasional sound of my sobbing.

Lifting my head wasn't my favorite thing to do, but I did it anyway. I looked over to Ben whose own face had a few tears rolling down his cheek. I took a deep, shaky breath then continued. I must have fallen asleep soon after because I don't remember anything else but waking up the next morning with my blanket around me and my pillow under my head."

I shifted my position so that I was leaning against Ben's muscular and soft side.

"It was a Friday so I did have to get ready for school. I quickly got up, got ready and left, trying hard not to wake my mom. Later in the day when I got home mom was sitting at the table with Kleenex in her hands and wet cheeks. She called me over and told me to sit down. I did so. She asked me if I heard the fight the night before. I nodded." I took another deep breath, one that filled my lungs as much as they could stretch, and then slowly I exhaled. My tired eyes closed.

Ben rubbed my arm sympathetically and hugged me the best he could from his position and rested his chin on the top of my head. "Are you okay to go on? Because really, you don't have to." His voice was soft and gentle.

"Yea." I opened my eyes and looked back at the fire which was warming the room quickly. "She told me that dad left and might not be coming back in a long time. I wanted to ask her what the fight was about, but my voice was gone at the moment. But I didn't have to ask her because she must have done that weird mom thing and read my mind 'cause she told me that he thought she was cheating on him." I could feel my tears boil and my face get red as my body started to shake, "And she was! She was cheating on him! It's all her fault!" My hands curled into fists and I slammed them hard onto my legs.

Ben sat back a bit and looked at me, concern covering his face like a blanket covering a bed. "Jess? Are you okay?"

I took a deep breath and tried to relax a bit. "Yes. I'm fine." I said through loosely clenched teeth. After a few more calming deep breaths, I went on. "He did come back on my birthday. He didn't come for the party though, he came after. He took me out to a fancy restaurant then shopping for whatever I wanted. It was so much fun." I smiled weakly at the brief memory, and then it faded away. "A couple months later they signed the divorce papers after going to court over several things and then dad left for a long time. Occasionally though I would talk to him on the home phone. When I was thirteen I got a cell phone for my birthday, and I put my dad on speed dial right away. I talked to him more, then after a year or so he moved back into town. I couldn't live with him, since mom had custody, so we hung out every weekend and every chance possible just to make up for the fact that I wasn't living with him." I finally stopped shaking completely.

Ben hugged me and kissed my head. I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest.

"Later on mom got remarried to a guy named Clyde." I smirked and chuckled a little, "That man is a whole nother story of problems to tell." My mouth opened wide as I yawned. Often, like many people, I would get tired after or during crying.

He rubbed my shoulder and asked me the obvious. "Tired?"

I took a deep breath. "A little." I could feel my eyelids get heavier. "Maybe more."

Ben smirked, "Well then, why don't you go lay down on your bed and go to sleep?"

I replied a bit mumbled, "Because I'm not sleepy." I could feel myself start to fall asleep on Ben. I knew that if I didn't get up soon and crawl into bed, Ben would become my pillow and the couch cushions my mattress.

"Yea, sure." Ben said, obviously smiling. "You need sleep." Softly he grabbed my hands and pulled me up."

Before I could fall on him, I caught my balance and looked at the fire. "But I don't want to leave the burning logs. And I know they don't want me to leave." I mumbled.

So yea, obviously I was tired, but like I wanted to leave Ben's side.

I leaned over on him as we walked through the room and rested my head on his shoulder. I could feel myself drift off to dreamland but I kept myself awake as much as I could.

Soon he was walking me into the large, dark bedroom and sitting me on the bed.

As he straightened up after setting me down, he spoke. "Do you want to change? Or are you just going to sleep like that?"

I replied by laying down and sliding the blankets over me. Before I fell totally asleep I listened to Ben shuffle out of the room, close the door, and start talking to Laya about something.