Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Thirty-Two- A Mother's Scorn

The sun was out in full force by the time Ada stirred. Her eyes squinted at the light. Usually awake an hour before her alarm sounded, she could tell without looking that the time was later than she was used to. Ada's hand went behind her, searching for her phone on the table beside them. Once she found it, she brought it to her face, noticing that it was dead.

"Go back to sleep," Tom mumbled beside her as he pulled her close.

Her eyes risked opening, the light stinging them as she searched the wall for the giant clock. Her lids no longer drooped with temptation to close, but shot open once she noticed the time. She shook Tom, who already looked as if he was drifting back to sleep. "Tom, school starts in forty minutes!"

Ada could manage that time if she hurried, but Tom wouldn't be so lucky. With wrinkled up clothes that couldn't pass for work attire and which carried the slight aroma of booze, there would be no way he could drive straight to work from her place.

Tom didn't budge, and she had to shake him harder, resulting in Tom falling to the ground with a loud thud. He let out a groan as he rubbed his injured head with one hand and his tired eyes with the other. "I'm pretty sure it's Sunday, isn't it?" he asked groggily.

Ada thought for a moment, making a time log of the weekend's events. Any other time, she wouldn't have had to think of it, but her brain hadn't begun to function yet. "Pretty positive it isn't."

Tom's eyebrows pinched together, though his eyes were still closed to avoid the morning sun. "You sure?"

"Just said I'm positive."

"You said you were pretty positive," Tom corrected.

"It's Monday, dumbass," her dad chimed in as he leaned in the doorway with a cup of coffee in hand.

And in one second, Tom's eyes shot open and his body flew upwards. The palm of his hand pressed against his forehead at the too fast movement and he turned to glare at her father.

"Why the hell didn't you wake us?"

Her dad just shrugged and took a drink of his coffee. "I was gunna. Had a pot of cold water ready and everything, just to do it right. Then I looked at my daughter's old ass boyfriend holdin' her and I thought, 'eh, best just let 'em sleep.'"

Tom glared at her dad with tired eyes and stumbled as he tried to get up. "I'm going to be late for work thanks to you."

He just smiled and brought his coffee cup up to his lips. "You're welcome. Maybe next time you'll follow my damn rules."

"You told me to sleep on the couch and I did."

"You know what the fuck I meant. And I also told you I didn't wanna see this relationship. Break the rules, face the consequences."

It was a standoff that Ada would have been prepared to break up if it was heated, but since this one appeared to just be two men annoyed rather than pissed off, Ada abandoned the group and went downstairs to get ready.

Ada tied her unbrushed hair up as she trotted down the stairs, going to her closet full of new clothing. She grabbed the yellow and white striped dress to cut down the time needed to get ready and got dressed before going into the bathroom to finish her routine. She could hear the front door slam close from Tom's exit just as she headed back up the steps.

Her sister was coming downstairs just as Ada passed on her way to the kitchen. She didn't have time for explanations or lectures. So instead she gave her sister a smile and a 'good morning' as she continued on to the kitchen.

Her mother was there, looking tired as she stood by the sink holding her coffee cup in both hands. "Morning."

"Good morning." Her mom handed her travel mug to her and Ada put in some creamer before filling the remaining space with coffee.