Mute Yourself

Chapter 4

After our meal, Matthew drove us into a rundown motel with one room. The outside didn't look like much and the room was small but it was Matthew's. So I shouldn't expect much. Matthew grabbed my bag of new clothes and hanged them in the closet. A bed, a couch, and a table were the only accessories the room had.

"I'll just sleep on the couch. Go sleep on the bed buddy." I didn't know what to do. Matthew didn't notice my awkwardness and continued to pick out some pajamas. "Go take a shower. I'll change the sheets for when you come out. We'll talk about how this is going to go in the future." 

Matthew passed me my pajamas as I walked to the bathroom. There isn't much in here. The shower curtains are blue with whales at the bottom. The bottles sitting on the sides are half empty and generic brands. By the sink are a razor, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. Nothing really significant here.  I placed my stuff on top of the toilet and took a shower. 

After my shower, I head over to Matthew and sat down on the bed. "Ok, Max since you don't go to school, you're really behind on education. Under my care, you'll be taking classes from me to get you on track. Does that sound good to you?"

I nodded my head. I don't have a problem with learning. I've always wanted to learn more than the basic math my mom printed from online and wanted to read more than the kindergarten books my mom took from the library.

"Ok then. I'm going to go take a shower, you can go to sleep."

I went to bathe as he said but I couldn't sleep. The events from today kept replaying in my head. I didn't realize how much I loved being out of the house. Maybe this was a vacation for both me and mom.

Being away from mom put things into perspective. I hated her guts. I hated the way she smiled after I tried on a dress or a skirt. I hated that she saw me as her precious daughter. I hated my mom. So maybe she might never come back for me. But Matthew would, and I like Matthew. And with that, I fell asleep.