In The Rough

Chapter 5

The car ride was short and before I knew it we were outside of the towns diner. It was small but we were a small town anyways.

As soon as I step inside the smell of pizza almost blew me back out the door. The aroma was very strong but it smelt delicious. I followed my mom to the last booth on the left side. Each booth had a picture of a landscape on the wall above our heads and red cushion seating. The booths line the walls on left and right. Through the middle, it had two tables and six chairs with the same red cushion at each one. It was very old country. There was a glass container under the cash register, towards the entrance that held deserts.

"What do you want to eat?" My mother questioned.

"Do you just want to order a medium pizza and share?" I suggested to her as she eyes the desert sections. Normally I wouldn't share my food as a matter of fact I hated it, but she was my mom and it would be less money. She could use the extra cash.

"Sounds fine to me." She said closing her menu.

After we eat, we head back to the car and mom drives in the opposite direction of our house. We pass lots of streets and buildings, but we're still in our little town of Dennison. Mom parks in a paved area then gets out and I do the same.

We walk into a park that looks vaguely familiar. There was a side walk that went all the way around the park. In the grass there was a little boy playing with a dog that looked like a pug and a woman sitting on bench near by. A man came and sat by her. The boy ran into the woman's arms, who I'm guessing is his mother, and the man, probably the father, wrapped his arms around both of them.

I really wish I could have a family like that, they are whole and they love each other. I have my mom though and that's all I need. She loves me even if my dad doesn't want me it's okay because other people have it ten times worse so I should be happy with what I have and not complain.

The back of the park is lined by trees. I noticed that, that's where my mom is heading to. She walks into the woods.

"Where are we going?" I asked nervously. I shouldn't be nervous. What's wrong with me?

"I'll show you, just follow me." She  says then continues walking. I do as I'm told.

We pass more and more trees. Ducking under some branches so we don't get hit in the face. After about five minutes of walking through trees we reach the destination.

"This is it," she says moving a couple branches and gesturing for me to walk through. As I step out I immediately know the scene in front of me.

"The railroad tracks," I breathe out.

My mom had taken me here before many times. It was our safety place. It was always peaceful and quiet. The tracks must have been shut down or something because there were no trains on it ever. I loved this place, I missed this place. I haven't been here since I was thirteen and now I'm seventeen.

"I remember this place and I remember why we couldn't come back." I spoke but my mom gave me a worried look after noticing the darkness in my eyes.

"Well we're back now. I missed being here as well." She said walking over to the tracks. It was filled with rocks and beside the tracks there were cement blocks that we put there. I don't know why we did but to me, it was my way of claiming the tracks. We must have walked those tracks over five thousand times.

"Yeah, until he finds out," I sneered. Remembering the event. He had came and beat both of us. Ripping me away from my mom and telling us how despicable we were. He had locked me in a room, not letting me leave, for a week.

"He won't take it away from us again I promise." She noted seriously. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Okay," I said as we walked the tracks. "Why do you stay with him?" I've asked this more times than I can count.