the truth ~ chapter one ⁽ ᵉˣᵗʳᵃˢ ⁱⁿˢⁱᵈᵉ ⁾ ☆ It all started on a foggy night. My friends were out, hanging with some boys at the movies. I stayed back to help my mom make sure my little brother was okay at his sleepover while she was out on a date—her third one this week. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same guy as the last time. To me, it seemed as though the only man Mom could please without making them run away was Dad. Now, four years after his death, Mom had just begun to inch her way into the dating world, using some random dating app that I couldn’t have cared less about. She practically ran through her men like her clothes; once she gets bored, she'll throw them away and try on new ones. Watching Mom get ready for her date, putting on falsies (a rare sight nowadays) with a shaky hand, I asked her the burning question that had been on my mind all week; or month, for that matter. “Mom,” I said slowly. She mumbled something not short of a “mhm,” which I took as a green light to continue. “Why are you doing this?” Turning to me, Mom’s expression softened, and she placed down her eyelash glue. Had the situation not been somewhat serious, I would have had to stifle a laugh, just at the sight of one of her eyes being adorned with a thick falsie, the other just Mom’s real short lashes. “Esme,” Mom began, gripping my arm before she continued. “I know that now it may not look like it would make any difference to your life; I get it. But think about your brother.” Mom’s voice faltered, and I shook my head. “Jake’s in fourth grade now, Mom. The same age that I was when Dad…” “I know,” she replied, her voice sounding gravely. “You took it well because you never cry. Nothing seems to affect you,” Mom added with a laugh. She got serious once again after her giggles died down. “I just want someone to be there for Jake, is all. A father figure. That's something he never had for long, and you know it.” Mom patted my head, then fixed a stray hair stand. “Speaking of that little troublemaker, go make sure his bag is packed and that your phone is charged. For all we know, you’ll have to call an Uber and pick him up in the middle of the night.” ☆ chapter two coming soon
