I jumped on the bus downtown and almost an hour later, I was finally at home. I wasn’t used to walking so far, but I was sure the fresh air was good for me. I loved the cold weather, and was all too eager to enjoy the cold. I liked the way the snow covered everything, and made it pristine.
I stroke up the driveway, and climbed up onto the front porch. I walked inside and kicked off my shoes. I removed my coat and hung it up in the closet. The last thing I wanted was to do some stupid little thing like forget to hang up my coat to set my parents off. I removed my hat and shoved it into my pocket so I would know where to find it.
I ran my hands through my newly shorn hair, shaking out the shorter curls so they weren’t so stuck to my head.
I walked into the living room, and found my two younger sisters sitting in front of the television and playing with their dolls.
“Hi girls.”
“Hi, Ike!” my youngest sister Avery said to me.
Jessica was still afraid of me. She moved closer to Avery shyly and made no eye contact with me. Her cast was bright pink and she and Avery had decorated it with markers. Every time I saw the bright pink cast I could feel my stomach lurch. I had apologized to her numerous times, but it didn’t seem like enough. I wasn’t sure she could understand my apology.
I wandered in the kitchen, finding my mom chopping vegetables at the kitchen island. She was wearing a floral apron. For a moment I thought I was walking out of my own living room and into the fifties.
She looked up at me and smiled warmly.
I was sure that this was a fabricated smile. My own mother had issues talking to me, she wasn’t sure how to talk to me anymore. When I’d landed myself in jail, she said nothing to me when she visited me in the concrete jail cell. The only thing she could say to me was that she didn’t know who I was anymore.
Those words haunted me. Whenever I spoke to my mom, those words ran through my head like a flashing marquee. I was a disappointment to her. I was not the son she had envisioned me to be. I was tainted and defective. I had strayed so far from her expectations that she didn’t know me.
“Hi.” I said, plopping down on a stool at the kitchen island.
“Hello, Isaac.” She smiled gently. “How was your day? How was work?”
“Work was okay. We were pretty busy. My boss let me go early because I had that meeting with my PO.”
My mother frowned.
“My parole officer.” I clarified.
“Yes, I know.” My mom nodded. “I’m sorry, I guess I’d forgotten. How did that go?” She asked.
“Good actually. I told him I’ve been clean, and I’ve been behaving and everything…”
“And did he see your school marks?” She asked.
I nodded. “He was surprised. He thinks I’m doing well, and he said he’s going to set up random drug tests with the school for the next couple of months, even though today’s test was clear. And since there are only two months left of my probation, he’ll schedule a meeting with my lawyer and the judge and see about getting my record expunged. He said if I can get letters of recommendation from my teachers and friends and family members I might be able to put all of these legal troubles behind me. I’ll still have to wait for my license and start from scratch. But at least I’ll be able to go to college if I want and get a decent job some day.”
My mom was grinning like she’d slept with a coat hanger in her mouth. “Oh, that’s amazing! You have no idea what good news that is!” She beamed, coming around the island and hugging me tightly. “That’s wonderful!”
I could hardly breath. “Wow, okay mom! I can’t… breath.” I gasped.
She released me finally. “Are you planning on going to college? Do you know what you want to do in the future?” She asked excitedly.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I could do music or something, that would be kind of cool. Olivia suggested I try being an architect because I’m good at math…” I shrugged. “I’ll think about it more once I get all of this probation stuff over with. I’ve got time. I’ll be graduating at seventeen, and I don’t have any money. I’ll pretty much have to work for a year or two before I could afford to go to any kind of college or university.”
“But there are grants and scholarships out there for you to apply for.” Mom offered. “And your father and I would be more than willing to help you out. I know you probably still feel like we’re the enemy and we sent you away to boarding school out of disgrace or spite, but that isn’t it at all. Your father and I love you very much, we’ve always had high hopes for you. We know you can do well in whatever you choose to do. I know you’ve had a little speed bump in your life, but you’re doing very well.”
I sighed. “Thanks mom.” I picked up a small piece of the carrot she was cutting and popped it into my mouth.
“Are you hungry? You’re looking a little thin.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine, I think.” I stood up and crossed the kitchen, opening the fridge. I poured myself a glass of orange juice and leaned against the counter.
I glanced at my watch. Olivia should be getting ready to board her flight in the morning. I was counting down the hours until I could see her again.
I decided to get my mind off of things. “Do you need any help with dinner?” I asked.
Mom raised her eyebrows and glanced at me like I had three heads. “Seriously?”
I shrugged lightly. “I’m learning. Sometimes Olivia lets me help her cook.”
Mom smiled. “Sure. You could set the table if you like, and maybe make the salad?”
“Sure.” I crossed to the kitchen sink and turned on the water to wash my hands.
“So tell me about this girl. Is she pretty?” Mom asked curiously.
“Yeah. She’s the most beautiful girl in the world. She’s smart and sweet and she’s just…. She’s got such a sense of who she is. She’s always trying to do the right thing and help everyone. She’s got such strong beliefs and she’s just… she’s Olivia. She’s not like anyone else I’ve ever met.” I couldn’t hide a small smile when thinking of her.
“Are you going to bring her here? So we could meet her? We could maybe have her over for dinner.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean, I’m sure she would love to meet you all, but she’s a pretty strict vegetarian… she loves to cook though and she’s amazing at it. I mean half the time she makes a vegetarian meal and I don’t even realize I’m not eating any meat…”
“That’s great. She could maybe teach me a few things in the kitchen.” My mom smiled.
“She probably could. I mean, she’s so smart with stuff like that. She could sit down with a recipe and completely remake it like it was nothing. She makes all the pieces fall into place.”
Mom smiled. “It sounds like you really like her. Does she feel the same way about you?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“Well, I think I like her already.” Mom smiled. “Is she the good influence on you at school? The one who helps you buckle down?”
“She’s the main influence on me, I guess.” I shrugged. “She’s the one who encouraged me to quit smoking.”
Mom raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Excellent. I definitely like her now… how about your roommate? Is he a decent boy?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Thomas is a genius. He’s pretty much like a young Einstein or some kind of super genius. I’m sure he’s going to be the one to cure some strange disease or something.” I walked around the table laying plates in each place at the table. “He has some issues with the football players. He’s kind of geeky, and not really into sports or anything. He’s more of a chess player. So the football players are kind of hard on him. I think his family is too. But he’s a good guy, so I have his back whenever he needs it.”
My mom smiled hugely at me. I could almost see the tears glistening in her eyes. I knew what she was thinking. She was probably thinking that I was slowly becoming the Isaac she had known before my issues with drugs.
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