Post-RENT. A young mother deals with a child, divorce and abuse. All caused by two men who used to be friends. I'm bad at summaries. Read please?
Disc. : Characters owned by Jonathan Larson. Well, all except Thomas.
A range rover appeared from around the corner of the neighborhood avenue. Coming to a stop, the front tinted windows rolled down letting the sunrays invade the vehicle. The young woman behind the wheel removed her sunglasses from covering her pair of blue hazed eyes. Placing them onto her head, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror. A pair of loose strands of auburn hair cradled her face causing her to brush them away behind her ears. A shade of purple appeared at her right temple, and she quickly changed her mind letting the bangs fall back onto covering the signs of yesterday's brutality.
Car parked, opening the door she stepped out into the usual lot of Tayside Elementary School. According to the nearest sign of time, she was twenty-five minutes late for the end of extended after school care. The building usually full of kids was long deserted by most. On the opposite side of the building child voices echoed from the playground, but she was sure that wouldn't be her destination. The woman stepped onto the sidewalk, approaching the school in a hurried manner.
"Mom. You're late." a sudden voice appeared behind her, causing her to jump. Turning around, a child appeared in her view. "Thomas!" she exclamed. "What did I tell you about doing that?"
"Mom, "she child started, but the young mother continued.
"And what did I tell you about wandering off like that? Wait at the gate, Tom. Never walk off, you got it?"
"But mom, you were..." he started again, biting on his bottom lip.
"Late. I know, hun. I promise, next time I'll be here before you. Allright?"
"But you never..."
"Tom-"
"But you're always late, mom." the boy spoke, turning away from the parent in front of him.
"Tom," she kneeled down in front of him, taking his hands into her own. "Listen to me. Next time, mommy will be here to pick you up. On time. Promise."
"Whatever." Quickly pulling away from her grasp, he headed towards the parked vehicle. The woman followed closely behind her son. The alarm beeped allowing the door to open as the boy attempted at it. Crawling into the backseat, he pulled onto the seatbelt, waiting for his mother. She took her seat behind the wheel, starting the engine as silence overcame them both.
"You'll be late to take me to dad's." he stated, staring out the window with a blank face as the car began to move.
"Your dad will just have to wait, Tom."
"At least dad wants me." the child mumbled, crossing his arms in a manner of showing attitude.
The young woman sighed, catching the reflection of the boy in the rearview mirror. "Honey, come on. Things are just a little different right now, but they'll get better. Just give it time. Then I'll just be you, me. I promise."
"And Ben." he added. "I hate Ben."
"Babe, I-" she started, but Tom had no intention of stopping.
"No!" he yelled. "You always promise. You say it will happen and it never does. Like with dad, you said it would be okay. It didn't work. You broke our family, mom. I hate Ben. I hate you!"
"Damn it, Thomas. Why can't you ever-"
"I want to go to Dad's!"
"You are going to your Dad's!"
Silence overcame the rest of the car ride, until the rover once again came to a stop in front of a tall apartment building. The mother stepped out of the car, taking her child who unwillingly tried to pull away by hand. Slamming the door behind them, they proceeded inside. "I can go myself!" he protested, but she didn't let up. As they reached the lobby, she looked up the code she had memorized into her head all too clearly. Punching in the numbers, she phone tong rang and until a male voice appeared on the other end. "Yea?"
"Dad! It's me!" she boy yelled out, excited pulling away from his mothers grasp. A tone beeped and the door became unlocked. Both stepped farther into the lobby walking to the elevators. No words were exchanged in the ride up to the eighteenth floor.
"You don't need to come." the boy once again reminded his mother. Yet she persisted walking down the hall to the apartment by the number of 1802. Knocking onto the door, it came unlocked as a man appeared behind it. Dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a dark t-shirt and a look in his eyes with courage ready to take on the world. But at the sighed of her, his eyes dimmed and became lit up with nothing but hidden rage. Running his hand through his hair, shade of dark blonde, his focus quickly changed. "Hey, kid!" he greeted his son, stepping aside as if to let his proceed into the apartment. And so he did. "Dad!" the boy exclaimed excited, looking up at the man. "Finally! I couldn't wait to get away-.."
"Why don't you go into the living room. I got a surprise for ye!" the man said in return, turning to the woman in the doorway. "I need to talk to your mother."
"Okay, dad." The boy hurried down the hall and to the right, leaving the adults to face each other.
"You're late. What do you want?" he bluntly asked. "I paid the child support. I'm paying for the school trip to Washington. And for the soccer lessons. What else?"
"It's not about that. I just-"
"There is nothing else. As far as I'm concerned."
He blocked her attempt to step into the apartment.
"Fuck. I just wanted to talk--". Interrupted again, by her own self this time, she hit her hand onto his chest.
"Nothing for us left to discuss..." Grasping her by the wrist, he firmly held her. Her hair fell away to the side, revealing what she'd tried to keep away with it. Noticing one of the bruises, he continued. "Fuck... you still with him?"
She ignored the question. "Roger. I need you to take Tom this Thursday."
"I got work."
"We have an important dinner to go to. With one of his accounts."
"I don't give a damn! I can't get off work."
"But I can't take him." she said, voice beginning to shake. He didn't remember her being this weak. She looked it, too. Exhausted and washed out.
"Fine. Fuck. I'll do it. Is that it? " he said firmly, pushing the door closed.
She placed her foot in to jam the doorway. "No. One more thing."
"Daaaad?" Tom's voice called out from living room. "You coming?"
"Be right there." Roger called back in return, eyes not letting off the woman in front of him.
"What?" he snapped at her.
"Do you think we could just...talk sometime?"
"No."
"Come on, Davis. Please, I just want to.."
"No."
"Roger,"
"No. Go back to Benny, April. Get out."
And with that the door firmly shut, leaving two once inseparable people on both sides of it.
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