Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Wednesday
5:46 AM
2.1527 inches
Grace sat down in the kitchen alone. It was dark and grey. Only the sound of raindrops pounding the glass and rooftops remained and made noise. Her son, Jason, was hit and killed by a car and her other son, Shaun, was with his father and her divorced and estranged ex-husband, Ethan for the week. It was a usual routine as the court ordered it. She laid her head down into her hands. Thoughts flooded her head. A perfect family torn apart by a fateful accident.
"Oh god...Jason." She said, nearly crying all over again.
The events began to play over again...
2 Years Earlier...
"Jason..?"
"JASON!"
Jason had disappeared. He had a red balloon but so did a whole bunch of other kids. Ethan scrambled around the mall until he reached the downstairs floor. Running outside, he realized that Jason was across the street.
Ethan: "Jason!"
Jason: "Dad!"
Not paying much attention, Jason dashed into the street. A woman on a cellphone, not paying much attention either, barreled down the block towards him.
Ethan: "Shaun...NO!"
Using his fatherly instincts, Ethan jumped in front of the speeding car, trying to shield him. But it was to no prevail. The car hit the both of them, killing Jason instantly.
Grace: "Jasoooooooonnn! Oh god no, please no! Jason...!"
Grace only cared about her son. She never once thought about what the accident did to Ethan...until now.
6:34 AM
Grace came back from her flashback. She never realized that the accident affected him both mentally and physically. However, all she could think about was the fact that her son's life was taken by the hand of a negligent woman on a phone and not a negligent father. Was it too late? Could she possibly get back together with Ethan and repair what she had broken? Only one way to find out. She rose from off of the chair. Throwing on random shoes, her raincoat and an umbrella, she decided to make her way out. She had to find Ethan and save her split marriage.
Character Change To: Ethan Mars
Wednesday
6:58 AM
2.1528 inches
I walk around in the living room before heading to the kitchen. Not caring, I pulled open the fridge door and found nothing.
"Shit, empty fridge equals an empty stomach." I said.
Footsteps trailed down the staircase along with happy voices.
"Morning, dad! What's for breakfast?" Shaun said, excitedly.
Madison followed behind him, smiling.
"Oh, hey champ!" I said, shutting the refrigerator door. I scruffled with his hair.
"Uh dad?" He asked.
"Yeah, Shaun?" I said.
"Breakfast..?" He said, pointing to the table.
"Oh...about that. Uherrr...actually! Madison was planning on taking you out, right Madison?" I said, signaling for her to follow along.
Shaun turned around, looking directly at her with hope.
"Ahaha, yes of course! Your dad and I talked about taking you out to IHOP last night." She said.
"Let's go!" Shaun said, jumping up and down.
"Son, you need pants first to go anywhere." I said, chuckling.
"Oh, right...thanks, dad! You're the best!"
Shaun turned to head up up the staircase.
"And don't forget to take a shower!" I yelled.
"Okay, dad!"
"And don't forget to brush your teeth!" I continued.
"Okay, dad."
"And also put those new pants on and...and brush your teeth!" I continued.
Shaun peered over the railing. "OKAY, dad. Geez." The bathroom door opened and then slammed shut.
Madison laughed to herself.
"You're way too over protective. And...you told him to brush his teeth twice." Madison said, walking closer to him.
"Can't blame me for trying...if I don't be like this, I might lose him too. I can't be responsible for losing another son. He's the only thing I've got left." I said, sitting down in the chair.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Madison sighed, and sat on the arm of the chair next to him. "I know it's still hard for you swallow your son's death, but you still have Shaun...and you have me, too."
"You know that's not how I meant it. It's not just his death, it's the fact of what the impact did. I feel like I'm going crazy sometimes. I know I ask you for a lot, but just do this simple favor for me. I need time alone to think...and I also need to restock the apartment with edibles." I said.
"Okay, okay. I'll do it. But just promise to be in a better mood when we get back, even if it's just a fraction happier. Shaun looks up to you, whether you realize it or not. He'll turn out just like you, if you don't try to make your day a little brighter." She said, standing up now.
"I doubt he'll turn into horrible father that couldn't even watch his child nor saving from a speeding car, Madison. I don't think he'll lose his wife and home either." I continued.
"Tsk. You're so thick skulled!" Madison said, slapping my forehead. "Haven't you heard of the expression 'Every cloud has a silver lining'?."
"Uh, no. Why does it matter?" I asked, looking up.
She sat back down next to me, now with her hands on my shoulders.
"It means that even though times look bleak and life looks like it could only get worse, better times are coming. Seeing that it could be financial, love, social, or work related. Possibly all four." She said, standing to her feet again.
Shaun sped down the staircase.
"I'm ready!" He said, proudly.
"Take care of him." I said, looking down.
"I've got you covered, don't worry." She bent over and kissed my forehead gently.
"Later, dad!" Shaun said, waving.
"Have fun, kiddo." I said as the door closed. "Have fun..."
I grabbed the keys to the car and decided to head out. Food was essential to the house since Shaun always ended up eating everything in such a short amount of time.
"No sense of just sitting here. The food isn't just going to appear, though I wish it would."
Character change back to: Grace Mars*
Wednesday
8:30 AM
2.1530 inches
Grace sped down the streets, not caring about anything.
"Ethan, wait for me. Just wait a little longer for me!" Grace said to herself.
The light changed to yellow, but she continued speeding along. Just then, a flashback of Jason running across the street played tricks on her. Tires skidding, she stopped the car.
"Jason!" She jumped out of the car to see nothing but pavement.
Looking around to see if someone saw her, she jumped back inside of her car, wetting the interior as well.
Just as she got in, the light changed back to green. She pulled over to the side and dug through her glove compartment. Papers of all sorts flew out and in different colors. Just then, she gasped as she found what she had been looking for. She pulled out a rather crumbled envelope with an address on it.
"2245 North Avenue. That's his address. Let's hope he's still a resident."
She shifted gears, heading for his address. A few rights, one left and she was there. But Ethan had just pulled off seconds ago. The lights were off but she hoped that he was only asleep. She got out of the car, and walked as calmly as she could up the stairs. She knocked lightly once.
"No answer." Grace said, peering into the window.
She knocked harder on the door and ringed the bell.
"He definitely lives here...but he's not home. Shit! What do I do now? I can't just stand out here...where would you be, Ethan?" Grace said, leaning against the door.
She headed back towards her car. She wanted to give up, but her mind said wasn't going to.
"Why not go on a little drive around, Grace?" She thought.
The engine turned over and she decided to head over to the place where she thought he might be.
Character Change to: Madison Paige
9:15 AM
"So, how's the food?" Madison asked, watching Shaun carefully.
"It's really good, but I would've liked chocolate chip pancakes instead." He said.
"Well, those are pretty common. Blueberry ones never hurt anybody though, right?" She said, scratching her chin.
"Yeah, I guess so. Why didn't my dad come?" Shaun asked.
"Oh, he had to go do something. I'm pretty sure we'll meet up with him soon, though." She said. "Have any ideas about where you wanna go next?"
"No. It's always raining...there isn't many places that have fun indoors. We should just go back home." He said, in between sadness and happiness.
"Mmmmmmmaybe...we could have a movie night? You know, stay in and watch anything you want. There's gonna be popcorn." She said, smiling.
"What about ice cream, soda and all kinds of potato chips?" He said.
"Junk food for days."
"Awesome. You're the best, mom. I mean, Ms. Paige." He looked down into his pancakes.
Madison stared at him for a few seconds before gazing off into the rain. The moment was made into something awkward and she promised herself she'd never bring it up again. It was now a silent battle to get the other person to talk.
Character Change to: Ethan Mars
I pulled up to the supermarket, nervously I opened the car door. Crowds of people strolled in and out of the market and the market's parking lot.
"I don't know if I can do this...I can't do this. Crowds...Jason...it's all becoming a bit...blurry." I stumbled around, trying to keep myself up.
Behind me, a car skidded. "Ethan!" called out a voice.
I whipped around. "Grace...?"
TO BE CONTINUED...