Title: Seasons
rating:pg:13
Summary: Women are like the seasons, always changing and never still. A 4 part series of vignettes where Ryan thinks about some of the women in his life. Second person narrative
A.N. written during early season 2, so it's kind of dated.
Chapter three: Winter
Dawn was like the winter sun, slow to rise and quick to leave, but still so very welcome from the cold. She's like the first car you ever had. You had saved up for months, and finally scraped enough to buy something. It was a piece of shit '78 Mercury Topaz, that barely ran and was covered with rust. You could never predict when it would start, or if it would just die on you the moment you got on the road. It was yours though. It may not have been much, but it was all you had . You almost cried when Trey took it for a spin and came back without it.
Dawn loved you. She really did. When you were sick she would make you soup on the hot plate. When you would get into fights, she would scold you while she cleaned you up. The next day she might get drunk and slap you. She loved you though. She had to.
It was your first Christmas without your dad. Dawn promised it would be the best one you'd ever had. She bought a little three foot tree and some candy canes. You spent all night watching her drink beer and string twine through popcorn. You and Trey used the paper ornaments you made in class to decorate the tree. The power was shut off the day before, and you were working by candlelight. It was almost better that way. Your mom wrapped the popcorn garland around the tree, and you watched her slide two present behind it.
You were too excited to sleep most of the night. You watched first your mom, and then Trey head off to bed. You blew out all the candles and laid down under the tree. You fell asleep with no blanket, no pillow, and a smile on your face. You felt like the luckiest kid in the world. It was like you had a real family for the first time since dad left.
The next morning you and Trey opened the two presents behind the tree. Trey left to find Arturo after your Christmas breakfast of cereal. You went into your mom's room to thank her for the present. She was passed out on top of the covers with her clothes from the night before still on. There was a white lumpy substance on her lips and clothes. Checking on the floor confirmed she'd thrown up during the night. You think about crying, Christmas was over, and reality was back, but you didn't. You went into the bathroom and grabbed a towel and a wet washcloth. Dawn didn't wake up as you gently cleaned off her face and clothes with the cloth, and the mess on the floor with the towel. You took the Spiderman blanket off your bed and put it on top of her prone body. She mumbled and woke up a little. She saw the dirty towels and looked like she was gonna cry. When she saw you, she pulled herself together and smiled at you
"You're a good boy, Ryan." she said. She snuggled up to your blanket and passed out again. Then you cried.
She loved you. She loves you. She has to.
Dawn is your winter.