“I cannot believe you!” I screamed.
“Taylor, I just wanted to –”
“Ruin my life? Congratulations, you’ve succeeded,” I said bringing my plate over to the sink. I placed it in the dishwasher and started up the hardwood stairs to my new room.
“Taylor, you’re thirteen and I think you might be mature enough to –”
“You think I might be mature enough? Wow, thanks a lot, Mom.”
“I’m really tired of running this house all my myself. Besides, it would be nice to have a new father.”
“You really think so?” I asked sweetly but sarcastically.
“Yes!” she said thinking she was actually getting through to me.
“Well, I sure don’t!” I shouted. When I got to my new room I slammed the door so hard even I jumped, then sat down on my bed to think a little. The brown, worn out moving boxes were scattered everywhere. We moved down here to the Keys after my father died in a car accident back when we lived in Michigan. My mom was always running away from things – memories, flashbacks, who knows.
I turned around and opened my window. From the distance, I could see the waves crashing the shore. Little kids were sculpting sand castles, and the delicate palm trees were swaying in the wind. I stopped and closed my eyes. I pictured my brick house in Michigan, family dinners in the classy dining room, and helping my dad with the vegetable garden. I stopped and climbed out on the fraction of the roof that I officially declared mine, deciding to forget about it for now. The sun was setting in the orange sky and I grabbed my camera and snapped a picture. Once I climbed back inside I went to my computer. I told my best friend in Michigan I would email her everyday. I sent the pictures and fell asleep until morning.
I woke up to the smell of my mom’s coffee. I checked the clock– 8:45. I looked around, but something felt different. Then I heard a deep laugh. I tiptoed to the end of the hallway and peered down. A man was sitting with my mom. I decided to eat my candy stash for breakfast. I put on my bathing suit and ran town the stairs. “I’ll be back by dinner!” I shouted as I ran out the door. I needed some fresh air, not to mention space.
The warm grains of sand felt good against my toes. I laid down and thought more about my dad and the man my mom was dating. I didn’t know much about him, but I knew he wouldn’t beat my old man. “He probably doesn’t even have a vegetable garden!” I thought to myself.
At 1:30 or so I went back to the house. I thought he was gone, but to be safe I ran upstairs to room which had been the only place I even care to be in this house. Once again, I emailed my friend, Marie, about everything that had been going on – the new house, how tan I already was, and that man downstairs whose name I was not willing to learn at all.
I went out to sit on my roof when I heard our car engine. At first I was furious and wanted to scream, but got distracted when I heard a voice from my room. At first, I was scared, until I realized all the voice was saying was “You’ve got mail!” I scrolled down until I found Marie’s email and clicked it. I read it, again and again, trying to make sense of it. I deleted it faster than a cheetah could run a mile for their food. On her email it read, “Why don’t you get to know him instead of assuming everything?”
I looked at the clock and realized it was already 9:30. I decided to sleep on it, thinking it was possible it could come to me.
During the night, I had two dreams. One had a new “dad” and the other did not. In the dream with my “dad” I saw myself happy. Probably not as happy as with my real dad, but happier than I was now.
In my second dream, I saw myself sabotaging to get rid of my almost-father. I enjoyed the dream up until I realized how unhappy my mother would be with me because I ruined something for her. I skidded to a stop in front of my mother and explained myself to her. I told her how sorry I felt for not wanting her to be happy.
“I know how you feel, sweetie,” she comforted. I asked her how she knew.
“When I was young my mom and dad separated. I lived with my mom and found out she was dating and I didn’t know what to do. She sat down and talked to me, explaining that she would not ignore me even if there is someone new in her life. I ended up liking the man very much. It made my mother very happy,” she said. She stopped for a moment and then asked me slowly “Can you do that for me?”
I sat a minute to think and finally agreed. She said she would still have time for me and I agreed to do more around the house. There was no more fighting and no more arguments, just family dinners and maybe a vegetable garden.