The sun was warm and laughter floated through the air as Ashley walked home from school. His friends had been talking all afternoon -sharing stories about their parents who cared, loved and laughed with them.
"My dad picked me up with snacks last week. I was sooooo embarrassed!"one said
"My mom left a note in my lunchbox, said I'm her sunshine. Does she still think I am six?"
Ashley smiled quietly and listened wishing deep inside he could have that kind of complain or life.His lunchbox was empty today (as always) and his home was a place he never wanted to return to.
The only thing that made Ashley still feel a flicker of warmth in that cold, broken house was his mother.
No matter how heavy the silence, no matter how loud the fights,she was always there- her presence a small steady light in the darkness. She's never gave up on him, never left him alone.
That was the one thing he clung to.The One thing that made coming home still feel a little like hope.
************
He slowed as he reached the gate of his house. The gate was opened and the front door wasn't locked.
From the cracked window beside the door, he heard voices — sharp, angry voices he wished he could unhear.
His mother's voice was trembling, desperate
"Where have you been? Who is she now? How many more are you going to bring into this house as if I don't exist?"
His father's voice was cold and dismissive.
"Don't talk to me like that. If you weren't so useless, I wouldn't need anyone else."
Ashley's heart pounded. He crouched down, peering through the glass, unseen.
Inside, he saw his mother standing in the dim hallway, arms crossed, eyes filled with exhaustion and pain. His father stood in the doorway with a woman draped over his arm.
His mother's words trembled into a plea.
"Do you even care if your son has eaten today? Do you even care how hard it is for us?"
His father sneered and stepped forward. His hand shot out — a sharp slap cracked through the room, and his mother stumbled, falling to the floor.
Ashley's breath caught in his throat.
"If you weren't so pathetic, I wouldn't have to look elsewhere," he muttered
As the door cracked open, Ashley stepped back, startled.His father stood there - shirt unbuttoned halfway, and perfume that didn't belong to his mom. A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
" Hey, little punk" he sneered, eyes cold and disinterested "What, spying on me now"
Then without waiting for a reply, he shoved past him, muttering under his breath as he marched to his car.
**************
Inside, Ashley quietly slipped through the front door and found his mother curled on the floor, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
He knelt beside her, but she barely looked up.
Her tears fell freely.
"I'm tired Ash…l'm so tired" she whispered, voice cracking, "I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this."
When her voice hit that final , fragile note something inside him shattered. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. His own tears came silently -slow hot and unstoppable.
She held him close, burying her face in his shoulder " I don't even know why I'm telling you all this", she murmured into his hair "you're still just a kid...I'm sorry you had to see this baby."
Then she pulled back just enough to place a soft kiss on his forehead, her fingers brushing away his tears.
" I wish I could 've given you better than this...."
***********
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