Page 2 of When The Fair Goes Dark

He had the nerve at dinner tonight to ask if me and my little brother wanted to live with him, because he knew that the threat of getting evicted has been hanging over our heads for the last six months. I was almost eighteen, so I wasn’t too concerned for me, but for my little brother, it sucked.

My moms pride was high, but not high enough to ask the man that she loved before, to help us. She was working two jobs and we had to move to a much smaller home to try and cut back on costs.

I had to watch her cry. Hours on hours. Barely getting any sleep while getting us to school back and forth while working two jobs.

It was heartbreaking to witness when I felt helpless. I tried to get a job, but I had to watch Ryan as my mom worked.

She finally called him one night when our lights got turned off because we were only twenty dollars short.

He answered, his tone casual. It was unsettling to hear on the phone, when I was used to his gentle and caring voice when he used to talk to my mom.

She was hesitant when he actually picked up, and I remember how I placed my hand on hers at the kitchen table. My face tried to be strong as I watched hers crumple right before my eyes.

I wiped her tears away.

She asked him after she gained her composure, and he agreed.

I couldn’t believe it.

So, he sent money to my mom.

Enough to get our lights back on and to keep a flow of groceries in the fridge.

I thought it was because he felt bad for abandoning us, but boy was I wrong.

A strange man appeared at our doorway for my mom one day. He then told her that her ex husband had filed some sort of paperwork that would make her go to court for some bullshit custody agreement.

Apparently while he was sending money to us, he was doing something on his side with his lawyer and I guess that was enough to make my mom go to court.

So when it was all said and done, he got us every summer until we both turned eighteen now.

Even after the divorce, he fucked her over more than he already did.

I will never forget the day we left to go to my dads, and the look on my moms face. She tried to smile, which was brave. But, I know deep down, she was falling apart.

We were her world.

“Rave?” a small voice called out behind me.

I brush away the fallen tears, and stand up out of the swing.

My little brother stood only a few feet away from me, a look of concern crossing his face. He was only eight, but he was observant. Just like I am.

“Hey buddy. What are you doing out here so late?” I ask him, while walking over, and slipping off my jacket to cover him with it.

My own skin breaks out in chills at being exposed to the chilled summer night air.

His shorter hair stuck out in all directions as he clutches my jacket over his small frame.

“I was looking for you. I couldn’t sleep.” he says to me before cuddling up to me.

Wrapping my hands around his body, I lean forward to place a kiss on the top of his head. “Nightmare?”

He shakes his head. “No. I just miss mom.”

My heart felt heavy as I tightened my hands around him. I knew that feeling more than I wanted to. But, I needed to be strong for him.

I only had a year of this shit, but he had a lot longer than I did. So, unfortunately this was going to be our lives for the foreseeable future.