Page 26 of Dirty Roulette
“Mom,” I say, tugging the chain to her night lamp to turn it on. I sit on the edge of the bed. She doesn’t respond, just stares at the wall, lost in her world of pain. I don’t recognize her at this point. It’s like life is being sucked right out of her. She’s not eating, her hair is thinning, and her skin is pale. The Grim Reaper has her by the throat and she’s nothing but a shadow of her former self.
“Mom, we need to figure this out,” I say, struggling to keep a steady voice. “I can’t do this for another four months.” I stare at the pile of dirty clothes and the bedroom that has been left in shambles. Coat hangers lay on the carpet near the walk-in closet, and it pains me to see it empty with nothing but socks and a few ties Dad left behind.
“HR put me on leave...” She visibly swallows. Dread prickles all along my arms. “There isn’t anything I can do. They are forcing me to see a doctor next month.” She cups her face with two hands and starts shuddering out a sob. “There’s no way I’m going back to work. They all think I’m bipolar.”
“You’re not bipolar.”
“They think I am. You should have seen how they all looked at me.”
“You probably should have taken time off sooner. None of this is your fault. How much leave have you accumulated?”
“My six weeks of bereavement are up, so... not much.”
“Well... I only make minimum wage and I can’t pack more than twenty hours on top of football, especially since it’s my senior year. Isn’t there some type of spousal support you can nail Dad for?”
“It has to go through the courts.” Her grey eyes meet mine, trembling. Even I am nervous – my foot is drumming the carpet below me. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, rubbing the side of her face with a hand. “I just... I don’t know what to do.”
“Going to the casino isn’t helping.”
“I know... my date paid though.”
“I’ll send you money to help pay the bills and call when I can.”
“Okay,” she gives me a frail smile and squeezes my knees to stop the jittering. “Can you take Charlie to the campus? I haven’t been able to keep anything down today.”
“Yeah, I’ll figure out where she’s at.”
“Thanks, I’m gonna get some water and go back to bed.”
She scoots off the mattress and pushes back her dark, matted hair. I slide the cell out from my pocket and dial up Charlie. It rings three times before I’m greeted with an annoyed sigh. “What do you want, heifer?”
“Look...” I pause a moment, the words chained to my tongue.
“What?” she asks.
I let out a deep breath before spitting out the bad news. “Mom’s not feeling good.”
“Oh...” The disappointment leeks off her sudden change of voice. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’ll load your stuff up tonight, but I have to head to work so I won’t be able to drop any of your bags off until tomorrow.”
“Okay... Well, I’m hanging out with some friends. So, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Is Payton with you?”
“No, her Mom took her to the dorm like two hours ago. Look... I gotta go.”
“Do you plan on coming back? You guys left the kitchen a mess.” The phone beeps in my ear as she hangs up without another word. I guess that’s ano, then.
Chapter nine
Payton
Monday morning wages war against my sins. I clench the map and dig my nails deep into the paper when I pass the group of senior girls with Brittni and her gang. They sit on freshly cut grass in the courtyard and their heads follow me like the Mona Lisa effect.
