Aleecia by Maggie Wells

Author:Maggie Wells
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABDO
Published: 2015-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

On Saturday, Kyle woke early and stared at the ceiling. The acrid odor of Dwayne’s bunk wafted upward. Fuck, he thought, I’ll have to do the laundry before Mom gets up. Where was Aleecia at this moment? What was she doing? His thoughts ran wild. What if we ran away together? To Nashville, wherever?

And then he thought about Dwayne and baby Crystal. I can never abandon them. What would happen to them if I left? Would Aleecia take them in? Could they be a family of five together? Shit, I keep forgetting that she is only fifteen, going on sixteen. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t take on all these kids. Why should she?

From the minute he had met her, Kyle saw Aleecia as his salvation, a life raft for him to cling to. Her faith and the strength that springs from that—that is what I am yearning for. She seems certain about everything and I want to believe in her. She makes me believe in myself. When I am with her, all my dreams seem attainable. I can’t imagine living without her, but I never intended to hold her back, or stand in the way of her dreams. A wave of guilt flooded over him as he thought about the baby. This isn’t right. Aleecia is too young to make a commitment like this. She needs to let it go; I need to let her go.

Kyle climbed down from his bunk and started to gather up the piles of dirty clothes. Dwayne’s eyes were open and watching him.

“Hey, Dwayne,” Kyle said. “Help me with the laundry. Get your sheets.”

Dwayne gathered up his sheets and followed Kyle into the kitchen and dropped everything on the floor by the washer.

“Let’s get you into the bath,” Kyle said. He peeled off Dwayne’s soiled pajamas and dropped them into the washer.

While Dwayne soaked in the tub, Kyle peeked into his mother’s room. Her bed was empty, and Crystal was sitting in her crib wide-eyed.

“Hey, baby,” Kyle cooed as he picked her up. “Where’s your mama? Are you hungry?” Kyle gathered up her blankets in his spare hand and carted his load to the kitchen.

Kyle cuddled Crystal in his lap as he fed her. Dwayne came padding into the kitchen wrapped in a towel.

“I can’t find any clean clothes,” Dwayne said.

“I know,” Kyle said. “Everything is in the wash. Eat some cereal.”

As he watched the kids eating, Kyle thought: this is what our life could be like. Aleecia will get the kids up in the morning and make everyone breakfast. He thought about calling her but then he remembered that she was driving to Orlando with her mom. Not a good time.

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