Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 64617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
I really missed those days and couldn’t wait for them to come back again. To have my momma back like she used to be before she got sick. I hated seeing her sick, I hated it so much. Every night and sometimes during the day, when the sun was shining bright, I would pray to God to help her feel better, so I could have my momma back. Playing with me, talking to me, paying attention to me like she always had.
“Momma! Momma! Momma! You have to chase me!” I shouted, trying to get her to run after me faster.
“I am chasing you, Aiden! And as soon as I get you, you’re done for, Little Man!”
I laughed, throwing my head back. Almost tripping over my own two feet.
“Gotcha!” She giggled, tackling me to the ground.
I threw my body around as soon as her fingers started tickling under my chin. I hated getting tickled there the most.
“Momma, stop!”
“Who’s your favorite girl?”
“You, Momma, you!”
“Good, remember that when girls start coming around.”
“I hate girls!”
She stopped tickling me, smiling and laughing. Finally letting me catch my breath.
“Well, baby, girls are going to love you, and I’m not ready for any of that. You can never leave me, okay? You stay Momma’s Little Man for life, alright?”
I nodded, sitting up. “I won’t leave you, ever. I swear with my whole heart. But you won’t leave me either, right, Momma?”
“Mommas don’t leave, Aiden. Mommas never leave,” she replied, brushing the hair away from my eyes with a sad smile on her face.
“So then only dads leave?”
“Oh, Little Man … dads aren’t supposed to leave either.”
“But you said my daddy left.”
We never really talked about him. I never met him, she said he left before I was born.
The troubled look on her face made my chest hurt. It was one of the reasons we didn’t talk about the man that much.
“I’m sorry, Momma, I don’t want to make you sad.” I gave her a hug, wanting to make her feel better. She always said my hugs were the best and the cure to anything in this world.
“I don’t need a daddy, Momma. I have you. You’re all I need, I promise.”
“I’m sorry you don’t have a daddy, Aiden. I never wanted you not to have a daddy. But don’t you worry, Little Man, moms don’t leave. They never leave. I promise you, I’ll be with you forever, Aiden. It’s you and me against the world,” she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. “Just me and you against the world, Little Man.”
The words played out in my head again and again, remembering the last happy memory I had of her before she got sick. I didn’t mind taking care of her, though. It’s what you did for the people you loved. You took care of them.
No matter what.
“Momma, when are you going to feel better, so we can play? Do you think you’ll feel better next week? Joey, Felix, and Tyler’s parents won’t let them play with me anymore, cause you’re never around to watch us. They won’t even let me play with them at their houses where their parents can watch us. Something about me not thinking or acting like a seven-year-old boy should, cause I’m always taking care of myself. And you’re making me grow up too fast.” I rolled my eyes. “Whatever that means.”
“Oh, Aiden…”
“It’s okay, Momma.” I shrugged. “I didn’t want to tell you, but I’m really missing my friends. So do you think you might feel better by next week?”
“Oh, Aiden…” she repeated, looking up at the ceiling with tears in her eyes.
“Please don’t cry. I don’t like it when you cry.”
It was what I hated the most about telling her what people were saying. My teachers at school were always asking me questions about my home life. All sorts of questions that had nothing to do with them. Most of the time I just lied to keep them from asking me again, but it never worked. Sometimes the principal would even call me into his office with the guidance counselor, and that always made me really nervous.
They said everyone was just looking out for me because they were concerned. I guess all eyes were on me since they found out I was walking to and from the bus stop by myself. The walk wasn’t even that far, not as far as the small grocery store on Rubles Road.
Now that was a very long walk, and the lady behind the counter always had the saddest eyes when she saw me. Kind of like Momma’s right now. I didn’t like it when anyone was sad, especially when I was the cause.
It was the worst feeling in the world.
Maybe I did grow up faster than the other kids in my class, but who wanted to be a little boy anyway?