Together Alone

Darkness, silence, the neglected house stands still.

Commotion begins to breed life. The boiler starts to rumble, the pipes passing hot water give way to the sounds of wooden floor boards creaking. Fear is the fertilization providing nutrition for the anxiety the grows in the mind. A small boy, no more the age of eight, battles to fall asleep. Hysteria take over is immature brain, he holds on to dear life to his stuffed animal, a bear he named Denise, after his recently deceased sister. Petrified from the growing bedlam, he cries out in terror.

"Ma!" he screams

"Mommy!!!" he cries out in the night.

There is no answer. Angry there is no reply; he flails his extremities, violently rocking back and forth. He bellows once more

"MOM!?!?!"

Suddenly, loud stomping rears near. The door flies open and a shadowy figure appears in the doorway.

"What !?" a mother's voice stammers at that startled child.

"I can't sleep" he replies.

Half comatose, barely sober she stands in stillness processing the situation. Her head throbs, blonde hair mangled in knots, she approached the boy. Her over-sized pajama bottoms make it difficult to take the six paces to the bed and she stumbles as she arrives.

"Why can't you sleep?" she asks, with frustration.

"I don't know" the boy clamored.

"Can you lay down with me until I fall asleep" he begs.

She sighs and reluctantly agrees, stumbling in to the bed. The boy is mindful of his mother's anger with his actions, but persistent to be comforted. He cuddles close to her seeking safety. With each exhale, he consumes the vodka from her breath. The stench of cheap alcohol seeps from her pores. The aroma displays her struggle.

....the day job at the local factory , enlisted to stand on her feet twelve hours a shift, the night job at the bowling alley where she is continuously groped and cheated out of tips, the daughter she onced held in arms, now six feet under, the boyfriend who bullies her, beats her, and ensures she feel worthless, the "friends" who call, only to ask for a favor, never to return the favor.....

Each breath releases her hopes and dreams, becoming lost in the universe. Surrounded, she is alone. Defeated, she quickly falls asleep. Her worries ring through the house translated by snoring. The boy who cried wolf for his mother's affection has been declined......again...he is alone. Mother and son, splitting the bed, sharing space, still isolated in the world.