“And if I show up to your house… unannounced?”
“Fine… except tonight,” I told him.
“Okay… I’ll be good…tonight,” he said.
He walked over to the wall where there was a wooden block counter. He grabbed a pen, a pad of paper, wrote his number down, and then ripped it off the pad.
“What’s yours?” he asked.
I rattled off the number for him as he wrote it down. He folded the other paper as he walked toward me. He pulled me closer and then tucked it into my front pants pocket.
“Call me anytime, day or night, or two a.m.—I don’t care—call me. I’ll be there in minutes,” he said.
“Minutes, huh? You teleport, too?” I teased.
“Haha, I just drive like a bat out of hell,” he said.
He pulled me into a tight hug.
“I love you, my little doe,” he said.
Chapter 32
As I got closer to the house, my hands trembled. I was worried about what I was about to walk into. Terrified actually. Each turn I made, my heart thumped harder in my chest. I pulled alongside the curb. I looked over into the yard. The grass was long, but dead. I closed my eyes, inhaled through my nose, and exhaled through my mouth. No matter what I walked into, it couldn’t be worse than what I’d endured.
I got out of the car and walked into the house. My feet froze where I stood. My brother and a female were sitting on the couch, yet their heads were leaning forward. They were passed out. The house had clutter everywhere. The large coffee table in the center of the living room was covered in mail, various papers, and dishware.
Little footsteps pattered up the hall, my eyes shifting toward the sound. Her sandy blonde hair appeared around the corner. Her eyes met mine. She froze mid-step, then she burst into a run toward me.
“ZAYA ZAYA!” she screamed.
She ran into my arms, and I scooped her up into the air. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
“You’re home. You’re home,” she said.
“I am, sweet girl, I am,” I told her.
“Where you be at?” her little tiny voice said.
“I was away for a little while, but I’m here now,” I said.
“Don’t leave me again, please, sissy,” she begged.
“Where’s mom?” I asked.
“In her bed… sleeping,” she said.
“You're all alone?” I asked.
“Not now, you’re here,” she said.
Her little arms were wrapped tightly around my neck, her legs around my waist. I carried her down the hall. I looked back at my brother, and below his feet lay needles. My stomach twisted.
I walked to my mother’s room and pushed her door open. She was passed out, beer bottle still in hand, ashtray on the bed. I shook my head. This was fucking unreal.
“Mom!” I shouted.
Her head moved, eyes trying to open.
