Chapter Six: Home Life:

She’s almost never home. Atticus pretends it doesn’t hurt him. He didn’t know the love of a mother. His own mom treated him like a burden. In truth, he wasn’t supposed to be in the picture.

His mother came up to mainland Japan from Okinawa for a good time. Her co-workers’ idea, really. She wanted to stay on the base.

“Why would I want to see Japan?” she asked. “I hate this country. I want to go home.” That’s all she says. Her coworkers brushed it off. They viewed her as one of those people. She did her job and never interacted with them. They knew to leave her alone.

But, tonight was different.

From the start, she hated tonight. That woman stayed at the bar, drinking. Her coworkers danced and drank the night away. They looked natural in their atmosphere. That woman rolled her eyes.

They look so happy. I want to vomit. Why am I even here? I just want to go home.

Just then, she realized she wasn’t alone anymore. That woman turned her head. She wouldn’t remember his face. She wouldn’t remember his name. He smiled at her and she was drunk.

“Buy you a drink?” he asked.

“No,” she said in a dreamy tone. She didn’t remember the conversation either. He might have done all of the talking. But, he did ask her one question.

“Do you want to get out of here?” the man asked. She smiled like a wild cat.

“Yes!” she shouted. They disappeared out of the club. Her night vanished in a blur.

Then she got pregnant.

Why didn’t that woman abort the child? Why did she not give up the child for adoption? She married the man who knocked her up. He had plenty of money to supply the family. There was no love. When the dad died, reality crawled out.

“I’m home,” Atticus said in present day. There was nobody home, of course. When was his mother ever home? She barely him any food. It wasn’t like they were poor or anything. She always looked so rich in the clothes she wore. The women commented about her hair and jewelry too. But mention her son, she pretends not to have one. She clearly doesn’t care and it hurt.

It looked like another hot night. Good thing he ate dinner already. Before he met Kelly, Atticus would barely eat for days. Sometimes, he would go through the trash for food. Atticus walked over the fridge and frowned. He didn’t expect to see anything inside. He sighed and closed the fridge door. Atticus turned on the TV and sat on the floor. That mother won’t be home tonight. She won’t call and check on him either. She’d probably be spending the night in a hotel. She might come home in the morning. Maybe not.

Whether she was home or not, it didn’t matter. His mother ignored her son. The TV would be blaring in the house looking like it hadn’t been cleaned for years. The woman would sit at the table, drinking. She’d look up and see Atticus staring at her. His mother looked up at him.

“Oh, you’re still here?” she asked. She acted like didn’t know who he was. Atticus pretty much raised himself. His mother didn’t care.

Tonight, Atticus took a bath, changed into his pajamas, and went to sleep in front of the TV. His room felt too muggy tonight. The living room felt like the coolest place in the house. Would that woman come home in the morning? Atticus didn’t know or care. He drew his eyes closed and dozed off.

In the morning, there was a knock on the door. Atticus opened his eyes as he heard it open and footsteps walk inside.