"Sam."
My little brother Sammie stirred in his sleep rolling over the faint sound of snoring soon returning. I sat back on my haunches and sighing while my bangs blew up and fell limp as I put my hand in my head trying to figure out what to do next. I had a little over an hour before school started. Why? Why did we? No I have to go through this every morning? Why did I have to responsible for Sam and and Emma. And where was Mom? She was supposed to come in last night and 12 but she stumbled in around 1:30 a.m drunk. I dragged her to bed took off her clothes, put her night clothes on and pulled the covers up over her. As I looked down at her and rubbed her forehead I thought "What happened to the mother I used to know?" Was this the way it's supposed to be? I mean forever?"Sam...Sammie wake up okay? It's 6:30. Time to get up little guy."
"I'm not a little guy and I'm sleepy." he frowned with his cute mouth.
"Listen to me-" I said.
"Nooo...Leave me alone. Spiderman not ready yet." He said fumbling in the darkness to push my hands away from pulling off the covers. His eyes were still closed and he was whimpering.
"Sam you gotta get up now. Charmaine will be here to pick you and Emmie up in 20 minutes. So let's get up and get in the bath. You wet the bed again." I pushed him in the back.
"Why do I have to go to her house everyday?" He dug further under his Spiderman sheets and covers that had been rumpled by his wild sleeping.
"Sam! I said get up NOW! We go through this every morning. If you don't get up and get in that bathroom in five minutes I'm gona take away all your spidermans and call Charmaine and tell her you want to stay forever." I walked over to the hallway and turned on the light so a shadow came into the room.
"Why do I have to go her house? I want Mama! Mamaaa!" He sat up and started crying loudly, his mouth open with and holding his arms up for mom. I just stood there not knowing what to do.
"Okay! Okay! Shhhh!" I quickly tried to put his hands down and quiet him.
"Mama's not here" I glanced nervously towards the hallway. If mom came in she would be in a very bad mood with her headache.
"Alright just calm down buddy you can sleep for a little while until I come back." Then I walked straight out the door and towards Emmie's room to check if Sam had woken her up. He hadn't. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then thinking twice I went back to Sammie's room and closed his door quietly so that his low whimpering wouldn't wake anyone up. Outside his door I stood there with my head down and hand still on the knob. The sound of his crying for mom broke my heart. After a few minutes I walked heavy hearted downstairs and into the kitchen and grabbed a banana. Next I started to prepare to get Emma ready. When I walked into her to get her diapers from the diaper bag hanging on the wall there was a note on it from mom in her big loose handwriting.
Hally love,
I'll be back again late tonight. I have to stay over at work to make some extra money for Emma's daycare. I know I promised you could go out with your friends tonight but you know it is. There's $40 on the kichen table for dinner. You can get whatever you want. :) Make sure you lock the door when you leave. I promise I'll make it up to you. Thanks sweetie. Lots of love
XXXXX Mom
I snatched the note down and crumpled it in my hand angrily. Then I thew it across the room. I stomped over her closet picked out the things she needed for the day and shoved the things she was going to take with her to Charmaine's house in her pink and white bunny bag. I heard a giggle and stopped what I was doing. She was awake. I stood up and turned around and went over to her. She was standing up in the crib in little Minnie Mouse footies. When she saw me approaching a smile lit up her face and arms went up telling me she wanted me to pick her up. Without saying anything I pulled her out and put her on my hip. I left the room with her and my head down tears streaming down my cheeks. Mom's promises meant nothing.
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