Page 13 of Broken By It

My ears ring as the anger and hurt build inside me. “Why are you doing this?”

She pats my cut, “go on, now, go to your family.” She gives me a small push that doesn’t move me at all before she turns and saunters back to her friend signaling the bartender for a drink.

My mind spins. The only thing I can think to do is get to my son. Whatever is going on with Anna, I’ll deal with in the light of a new day. It is time to face this and get the process started. We can’t continue to live like this. Although, talking about divorce while she’s drunk isn’t a good idea, it is a conversation we will have. The drive to Maritza’s I can’t figure out what to say other than I’m sorry. How much more can we keep invading her life? It’s not fair to her.

It’s late.

I should probably leave her alone.

But my son needs to be home, in his own bed. She isn’t the one responsible for him. I appreciate that she takes him for Anna, but this is truly too much to ask of her.

Parking and walking to her door, my mind races. I don’t want to disturb her, but I want to pick up Hollis. I should have called.

With everything Anna dumped on me, I can’t talk to anyone right now. Is she really leaving me? Will a court give her my son? I want him to know his mother, sure, but I want equal time with him. He’s my son too.

All these thoughts and emotions swirl around in my head as I ring the doorbell. It takes a few minutes before the light of thecamera doorbell illuminates. Moments later, Maritza opens the door extending her arm to wave me.

Her hair is braided down her back. She’s covered in a red robe down to her ankles and red slippers.

“Dillon, are you okay?”

I nod, “sorry to wake you. I got home and Anna said Hollis is here.”

She smiles at the mention of his name, “yeah, he’s sleeping,” she whispers as her sister Mariella comes from her room down the hall. She turns to face her, “go back to bed, I got this.”

Mariella waves and turns around returning to bed.

It is almost two in the morning; I wouldn’t speak either.

“I’m sorry for coming this late. Just figured it would be easier for me to get him now since I’m off tomorrow. This way you can head to work without dealing with getting him home.”

She shuts the door behind me. “He’s fine. You don’t look fine though.”

“I’m just tired. Long drive,” I lie while inside I’m shattered.

She turns to look at me raising an eyebrow, so I know she’s not really buying what I’m telling her. “How about this? It’s late, you’re tired, Hollis is asleep, and Anna needs a time out any way. Crash on the couch. Whenever Hollis wakes up in the morning, then y’all go home. I can leave for work without waking him.”

“Nah, I’ll just get him and go on home. Thank you though.”

She pops her right hip out putting her hand on it, “Dillon, I don’t know what is going on. Tonight, though, when Anna showed up, I was in the parking lot from the worst dinner I’ve ever been to. She didn’t call, but she was clearly in need of some time away from Hollis. She needed a break, and I needed a solid escape plan from my Mister Rogers date. I don’t know if you’ve been home yet or not, but sometimes a woman likes to have time alone. It’s like a recharge, reset of sorts. Let Anna have this window of time to rest and tomorrow she will be ready to be fullyengaged with her son. If you go home with him and wake her up, she’s getting broken sleep. All she’s going to do is bring Hollis to the office.” I start to speak, and she pulls her hand up putting a finger over my lips, “not that I mind. Mom and I love having Hollis around. You’re tired though, so sleep here. Let Anna rest, let Hollis rest. Tomorrow bring him to the office if you want or take him home. It doesn’t matter to me, but he’s asleep in my room and doing fine. There is no reason to disturb him.”

I think about her invitation. Anna is drunk and on a tirade. She might come home and wake Hollis to be spiteful or just from being loud. This isn’t the first time she’s wanted a divorce. If I go home and she’s already there, well, the state she’s in we will fight. It will get loud, possibly physical on her side, and it will wake Hollis, there is no doubt about that. If I stay here, on the couch, my son sleeps, I sleep, and I can face tomorrow when we both are a little more rested.

“Okay,” I concede, “sorry to barge in on your night and your space.”

Maritza smiles at me the sweet smile that is all her. “Stop apologizing. I’ll grab a blanket and pillow. You can crash on the couch.”

I nod as she goes about getting the linens. Meeting her at her bedroom door, I glance at my son who is sleeping soundly in Maritza’s bed. His face relaxed and breathing even, my baby boy doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Goodnight, Dillon,” Maritza tells me handing me the blankets and a pillow from her closet.

“Night, Maritza,” I whisper before heading back to her living room.

Taking off my boots, cut, and shirt, I strip down to my boxers and settle in on the couch.

This is not the homecoming I was expecting from this transport.

Thank fuck for the Hellions, at least I have people around me who care and put my son first.

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