Page 6 of Quarantined
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Milo
I wipe down the kitchen counter, which is still littered with food crumbs. I should have known better when mom decided to make breakfast. She was high on life earlier today, cooking and singing. She made a massive mess in the kitchen.
Right after breakfast, she crashed from her high and retreated into her room. Reid and Mia have no idea what happened and why her door is locked again. I am not going to ruin one of the only good days they have had with her in weeks, so I decide to clean up the mess and take the runts out to see Uncle John.
It's one of our various family traditions, one outing per weekend, no matter how small. During the weekdays, Reid and Mia are in school. They don't notice mom locked away in her room for hours on end. But on weekends, they are around for far too long, so I distract them with made-up activities; as if it's completely normal for a sixteen-year-old to be in charge of his thirteen-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister.
I finish cleaning up, as Mia and Reid run downstairs. Mia almost loses her footing at the bottom. I smile and shake my head. Lifting her up I swing her around.
"Wheeee…" she squeals out. I put her down, and she falls into a fit of giggles. Reid and Mia tug at their socks and shoes, ready to leave the house. I have barely done the laces on my combat boots when Reid opens the front door, practically flying out.
I smirk. He can't wait to see Raven, his best friend. Today is the day Raven and Uncle John officially moved in next door. And we are going over to welcome them.
Though we call him uncle, we are actually not related. Uncle John is my dad's best friend. They grew up in a small southern town in Virginia. The friendship was solidified through religion. Both of their families are devout Christians and they both grew up in the church community. Throughout their lives, they tried to instill the same values in us. It didn't quite stick.
After high school, they went to the same college. They even applied to the same medical schools, but it didn't work out. Dad ended up in New York, while Uncle John ended up in Boston. They settled in their respective cities, but still considered each other to be brothers. So he was always Uncle John to us.
I was three years old when Uncle John got married. Within the year, they had a baby girl, Raven. And my parents had Reid. In fact, Reid and Raven were born on the same day, one hour apart.
So naturally, they struck up a lifelong friendship. Growing up, they were inseparable. Every time Dad visited Uncle John in Boston, Reid tagged along.
When I was younger, I used to visit them too. But the last time I visited them was eight years ago. That's when Mom got "sick," and life went to shit.
Mia was born when I was eight. And mom started having mood swings, crazy highs, and lows. Initially, they chalked it up to postpartum depression. Later she was diagnosed with major depression. Finally, it was anxiety, depression, and now she is currently being investigated for bipolar disorder. The opinions have been many, with even more drugs and therapy treatments. Nowadays, she just hangs out in her room, coming out on select days when she is feeling well enough.
Our lives took a huge hit when mom's unsuspecting disorders crept up, disrupting life as we knew it. She became utterly oblivious of her surroundings, drowning in self-pity. Her bedroom and her bed became her solace. And we became strangers to her. It's not like she is abusive or anything. Deep neglect is the best way to describe it.
One time, when Mia was young, I came home and found her crying her little lungs out. She was alone in her crib. Her diaper hadn't been changed, and she possibly hadn't been fed for hours. I quickly realized it would be dangerous to leave Mia alone in mom's care. I convinced dad to hire a part-time nanny, and started helping with Mia after school.
Once Mia was old enough, I found a reputable daycare. Even then, mom forgot to pick her up a couple of times. Once more, I had dad hire a nanny to care for Mia after daycare. It was alright for a while.
However, when Mia turned four, she started rebelling against nannies with a vengeance. She became super attached to me and would throw a fit if any strangers tried to take care of her. When she started school, it was World War III with her, trying to part ways when I dropped her off in the mornings. As needed as I felt, it was a lot of pressure for a thirteen-year-old to be in charge of his five-year-old baby sister.
Dad tried his best to help, but he worked such long hours at the hospital that Mia simply never developed an attachment to him. He didn't have a choice. Mom lost her job after missing one too many days. Dad picked up extra moonlighting shifts so that we could carry on the lifestyle we grew accustomed to.
Initially, we tried to make it work without a second income. The previous owners had customized our house in almost a duplex style. The downstairs has its own entrance, kitchen, bedrooms, living rooms, a complete apartment. We felt comfortable enough to rent it out to make up for the loss of income. But after one freak tenant to the next bad tenant, we decided it's not sustainable for a family of five to rent out a portion of their living quarters. Our alternative was to cut back on the semi luxurious lifestyle we lived.
We are not rich, but we do have a brownstone on the Upper West Side, all three of us go to private school, and dad started trust funds for us when we were young. While we are not made of money, we are quite comfortable.
Financial stability is something dad never had when he was growing up. He didn't want us to be deprived of opportunities because of money. I get it. He wants us to have the best chances and opportunities in life. The New York City public school system will not provide that for you. Private schools and trust funds will.
Hence, dad started working extra moonlighting shifts on his off days. It was so hard to watch his tired eyes with dark circles from lack of sleep.
That's when I decided to step in. I couldn't let dad drown. I did whatever I could to help around the house. I never complained to him and never let him understand the effect of the burden of raising Mia and Reid had on me.
As far as he was concerned, they were taken care of at school all day, followed by various after school activities. It didn't cross his mind to figure out who picked up Mia after school, if their homework was done, if they were being disciplined for poor behavior, if their lunches were being packed, or what they ate for dinner. You know, the general upkeep of raising children.
He was always the main breadwinner in the household and had literally no clue how the children were being brought up. That was always my mom's job. He never questioned how those duties were still being filled, considering mom was absent and Mia shrieks anytime she sees a nanny walking into the household. It's a trigger. Mia assumes if the nanny is coming to stay over, then I am going to leave her.
Considering the drastic change of role in my childhood, it didn't leave a lot of time to travel. Hence, I haven't gone to Boston since I was eight, and that was the last time I saw Raven. I wonder if she still has that sweet tooth of hers. She used to steal candy and sweets from the kitchen and hide it all over her room. I am sure she has changed. After all, she was only four when I saw her last.
I did, however, frequently see Uncle John, whenever he visited New York.
Uncle John is my hero. He is my biggest cheerleader and he just gets me. I can talk to him about everything. He doesn't judge people for their shortcomings and never passes out unkind opinions. Being a man of faith, he always tells me that he has his own demons too. And hopes that if he ever falls, someone would be kind enough to help him without judgment.
Even in his professional life, he is an all-around hero. He worked for Doctors Without Borders for years before he got married. He is a gem of a human being and is big on giving back to the community.
