My Darling

I wake up on a Friday morning to my alarm going off. I groan and push the button that makes it stop but it keeps on going. I push and push and push but the damn thing won't shut off!

"To hell with this!" I yell and throw my clock on my wooden floor, breaking it.
I sigh, get out of bed, and head towards the bathroom that's attached to my room.
I strip down to my white underwear and bra. I look at myself in the mirror and I see something I hate. My reflection.
"Disgusting." I mutter and turn on the shower to a warm temperature.
Once I was satisfied with the water, I take off the remainder of my clothing and step in. I wash my hair, body, and shaved what needed shaving.
I turn the water off and get out of the shower. The cool air hits my body and I shudder. I grab my towel and dry off. I go in my room and pick out my outfit.
Since today was the last day of school, I have to wear something 'formal'. So, I chose out my white dress shirt, a black tie, grey vest, black skirt that goes mid-thigh, white tights, and my all black high-top Converse.
Once I put on my clothes, I start with my make-up. Just some blush, mascara, I winged my eyes
with eyeliner, a little bit of black eye shadow, and some red lip-gloss.

I hate make-up. I only ever use it for special occasions. I don't even count this as a special occasion. It's just the last day Junior year. Big. Deal.
I guess most people would be excited. I mean, yeah no more school. You just get to hang with friends. Well, slight problem... I only have one friend and today is the day my mom leaves to go back into the Navy.


She's a Petty Officer 3rd class and works for damage and control on an aircraft carrier. I won’t be able to see her for the next six months. That’s how it works. She leaves for six months, comes back for six months, leaves for six months, and so on and so forth.


“You look beautiful, Max.” I hear. I turn my head and see my mother in her pajamas and robe.

“Thanks mom. You look beautiful, too.” I chuckle and so does she. “I know. I’m… FABULOUS.” She says over-the-top and strikes a ridiculous pose.

“Do I have to go?” I ask.

“Well… It’s your last day; I thought you would like to go.”

“No mom. You know that’s not what I meant.” I say and the room goes quiet.

Whenever she leaves, I have to go and stay with someone since I’m still a minor and I can’t care of a goldfish, let alone myself. Usually, I go to my grandma’s but she couldn’t have me this time. So that means I have to go and stay with my father, whom I haven’t seen in ten years. That’s because he left me at a park for about two hours when I was seven. Something happened when I was stranded and it’s his entire fault.

My parents hate each other. One, because of what had happened at the park. Two, they have nothing in common. And three, when my parents met, they were ten. They were friends for four years until they started dating at fourteen. They split up at fifteen because my dad had been cheating on my mom for a good three months. That came out when she told him that she was prego with me.

“I wish didn’t have to. I really do. But, we have no other person.” My mom says finally.

“I hate him.” I say.

“I do, too. That little son of a bitch. Literally. His mother was horrible towards me!” She says which makes me laugh.

“I would also like to stay home. Pleeeeease?” I ask with a huge smile and she looks like she’s thinking about it and sighs.

“Fine. But, you have to wear that for the rest of the day!” She sings and runs out of the room. She is such a child.
I walk over to where my phone was charging and see a missed call from my friend, Bailey. I press her contact and after a few rings, she picks up.

“Hello?” She asks.

“Hey, Bail. Why did you call me?” I say.

“Oh! I just wanted to tell you that I’m not going to school today. Want to hang?” Bailey asks.

“Can’t. My mom’s leaving, remember?”

“Oh man. Sorry to hear that, Max. What about tomorrow? I can come over to your grandma’s house.”

“You can but I won’t be there to greet you.”

“Why not? I thought you went over there every time your mom has to go back.”

“Well, my grandma can’t keep me this time. I have to go with the asshole.”

“You mean your dad?! That’s not fair! I can’t believe she’s making you go over there!”

“Yeah. I’m going miss Los Angeles. San Diego isn’t all bad, but I love it here so much.”

“Wow. I hate your dad-” Bailey begins but is cut off. I hear people talking on the other end.

“Hey, sorry about that. I have to go. I hope everything goes alright. Good luck, Max.” She says and hangs up.

I sigh and put my phone back on the charger. I go ever to my closet and get out my Army duffle bag my mom had given me and my worn out brown suitcase that I packed the night before.

I bring them out and sit them by the front door. I take a seat at the couch and turn on the TV.
After a while, my mom comes out in her uniform pants, a navy blue tank top, her black boots, and her mid-back length brown hair is hanging loosely around her shoulders.

“Hey, my little sailor man.” My mom says as she sits next to me on the couch. “What are we watching?”

“The original Scooby-Doo.” I answer with a smile. This is our show. We watch it all the time together.

“Ah, yes! This is the first episode, right? What a Night for a Knight?”

“Yup. It’s also my favorite.”

“Mine too.” She says and turns her attention towards the TV.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while and before we knew it, two and a half episodes of Scooby-Doo passed. I think they were having a marathon. I hear my mom sigh next to me.


“I have to finish getting ready. You should also make sure you have everything. Your father should be here soon.” She says with a sad expression.

“Okay mom.” I say.

My mom gets up from her seat and I do the same. She goes into her room and I go into mine. I go around the room, making sure I have everything.

Clothes? Check.

Shoes? Check.

Books? Check.

Everything else? Check.

“Hey, my little sailor man.” I hear my mom say. I turn around and see her in my doorway. Her brown hair was now in a bun and she had put on her jacket on.

“I want to give you something. Well, two things.” She says while she walks in and takes a seat on my bed. She pats the space next to her so I go and sit next to her.

“What do you have for me?” I ask.

“These.” She says and lays a chain with two dog tags on it and an old gold pocket watch.

“This watch right here…” She says while points to the watch. “…has been in my family since the Victorian Times. It was given to me by my mother when I was seventeen who was given it to her by her mother when she was seventeen and so on and so on. Since you’re seventeen now, it’s time for me to pass it on to you.”

“Oh my God.” I say and she laughs.

“That’s what I said, too.”

She hands me the watch and I stare at my reflection in the shiny gold.

“That’s real gold, you know. Very valuable.” My mom says. “It’s been in the family for so long, Max. Promise me you’ll carry on this watch to your daughter.”

I look up from the watch and look at her. She had a very serious expression on so I know this meant a lot to her.

“I promise.” I say and she smiles.

“Now for the other gift.” She says and takes the dog tags.

“This one I had specially made, just for you.” She says and holds out one of the two dog tags.

It said my nickname, ‘MY LITTLE SAILOR MAN’, in navy blue cursive. I chuckled a little at the choice of color.

“And this one is my old dog tag I got in my first few years of the Navy.” She says, now holding the other one.

I could barely make out the words on this one, it was so worn out. I could make out the numbers 10-7-81, which was her birth date and our last name, Maners. It was all dented and some parts were a bit rusted.

“I-I love this so much.” I say and bring her into a hug.

“I’m so happy to hear that, my little sailor man.”

“That’s so nice.” I hear a different voice say, making me and my mom jump.

My mom jumped in front of me, protecting me, while I flicked open my Navy knife I got at a swat meet that I always have on me. Wow. That’s just on instinct because of my mom.

“Whoa.” Says the voice. “I don’t want any trouble.”

I look over to see a small and skinny Mexican with shoulder length brown hair. My father… Vic Fuentes.

Yes! The lead singer of Pierce the Veil is my father! Big whoop!

My mom had backed off but I kept my knife raised.

“You can put that back now.” He says, pointing to my knife but I just keep it raised.

“Honey.” My mom says. “You can put it back now.”

Reluctantly, I folded my knife and put it back in my pocket of my skirt.

“What are you doing here, Fuentes?” My mom asks.

“I’m here to pick up my daughter.” He says back.

“No, I mean what are you doing in my house? Who the hell let you in?”

“I let myself in. I know where the spare key is.” Vic says and throws the house key at my mom who catches it.

“Are you ready?” He asks me and I just shoot him a glare.

My mom nudges me, telling me to answer him, so I give a small nod. “My bags are over by the front door.”

“Cool. We should get going. Traffic’s gonna be a bitch.” Vic says and I roll my eyes.

My mom starts walking towards the door and I follow after her.

As we walk out of the front door, I grab my bags and a jacket out of the closet.

My mom brings me into a hug once we step outside.

“Promise me you’ll come back.” I say.

“I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” I ask and she chuckles.

“I pinky promise, my little sailor man.” She says while breaks the hug and holds out her right pinky. I hook it with my own and we shake them three times before putting our free hands on the other’s shoulder and shake each other. That’s our little pinky promise.

I feel tears weld at the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill.

“Don’t cry, sailor.” My mom says as she brings me into another hug. I can’t keep the tears in any longer and I end up sobbing on her shoulder.

“Hey, hey, hey.” She says while stroking my hair. “Everything’s going to be alright, okay? I’m coming back. I promised and I never break a promise.”

We stand there for a little bit more until I pull away.

“I love you, mom.” I say with a shaky voice.

“I love you too, my little sailor man.”

With one last hug, I put my bags in the backseat, climb in Vic’s car, and buckle my seatbelt. Once Vic gets in the car, he starts it up and starts driving away.

I look out the window and see my house get smaller and smaller in the distance until it finally disappears.

Notes

Alright, here's chapter one... again. I will post the other original chapters later on because I am very tired. I will also post the new chapter either tomorrow or in a few days.