Prologue by Onji J

It was a dry windy morning in Wisconsin. Eggs, bacon, and the smell of blueberry pancakes rose through the cracks under the door, up to my nose. I woke up one minute before my alarm went off because of the very temping aroma. “Good morning  folks, time to rise and shine and jam with the top 25 hit pop songs…” were the first words I heard as I clumsily arose out of my bed. I could hear mom’s singing to the tunes that were playing on the same radio station. I walked downstairs to the kitchen to see mom and her new hubby dancing like the cool kids in Grease to Britney Spears 35th hit song. When my mom noticed I was standing there she ran over and kissed on the forehead and I began to sing and dance with my mom and Jack. 

Beep, Beep, Beep, I slapped the snooze button once again. And there was no smell of eggs, bacon, or blueberry pancakes rising through my door and into my nose, only the smell of old cigarettes and whiskey. I’d been having the same dream for the past year, hoping it would become my reality. Though I know it never would. I headed downstairs to see my mom passed out on the couch. “Mom, momma, wake up, it’s 8:00, it’s time for you pills.” I pushed and pushed until finally WAP! 
“Why you always gotta wake me up this early, huh!?” Momma snapped back. The only thing that faces her was my burning red cheek. This had been such routine that I only felt numb, both physically and mentally, and the walls didn’t seem to spin anymore, guess they’ve gotten use to it too. “Momma, take your pills.”

“I don’t won’t to!”

This time she breathed in my face allowing her raspy voice to force the putrid smell of day old whiskey, beer, and henisy up my nostrils. Dismissing her outburst I go into the kitchen and grab bread and medicine out of the half broken cabinet and walked back towards her. She tried to sit up on her own but couldn’t, so I sat next to her so she can rest her body on me. “Eat this.” She grabbed the bread and gobbled it down in seconds. “Take this” she shoved the pill in her mouth and I hold up a cup of water to her mouth to wash it down. She swallowed with resistance. She stared at me blankly and slurred  “This will be you pretty soon, yup, a low-life nothing, your already stupid, what else are you going do? Go to college HA!” She busted out in a hysterical laughter.

 “Yea, momma, yea” Tears almost formed in my eyes, but instead of crying I just kissed her on the forehead and said I love you. Then tore off the a label from an old water bottle from on top of our grand piano, and simply wrote goodbye. I walked out the front door and never looked back.