Alex sat in his room, biting his lip, hard. He really wanted to go out there, to stop the yelling once and for all. But he couldn't, he didn't know whose side he should be on, who to protect in this situation. His dad wasn't abusive, not at all. He'd never been. It's just... his words were a little harsh sometimes, and his mom got really upset about it. He was tired of all the ranting, all the complaining, all the screaming. He just wanted to be removed from this mess, and he was excited to finally move out to college and finish all of this nonsense. He couldn't take it anymore, and it felt like the more they fought, the less they cared about him. Maybe it was because he was already a grown man, and shouldn't need them to care about him anymore. Alex was a good boy ultimately, he was obedient to what his parents wanted, and bought himself into a good college that also had good boys and girls. It was everything they wanted, but still not even close to enough from stopping all of their fights. He might as well not even try. He put his headphones on, having enough of this. Maybe he should text his friend and go to his house instead, just so he wouldn't have to listen to the ramble anymore.
An hour later, when he was finally done with his homework, he set the headphones down, and stared at his bedroom door. The house was eerily quiet. Too quiet. He stood up from his chair and moved towards the door. Before he could open it though, it slid open, revealing his mother standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her eyes. "Oh, Alex!" She sobbed, and put her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"Ma--" He said, hugging her back. It killed him to see her like this. And it was almost a daily occurrence now. She was always in a mood. Crying, angry, frustrated, depressed. It was always something. She wasn't okay, and he didn't know what to do about it. His dad clearly had given up on her, unable to take the mood swings and the 'craziness' anymore. He could understand slightly, but he still cared very deeply about her, and wanted her to feel okay.
Her makeup was smearing, and she was a complete emotional wreck. This time, it seemed even worse than usual. Her lipstick was all over her mouth, and the mascara she was wearing was everywhere except for on her eyelashes. She was wearing her usual pyjamas, a matching set of silk light pink pjs with black lace on top. It looked good on her, and showed off her breasts well, though it didn't seem like his father cared very much. Clearly, they were supposed to have a nice night together, and it turned for the worse, like it always did.
In stark contrast to her beautiful lingerie and makeup, he was wearing an old t-shirt, which was huge and covered up his body, including the loose boxers he had on. He was ready to go to bed, and it didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon, especially with the look she was giving him. "I know it's a school night, but I really need to talk to someone." She said.
He nodded. "Anytime, mom. You know I'm always here for you." It was true, and he had kept this promise for years now, always being there for her when she needed him most. He didn't know how long he could continue doing that after he went to college, but he wanted to make her happy while he could.
She pushed his hair back gently, very motherly, and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I know, and I'm going to miss you so much when you leave." She sniffed loudly, and he looked down at her as she sat on the bed next to him.
"Your dad... his words are so abusive." She started. "I don't want to say anything rude about him but, you know how he is. I don't even need to tell you how he treats me. He says I'm crazy, can you believe that?! He's the fucking crazy one!"
His mother didn't swear much, and the tone in her voice made him flinch a little. So it wasn't a regular fight this time. "Why did he say you're crazy?"
"Just that I'm really emotional, and... I told him I thought he was cheating on me." She admitted, looking a little guilty.
"Mom! Why? Why would you think that?" He exclaimed. This was coming from nowhere.
"I heard him talking to a girl I didn't know on the phone. The way he laughed, the way he acted. It was just how he was when he first fell in love with me. I just know it, in my gut." She pointed to her stomach to demonstrate her point.
"You can't just assume these things, you have to know." He said, completely exasperated. He didn't know if she was right or not, but this wasn't the way to go about it.
"He said he's reached the end of his wits and wants to leave me." She looked so sad, and he just wanted to put his arms around her and make it better.
"Mom..."
